Articles - Page 121

Reviews / 3 Jun 2020

Upgrade Your WordPress Website With Kinsta

If you are running a website on WordPress, then you likely understand the value of managed WordPress hosting. Managed hosting helps keep your site up and running smoothly, often comes with backups, core and plugin updates, and monitoring security.

That’s a pretty expansive package that helps provide website peace of mind.

And you can get it all with Kinsta, a cutting-edge cloud platform that offers managed WordPress hosting, Application Hosting, Database Hosting, and free Static Site Hosting with everything you need to take care of your web projects. (We trust it so much that we’re running this website on Kinsta.)

Graphics / 3 Jun 2020

How to Add Text to a Video Online: 7 Tips & Tricks

Everywhere you look in web design, the hero image seems to be replaced with a hero video. And many of these videos include some type of text elements to provide additional information that draws you into the design.

When done right, the result can be rather stunning. When done wrong, video and text elements fall short of conveying a proper message.

Here, we’re going to look at how to ensure your video and text combinations are understandable, readable, and functional in your next design project.

Let’s dive into our assessment of how to add text to a video online, and the rules you should aim to follow as you do so!

Graphics / 2 Jun 2020

What Is a Wireframe & How to Design Them: A Beginner’s Guide

Every structure, every building, every design starts with a wireframe. It’s an important part of the design workflow that determines the success of the entire project.

Whether you’re working with digital user interface designs or banner designs, wireframes should be part of your design process. In this guide, we’ll help you understand what is a wireframe and why they’re important.

We made this guide for both beginners and advanced designers to convey the importance of wireframing. You’ll learn everything from how to design wireframes to the best tools for wireframing, tips for avoiding common mistakes, and more.

Let’s get started.

Trends / 1 Jun 2020

Design Trend: Transparent Text With a Bold Background

Who said typography has to be boring? Designers are having a lot of fun with interesting type options, including the super trendy method of layering transparent text elements with interesting backgrounds, animations, and images.

There are plenty of ways to incorporate this website design trend into a project (or put your personal spin on it for printed projects as well).

Here are some ideas and inspiration to help you get started with using transparent text on a bold background.

PowerPoint Templates / 27 May 2020

How to Embed Fonts in PowerPoint

Using custom fonts in PowerPoint presentations is one of the best ways to make your slideshows look more professional and stand out from the crowd. But, what if you have to share the PowerPoint file with a team that doesn’t have those same fonts installed on their computers?

Don’t worry, there’s a quick and painless solution to this problem. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to embed fonts in PowerPoint so that you can share your presentations without having to worry about font issues ever again.

Keep reading to find out how it’s done.

Font Collections / 27 May 2020

Trend: Retro Serif Typography

Serif typography is having a moment. From thin lines to interesting shapes and even modern serifs, this trend is taking over new website projects. What’s great about serifs is that they can add a certain flair or mood to a design based on the style of letterforms.

This trend is using retro-style serifs in a number of ways. (Our favorite option is for display text that pairs a retro serif with a simple sans serif, to create some eye-catching contrast and variety).

Here’s how to use this trend with some examples that do it exceptionally well, covering a range of different design styles and niches.

Business / 26 May 2020

Design Psychology: 8 Strategies to Use in Your Projects

Psychology, the study of the human mind, is a very complex subject that even the scientists struggle with. In fact, scientists and researchers are still trying to figure out why we have dreams when we sleep.

However, thanks to many studies, years of research, and the dedication of brilliant minds like Sigmund Freud, we now have a general understanding of how the human mind works.

As it turns out, our minds are pre-programmed to respond and react to certain things in certain ways. There are also specific patterns of how our mind reacts and the way we think. In psychology, these patterns are called “schemas”. Researchers have also found strategies that could influence these patterns to control our reactions.

Everyone from magicians to big brand corporations and the mass media have been using and taking advantage of these strategies for generations. To influence our behavior and sell products.

In this guide, we look at how you can apply the same psychological strategies they use for the good of others. And make better and more effective designs.

Font Collections / 21 May 2020

How to Add Fonts to Photoshop (Mac and Windows)

There’s no need to be intimidated when it comes to adding fonts to Adobe Photoshop for use in projects. Whether you’re on a Mac or Windows, adding a font to Photoshop can be a straight-forward process.

Any designer will regularly need to be working with new fonts and typography, and knowing how to quickly get them working in your design app is a key part of your workflow.

Today, we’ll walk you through how to add fonts to Photoshop (using a few different methods) so that you can speed up your workflow like a pro.

PowerPoint Templates / 20 May 2020

How to Loop a PowerPoint

A self-running or looping PowerPoint presentation can be great for using in booths at conferences, displaying information on screens before a live event/presentation, or even to use in the waiting room of a business to showcase information.

The great thing is that if you can create a PowerPoint presentation, saving it for a looped playback is a breeze.

You can loop a PowerPoint in two different ways depending on playback method – as a PowerPoint or as a video file.

Here’s how you do it.

Navigation / 18 May 2020

5 Reasons to Avoid the Desktop Hamburger Menu Icon

A hamburger icon as the only source of navigation on a desktop website sucks. It’s frustrating, confusing, and violates unwritten rules of navigation and user flow best practices. Why would you do it? Other than to maintain or establish a certain aesthetic, it’s hard to find an answer that makes any sense.

The often-debated hamburger icon can be a great complement to website navigation or even for small screens, but it shouldn’t be the only option for desktops. You are doing yourself – and the website design – a huge disservice if this is your only menu option.

Take note of the different desktop menu styles throughout this post. Some of the best uses of the hamburger icon come with other menu items.

Reviews / 14 May 2020

Get Free SSL Protection With ZeroSSL

Until now, there haven’t been many options when it comes to free security certificates for your website. ZeroSSL offers completely free SSL certificates that are easy to use thanks to an intuitive user interface and API.

Here, we’re going to take a look at this viable alternative to Let’s Encrypt and how you can make ZeroSSL your website security solution.

This is a tool you can use and trust. And you won’t be alone. Companies such as Slack, Uber, and Shopify use ZeroSSL.

Procreate Brushes / 13 May 2020

Procreate for Windows and Android: Alternatives & Ideas

Procreate is one of the hottest drawing apps in the App Store. With more than 13,000 reviews and an average 4.5-star rating, it’s no wonder that designers and illustrators everywhere are talking about the app.

We have more information about Procreate and how to make the most of it here.

But one of the most common questions about the tool is what alternatives exist for Windows and Android users since Procreate is only available for iOS at this time. Let’s take a look.