Articles - Page 113

UX Design / 18 Feb 2021

SEO for UX Designers: Ideas to Incorporate Into Every Project

Almost everyone you talk to is interested in search engine optimization. And for good reason: You want as many people to see your website as possible and find it in relevant search results.

But did you know that user experience can be one of the most important factors that contribute to SEO and overall search rank? So, you have to start thinking about it at the design and development level or you’ll never get ahead of the SEO game.

Here, we’ve got a few ideas that UX designers can incorporate into every project to help boost search.

Premiere Pro Templates / 17 Feb 2021

20+ Best Video Transition Effects (For After Effects + Premiere Pro)

Video editing is an art form of its own. It takes careful and creative thinking to create a video that captivates an audience. Not just in filmmaking but it applies to YouTube, Instagram, and many other types of video content as well.

The art of transitioning from one scene to the next is one of the most challenging tasks video editors have to deal with. Especially when it comes to creating content for online audiences, people expect to see attractive effects in transitions.

Let’s face it, the default transition effects included with video editors have already been used way too much. It’s time to think differently and add some unique transition effects to your own videos.

It takes a lot of work to create transition effects. But, with the help of these transition effect templates, you won’t have to spend hours designing and creating effects. Just download the After Effects or Premiere Pro templates and start editing.

Business / 16 Feb 2021

10 Tips for Presenting Designs to Clients to Keep Projects Moving Forward

It’s a common part of the job – presenting design work to clients. Practice doing it well so you can keep projects moving in the right direction and toward the finish line.

If you need a little push, these tips can help. We’ll be looking at how to lay the groundwork, approach challenging topics, clearly show your solution, and weave a narrative with your client.

Let’s dive in!

Web Standards / 11 Feb 2021

5 Tips for Boosting Your Domain Authority With SEO

With so many factors contributing to search engine optimization and rank, there’s almost too many things to do. A strong domain authority can help you establish a better presence online with search and it starts with optimizations you can make on your website.

Before you get too excited, remember that boosting search rankings is a long-game, and domain authority is just one piece of the puzzle. But it can be quite relevant and is a part of website best practices.

Domain authority and SEO have a symbiotic relationship and boosting one is also good for the other. Here are five methods you can deploy.

Sketch Templates / 11 Feb 2021

7 Best Sketch Alternatives for Windows & PC

Sketch is one of the most popular apps among designers and artists. Whether you want to design a mobile app interface or craft a set of unique icons, it has all the tools you need in one place.

However, the Sketch app also has a few downsides, the biggest one being the app’s exclusivity to Mac devices. If you’re a Windows PC user, you can’t use the Sketch app.

Thankfully, there are a few amazing Sketch alternatives for PC you can use instead. In this article, we take a closer look at the best Sketch alternatives for Windows, including both free and premium options.

Let’s dive in.

Inspiration / 9 Feb 2021

7 Top Web Accessibility Plugins for WordPress

Building more inclusive websites that provide equal experiences to all audiences, especially for persons with a disability, should be the main goal of every web designer.

According to the World Bank, more than one billion people, or 15% of the world population, suffer from some form of disability. And it’s your job as a designer to make websites accessible to everyone.

WordPress is a great software you can use to make accessible websites. The software itself is well optimized for accessibility and, more importantly, it allows you to easily implement accessibility solutions for your websites using third-party plugins.

In this post, we take a look at the best WordPress web accessibility plugins you can use to make accessible websites that serve all audiences equally.

Freelancing / 8 Feb 2021

How to Diversify as a Creative Freelancer

If the last year has taught us anything as freelancers, it is that diversification is a good thing.

Different income streams can help mitigate losses in other areas and provide multiple avenues for leads and new work. And while most of us know we need to diversify, are you actually doing it?

Getting started with new projects or income streams does take some work and planning, but it can be a worthwhile investment in yourself.

Let’s look at some ways – and things you can do – to diversify yourself as a creative freelancer.

Trends / 4 Feb 2021

Design Trend: Text That’s Not Readable

Let’s start with a definition. Readability is a measure of how easy a piece of text is to read. The level of complexity of the text, its familiarity, legibility, and typography all feed into how readable your text is. Readability is a key factor in user experience.

Why would we ever showcase a design trend that features text that’s not readable? Simply, because it is popular. Does it mean that it’s a good idea? It… depends!

You can read on, look at the examples, and decide if it is right for your projects.

Software / 28 Jan 2021

Best Drawing Software for Digital Artists (PC & Mac)

Finding the right drawing app for digital art is a process that involves a lot of trial and error. We want to help narrow that search by giving you this list of the best drawing software for digital artists.

Whether you’re a beginner just getting started or an experienced artist looking for a better drawing software, we have handpicked some of the best software you can use to craft professional art and designs.

When choosing a drawing software you also need to look for specific features like support for drawing tablets, compatibility with different platforms, and affordable pricing. We made sure to check for these features when creating our list. You’ll also find some of the best free drawing software you can use without touching your wallet. Keep reading to learn more.

UX Design / 26 Jan 2021

How to Use Website Personalization (Without the Creep Factor)

Website personalization can help you create more amazing user experiences or turn into a total creep-fest. It’s all about how you use data, cookies, and other useful information to design something that’s of greater value to the person who sees it.

There’s a very fine line between outstanding and out of bounds, and most of it comes down to respecting your visitor’s privacy and expectations.

Here are a few ways to use website personalization and delight users without being (too) creepy.

Business / 25 Jan 2021

8 Data Points That Will Make You a Better Web Designer

Website design is such a creative exercise that sometimes it is easy to forget all of the left-brain things that go into a stellar project.

A good design uses solid data and analytics to help shape decision making, map user journeys, and include just the right visual elements to make the most of the design for visitors. (Almost every new website project I take on begins with looking at the analytics of the current website.)

So what data points are important? And how do you use them?

These tidbits are extremely useful for new website projects, but you can also use them to help find and fix issues with existing designs. Data-powered visuals can make almost any project more impactful.

Trends / 21 Jan 2021

Fractal Art: A 101 Design Intro

Art elements rooted in math and algorithms might seem like a futuristic idea, but it’s a growing and popular concept.

Fractal art has been around since the 1980s but it seems to be having a moment with more designers looking to this style for backgrounds and main art elements. Another reason for the growth in popularity? Use of this style as an interior design element for wall hangings and more.

This can be a fun design element to think about and incorporate into projects. Here’s everything you need to know to get started with fractal art.