Articles - Page 182 | Design Shack

This Week in Design / 14 Mar 2014

This Week in Design: March 14, 2014

From Facebook to Getty Images, big digital household names broke big news, including a redesign roll out and the release of millions of high-quality images for free use. Plus, we have a few fun tools for you to try 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].

CSS / 12 Mar 2014

Drop Caps and Paragraph Text Effects Using CSS3

Websites have become a medium of sharing information with the entire world. This has transitioned to include media like photos and videos. But text on a webpage is still the predominant choice for web publishing. This would imply that how you structure paragraphs, sentences, and text on the page can greatly impact if a visitor chooses to stick around and read what you have to say.

In this tutorial I’d like to share a few CSS tips for building creative paragraph or text designs. Legibility and font choices are often directly related to the design itself. But incorporating text effects like drop caps, highlights, and recognizable hyperlinks will distinguish from other content on the page. Take a peek at my live sample demo to see what we’re trying to build.

Business / 10 Mar 2014

The Simple Guide to Creative Commons Resources

Creative Commons is a tool that allows designers, writers, videographers and web developers to use content free of charge. From text to photos to video to sound, there are a variety of different types of available content that can be used when attributed appropriately.

But where can you find this content? Who can use it? And what really is acceptable to use? Today, we have a guide to creative commons works, proper use and attribution and tolls for helping you find great (and usable) content. (As an added bonus, all of the visuals used in this article were available under a Creative Commons license.)

This Week in Design / 7 Mar 2014

This Week in Design: March 7, 2014

This week it seems like the world is screaming “creativity!” All of my social media channels have been filled with new and fun products, tools and apps and advice on how to be more creative. So that’s the main topic this week in design: Creativity, creative tools and creative thought.

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 / 5 Mar 2014

Tips for Designing Better Mobile Typography

Mobile is big right now. But often the typography is small. When it comes to creating great type on small screens, there are plenty of challenges.

So how can you make the most of responsiveness, mobile design and typography? The first step is really understanding type and the second is by thinking about how people read. Put the two together and you will get a handle on creating great mobile type in no time. It’s a skill that every designer needs to master in the digital age.

Design Dilemma / 4 Mar 2014

Design Dilemma: Can I Fire My Client? (Again)

It’s a popular question and one we covered at least once, but every story is different. How many ways can a design project go wrong, by accident or on purpose? Can I say it all starts with a contractual agreement in writing? Not often enough, I’m sad to report.

But let’s grab a few moments of schadenfreude at the expense of someone else’s career. Join us as we delve into another Design Dilemma, helping to answer your questions, queries and concerns about the murky world of design…

Typography / 3 Mar 2014

Creating Visual Hierarchy With Typography

Visual hierarchy is an important element in any design project. It tells people where to look and what things on the screen or printed page are most important. Hierarchy gives readers a sense of how to actually read material from start to finish with visual cues and flow.

While you can create visual hierarchy using a number of different tools, today we are going to look at ways to create structure with just typography. (And take a look at the images used throughout this post; they are all examples of great type hierarchy in action.)

This Week in Design / 28 Feb 2014

This Week in Design: Feb. 28, 2014

This week, it’s all about fun. From lorem ipsum gone wild and appearing in final projects to a crave-worthy laptop bag to tools and tips that make the life of every designer easier, we’ve got you covered.

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].

Competitions / 27 Feb 2014

Three 1-Year Webydo Accounts Up for Grabs

We’re excited to be hosting a one-off competition today, to win one of three one-year premium accounts for Webydo (worth $95)! Webydo provides an intuitive, code-free website creator to design and manage business websites. No technical knowledge or skill needed, no limitations.

Read on to find out more about the competition, and get your entry in. It just takes a few seconds to enter, and you’ll be in with a chance of winning one of three accounts!

Inspiration / 26 Feb 2014

What Makes a Great Search Interface?

A search box is one of the essential pieces that is included in almost every website design. While sometimes the creation of this small element turns into an afterthought, there is no reason why the search box should not be designed as beautifully as the rest of a website.

The design of a search box should mirror that of the rest of the site, be functional and easy to use and be placed in a location that is obvious to users. Today, we are going to take a look at some great search boxes and a few tools to help you through your own design.

JavaScript / 25 Feb 2014

Creating Instagram-Style Photo Filters With jQuery

I’ve always been intrigued by the Instagram phenomenon and how quickly it rose to popularity. Photo filters are nothing new but dynamic use of these filters has not always been possible. Building the functionality into an iOS/Android application requires a lot of time. Thankfully developers have worked to replicate this process for the web using JavaScript.

In this tutorial I want to demonstrate how to build a simple Instagram-style filter webapp using jQuery. The library is called CamanJS which is easily extendable to create your own filter plugins. This doesn’t require jQuery but I’ve chosen to use it for a simpler development environment. Take a look at my live sample demo to understand the goal of this tutorial.

Software / 24 Feb 2014

5 Online Portfolio Services & Tools Compared

Whether you are designing for print, packaging or online, almost everyone wants a portfolio site that is easy to manage and maintain while providing a good visual experience. With so many different portfolio tools and services out there, though, how do you choose what works best?

Today, we are taking a look at five nice online portfolio tools. We’ll weigh the pros and cons and pricing for each in hopes that it will help you choose the right tool to display your work.