Articles - Page 240

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

Business / 23 Nov 2010

Networking Tips in the Design Industry

Web designers come at a dime a dozen. These days businesses are not hiring professional designers to create work anymore. Instead most of our progress has shifted overseas where outsourcing web design and coding is common place.

This shows how much industry name really means. The conversion into a well-known and respected designer takes time and a lot of hard work. There are some great networks out there for connecting with designers and once you understand how to utilize their power almost anything is possible!

Graphics / 19 Nov 2010

How to Revive an Outdated Design

Today we’re going to examine a real-world issue that frequently faces designers. Updating and old design can be a daunting task, whether it’s your own or someone else’s. Once you see a design presented in a certain way, it’s hard to break out of that mental box, even if you don’t like the original.

The article below will tackle a number of touch issues for designers. We’ll be dealing with outdated graphics, readability on a dark background, information overload, working with textures and more. Keep reading to see how we tackle these problems.

Typography / 18 Nov 2010

Ode to Ampersand: 30+ Inspiring Images of Our Favorite Character

Did you know that the ampersand comes from the phrase “and per se and?” Or that it originated around 1st century AD as a combination of the Roman cursive letters E and T? Even more interesting than its history and origin is its fantastic shape, which designers are constantly using as a muse for a new piece of typographical art.

Below you’ll find over thirty excellent inspirational images that feature ampersands as a primary element. Looking through these will help you learn to take advantage of what is arguably the most attractive character on your keyboard.

Graphics / 17 Nov 2010

Design and Mail a Custom Postcard Without Leaving Your Desk

Have you ever browsed through the postcards at your local grocery store and nearly gagged at the horrible design or cheesy photography adorning everything on the rack?

Fear not, the world need not live with poor postcard designs. Today we’ll walk through the process of designing and sending your own. You won’t even need a stamp!

Competitions / 15 Nov 2010

Winners Announced: Win 250 Free Business Cards From Inkd

Congratulations to Andy M and Harryplusk, you’ve each won 250 free business cards from Inkd.com! You’ll be receiving emails shortly with more information on how to claim your prize. Thanks to all who entered, be sure to stay tuned for more giveaways and awesome design content.

We’ve partnered with Inkd.com to bring you some awesome free stuff! Two lucky winners will receive a 250 card pack of printed business cards. Read on for more details!

Critique / 13 Nov 2010

Web Design Critique #27: Idea Arts

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 Idea Arts.

Graphics / 12 Nov 2010

Unlikely Inspiration: A Sushi Menu From Norman Rockwell?

Today I’ll attempt to demonstrate one way (of many) that you can use inspiration to create your own truly unique designs. This method allows designers to maintain integrity while still getting a little creativity boost when they need it.

To find our catalyst we’ll travel outside the world of commercial design into the world of art. Want to see how you can use Norman Rockwell to create an interesting design for a sushi restaurant? Read on!

CSS / 11 Nov 2010

Holiday Wish List: 15 Web Design Books You’ll Want for Christmas

As the holidays quickly approach so does the obligatory and awkward question always asked by friends and family: “What do you want for Christmas?” This year, rather than shrugging your shoulders, a gesture which always leads to you receiving ugly shirts that don’t fit, why not ask for something you’re actually interested in?

Below you’ll find 20 awesome web design and development books to add to your 2010 holiday wish list.

Graphics / 10 Nov 2010

20 Rockstar 3D Modelers You Should Hire for Product Mockups

Whether you’re trying to land that huge account or you want to make a good impression for a new client, there are few ways to stand out from the competition better than a few stellar 3D product mockups. The quality of 3D rendered products far surpasses anything most people can accomplish in Photoshop and though the work comes with a high price tag, it’s in high demand.

As a graphic designer, I highly recommend that you try your hand at 3D modeling just for the fun and experience, but realistically it takes a lot of time, effort and money (the applications are extremely expensive) to learn. However, just because you don’t personally possess the skill set doesn’t mean you should be turning down 3D work. You can easily find tons of talented 3D artists online willing to partner up with you on various projects.

Below you’ll find 20+ amazing 3D modelers from Coroflot, a popular portfolio site for designers looking for work. Bookmark this page and be sure to start here the next time you think you could use some 3D work!

Graphics / 9 Nov 2010

Trends in Professionalism: Modern Business Website Designs

The Internet has always been a great means of communication for businesses worldwide. It allows us to connect like never before and create amazing applications for easy usability. As design trends have evolved over the years we’ve seen a huge transition between many differing styles of design. Modern corporate websites are no exception and have seen massive growth over the past decade.

More business owners small and large are looking to own a powerful web presence. This helps to retain new business leads and spread the word about company’s products. The bonus here is the massive marketing and branding potential afforded to such a large audience.

I’ve outlined a few common trends for corporate site designs below. Not all corporations require cookie-cutter solutions and these are just some design concepts to include in the creative process. Keep the juices flowing by checking out some of the hundreds of thousands of professional layouts already available today.

Critique / 7 Nov 2010

Web Design Critique #26: iPhone Toolbox

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 iPhone Toolbox.