Articles - Page 151 | Design Shack

Business / 13 Jan 2015

Get to Know the New 17hats Tool

If you are a freelancer or self-employed professional, you are probably always on the lookout for tools that can make life easier. There’s just not enough time to get all your work done and then follow up with paperwork.

17hats, a new cloud software tool, takes a lot of the work out of that paperwork. It integrates contracts, invoices, questionnaires, e-mail, to-do lists, time tracking, bookkeeping, calendars and more into a single login. Here’s a look at the tool, some of the key features, pricing and information on how to try it out.

Design Dilemma / 12 Jan 2015

Design Dilemma: The Wrong Way to Force a Client to Pay

A designer was recently relaying a story about a client who didn’t pay for his website and logo — so she took them both down. If you’ve ever seen the movie, Single White Female, Bridget Fonda is a business app programmer who implants a bug in client’s business software so if they don’t pay on time, the site automatically goes down and there’s a message that if payment is not made within 24 hours, all of the information will be unretrievable. A non-paying client goes over to confront Fonda, and is killed by her insane roommate.

While death may be a bit too much for a non-paying client, in this case the client put up the site again with the logo, and the designer was about to pull it down again. Unfortunately, this action can get you into huge legal trouble. So, what can you do when the client doesn’t pay and you feel the only recourse is to deny them of your design work? Join us as we delve into another murderous Design Dilemma, helping to answer your questions, queries and concerns about the murky world of design.

This Week in Design / 9 Jan 2015

This Week in Design: Jan. 9, 2015

All the best of and upcoming trend lists are fascinating this time of year, and that extends to lists that have to do with design as well. This week, we are taking a look at some of these compilations and how they may impact you and your work in 2015. (Who doesn’t love a great list?)

Every week, we plan to a look at major product releases and upgrades, tools and tricks and even some of the most popular things you are talking about on social media. And we’d love to hear what’s going on in your world as well. Have we missed anything? Drop me a line at [email protected].

Accessibility / 5 Jan 2015

Designing for the Interstitial Experience

Yes. Those little pop-ups matter, and are starting to matter more every day. Interstitial space – and content for it – is becoming an increasingly popular part of designing for the web. From ads, to forms, to bits of information, the interstitial experience is a vital part of the design process.

The dilemma for designers is to create something that users want to look at and not feel annoyed by. Here we’ll work to gain a better understanding of interstitial space and how you can work within it well.

This Week in Design / 2 Jan 2015

This Week in Design: Jan. 2, 2015

Happy New Year! As we roll into 2015, it only felt appropriate to tackle some new ideas, techniques and concepts this week in design. So what makes for a good user experience? How can you create better type? And what are some myths to get over this new year? Read on to find out.

Every week, we plan to a look at major product releases and upgrades, tools and tricks and even some of the most popular things you are talking about on social media. And we’d love to hear what’s going on in your world as well. Have we missed anything? Drop me a line at [email protected].

Design Dilemma / 29 Dec 2014

Design Dilemma: Why Are Job Ads So… Weird?

Have you wondered why job ads for designers have become a laundry list of impossible requirements or why job titles have become so diverse? Instead of “web designer” or “graphic designer,” titles read “graphic communications specialist,” “marketing creative associate,” “social media designer,” or “art-thingy person to abuse.” All of these, however, demand full experience and job requirements of an experienced designer.

At a design organization meeting, we all tend to share job postings we have seen and laugh about the ridiculous list of required skills and wonder who among us could ever fill these God-like positions. The answer is: No one! So, join us as we delve into another weird Design Dilemma, helping to answer your questions, queries and concerns about the murky world of design.

This Week in Design / 26 Dec 2014

This Week in Design: Dec. 26, 2014

With the new year comes plenty of new updates and design tools. This week in design as we bid farewell to 2014, we’ll look at some trending updates from Adobe and Bing. We’ll also look back at a few things that we loved in 2014, including some of the best-designed maps of the year.

Every week, we plan to a look at major product releases and upgrades, tools and tricks and even some of the most popular things you are talking about on social media. And we’d love to hear what’s going on in your world as well. Have we missed anything? Drop me a line at [email protected].

Mobile / 24 Dec 2014

Designing Hover Styles and the Future of the Technique

Despite arguments that hover styles are dead, these small boxes that pop-up over images, text or other elements on websites are still found all over the web. Designers like them for an added bit of style and information; users like them for functionality. (They are only “dead” because hover styles don’t work without a mouse-over).

The UI function is still there for now. And if you opt to use it, you’ll want to create well-designed hover styles that engage users. You’ll also want to think about how to alter these areas of your website for responsive sites.

Layouts / 22 Dec 2014

How to Balance Text and Visual Content in Design

We’ve all heard the phrase “sex sells” but when it comes to design, what does the selling? Text or images? The reality is that both are essential parts of almost every design project. What makes the difference between a project that works and one that falls short is striking the right balance between the two.

While visuals are often processed faster, text can provide greater understanding. Creating balance between text and visual content is a combination of understanding your project and the best method of delivery for content, audience expectation, weighting of elements and delivery.

This Week in Design / 19 Dec 2014

This Week in Design: Dec. 19, 2014

Are you in the holiday spirit yet? This week in design we are. From creative thinking during the holiday season to tools for a great photo book and even tips for hiring a designer, this week the theme is looking forward during this busy time. We’d also like to take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate our Design Shack readers. (And if there are things you’d like to see more of in the upcoming year, let us know.) Happy holidays.

Every week, we plan to a look at major product releases and upgrades, tools and tricks and even some of the most popular things you are talking about on social media. And we’d love to hear what’s going on in your world as well. Have we missed anything? Drop me a line at [email protected].

Software / 18 Dec 2014

How to Make Stock Art Work in Your Design Projects

Sometimes it’s hard to create just the right image, texture or illustration for a design project. It might be a result of resources or time, but there is an option – stock art. There are plenty of places where you can buy and download photos, textures, illustrations and user interface elements that can be used or adapted for your projects.

But how can you most effectively use stock art and ensure that you don’t end up using the same images as another company or website? Here we’ll look at some ways to help you choose the best stock images or vectors for your projects and a tool, GraphicStock, where you can find some great images.

Design Dilemma / 16 Dec 2014

Design Dilemma: No… You Can’t Be a Creative Director!

Every beginning designer has the dream and goal of ascending to the position of creative director, and it’s very attainable for most. All it takes is hard work, a great design or copywriting talent, and the ability to manage a staff of creatives.

There are others, apparently, who have the same dream and goal but without the required experience or abilities. Such is the case of a man who wrote to ask how he could attain the position of creative director—with no experience at all! So, join us as we delve into another slap of reality Design Dilemma, helping to answer your questions, queries and concerns about the murky world of design.