Articles - Page 2

Trends / 13 May 2019

Design Trends: When to Use Them + When to Ignore Them

We showcase a lot of design trends here at Design Shack. Not only is it fun to look at examples of new work, groundbreaking projects, and things that are growing in popularity, but it can also serve as a bit of design inspiration.

You can use trends to determine if your projects look modern, classic or just plain dated. But design trends aren’t for everyone all the time. That trend that looks amazing for one brand or project might be a disaster for another.

So how do you know when to use design trends (and when to just ignore them altogether)? Here’s your primer!

Inspiration / 12 May 2019

100+ MacBook Mockup PSD Templates for 2019

Whether you’re looking for a MacBook mockup or a MacBook Pro mockup, we have you covered with this extensive collection. We’re featuring a mix of MacBook mockups, realistic illustrations, and flat/stylised versions of these MacBook notebooks for all types of use case.

Totaling over a hundred different MacBook mockups in all shapes and sizes, these are great for dropping in your own work, applications, wallpapers or examples to give them a unique look-and-feel.

Some are free, some cost a few dollars, but each of them is unique and interesting.

Inspiration / 10 May 2019

60+ Apple Watch Mockups & Graphics

The Apple Watch is the latest gadget in Apple’s ever-growing product line-up. If you’re looking to display your latest application or web interface on the watch, then you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve gone through and updated our collection of Apple Watch mockups with dozens more beautiful graphics, mockups and vector designs for you to use in your next project (including for the latest Apple Watch Series 4).

These are mixed templates PSD mockups as well as fully scalable vector packs. They span the aluminum and stainless steel watches, many different strap types, and the Hermes versions as well. Some sets are free, while others cost a few dollars.

Inspiration / 10 May 2019

20+ Best Free Invitation Templates

When it comes to designing an invitation card, whether it’s for a wedding, party, or a special event, many people choose to hire a designer to make a professional invitation card design. The good news? There are dozens of stunning, free invitation templates out there!

What if you only want to print a few invitations for a family-only wedding or a small event? Of course, you wouldn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a designer to get an invitation card designed. This is where invitation templates come to help.

We handpicked a collection of modern and professional invitation card templates you can use to make your own invitation for all kinds of occasions. The best part is the templates are free to download and you can easily edit them as well.

Inspiration / 9 May 2019

40+ Best Social Media Kit Templates & Graphics

Are you working on crafting a content plan to promote your brand and business on social media? Then these social media kits and templates will help you design amazing graphics for your social media campaigns like a pro.

Preparing content for your social media promotions is a time-consuming process that most social media managers and marketers have to deal with.

But don’t worry. You can use these social media kits and graphics templates designed by professionals to quickly edit and use with your own social media campaigns. The best part is you can easily edit and customize them all by yourself.

Inspiration / 9 May 2019

15+ Light and Airy Lightroom Presets

Lightroom is not just a tool used for enhancing and optimizing photos, it can also be used to add beautiful effects and brighten up your photos to make them look dreamy and more professional. For this collection, we handpicked a set of light and airy Lightroom presets that will help apply soft and bright effects to your photos.

All of these presets can add a vibrant look and feel without affecting an image’s natural colors.

Whether you’re working on fashion, wedding, newborn, or portrait photography, you’ll find plenty of choices in this Lightroom presets collection to improve your photos with just one click.

Typography / 8 May 2019

6 Tips for Working With Hand-Drawn Fonts

Hand drawn fonts seem to be almost everywhere. But how do you use them in a way that’s different and effective? When it comes to hand-drawn fonts, these tips can help you create something that’s readable and matches the tone of your project.

The hand-drawn font design trend can be somewhat tricky and isn’t necessarily for all projects.

If you do go down this route, make sure you’re approaching it in a way that doesn’t compromise the goals of your design project!

Inspiration / 7 May 2019

50+ Best Instagram Templates & Banners

Are you working on a content plan to grow your Instagram following or promote your brand? Then we have a selection of amazing Instagram post and story templates you can use to make your content shine.

The key to growing a following on any social network is to produce high-quality branded content tailored to your audience. You don’t have to be a graphic designer or even hire freelancers to create great content for Instagram. You can use templates instead.

With these Instagram templates and banners, you can create gorgeous posts, stories, and promotions for your Instagram audience all by yourself. You can edit and customize these Instagram templates with a single click.

Inspiration / 7 May 2019

20+ Inspiring Personal Portfolio Websites in 2019

I just love digging around portfolio websites for design inspiration. You can learn so much about the personality of a designer from the way a portfolio looks, and the interactions therein.

A portfolio site is also a great playground because it gives you the creative freedom you can’t always express with a normal client project.

Here, we have a roundup of personal portfolio websites that can impart a dose of instant inspiration. Explore new ideas, design trends, and themes that you can take and use in your own projects.

Inspiration / 7 May 2019

20+ Best Outline Fonts

If you’re working on a poster, flyer, or greeting card design, an outline font is a great choice for adding titles and headlines that attract attention. In this post, we’re featuring some of the best outline fonts you can use in not only print designs but in digital graphic designs as well.

Unlike most other types of fonts, an outline font is easily recognizable. Just as the name suggests, an outline font features a character design that only consists of outlines without a fill. These fonts are widely used to create attractive titles and headlines. They are also used in logo and stationery designs as well.

This collection includes a mixed collection of outline fonts you can use in various types of professional, decorative, and business graphic designs. Take a look and see if you can find an outline font that suits your project.

Inspiration / 6 May 2019

60+ Stunning Food, Drink & Packaging Design Mockups

Part of your job as a designer is to make sure you present your final design to your clients in a way that they expect (and that makes your hard work shine!). Clearly, they will want to see how your design looks and feels on their actual product — that’s where product mockups can be incredibly helpful.

This week we’re taking a look at food, drink, and packaging design mockups. We’ve tracked down some beautiful examples on Envato Elements so, if you’re currently designing a label or package design for a client, some of these might be the perfect way to present your design when it’s done. Enjoy!

Inspiration / 3 May 2019

30+ Best Free Lightroom Presets 2019

Adobe Lightroom is one of the most useful tools you can use to optimize your photos and graphics. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, it has features suitable for everyone.

What makes Lightroom more powerful is its ability to extend its features with third-party presets. These presets allow you to instantly apply effects, enhance photos, adjust tone and mood, and much with just a few clicks.

Finding amazing Lightroom presets is not difficult. There are plenty available on platforms like Envato Elements. But, for those of you who are on a tight budget and can’t afford premium presets, we made this list of best free Lightroom presets you can download and use to enhance all kinds of photos.