Articles - Page 167

Browse hundreds of articles, tips, and inspiring design collections. Find helpful design advice, or the perfect resource for your next project.

Business / 27 Aug 2015

10 Ways Designers Solve Problems

Designers, by nature, are problem-solvers. Every project is a problem or challenge that involves helping other people understand something. Designers have to see through all the fog and clutter to create a solution.

This creative type of problem solving comes naturally in part, but some of the actions are learned. Have you ever stopped to think about how you work to solve problems? Here we will examine 10 ways that designers do just that with a collection of abstract images to inspire some of that problem-solving thinking.

Freelancing / 25 Aug 2015

Long-Term Freelancing: How to Stay Focused

Some days you will wake up with that “I don’t want to” feeling. The difference between working for someone else and working for yourself is often what you do when that feeling strikes. Do you push through anyway? Most people who report to an employer fight the feeling, but it can be a lot easier to stay in bed an extra hour when you are your own boss.

This feeling can strike at any time – on a Monday morning, or right in the middle of a big project that you’ve been working on a long time. So how to you push through and stay focused on those projects when you are running out of steam? The trick is in a combination of things you can do for the project and a few things you can do for yourself.

Business / 24 Aug 2015

vCard Websites: 15 Tips to Make Yours Stand Out

While you may not be exchanging actual paper business cards as much these days, chances are your digital business card, or vCard, can see a lot of traffic. A vCard-style website typically contains very little content other than a few professional details.

vCard websites are not the same as a portfolio. They tend to be more streamlined with a focus on point of contact, not showcase of professional accomplishment. This style of website can be useful to help users or potential customers find you online and help you promote your professional presence online. When it comes to designing a vCard website, think beyond the paper business card format, or email attachment style cards that have been around for years and make yours stand out.

Reviews / 20 Aug 2015

How to Perform Real-Time User Testing With FullStory

Ever visited a website that was confusing, broken, or just plain hard to use? That site probably isn’t using FullStory.

There’s no doubt that user testing is incredibly important to create a website that’s easy to use, and performs well. But watching users in a testing environment can never compare to watching actual customer interactions, and looking at the stumbling blocks they face. Today we’re taking a look at how FullStory can help with just this, and give you a powerful insight into how your customers use your website.

Inspiration / 19 Aug 2015

Monochromatic Color: How to Use It Effectively

While the thought of completing a design project with only one color might be intimidating, it can actually result in a pretty awesome aesthetic. Monochromatic color options are also a hot concept and can work for a lot of project types.

Monochromatic color is rooted in color theory and takes more than just picking a color and designing everything with it. You’ll want to consider the meaning and associations of the color you choose and how to make that hue work with other components in the page. Here, we’ll explore ways to help you better understand and effectively use monochromatic color in any of your design projects.

CV & Resume Templates / 17 Aug 2015

Designing Your Resume: Create the Perfect First Impression

Resume design is as much about content design as aesthetics. It’s great to have a resume that stands out and makes a potential employer say “wow,” but that wow factor has to keep flowing as they read through the contents of your work history.

It’s a delicate balance between design and content. Treat developing your resume as you would any other design project. Start with the content first. Develop all the things that need to be on your resume and then let that drive the look of the words on the page. (And we all know resume design can be a challenge because there is so much text.)

Reviews / 13 Aug 2015

Get 7 Free Days of Downloads With GraphicStock

GraphicStock have a big collection of stock resources for designers — backgrounds, concepts, icons, patterns, textures, templates, photos and more.

Today we’re featuring a great deal, which gives you seven days of completely unrestricted access to the GraphicStock library. Read on to find out more about the site, how to redeem the deal, and see a collection of different assets and resources from the site!

Graphics / 10 Aug 2015

Blurred Images in Web Design: How to Make Them Work

It’s an undeniable fact: using blurred images is a trending web design technique in 2015. It seems like everywhere you look there’s some element of blur.

But this is not a solution to some of your photo problems. It’s a distinct technique that takes practice to perfect and attention to detail to get it right. So before you jump on the trend, think about the options for using blurred images to decide if it is right for you and how you can make the best use of this technique in your projects.

Business / 6 Aug 2015

Adobe Stock: Shaking Up the Stock Content Market

Adobe Stock has introduced a stock content service that’s directly integrated into creative tools and workflows.

Approximately 85% of creatives who buy stock use Adobe tools, and over 90% of stock sellers use Adobe’s tools to create their images. Adobe is working with buyers and sellers to create a streamlined experience that makes the flow of content more efficient for buyers and increases the opportunities for sellers.

Typography / 5 Aug 2015

Kinetic Typography: An Introductory Guide

Kinetic typography seems to be everywhere these days. From television commercials to website landing pages, movable type is a popular visual tool. This popularity could come from a number of reasons but one obvious factor is that it catches your attention. People tend to be drawn to words and want to read them.

Kinetic typography puts this together with some simple animations to create words that move on the screen, grabbing your attention and engaging the senses. So let’s take a look at kinetic typography and how you can integrate it into some of your design projects. (Note: The examples in this article include animation; click the images for links to the original sources to see them in action.)

Business / 3 Aug 2015

Where Should You Work as a Designer? 10 Things to Consider

Knowing that a design career is what you want is just the first step in the path to finding your dream job. Add in a little training and expertise and you still have some big decisions to make, because there are so many different types of places to find design work.

How do you know what type of place will be the right fit? The answer may be different for you at different stages in your life. Young designers almost always need the support of a more structured environment so they can develop, work with a team and grow. But more experienced designers may find that a smaller shop is a better option with more flexibility and control over their projects. Here, we’ll help you determine where your dream job might be — with a startup, as a freelancer, at an in-house shop or with a big firm?

How to Design a Logo / 31 Jul 2015

80 Clever Negative Space Logo Designs

Negative space is an inspiring field in the design world, where designers use the alternative color in a graphic to make a dual imagery and representation of a product. When it comes to negative space logo designs, agencies can incorporate multiple meanings in to their logo designs.

It’s a great way to capture a customers attention, and make them think twice. We’ve conducted a thorough search for some of the most interesting negative space logos, and collected 80 inspiring designs to give you an idea of what’s possible. Enjoy!