Articles - Page 227

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

Critique / 2 Apr 2011

Web Design Critique #44: Owain Lewis

Every week we take a look at a new website and analyze the design. We’ll point out both the areas that are done well in addition to those that could use some work. Finally, we’ll finish by asking you to provide your own feedback.

Today’s site is the personal portfolio of Owain Lewis, a freelance web designer.

Inspiration / 1 Apr 2011

20 Great Sign Up Form Examples to Learn From

Sign up forms come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are a single field, others are a multi-step process that stretch over several screens.

Today we’ll take a look at 20 attractive and functional forms to see if we can find any useful ideas that you can apply the next time you’re building a sign up form.

Software / 31 Mar 2011

Apply Graphics to Textured Surfaces With Displacement Maps

Do you ever wonder how Photoshop masters create such realistic compositions? Seemingly simple tasks such as throwing some text onto a brick wall can easily lead to lackluster results if you don’t know what you’re doing.

So what sets you apart from the pros? Why are their final results so believable while yours reek of Photoshop? The simple answer is that they know more tricks than you! Let’s fix that.

Graphics / 30 Mar 2011

UI Design: Should We Really Be Afraid of the Uncanny Valley?

Realism in UI design is a hot topic right now. Every design blog worth anything is openly telling Apple that they are way off in their suggestion that iPad apps should mimic reality.

Join us as we add some life to the debate by tackling some of these notions head on. We’ll go over when realism is effective and when it is destructive and how you can wield it in your own designs without ruining your interface.

PHP / 29 Mar 2011

Accessing Foursquare API Data via OAuth and PHP

In this brief tutorial we’ll be looking into manipulating website data with PHP. Foursquare offers some great tools for accessing their website’s API.

We’ll be working with an open connection technology OAuth to authenticate users into our own 3rd party Foursquare apps!

Freebies / 29 Mar 2011

Weekly Freebies: 20 Fractal Brush Sets for Photoshop

Today’s collection of free design resources includes twenty awesomely abstract fractal brush sets that collectively contain hundreds of brushes for you to add to your library.

Graphics like these instantly add life and character to your design and can be used to add texture in the background, a main focal point, or anything else you can dream up. Their natural beauty is easy to leverage!

Critique / 26 Mar 2011

Web Design Critique #43: Abdominals at Work

Every week we take a look at a new website and analyze the design. We’ll point out both the areas that are done well in addition to those that could use some work. Finally, we’ll finish by asking you to provide your own feedback.

Today’s critique is Abdominals at Work, an iPhone application website.

Graphics / 24 Mar 2011

Pepsi vs Coke: The Power of a Brand

Today we’re going to jump into an age old rivalry between the two biggest soft drink companies on the planet and their flagship products: Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

The main theme will be brand evolution. We’ll take a look at how both brands have changed over the years and which seems to have the better strategy.

Graphics / 23 Mar 2011

Effective Package Design Does More Than Look Good on the Shelf

Package design is deceptively simple. Many designers wrongfully approach this task as merely a matter of aesthetics and give no thought to the fact that packaging has to succeed on many variables.

Today we’ll go over some basic principles to keep in mind the next time you’re designing either the package itself or merely the artwork. Along the way we’ll see a few amazing and not-so-great examples to learn from.

Freebies / 22 Mar 2011

Weekly Freebies: 30 Seriously Useful Seamless Textures

A designer can never have too many seamless textures and patterns in his arsenal. These resources make it effortless to flood a background with something more interesting than a solid color.

Today we’re showcasing an awesome collection of over 30 fully tile-able textures and patterns that you can download free. Some are raster images for Photoshop others are vector swatches for Illustrator, all of them will make great additions to your resource library!