2009 September | Webdesigner Depot

29 Sep
50 Stunning Examples of the Droste Effect
Art, Compilation, Photography
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The Droste effect is a Dutch term for a specific type of recursive picture.
An image exhibiting the Droste effect depicts a smaller version of the image within itself in a recursive manner.
In theory, the picture in picture effect continues deeper into the picture ad infinitum, but it really only goes as far as the image resolution will allow while still being visible, but it still has the feeling of being never ending.
The advent of the digital age has taken the old Droste effect to a whole new level.
In this compilation, you’ll find over 50 stunning examples of the Droste effect. Read more
28 Sep
Interview with Web Usability Guru,
Jakob Nielsen
Interviews, Usability, Web Design
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In this article, we’ll be focusing on web usability and more specifically, on the views of world renowned usability expert, Jakob Nielsen.
He’s been called “the guru of Web page usability” by the New York Times and “the king of usability” by Internet Magazine.
Through his Alertbox newsletter and useit.com website, he has been educating hundreds of thousands of web designers around the world since 1995.
While his views can be controversial, especially for web designers, he remains the top leader in the usability field.
I recently interviewed Jakob Nielsen exclusively for WDD and asked him a few questions that should be relevant to all web designers interested in creating user friendly websites.
Read more
27 Sep
Our Favorite Tweets of the Week
Sep 20-Sep 26, 2009
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
26 Sep
BIG THANKS to All Our Sponsors, Sep. 09
Advertising
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Today we’d like to thank all our advertisers for their continued support of WDD.
It’s both thanks to them and to our audience that WDD continues to thrive month after month.
We realize that many of you may not click on adverts as you may feel that they may not be relevant to you, or your business.
Why not try something new today and check out some of these awesome companies?
You might just learn about a useful service or product while at the same time helping to support WDD. Thank you! Read more
25 Sep
35 Futuristic Illustrations of Robot Art
Design, Illustrations, Inspiration
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Robots have been appearing for decades in sci-fi movies and on TV and are finally making their way into the real world.
Although it will probably take several years for robots to become part of our every day lives, that day now seems to be closer than ever.
In this post, we feature robot concepts designed by great illustrators from around the world, which include human looking ones as well as aliens and super heros.
Here are 50 incredible illustrations portraying robots that will blow your mind.
Know of other great examples? Please share them with us in the comments section below.
Read more
24 Sep
How to Create an Organic Web Design
(and Showcase)
How to, Inspiration, Web Designers
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Organic design is commonly applied to products such as chairs, electronic equipment, books and home décor.
Following the same principles, organic web design has recently emerged as a trend.
Professional designers and companies have taken a more natural approach to creating their websites, logos and packaging, leaving behind the overtly technological sheen of the early 2000s.
Yes, fellow designers, it is safe to say that the new age of organic design for websites and corporate logos has taken effect.
Whether overt or subtle, whether scanned elements or graphics that mimic nature, organic web design has taken on many forms. But what constitutes organic design? What makes it successful? Let’s find out… Read more
22 Sep
The Most Controversial Magazine Covers of All Time
Compilation, Design, History
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We’ve put together a collection of magazine covers that have stirred up controversy through the years.
These covers can serve as object lessons for what to do and what not to do both with design and editorial.
While some controversial covers have worked and sold more magazines, or won awards for the editors who made the decision to go to press with them, others were embarrassments that the publication had to either apologize for, or fire an editor over.
Here are some of the most controversial magazine covers of all time. Feel free to suggest other covers that you think should be part of this collection. Read more
21 Sep
The Difference Between Art and Design
Art, Design, Web Design
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The subject of what separates art and design is convoluted and has been debated for a long time.
Artists and designers both create visual compositions using a shared knowledge base, but their reasons for doing so are entirely different.
Some designers consider themselves artists, but few artists consider themselves designers.
So what exactly is the difference between art and design? In this post, we’ll examine and compare some of the core principles of each craft.
This is a subject that people have strong opinions about, and I’m looking forward to reading the various points of view in the comments.
This post isn’t a definitive guide, but rather the starting point for a conversation, so let’s be open-minded! Read more
20 Sep
Our Favorite Tweets of the Week
Sep 13-Sep 19, 2009
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
17 Sep
300+ Resources to Help You Become a WordPress Expert
Plugins, Tutorials, WordPress
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WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms available today. And for good reason.
It’s powerful enough to be a complete CMS, has every feature or function a blogger could dream of (either built in or available via plugins or custom functions), and it’s free and open source.
While WordPress is incredibly powerful and easy to use on its most basic levels, it can also get pretty complicated, pretty quickly.
Below are more than 300 resources to help you master WordPress no matter what your skill level is.
Everything from premium and free themes to plugins to WP hacks and everything in between is included. If it’s possible with WordPress, it’s likely you’ll find it below. Read more
15 Sep
The Evolution of Apple Ads
Apple, Branding, Marketing
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Apple first started advertising its products in the late 1970s.
The 80s showed a wide variety of ads, some of which served to convince consumers that they should purchase a computer, and specifically an Apple.
These ads were text-heavy and light on images, as were many computer and technology ads from that era.
Apple ads really came into their heyday during the 1990s, with the “Think Different” campaign, which became very popular as they featured a number of famous people.
Here’s a stunning compilation of some of Apple’s most notable advertisements from the 70s until the present day, including a few videos ads. Read more
14 Sep
How to Display Your Content on a Blog’s Front Page
Blogging, How to, Web Design
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The front page of a blog is obviously of great importance to the overall design.
Up until a few years ago, most blogs simply showed posts in order of publication, the most recent at the top.
Then excerpts became popular, and later magazine-style front pages.
The purpose of the front page will, of course, vary a bit from one type to another; for example, a personal blog will be different from a professional multi-author blog.
In this post, we will take a look at the options that bloggers and designers have for showing content on the front page, and some reasons for choosing each. Read more
13 Sep
Our Favorite Tweets of the Week
Sep 6-Sep 12, 2009
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
11 Sep
30 Typography Posters That You’ve Probably Never Seen Before
Compilation, Inspiration, Typography
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Typography is the art of arranging, designing and modifying type.
Creating a well designed typography poster is no easy task, and takes time and patience.
When a poster focuses only on typography as its main element, the designer has to carefully craft his design to make sure that the type is both legible and artistic at the same time.
In this amazing compilation, you will see typography posters created by designers from all over the world.
Here are 30 Amazing Typography Posters that you have probably never seen before. Read more
10 Sep
How to Use the FAT-P System to Streamline Your Workflow
Creativity, Design, Productivity
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Often, when faced with a looming project, we forget the simple things. The size and depth of the project overwhelms leading to creative block.
Once blocked, the frustration builds leading to even more block, procrastination, missed deadlines and a wealth of other problems.
If you’re in any creative field, chances are, you’ve been there.
As a former high school writing teacher, I found that just the prospect of writing was enough to leave students floundering.
This became an even bigger problem when students were faced with the timed writing of state required tests. Enter the FAT-P.
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9 Sep
Welcome to Skwak’s “Maniac World”
Illustrations, Inspiration, Interviews
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“Skwak” is an awesome French illustrator living in the North of France.
He created a graphic world that he calls the “Maniac World” where everything is exaggerated.
His works revisit children’s fairy tales and universal myths.
The adventures of his characters – the Maniacs – are inspired by situations from daily life (love stories, treason, manipulation, etc) and is always represented in a very exaggerated fashion.
The ‘maniacs’ express the idea of “too much”, escalation through power, wealth, plastic surgery, celebrity and much more.
We’ve compiled some of his best works for this article and have also included a short interview with “Skwak” about his fascinating work. Read more
8 Sep
35 Inspirational Fashion Website Designs
Compilation, Inspiration, Web Design
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Appearance is crucial for obvious reasons in the fashion industry. With that in mind, many fashion e-commerce sites can be an excellent source of design inspiration.
Attractive design and photography can make the products more appealing to visitors and increase sales.
There are a lot of different design styles and approaches that are used by online fashion shops, but generally photography and product/model images play a large role.
Sometimes the design and layout is minimal, allowing for more empasis on the products. Others feature huge photos as the primary focal point of the page.
In this post we’ll feature 35 inspirational fashion website designs that represent a variety of styles that are sure to inspire you. Read more
6 Sep
Our Favorite Tweets of the Week
Aug 30-Sep 5, 2009
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
4 Sep
100 Examples of Japanese Municipal Flags
Art, Design, Logos
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In this post, we focus on Japanese design by taking a closer look at the design of Japanese municipal flags.
These flags feature highly stylized bicolor geometric symbols, often incorporating Japanese or Latin characters, making them especially interesting from a designer’s perspective.
The symbols that are featured are representative of the foundation on which the municipality is built.
We’ve put together a compilation of 100 Japanese municipal flags which we thought were the most graphically appealing, especially to those with an interest in logo or Japanese design.
Read more
3 Sep
25 Examples of Web 2.0 and Traditional Design Rules Coming Together
Compilation, Inspiration, Web Design
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In the large scope of the design world, the term “Web 2.0″ is relatively a new one.
With it, comes its own set of standards, some strong, others not so strong, since Web 2.0 in itself is a very fickle, ever-evolving definition of design standards.
Countless examples of Web 2.0 sites have broken the rules of what was once considered strong design.
On the other hand, in many cases Web 2.0 has strengthened common design misnomers; it places a focus on usability, interface, and readability.
At its best, Web 2.0 stands as an equal to the traditional design rules practiced for centuries, though it is no doubt a reflection of our society in its current state of hustle and bustle.
Here’s a collection of 25 sites showcasing how Web 2.0 and traditional design practices can come together to form truly stunning websites. Read more
1 Sep
5 Tips on How to Write a Killer Slogan (with Interactive Examples)
Logos, Marketing, Writing
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Slogans are memorable phrases often used in conjunction with company logos and in advertising campaigns.
They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of a product or brand.
But how often do you see “serving you since 1982″ or a similarly canned slogan under a beautifully designed logo? Too often.
In this post, we’ll discuss 5 essential tips on how to write a killer slogan and, if you feel you can’t manage it on your own, where to go to get them written for you.
At the end of these tips, you’ll find a selection of famous slogans as well as an interactive showcase of famous slogans. Read more