Let’s face it: the classic blog post is boring. Barring the text and images, each one generally has the exact same layout. We see little originality from one post to the next. Of course, consistency and branding are extremely important to consider when designing a website or blog, but what about individuality? Does a blog post about kittens deserve the same layout as one about CSS hacks?
Read more…
Buttons, whatever their purpose, are important design elements. They could be the end point of a Web form or a call to action. Designers have many reasons to style buttons, including to make them more attractive and to enhance usability. One of the most important reasons, though, is that standard buttons can easily be missed by users because they often look similar to elements in their operating system. Here, we present you several techniques and tutorials to help you learn how to style buttons using CSS. We’ll also address usability.
Before we explain how to style buttons, let’s clear up a common misconception: buttons are not links. The main purpose of a link is to navigate between pages and views, whereas buttons allow you to perform an action (such as submit a form).
Read more…
We control the flow of user interaction on our websites. By crafting an interface to facilitate certain behaviors, we can influence the direction in which our community goes. In this article, we’ll demonstrate the power of social interface design and what it can do for you, using several practical examples.
Read more…
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the whole year. It’s a time when our families get together to have some food, fun, and fellowship. During Thanksgiving, there are some things that I try do as a graphic and web designer and I would like to share those 5 things with you.
Read more…
When laid by a learned hand, brush strokes can convey a sense of energy, tactility and humanness. These qualities speak to your audience’s subconscious, whispering ideas that words alone can’t convey. In the digital realm, a website with beautiful brushwork is a welcome break from the stark precision of most corporate websites. [Updated February/28/2017]
Read more…
Every now and again we take a look around, select “fresh” high-quality free fonts and present them to you in a brief overview. The choice is enormous, so the time you need to find them is usually the time you should be investing in your current projects. We search for them and we find them, so you don’t have to.
Read more…
We all have our favorite designers. One of my favorite designers happens to be Michael Heald, the founder of Fully Illustrated. Michael Heald is an award winning graphic and web designer. He has won multiple awards, as well as being featured in some top web and graphic design magazines.
Heald’s work is spectacular. The thing that impresses me about his work is the variety of different styles that he has mastered. Not only is he a master of illustrations, he is a great web designer as well. His web designs are beautiful. That is why he has had the opportunity to design websites for the biggest games out there, including the top iPhone game, Fieldrunners.
Read more…
The iPhone will always be part of a much bigger picture. How well you address human and environmental factors will greatly determine the success of your product. All too often, iPhone developers create products in isolation from their customers. In order to create really appealing applications, developers must stop focusing only on the mechanisms of the apps. Zoom out: understand the person using the application, as well as the complex environmental factors surrounding that person.
Read more…
From time to time, designers struggle with inspiration. What we need to realize as designers is that inspiration can be found all around us. One great place to find inspiration is nature. If your creativity needs a jolt, go outside, take a walk at a park or beach, and just observe the beauty of nature. Claude Monet, the world renowned painter, said this;
> “The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.”
Today’s showcase is all about nature. These designers have used nature as their inspiration. So I present to you, the ultimate collection of nature-inspired typography. There are a lot of these that are new, so make sure to look at all of them.
Read more…
Art is not restricted to any medium, nor is digital painting. Yes, you read that right: “digital painting.” It is a new trend in today’s technologically brilliant world that won’t go away any time soon. Here, we’ve gathered 35 tutorials to inspire you to display your creativity through digital painting.
Read more…
