Design Shack — Web Design Gallery, Articles & Community

Graphics / 6 Dec 2016

Design Trend: Photos That Come Alive

A live photo. Cinemagraph. Moving pictures. Still motion. There are so many names for this trend in web design, identified by a hero image that seems to come alive in a subtle way.

It’s not quite a photo, but not quite a video either. The movement is often restricted to one action in the image to help grab user attention and draw them into the image. Regardless of what you call it, this trend is making an impact and popping up everywhere in web design, as shareable gifs and on social media.

Reviews / 5 Dec 2016

Never Run Out of Images Again With StockUnlimited

Worried about running out of stock image downloads before the month ends? You can eliminate that feeling forever with StockUnlimited.

StockUnlimited is a stock image service that allows subscribers to download an unlimited number of images and vectors each month. That’s what makes it different from many of the other stock image options available. Here’s a look at StockUnlimited and how you can use it for your design projects.

Layouts / 30 Nov 2016

How Does a User See Design?

There’s often a disconnect between the way a designer looks at a website or brochure or package and the way users see it. As a designer, you can appreciate trends and attention to typography and details in a way that the common user might not.

Users only know whether they understand something when they interact with it. The details of how that interaction happens or why it is pleasing are often lost. It’s a pretty harsh reality.

But there’s a nugget of wisdom in understanding that disconnect. If you think about what users are thinking, you will be a better designer. (Even if you don’t particularly like their thoughts on design.)

Inspiration / 29 Nov 2016

15+ Clean & Minimal Landing Page Templates

You may already know about the power of landing pages. It’s one of the greatest online marketing strategies many businesses use. Instead of directing your traffic to a website homepage, sending traffic to a landing page is a great way to increase conversions.

Did you know that 48% of marketers build new landing pages for each of their marketing campaigns? Unfortunately, building and testing landing pages isn’t easy. Fortunately, we’ve collected a selection of great landing page templates, that will have you up and running within a few minutes (all for less than $20).

Inspiration / 28 Nov 2016

2016 Gift Guide for Designers and Creatives

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Holiday shopping! Where do you start? Sometimes finding the perfect – and perfectly unusual – gift for the designer in your life can be a challenge.

We’ve found 15 great gifts for designers or the design-minded so you can check shopping off your list early this season. Prices range from stocking stuffer items to a few more expensive gifts, but nothing on this list is too extravagant.

Business / 23 Nov 2016

Thinking About Design Thinking: Is It Important?

Design thinking is the biggest buzzword in the design world since flat design. Everyone is talking about it… even non-designers. So what is design thinking? Is it important? Should you care?

Here’s the good news: design thinking is something that’s probably part of what you “just do” even if you didn’t have a name for it. Design thinking is another way to think about problem-solving. Let’s take a closer look, and delve into what it means, and why it can be useful!

Layouts / 22 Nov 2016

How to Design for Long-Form Content

Forget what you think about user attention spans. Long-form content can be a valuable part of your design strategy (and doesn’t have to be a boring block of ongoing text). Users love a good story and long-form content is a great way to create an immersive and engaging experience.

To keep users interested – and scrolling – you have to design interactions that are visually pleasing and create a consistent experience from the first glimpse to the final act. Here are a few ways to design long-form content that meets those goals with a few examples that are anything but boring.

Inspiration / 21 Nov 2016

50+ Apple Watch Mockups & Graphics

The Apple Watch is the latest gadget in Apple’s ever-growing product line-up. If you’re looking to display your latest application or web interface on the watch, then you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve gone through and updated our collection of Apple Watch mockups with dozens more beautiful graphics, mockups and vector designs for you to use in your next project. These are mixed templates with photograph-based PSD mockups as well as fully scalable vector packs. Some of these mockups contain all the three versions of Apple Watch, including the ‘Sport’ and ‘Edition’ versions. Some sets are free, while others cost a few dollars.

Business / 16 Nov 2016

Design a Better Logo: 5 Key Concepts to Consider

Logo design is tough. There’s so much pressure to come up with a perfectly iconic symbol. It has to be original, fresh and interesting. And it’s probably going to be around for a while.

Before you break out in a cold sweat trying to develop the next Nike Swoosh, stop and breathe. While some of the most successful logos of all time did come with a little luck, most follow a few key concepts that you can apply to your thought process.

Take a minute, think it through and you can design a better logo using these five key concepts (with examples from the Design Shack gallery).

Reviews / 14 Nov 2016

Depositphotos Takes the Guesswork Out of Stock Photography

One of the toughest things about working with stock images is actually going through the process to buy them. Not with Depositphotos.

Depositphotos, a stock image provider, has a new flexible plan with straightforward pricing and downloads. (Each download is counted by the image, not confusing credits.) Today we’re taking a look at how the new plan works, and why this might be a great solution for your stock photography needs!

Reviews / 9 Nov 2016

Is Your Website Up to Speed? Bitcatcha Can Help

We talk a lot of about design, development and user interfaces and experience and how they contribute to a successful website. These are all givens for designers and developers. We know an interface that looks nice and is highly usable will be popular among users.

But did you know that something such as server speed is just as important? No matter how great your website looks, if it is slow to load, users will turn away. That’s why a tool like Bitcatcha is so important. The server speed checker can help you see if you have hidden issues that you need to address.

Inspiration / 8 Nov 2016

70+ Christmas Mockups, Icons, Graphics & Resources

Christmas is on the way! Whether you’re designing festive party flyers, looking for Christmas mockups, or a holiday icon set, we have a great collection for you today!

We’ve pulled together a fantastic collection of Christmas flyers and templates, mockups, icons, vectors, and much more. Some of them are completely free, some cost a few dollars, but all of them will get you in the festive spirit. Have fun looking through this selection of resources, and we hope you find a few that help out with your holiday design work!