2010 September | Webdesigner Depot

30 Sep
A Case for Coding Your Wireframes
Code, Programming, Web Development
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Working as a designer day after day can be laborious. Luckily, the field has expanded, and so the process has become simpler. Many free tools and resources are out there.
Wireframes bring elegance to design mock-ups. They are the basic structure of a website, with colors and enhancements removed.
They are used to view design concepts with just the bare essentials, and they can provide a useful perspective on any project.
Most wireframes are created in software suites such as Adobe Photoshop and Fireworks, but some websites enable you to create wireframe images right in the browser.
In this post, we’ll go over coding a basic wireframe image in HTML and CSS and see how it can benefit the creative process. Read more
29 Sep
Winners of Premium Accounts from Wix
Contests
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Thanks to all of you who participated in last week’s contest from Wix.com.
Wix is a free web based tool that allows you to quickly and easily create and deploy quality Flash websites.
Their tools allow you to create a website that can look great without fussing with programing, just using a simple drag n’ drop tool that makes the process easy and fun to do.
We have a total of 3 winners and each of these have won a Full Unlimited Premium Account for a period of one year (worth $150 each).
As usual, the winners were selected at random and you can check the results after the jump. Read more
28 Sep
The Next Level of Design: Being Unique
Design, Web Design, Web Designers
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In a world filled with CSS galleries and showcase websites, everything starts to look the same.
Gradients, rounded corners, drop shadows, it’s extremely hard to get away from the strongest of trends in our industry.
Each year however, some people manage to set themselves totally apart from everyone else and produce stunning designs with inspiration seemingly flowing directly out of their fingers and into their work.
In this post, we’ll take a look at a few of those people and some of the things which they do to be unique from everyone else.
Read more
27 Sep
10 Places to Buy Professionally Designed WordPress Themes
Web Design, Web Development, WordPress
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In the past few years, the popularity of WordPress has skyrocketed, which has led to a growing demand for themes. With this growing demand, we’ve seen new premium or commercial WordPress theme shops popping up everywhere.
Some may say that the premium WordPress space is getting a bit saturated, and they’re probably right. However, more premium theme providers does mean a wider selection for those seeking more than what a free theme can offer.
The only problem is being able to find quality and professionalism in the vast sea of premium themes. It seems that the majority of premium theme designs out there are lacking, and appear a bit amateurish.
So for this post, we’re showcasing 10 great places where you can purchase professionally designed WordPress themes.
All of these shops are run by either designers or people that understand design – and as you can see, it shows in the quality of each theme. Read more
26 Sep
Our Favorite Tweets of the Week
Sep 19-Sep 25, 2010
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
25 Sep
Comics of the Week #44
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
24 Sep
Best Practices for Designing Usable Websites for Kids
Review, Usability
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Designing for young kids is something not a lot of designers think about until approached by a client who wants to target that age group.
But the truth is that kids in the 3-12 age group are using the Internet in surprising numbers. Ten years ago, it was rare for a child who hadn’t even yet reached school-age to use a computer. Now, there are a surprising number of websites specifically catering to them. And that number is growing all the time.
The Nielsen Norman Group, long known for their usability studies, has recently completed a study on the Internet habits and related usability issues often encountered by kids in the 3-12 age group.
The report is based on actual user studies, rather than just surveys asking kids what their internet habits and experiences are, and provide invaluable insight into the real usability issues confronting kids, and what users can do about it.
Below is just a brief sampling of some of the topics covered in the report and the study. The report can be purchased and downloaded from the NN/G website. Read more
23 Sep
Create Great Websites, Without Any SEO
Business, Marketing, SEO
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Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO is a subject which gets talked about to death all over the web.
There’s a fairly large group of people who believe that SEO is the be-all and end-all to anything on the web.
They believe that without it, you are nothing and with it, you are everything.
Today we’re going to look at why that isn’t true and why you can create a truly great website which performs well in search engines, without any seedy SEO tactics.
We’ve also included a case study of WooThemes and QA with Adii Pienaar and his views on SEO.
Read more
22 Sep
Win 3 Premium Accounts from Wix.com
Contests
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We’ve lined up another great giveaway for you today. This time, we’ve partnered with free website Flash builder Wix.com to bring you 3 unlimited premium accounts.
You’ve probably seen Wix ads all over the Web including several here on WDD…. but what is Wix exactly? It’s basically a free web based tool that allows you to quickly and easily create and deploy quality Flash websites.
One of the best things about Flash is that it allows you to create rich interactive experiences, and what’s great about creating a Flash site using Wix is that it’s also search engine friendly.
Their tools allow you to create a website that can look great without fussing with programing, just using a simple drag n’ drop tool that makes the process easy and fun to do.
One week from today, we’ll be giving away 3 premium accounts to three WDD readers. Read on for details on how to participate. Read more
21 Sep
Massive Collection of Elegant Thin Fonts
Compilation, Fonts
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Typography is one of the most crucial design elements, and as such, finding the most appropriate fonts for your project can be a challenging task.
Today we’re making it easy for you, with a collection of 70 free thin fonts that we gathered from the web and that you can download to use right now. Most of them are sans-serif although there are a few serif options as well.
Thin fonts are becoming extremely popular these days; their clean lines are perfect for logos and headers.
They look great, especially at larger sizes, although they can sometimes also be successfully used for body text, provided there’s enough contrast.
All the fonts featured in this compilation are free to use, however some restrictions may apply. Please check the specific terms of use for each font in the download file. Read more
20 Sep
5 Easy Steps to a Simpler Blog Design
Design, How to, Web Design
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Do you want a simpler design for your blog? One that’s lean, elegant and attractive?
Well, there are five easy steps to making your blog look better and to attracting more subscribers, customers and members.
And you don’t have to be a design ninja or have worked at Apple to pull it off!
These steps are simpler than you might think. Those who aren’t sold on simplicity might ask: why would I want it?
Here are three convincing reasons that may work for many blogs: Read more
20 Sep
Winners of 10 Canvas Prints from UPrinting
Contests
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Thanks to all of you who participated in our latest contest from UPrinting! Today we bring you the results…
UPrinting prints all types of stuff, from postcards to flyers and even door hangers!
They have over 25 years of experience and you can safely trust them for anything print related.
Each of the 10 winners has won a custom rolled canvas print that can be used to print your own designs or photographs.
The winners were selected at random and you can check the results after the jump. Read more
19 Sep
Our Favorite Tweets of the Week
Sep 12-Sep 18, 2010
Best Of, Compilation, Twitter, Uncategorized
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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
18 Sep
Comics of the Week #43
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
17 Sep
Fully Understanding Contrast in Design
Design, How to, Review
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Usually the subject of contrast is reserved for beginners. Books will say “black and white have contrast, red and orange do not” – but there’s so much more to it.
Beginners books usually only touch on color contrast, but what about size and shape contrast? Often the easiest way to tell an amateur designer from a professional one is to look at their use of contrast.
Creating a structure of importance using size, shape and color is what gives a page impact and legibility to the reader.
In this post, we’re going to look at contrast in detail, examining big typography, funky shapes, clear divides, imagery, and how they properly fit together using contrast for a good user experience.
Read more
16 Sep
30+ Great Logos with Smart Concepts
Compilation, Inspiration, Logos
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A couple of months ago we posted a compilation of Smart Logos with Hidden Symbolism which was very well received.
Today, we’re showcasing another great collection of smart logos, but in this case, their meanings are far easier to grasp.
The logos featured here create the company’s name by combining intricate shapes made up of fonts and illustrations.
These are usually the kind of logos that make you take a second look and say “wow, that’s clever!”.
As usual, we’d love to have your input and feedback in the comments area. Also, if you know of similar logos like these, please add links to them in the comments area below.
We hope you enjoy this fascinating collection!
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15 Sep
15 Bad Habits That Could Kill Your Design Career
Business, Clients, Web Design
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Being a designer has never been easy. Working with clients, creative directors, marketing managers and other designers can take a toll on your patience and passion.
It’s important, as a professional designer, to avoid practices that could hurt your career or the company you work for.
Whether you work as a freelance designer or in a firm, avoid the following 15 bad habits that might be killing your design career.
What other habits do you think should be avoided in your design career? Please let us know in the comments section. Read more
14 Sep
20+ New Apps and Websites for Designers
Sep. 2010
Applications, Compilation, Websites
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New apps and websites seem to appear on an almost-daily basis.
Trying to find the best ones each week or month can be tough, especially considering how many come out that aren’t that great.
In this post we’ve compiled some of the best apps and websites that have come out recently.
Some are apps closely tied to a web designer’s daily work, while others aren’t likely to be used as often, but are still useful.
As always, if we’ve missed something, please let us know in the comments.
And if you know of an app you’d like included in the next roundup, please tweet it to @cameron_chapman. Read more
13 Sep
Win 10 Canvas Prints from UPrinting
Contests
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Today we’re partnering once again with the good folks at UPrinting to bring you another fantastic giveaway.
UPrinting is a great printing company that prints all types of stuff, from postcards to flyers and even door hangers! They have over 25 years of experience and you can trust them with all your printing needs.
One week from today, we’ll be giving away 10 Custom Rolled Canvas Prints that are 16×20 in size.
These are great sizes for you to print anything at all, such as your own favorite designs or photos. You can then use them to decorate your walls with something truly unique that is your own creation.
Read on for more details on the prizes and on how to participate… Read more
12 Sep
Our Favorite Tweets of the Week
Sep 5-Sep 11, 2010
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
Comics of the Week #42
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
10 Sep
Interview with Forrst Founder: Kyle Bragger
Community, Portfolios, Web Design
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As websites like Carbonmade and Dribbble (where designers share and promote their portfolios) make their way into the mainstream, there is an ever growing demand for branding work.
In this environment, professionals can dive into the web head first and share their prized designs, without having to host their own portfolio.
Forrst is the latest addition to this niche. Though hiding behind an invite-only system, Forrst is an amazing community of knowledgeable web designers and developers who share snippets of code and design work. You can ask questions and share interesting links with your followers, creating a Twitter-like experience for us web designers.
I conducted a short interview with the website’s developer and founder, Kyle Bragger (@kylebragger). Bragger gives us a brief history of how an idea turned into Forrst, he discusses the design and development process that goes on behind the scenes, and he shares his hopes for the future of the web app. Read more
9 Sep
Web Design Podcasts Which Will Improve Your Life
Compilation, Podcasts, Web Design
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Last year we published a post on 7 Great Podcasts for Web Designers which went down well with our readers.
Since then, several of the podcasts have dropped off the radar including arguably the most famous one of all time: BoagWorld.
At the same time a whole load of new web design related podcasts have sprung up, so today we’re going to take a look at the best way to get your web design news fix in audio format.
All of the podcasts covered here are linked directly through to iTunes so that you can instantly subscribe and download them straight from the source.
Enjoy, and don’t forget to tell us what you think in the comments!
Read more
8 Sep
Editing Opacity With Layer Masks
Design, How to, Photoshop
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On screen, the colors of pixels are a mix of red, green and blue values. A fourth value, opacity, controls how pixels blend with pixels laid over them.
In image-editing programs such as Photoshop, changing the opacity of a layer is easy but not always precise.
Setting a layer to 50% opacity makes all of its pixels half-visible. If the situation calls for variable visibility, then layer masks are the answer.
A layer mask can give individual pixels different opacities. A layer mask is like a light cast onto a layer.
When the light is on, or white, the image is visible. When the light is off, or black, the layer can’t be seen. Read more
7 Sep
Showcase: Textures in Web Design
Compilation, Design, Textures
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Textured backgrounds in website design are common, especially in grunge designs. But they’re used in a variety of other design styles, too.
Textures can add visual interest to an otherwise-minimalist design, or can add that extra bit of detail that really makes a design pop.
Paper textures are by far the most common, but other regularly-seen textures include stone, concrete, rust, and fabric. And they’re not just used for backgrounds, either. Some sites incorporate textures into every aspect of their design, while others just use them for accents.
Below are more than thirty great website designs that make use of textures. Feel free to share your favorites, whether featured here or not, in the comments… Read more
6 Sep
10 Ecommerce Design Tips for Increasing Conversions
Ecommerce, How to, Web Design
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Sometimes, web stores get too artsy with their designs. Some use flash animations that can slow down the shopper’s browser, while others use color schemes that send the wrong signals to shoppers.
There are many cases where experienced web designers might overlook usability issues, though creative elements might look very attractive from the design standpoint, they can be a nightmare for online shoppers trying to click their way to checkout. A/B testing helps put those in perspective to achieve the best results.
With more than ten years of experience in the e-commerce industry and designing online storefronts, we at 3Dcart have a list of “dos and don’ts” when designing web stores that has increased our merchants profits.
Here are ten tips on how you can turn visitors into customers and improve your conversion rates by employing simple design techniques. Read more
5 Sep
Our Favorite Tweets of the Week
Aug 29-Sep 4, 2010
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
Comics of the Week #41
Comics, Funny, Humor
Tweet View Comments

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
3 Sep
In-Depth Review of Tumblr’s Custom Theming Ability
Blogging, tumblr
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Tumblr. If you’re a savvy tech maven, you may have heard of, or had the chance to use, this powerful microblogging platform.
No wonder; millions of people have chosen Tumblr as their blogging service, and the average Tumblr user creates 14 original posts every month. Half of those posts are photos, and the rest consist of text, links, quotes, music and video.
Tumblr is nothing to sneeze at. It has proven itself worthy of receiving cash infusions from two venture capital firms and a number of angel investors.
If you’re thinking of climbing on board the Tumblr train, this article is your golden ticket. We’ll discuss what Tumblr is and how it works, then we’ll look at how to customize it. We’ll cap that with a few miscellaneous bits of wisdom—things I wish I knew when I got started with Tumblr. All aboard! Read more
2 Sep
Working For A Web Design Agency
Business, Clients, Web Design
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The most obvious job for a web designer is working for a web design agency, but if you’ve never done that before… then how do you know what to expect? Is it even the right path for you?
Setting foot in an agency for the first time can be daunting. It’s filled with people who have probably worked in the industry longer than you and who probably know a lot more than you.
Perhaps you’ve just finished a degree and you’re looking for a first job, or maybe you’re about to go back to office life after a few years of freelancing under your belt.
Either way, today we’re going to look at the ins and outs of agency life and what you can expect from it.
We’ll also be asking other people in the industry for their experiences to get a broad overview of the entire subject.
Read more
1 Sep
Winners of Custom Stickers from Sticker Mule
Contests
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After more than 300 comments on last week’s Sticker Mule giveaway, we finally have the results.
As you know, Sticker Mule makes awesome custom stickers in all different shapes and sizes as well as skins that you could use, for example, for your laptop, iPhone or iPad. These are not only great fun, but can also be used as excellent promotional tools, or even gifts.
Each of the 5 winners has won a voucher worth $100, which can be applied to any of Sticker Mule’s stickers or skins.
The winners were selected at random and you can check the results after the jump. Read more