Web Design Blog - Webdesigner Depot

24 May
FoxyComplete — advanced autocomplete search with images
Web Development, WordPress, jQuery
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Today I am going to share a trendy functionality which I have been implementing in my projects for a while now.
I call it “FoxyComplete” and what is does is fetch clickable search results along with images either automatically scraped from the result’s content or a specified file. It’s easy to implement and once done, easy to tweak.
The application of this functionality is purely dependent on the designer and developer preference but its impact on the user experience makes it a top choice to add in modern design and development projects.
Business units where I have personally used this functionality are e-commerce, corporate designs, photography, entertainment and future projects that demand a comprehensive search feature.
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23 May
Turning a WordPress error into an opportunity with a custom 404 page
Usability, Web Design, WordPress
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Unfortunately, the vast majority of website designers and operators view the 404 error, which occurs when a page is not found, as a dead end.
This page is often given a simple message that just states merely, “Sorry! There’s nothing here.” With WordPress, however, there absolutely can be something there when a user navigates to a page that is no longer there, has moved, or has been deleted.
The unique setup of pages and templates within the Dashboard allows this page to be as dynamic as any other page within the WordPress ecosystem.
Don’t let a drab and unhelpful 404 page be the end of a user’s journey through your website. Instead, turn it into an opportunity for further reading, redirection to the content a user may have been looking for, or a suggestion of where to go when the website’s navigation offers no obvious answers. Read more
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22 May
You’re a terrible client
Design, Web Design, Web Designers
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It’s not just me; I’ve asked around: You will probably be your own very worst client. Ever.
Every trade has a similar story to the point where it’s almost cliché: the carpenter’s house is falling apart, the mechanic’s car is a rattling jalopy, and the barber is a balding chatty guy who’s always forcing loved ones into drawn-out awkward small-talk. It only makes sense then that the web designer’s site would be mired in all sorts of miserable problems.
Working on your own site is incredibly hard! You’ve just worked all day on other people’s websites, now you’re going to do yours, on your own time — for free. Ugh! Add to this the pressure of doing your “best work”; you start thinking of incredible ideas and scope-creeping the possibility of it being doable into oblivion.
We’re web designers — this medium is our message, but it’s also where most of our amazing community spends a lot of free time. The pressure to do something outstanding can be pretty crushing. All too often we psych ourselves out, or produce something that doesn’t satisfy. Read more
21 May
Worth a thousand words: images that have real impact
Design, Graphic Design, Opinion
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I started my career as an illustrator until a motorcycle accident took my career. My smashed hand, arm, and spirit never recovered to the point I could handle a drawing tool again. I always tried to reach for impact…shock…lasting impressions…some said nightmares.
Luckily, my hand could hold a computer mouse very nicely and, with a lot of study and experience, I moved into the design field and became an art director, sitting across the desk from illustrators as my vendors.
There was a great difference between the people I use to service as clients and myself—I allowed greater freedom to the artist and encouraged them to go a step or two farther with the visual impact. I argued the points with editors to publish art that meant something. Not just to compliment a story but to push it forward and have it stick in the reader’s mind.
To be creative, in my thinking, was to let go of convention and reach, even to test your abilities to make visual images that would speak volumes and make lifelong impressions in people’s minds.
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20 May
Our favorite tweets of the week
May 14 – May 20, 2012
Best Of, Compilation, Twitter
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Every week we tweet a lot of interesting stuff highlighting great content that we find on the web that can be of interest to web designers.
The best way to keep track of our tweets is simply to follow us on Twitter, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the best tweets that we sent out this past week.
Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that we tweeted about, so don’t miss out.
To keep up to date with all the cool links, simply follow us @DesignerDepot Read more
19 May
Comics of the week #130
Comics, Funny, Humor
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Every week we feature a set of comics created exclusively for WDD.
The content revolves around web design, blogging and funny situations that we encounter in our daily lives as designers.
These great cartoons are created by Jerry King, an award-winning cartoonist who’s one of the most published, prolific and versatile cartoonists in the world today.
So for a few moments, take a break from your daily routine, have a laugh and enjoy these funny cartoons.
Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below as well as any related stories of your own… Read more
18 May
Free download: 40 Exclusive Photoshop Patterns
Freebies, Patterns, Photoshop
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We’re back with another great exclusive freebie for you.
This one is a Photoshop pattern file (.PAT) which contains 40 beautiful textures that you can apply to your designs.
A detailed step by step instruction is provided inside the file to help you use them. You can use these as textures for your websites or any background.
Thanks to Rayz Ong from LemonGraphic for creating this awesome freebie for WDD readers.
Redistribution is not allowed, so if you’d like to share this one with your friends, kindly direct them to this page so that they can download their own copy from here.
The file is free for personal and commercial use… see the full preview and download after the jump! Read more