Articles - Page 182

Business / 6 Apr 2010

5 Questions to Ask for Deciding When to Fire a Client

One of the amazing things about being a freelance designer is the freedom to choose who you are willing to work with. Unlike the nine to five crowd, we freelancers don’t always have bosses or coworkers that we are simply stuck with. If we don’t like working with someone, we fire them and move on.

Though this process sounds dandy in theory, the reality is much more complicated. Like anyone else, we have mortgages, utility bills and an annoyingly expensive need to eat just about every day. If you’ve got a client you can’t stand, run through the questions below to you help decide whether or not you can ditch them successfully (and whether you should).

Inspiration / 4 Apr 2010

30+ Gorgeous Typography Based Sites

“No other design discipline requires so much learning and training as fontography, and by no other aspect can amateurs be so easily distinguished from professionals.” – Dmitry Kirsanov

To follow up our recent article, 8 Rules for Creating Effective Typography, this post contains over 30 sites either dedicated to or designed with beautiful typography.

Competitions / 2 Apr 2010

Winner Announced: Zeldman’s “Designing With Web Standards”

Congratulations to Roberto Glaviano, you’ve been selected as today’s winner! You’ll be receiving an email shortly with more information. A big thanks to everyone who entered, check back for more competitions soon!

Today’s competition features a book from one of the web design community’s most respected individuals: Jeffrey Zeldman.

Read on to find out how you can win a copy of the the excellent book Designing with Web Standards: Third Edition.

Graphics / 30 Mar 2010

The Ins and Outs of Minimalist Design

Minimalism is a trend that will never die. No matter how many times we are left in awe by impressively intricate designs, there will always be something about simplicity that leaves us just as captured.

Today we’ll look at some of the key aspects of minimalism in web design along with some examples from designers who got it right.

Business / 28 Mar 2010

7 Reasons to Attend Design Conferences

If you’ve never been to a big design conference, you’re missing out. Aside from being a blast, they’re a great way to boost you out of professional stagnation or a design rut. Below we’ll take a look at seven reasons you should attend the occasional design conference. Along the way I’ll post a few images and links for upcoming conferences that you might find interesting.

Software / 26 Mar 2010

Photoshop CS5: A Sneak Peek

In the last few days there has been a lot of online buzz about the upcoming launch of Adobe’s next Creative Suite (aka CS5) in April 2010. Today I want to briefly run down some of the new features we’ll be seeing in the most beloved of the applications in the suite: Photoshop.

Graphics / 24 Mar 2010

25 Websites With Irresistible Illustrations

All designers were not created equal.

Some possess illustrative abilities that put simple page layout to shame. Today we’ll honor these artists and take a look at 25 beautiful sites from all over the world that feature incredibly creative illustrations.

CSS / 23 Mar 2010

Quick Tips for Creating a Mobile Optimized Site

Last year mobile web usage increased 148% worldwide. In the near future as smarthpones become more and more ubiquitous this number will continue to shoot up. As a developer, the time has arrived for you to seriously consider whether you should begin accommodating your mobile audience.

Today we’ll look at a few quick ways to make your site a little friendlier for mobile devices.

Business / 21 Mar 2010

10 Sure-Fire Ways to Make Your Clients Love You

As a freelancer, your role can often be that of a customer service professional as much as a designer. If you want to keep clients coming back for more, you must create a competitive advantage for yourself through building strong client relationships.

Below you’ll find ten ways to help you make your clients think of you as their absolute best option for design work.

Accessibility / 19 Mar 2010

12 Tips for a More Accessible Website

Making your website accessible to everyone is not only a moral duty, it’s a legal obligation. Many organizations, including the International Olympic Committee, have been sued for not making their websites accessible enough. With 50 million Americans suffering from some disability or other, improving your site’s accessibility makes clear commercial sense too.

Competitions / 18 Mar 2010

Winner Announced: Win a 1 Year Reseller Hosting Package Worth £300

Congratulations to Grant Russell and Francesco, the winners of a 1 Year Reseller Hosting Package! You’ll be receiving emails to confirm, enjoy your prizes! A big thanks to everyone who entered, check back soon for more giveaways.

We are proud to announce that today’s competition is one of our biggest to date. It’s a worth a whopping £300 (Approx. $458) per prize! And we’ll pick not just one but two winners this go around.

Read on to find out how you can win a One Year Reseller Hosting Package from Heart Internet!

Graphics / 17 Mar 2010

30 Websites With Photographic Backgrounds

In design, the simplest of options are often among the best. Using a photographic background is an easy way to make your site beautifully eye-catching. Below you’ll find 30 examples of sites from all over the world using strong photographic elements as background pieces. Some use pure photography while others mix in illustrations, Photoshop effects, and text. Use these as a leaping point for your own ideas the next time you need a fresh design.