Search Results For: design

Trends / 19 Feb 2020

Design Trend: Mixing Realism and Illustrations

There’s a trend afoot in website design that mixes real images with illustrations and art elements in interesting ways. And it’s quirky, unique, and beautiful!

It’s a mashup of visual elements that don’t seem like they go together at first, but when done well can create a stunning aesthetic that is highly engaging and delightful.

Here, we’re going to look at examples of this design trend and different ways of mixing realism and illustrations for maximum impact. Some of these sit within fairly corporate designs, and others are completely playful and entertaining. It’s a wide range of applications of a thoroughly unique and interesting trend.

UX Design / 17 Feb 2020

10 Pros and Cons of Minimal Navigation in Web Design

There’s been a shift happening in website design for a while: navigation and menus are shrinking. Minimal navigation styles and elements are growing in popularity, despite arguments against the hamburger menu icon.

Although not all minimal navigation elements use this style, it’s certainly a visual style we’ve seen explode in use over the past few years.

But does it work? Should you consider using minimal navigation for projects? Here, we’re going to take a look at some pros and cons with examples of use. The answer might not be as simple as you think.

Trends / 27 Nov 2019

Vintage Graphic Design: Inspiration, Ideas + Modern Takes

Vintage graphic design is a nifty way to create an old-school feel for projects. Today we’re exploring the vintage graphic design trend, and how to use it in your design projects.

Vintage elements can include typography, illustrations, photo styles, and even entire aesthetic palettes. Further, there are different eras to choose from when you want to go for a vintage feel.

Vintage themes from different time periods can provide completely different visual properties and techniques to play with.

Let’s explore some of them!

Trends / 30 Oct 2019

What Is Modern UI Design? 10 Tips & Examples

Chances are that you might not be able to list the aesthetics of a modern user interface, but you sure know when you land on a website that doesn’t use one. It just feels dated.

Modern UI design helps establish credibility for your website or brand because it has a style that fits what most people to be a current visual aesthetic. This might include visual trends, adapting to usability standards and patterns, and using development techniques that are appropriate for today’s users.

Here, we’re going to look at elements that you’ll find in modern user interfaces. Hopefully, most of these examples seem pretty familiar, but if not, it might be time to plan a little web refresh.

Trends / 28 Oct 2019

The Art of Website UI Button Design: 10 Trends & Tips

Great button design is something that most website users never think about… because when it works well, it’s almost invisible. The best buttons are easy to click or tap, have an obvious function, and help users interact with the design without thinking.

It’s a fairly simple formula, but it can be hard to design if you leave it as an afterthought.

Today, we’re looking at trends in button design, plus a few tips to help you design a UI button that people click over and over again. Give your button design a boost with these tips, trends, and ideas to spark inspiration.

Poster Design / 5 Aug 2019

How to Design a Poster for an Event: 7 Key Tips

Event poster design is a lot of fun. For most poster projects, you really get to express creativity with a one-off design for a single event. While you may still have constraints such as brand typography or color palette, there’s often lots of leeway to create something visually impressive.

With a goal of enticing people to show up or buy tickets, you have to design with impact for these kinds of project. But you also need to convey quite a bit of information in a concise way.

Here’s how to design a poster for an event.

Inspiration / 2 Aug 2019

25+ Awesome Responsive Blog Designs

Whether you’re a blogger looking for the perfect design for your next website or a web designer looking to get inspired for your next project, the process always starts the same way—by exploring designs made by others.

We’re here to make that process easier for you. In this post, we’re featuring a roundup of some of the best and most professional blog designs you can find on the Internet. If you’re working on a new blog layout design, or simply planning on making a new blog, you can start your search for inspiration right here!

UX Design / 30 Jul 2019

5 Really Useful Responsive Web Design Patterns

Responsive web design requires a very different way of thinking about layout that is both challenging and exciting. The art of layout was already complex enough for the centuries that it was defined by fixed elements, now things are becoming exponentially more complicated as layouts become increasingly adaptive.

To help reprogram your brain to consider layouts in new ways, we’re going to take a look at some interesting responsive design patterns that are being implemented by talented designers all over the web.

Mobile / 23 Jul 2019

Mobile First Design: Why It’s Great and Why It Sucks

Historically, most web designers and their clients have approached the desktop side of any project first, while leaving the mobile part as a secondary goal that gets accomplished later. Even with the rise of responsive design, many of us begin with the “full size” site and work our way down.

There’s a growing trend in the industry though to flip this workflow on its head and actually begin with mobile considerations and then work up to a larger desktop version.

Why would you ever approach a project this way? What are some of the pros and cons of this strategy? Read on to find out!

UX Design / 5 Jun 2019

How to Design a Perfect Website Onboarding Process (With Examples)

Think about the last time you downloaded a new app or landed on a new website. Did you know exactly what to do? Did the design help you engage with the site in a meaningful way? A simple onboarding process can make all the difference.

It’s important to think about website and app design in terms of onboarding visitors to create the best experience possible. This can include anything from helping someone find an item in your online shop and understanding how to make a purchase, to playing a game, or signing up for an email.

Onboarding is the process of integrating any new user into the design flow so that they can have the best interaction possible with your website, app or digital product or service. Here’s how you design it (with examples for inspiration).