Art direction has been part of advertising and print design for over 100 years, but on the web art direction is rare and there have been few meaningful conversations about it. Art Direction for the Web by Andy Clarke changes that and explains art direction, what it means, why it matters, and who can do it. Jump to table of contents or pre-order the book right away. This is a book about why art direction matters and how you can art-direct compelling and effective experiences across devices and platforms.
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Are you considering transforming old cursive handwriting into a modern digital font? Before forging ahead with the design, assess your goals for historical accuracy, identify the idiosyncrasies that make the handwriting special, develop a strategy for connecting glyphs, and decide if you want to include texture. One of the biggest decisions you will need to make is whether you want to capture every nuance of your handwriting specimen, or if you want to design something inspired by that handwriting. Today, Carolyn Porter will help you with that. Let the fun begin!
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A search bar isn’t some throwaway design element. When your app promises a speedy and convenient experience to its users, a search bar can cut down on the time they have to spend inside it. So, as you work on creating better experiences for your mobile app users, spend some time thinking about the design of your app’s search bar. Things like placement, hint text, and the way search results are displayed contribute to how users engage with search as well as your app as a whole.
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We’re at the dawn of a UI revolution. Not only will multimodal interfaces give users more power, but they will also change the way users interact with systems. In this article, Nick Babich will show you how to build your own multimodal UI using Adobe XD. You will explore the concept of a voice-enabled interface and review different types of voice-enabled interfaces; find out why voice-enabled, multimodal user interfaces will be the preferred user experience; see how you can build a multimodal UI using Adobe XD.
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For years, marketers have relied on images, videos, and infographics to better sell products and services. The importance of visual media has increased further with the rise of the Internet and consequently, of social media. Gifographics are the next step in the evolution of infographics. In this article, Manish Dudharejia will take a closer look at the evolution of infographics and how a static infographic can be animated using Adobe Photoshop, so some Photoshop knowledge (at least the basics) is required.
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Did you know that there are three brain networks that are involved in creativity? In this article, Susan Weinschenk explores what creativity is, the recent brain science on what is happening in your brain when you are being creative, and the role of creativity in UX design. Is creativity something you can just turn on? Are some people just creative and others aren’t? And if so, which one are you? Let’s explore.
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By creating understandable and tangible visuals, companies will decrease interdepartmental miscommunications and increase overall productivity. A storyboard is a collection of cells, either in a linear progression or mapped out from a central idea that tells a story. Storyboards are meant to be simple representations of a larger concept, and force both its creators and readers to break down large complex topics into simple step by step subsections. In this article, Joshua Bumcrot adresses anyone who wants to develop a product and improve internal communication.
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Photoshop is what many digital artists, photographers, graphic designers, and even some web developers have in common. What sets us apart is how we use the tool. In this tutorial, Yoanna Victorova shares her most often used Photoshop shortcuts and a few key parts of her creative process. To profit the most from this tutorial, some familiarity with Photoshop would be required, but you should be able to follow along because every technique will be explained in detail. For this article, she decided to use one of her most famous Photoshop artworks named “Regret”.
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Getting your dream job is not too complicated but it will take effort. This article may be the last obstacle that stands between you and your next dream job. Today Andree Huk will outline uncommon tactics and crucial aspects that can help any designer. In order to get your dream job, he’ll discuss in detail on how to plan and execute your outreach to recruiters or hiring managers. Writing a stellar CV by analyzing job descriptions or calculating how many applications you have to send are just some of the aces in your pocket.
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Do sites that explain their ‘concept’ in a simple way have a better shot at mass-appeal with users? Being aware of the importance of ‘high-concept’ allows us — as designers — to really focus on user’s initial impressions. The most successful blockbusters are the ones that have an easy-to-understand concept that can be communicated in a single sentence. Web design should be approached in the same way. In this article, Andy Duke will show you how.
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