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Software / 13 Aug 2014

Find Out How Visitors Use Your Website With Hotjar Insights

Having a website in today’s market is not enough. You also need see how your visitors are really using your website. This information can help you better plan, create content and design for the way your users interact with you.

That’s where Hotjar Insights comes in. The new service is launching later this month and will include lots of tools that really can help you understand your visitors better. The interface includes heatmaps, session playbacks, polling, surveys, chats and funnel analysis. Here’s a look at the new tool.

Software / 21 May 2014

GridGum Theme Marketplace Is Open for Business

The GridGum launch is official. We first told you about the new responsive themes marketplace in April. And now that the shop is open, you can go see for yourself what it’s all about.

GridGum is a marketplace for only responsive, and highly vetted, themes for a variety of platforms. From Bootstrap to Foundation to Gumby or Skeleton to WordPress or Joomla, you can find a theme for almost any site through GridGum.

Software / 31 Mar 2014

Todoist: A Simple and Powerful Tool for Designers

There are so many apps and productivity tools out there, making it hard to find things that fit your needs the best. Some tools are packed with too many gimmicks, which can make it hard to be productive. Others are difficult to use or understand.

Enter Todoist. This tool is simple and powerful. After only five minutes, I was beginning to feel like a super-user. And what’s even better is that it is designed well. Not only does this tool work beautifully, it looks great at the same time. Here’s a look at Todoist, how it works and how you can use it in your workflow.

Software / 24 Feb 2014

5 Online Portfolio Services & Tools Compared

Whether you are designing for print, packaging or online, almost everyone wants a portfolio site that is easy to manage and maintain while providing a good visual experience. With so many different portfolio tools and services out there, though, how do you choose what works best?

Today, we are taking a look at five nice online portfolio tools. We’ll weigh the pros and cons and pricing for each in hopes that it will help you choose the right tool to display your work.

Software / 27 May 2013

Creating a Portfolio With the All-New Dunked

As a designer, I am often overwhelmed by creating a portfolio. I want something that is simple, easy to navigate and showcases a variety of work, including print and digital projects.

I should also be able to update the portfolio easily and don’t particularly want to fool with the hassle of coding. Dunked is the new portfolio solution that meets all of these needs and more. Let’s take a look at it today.

Software / 7 Mar 2013

Webnote: A New App for Browsing and Inspiration Clipping

If you’re anything like me, you love collecting visual bits that you find while working online – photos, video, text, gifts, whatever. These little pieces from the web are sources of inspiration that help to shape future projects, showcase trends, and serve as reminders of some of the neat things others are doing.

Creating this visual collection just got a little easier for iPad users with the new Webnote app, which allows you to browse, collect visuals and share all from one app. Here’s a look at how it works.

Mobile / 1 Mar 2013

Zurb Goes Mobile First With the All-New Foundation 4

Planning web projects for a host of devices got a little easier this week with the release of Zurb Foundation 4, a responsive framework with a mobile-first outline.

The follow-up release to Zurb’s Foundation 3 flexible grid is structured to make designer’s think mobile first. With more than 1.08 billion smartphones being used worldwide, it’s a trend that will likely continue to gain popularity. Join us as we take a look at what’s new in Foundation 4, and discover why you should consider using it for your next design project!

Software / 28 Jan 2013

Top 10 Apps for Designers Right Now

If you are like me, apps are becoming an essential part of your workflow – from mapping out sketches, to gathering ideas, to taking notes and filing invoices.

But there are just so many options out there. How do you filter through them all to find applications that work for what you do?

I have a handful of “old faithful” apps that I use on my phone, iPad and online as well as a few app only tools that are rather new. By using a mix of software applications, I have been able to work more efficiently and hopefully save time. Here are 10 great apps for designers – some may be familiar but hopefully you’ll find something new that you love.

Software / 8 Jan 2013

Create Outstanding Product Shots in Seconds With PSDCovers

Creating high quality 3D product mockups is a ton of work. I used to do print design work for various major store brands and I spent hours and hours toiling away in attempts to build attractive Photoshop mockups of various products.

If only PSDCovers.com had been around back then! This awesome resource is loaded with free packaging and product mockups that you can instantly apply your designs to in Photoshop. Sound too good to be true? Read on to see how it works.

Software / 7 Jan 2013

Generating Placeholder Content in Sublime Text 2

Everyone needs a little placeholder content now and then. Whether it’s a quick dummy image or a chunk of lorem ipsum, placeholder content can help fill the void when you need to flesh out a project but don’t necessarily have your pieces in place.

Today we’re going to take a look at how Sublime Text 2 can help you generate placeholder content automatically so you can save time and move on to the important stuff. Let’s check it out!

Software / 31 Dec 2012

Invoiceable: The End of My Search for the Perfect Invoicing App

I love getting paid, but I hate invoicing. It can be tedious, time consuming and even frustrating if you don’t have a good system in place. Long have I searched in vain for the perfect invoicing app that has the features I need without costing me a fortune.

Good news: I finally found it. Invoiceable is everything I’ve ever wanted in an invoicing app. It’s easy to use, the invoices are highly customizable and the service is free. Sounds too good to be true right? Read on to learn more.

Software / 19 Dec 2012

No Coding Necessary: Build a Striking Website With Breezi

Breezi is the website design application for beginners. It is a great tool for those who maybe don’t have the coding ability to produce a site that looks like they would hope. The tools are easy to use, there are almost limitless options for customization and even a few templates to help you get started.

Here we look at the web-based tool. And if you think Breezi is for you, you can enter to win one of five pro licensees that the company is giving away to Design Shack readers. (Enter using the Rafflecopter at the end of this post.)