Articles - Page 173 | Design Shack

This Week in Design / 17 Oct 2014

This Week in Design: Oct. 17, 2014

This week I am thinking about flow. Design flow. Work flow. Creative flow. What makes it call come together? This week in design we have a collection of ideas to help you think about design and creativity as a whole, from a look at what makes design good to a history of colors of the year to a fun and creative project you can do at home.

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 / 15 Oct 2014

Design Dilemma: Are Crowdsourcing Sites Really So Bad?

There’s no bigger hot button in the design industry than crowdsourcing. Sites like fiverr, eLance, 99designs, DesignContest, and oDesk promise digital client relationships while protecting the rights and payments of the “winners.” And therein lay the problem—these sites have winners and losers—mostly losers. But, what if you are a winner?

A designer wrote and asked if he should stay away from these sites or give them a try. He had won $1,000 in a smaller design contest for some music label and was riding high on the thought he could continue winning—and earning money.

Reviews / 13 Oct 2014

Readymag Can Help You Build a Portfolio Website

If you are anything like me, you are always looking for tools that make your work easier and faster. Readymag is a tool that allows you to create websites, specifically microsites, presentations, magazines and portfolios in a responsive digital format without coding.

The platform is designed for creative professionals who don’t have the knowledgebase or time to create a site from scratch. It is further made for creative because of the format options – microsite, magazine, photo stories, portfolios, presentations – that come with Readymag. And you can create a site and publish it quickly using included design tools. Here’s a look at Readymag and how it works.

This Week in Design / 10 Oct 2014

This Week in Design: Oct. 10, 2014

We all like new things, right? This week Adobe released some major new tools and upgrades to its Creative Cloud suite. (There’s got to be a new trick in there that you will enjoy.) We are also looking ahead to Halloween with a few goodies this week in design.

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 / 7 Oct 2014

Design Dilemma: Will Social Media Help Me Find Clients?

A designer wrote that he was having trouble deciding whether or not to start using social media to promote his website/client outreach. He asked about blogging, Twitter, Facebook, ads on Facebook, etc. Those are good questions, as social media often gets a bit inflated in the minds of people who think it creates miracles. It does, but only very rarely. Otherwise, it’s hard work.

Social media outreach is free, if you don’t consider the hours you need to spend casually tweeting, adding to Facebook, Google+, and the other popular social media channels. Does a designer have the same social media needs as an ecommerce business? No.

This Week in Design / 3 Oct 2014

This Week in Design: Oct. 3, 2014

Typography must be on my mind this week. From a collection of typefaces designed for coders to the feelings and emotion behind certain lettering, type kept creeping into my mind. So this week in design, let typography into your thoughts as well.

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 / 30 Sep 2014

X Is the Ultimate WordPress Theme

The WordPress blogging platform is arguably the most well-known in the world. Millions of websites are running on WordPress and tens of millions of users per day visit those URLs. The key is designing and developing a WordPress site so that you can make it your own.

That’s where tools such as plugins and themes really come in handy. WordPress is easy enough that almost anyone can get a site up and online. The new X WordPress Theme has taken that ease of use and customization to another level. With just one theme you can build a great site with a single set of tools. Here’s how it works.

Inspiration / 29 Sep 2014

Getting Started With Letterpress Printing

Have you ever picked up a printed work and taken a minute to admire the feel of it? You hold the paper and get a feel for the thickness and texture while noting the impressions of each letter? That is the beauty of letterpress. This style of printing presses the image into the paper in a technique that has a special feel and quality to it.

While letterpress looks and feels sophisticated, it is something that is an option for most designers working on print projects. You just need to find a printer in your area (or invest in letterpress machinery yourself) and understand the intricacies of preparing a design for this printing method.

This Week in Design / 26 Sep 2014

This Week in Design: September 26, 2014

How often when you think about design do you just assume web design? I seem to find myself doing it more now than at any other point in my career. I’m not sure if it is because pretty much everything is put together on a computer in some way or because digital projects are such a huge part of what we do. So this week in design, we are looking at some things that can help you along the way with web and digital design projects.

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].

Business / 22 Sep 2014

Using Ptengine to Track Website Analytics

If you have a website – and chances are that you manage several – you know and understand the importance of good analytics. Understanding the numbers and use of your site by visitors is key to creating, designing and developing a site that will keep visitors coming back and clicking around.

But with so many analytics options out there, how do you know what to choose? Sometimes the answer goes beyond the basic information you can get from Google Analytics. Today, we are taking a look at one of these services – Ptengine – and how it can work for you.

This Week in Design / 20 Sep 2014

This Week in Design: Sept. 19, 2014

Are you learning something new in your career? How are you working to push the boundaries of design? Those are things that good designers do. This week, we look at one of the guiding voices in web design since the earliest days of the Internet, ways to be student for life and a few bits of food for thought this week in design.

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 / 17 Sep 2014

Design Dilemma: Why Won’t People Share Their Contacts?

As working professionals, we owe it to our industry to mentor those just entering the field so they can become great… and not screw it up for the rest of us by lowering rates and giving creatives a bad name. But, there’s a point of helping that’s too far, when it could impact long relationships and trust built over one’s entire career.

There’s little to no give-and-take when it comes to introductions or allowing someone to use your name for their own advancement, when you don’t really know them. Unfortunately, those who ask for these favors rarely understand why you can’t take them by the hand and shove them on top of a long-time, trusted client or friend.