Articles - Page 249

Graphics / 4 Jun 2010

6 Apps for Collecting Digital Inspiration

The online design community is simply overflowing with inspiration. Every day countless blog posts are being published showcasing 30-100 amazing examples of “insert item here.” Further, CSS galleries like our own contain hundreds or even thousands of great site designs.

With all this inspiration being tossed at you all the time, you need a way to catalogue and store it. Today we’ll look at a few tools out there that do exceptionally well at this very thing.

Critique / 3 Jun 2010

Web Design Critique #2

Today we’ll be continuing our new series of web design critiques where we take an in-depth look at a live website and point out both its strong points as well as the areas that could use improvement.

Top Test Prep, the site we’ll be viewing today, was our very first customer but the requests have been pouring in so be sure to get on the list soon!

Graphics / 2 Jun 2010

Create Stunning 3D Text Free With SketchUp

Everyone loves 3D text.

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford the 3D modeling software necessary to build it. Today I’ll teach you how to create some awesome 3D text using only Photoshop and a free app from Google. Intrigued? Read on!

Business / 1 Jun 2010

The Importance of Personal Projects

Working for other people can be a horrible way to spend your life.

Even if you’re doing something that you love, doing it 40+ hours per week for other people has a tendency to ruin the appeal.

One way to ease this problem is to create and maintain personal side projects. Below we’ll discuss why this proves true.

CSS / 28 May 2010

Create an Awesome 3D Slideshow With Cu3er: Part 2

Today we’re going to finish up our two-part cu3er tutorial.

For those who don’t know, Cu3er is an awesome 3D image slider that’s free to use and easy to setup.

This section will examine how to tweak your slideshow using some of Cu3er’s many customization options. We’ll mostly be editing an XML page but don’t worry about it getting too techie. Even if you don’t know what XML is, it’s all pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

CSS / 27 May 2010

Create an Awesome 3D Slideshow With Cu3er: Part 1

Today we’re going to build a simple web page with an amazing and free tool: Cu3er.

Cu3er is a really neat 3D image slider with crazy visual transitions and lots of customization options. Though it’s built with Flash and JavaScript, you don’t really need to know either of these to use it.

In this article, we’ll get the page built and the slideshow up and running. Next time we’ll return and see how to customize some of Cu3er’s many features and variables.

Graphics / 25 May 2010

5 Fantastic Notebooks and Sketchbooks for Designers

This article will briefly examine 5 physical notebooks that are perfectly suited for a number of designer workflows.

Before we get started, let’s take a brief look at some reasons you should be using a notebook as an integral part of your design process.

Graphics / 22 May 2010

Funny Business and the Lack of Humor in Web Design

In a recent post on things that web designers can learn from print designers, I pointed out that professional web design seems awkwardly void of comedy while other forms of marketing seem to embrace it. I decided to explore this area further and make it into full-fledged post.

So today we’re going to look at the world of funny marketing and why you should add it to your arsenal of design tools.

Critique / 21 May 2010

Web Design Critique #1

Today we’re going to start a new series where we take a brief but in-depth look at a particular design and discuss both the aspects that are done really well and those that could use a little work.

Over the course of these critiques we’ll discuss everything from design and color theory to usability and good coding practices.

CSS / 20 May 2010

How to Use the New Google Font API

Today we’re going to learn about what the new Google Font is and how to implement it right away in your designs.

It’s free to use and can be installed in under a minute once you get the hang of it!

CSS / 18 May 2010

Best Resources for Learning WordPress Development

Odds are, if you’re a web developer, learning WordPress is either on your todo list or something that you’ve already committed yourself to. Learning to build WordPress themes is an excellent professional move that will open you to a wealth of new clients and personal opportunities.

To follow up our article last week on tutorials for learning web design, below is a list of books and free tutorials specifically targeted at learning to develop for WordPress. Whether you’ve never heard of WordPress or are just looking to update your current WordPress skill set, there are plenty of resources below to get you on your way.

Graphics / 15 May 2010

Where to Find Free Design Feedback

Sometimes outside opinions can offer invaluable insight into the strengths and weaknesses in your designs. Unfortunately, obtaining professional advice can be expensive and risky due to the uncertainty of the quality of feedback you’ll receive for your money.

However, there are plenty of resources available for you to receive completely free feedback on your designs. Though the quality of information you receive will vary widely across the options below, you’re won’t lose a penny by trying!