It’s not uncommon for a designer in today’s world to pay little attention to how type is laid out, especially with the ever-so-convenient default settings of heading tags and web safe fonts found universally on the web.

If we as interactive designers we’re able to take a little more time when it came to typography, than the results would show a unique, well thought of design as oppose to a “run of the mill” creation.

There is a good chance that the majority of designers and designs you admire showcase good examples of typography.

I’ll show you a few steps I take in tweaking set type to be more appealing than those default scenarios of 24px H1 tags along with 13px set in Times New Roman. Read more

When you already have a full plate of client work, it can be difficult to get into new technologies. Responsive design is a big buzz-phrase right now, but it’s unnecessary to force it on a client unless their users will see a benefit from it.

At 352 Media Group, we recently saw an opportunity to make a fully responsive site for a client, Purple Communications. They make software for people with hearing loss who would otherwise be unable to make a phone call. Using their computer, phone, videophone, or other electronic device, they can communicate with others using a video relay service.

Purple Communications offers apps for multiple phone platforms, so a substantial part of their web traffic is from mobile devices. Looking at their traffic, it became abundantly clear that the best solution for the client was to make a fully responsive site. Our company has done mobile sites before, but this was the first time that one site would serve both the mobile and desktop users. If you’re interested in incorporating some responsive web design features into your company or client’s website, here are some tips to keep in mind:

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Illustration is an incredibly versatile tool that can find many different uses in design. And when it comes to web design we can find an extremely wide variety of implementations.

Today I want to dig into some key ways that this tool has been put to work so we can draw new ideas to inspire and challenge the designs we produce.

Let’s begin someplace I seldom do, with a basic definition: Illustrated: 1) To make clear; 2) To make clear by giving or by serving as an example or instance; 3) To provide with visual features intended to explain or decorate.

It seems that in the real world of web design, illustration tends to perform both functions at one time. It beautifies while it clarifies. And if it is only doing one of these you might need to ask yourself why. Perhaps by putting illustration to work fulfilling both roles is the way to truly leverage the design element for all it is worth.

This is, of course, not to say that a design can’t be successful if it only handles one or the other; certainly it can. But in order to get the most out of our work I find that challenging our thinking is always helpful. As usual, let’s dig into some groupings of samples to see what can be done with this visual device. Along the way, consider if each approach provides clarity or decoration, or both. Read more

[Editor's note: This is a sponsored review for Squarespace]

Whether you want to create a blog, a brochure site, or something more involved, the platform you choose to create it on is important. There are a lot of blog and website building and hosting platforms out there, some free and some paid. There’s also a huge variation in the quality of the services these sites have to offer.

Some are reminiscent of the old Angelfire and Geocities websites of the 90s and early 2000s, with little storage space, hideous stock templates, non-existent support, and very limited control.

Others include enterprise-level hosting, attractive templates, full control over look and function, and business-class support.

Squarespace definitely falls firmly in the latter of these two categories. While website builders and hosting services of this kind aren’t always appropriate for designers and developers, when they are, you want to work with a company that understands what you want as a creative professional and gives you the control you need. Read more

When I first covered the idea of symmetrical design patterns here on Webdesigner Depot I had no intention of digging into the notion of asymmetrical design.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I felt compelled to cover the topic to contrast some of the ideas revolving around symmetrical design patterns.

In asymmetrical design we find designs that contain elements that do not create a mirror image. Most often, these asymmetrical designs are in fact balanced, but just not through perfectly similar halves.

This sort of design is actually far easier to come by, considering most content doesn’t lend itself to perfect symmetry.

Let’s consider a variety of sites that put this design approach to work and perhaps discover some ideas that can impact your own design work. Read more

If you’re going to design a WordPress site, there are a few ways you can start. Many designers start with an HTML template that they then add WordPress code to.

Others start with the basic WordPress code and design around that.

But others begin with a starter theme or framework, which is arguably the most efficient way to create a WP theme.

So you know you need a framework if you want to be more efficient in designing WP themes, but there are dozens of starter themes and frameworks out there. Where do you begin?

The answer to that is with the list below. Check out the free and premium frameworks and starter themes below. Try a few of them out and then decide which one(s) work best for your projects. Read more

Of all of the types of websites, the portfolio site has to overcome what might be some of the most difficult hurdles. Talk to almost any designer and they will agree, launching your own portfolio site is a painful process. Most frequently, this process includes numerous versions and, often times, a launch out of sheer frustration.

The upside to this in my opinion is that the portfolio site can be a window into the future of web design. I suggest this because when an individual designs their own site they are only under self-imposed limitations. There is no client to dictate things, no committee to destroy the design, and no approval process to drag things out and destroy momentum.

But not all portfolio sites are created equal. Despite the insane amount of sample portfolio sites available, there are surprisingly few that feel distinct and interesting enough to talk about. It is these sites, though, that raise the bar and expose what the future might hold for web design.

Let’s dive into a large set of stunning portfolios and look for some common elements that make them work. Some of these elements expose industry wide trends, while others demonstrate simple and common design flourishes. Not all have huge meaning, but they all add up to fantastic designs that will challenge you to create a truly extraordinary portfolio site. Read more

New WordPress themes are released on what sometimes seems a daily basis.

But not all themes are created equal. Differences in quality become more pronounced in free themes, but there’s even a lot of discrepancies in premium themes, both in terms of visual style and actual code.

Below are more than sixty new WordPress themes released since March. Roughly half are premium themes (ranging in price from around $15 to about $70) and half are free.

If you think there are other themes out there released during the same time period that should have been included, please let us know in the comments! Enjoy the collection… Read more

Some people collect stamps, others spot trains; I have become obsessed with wireframing software.

I have tried and fallen in love with countless applications, from Balsamiq to Mockingbird to FlairBuilder. Although each has felt like true love, over time my gaze has wandered, and I find myself flirting with another tool.

They all look so alluring, but over time I see their shortcomings. Perhaps I am just too fussy. Perhaps my needs are too unusual. What I really want is a tool that fits the way I do things, rather than me having to fit the tool.

Do you have a favorite wireframing tool of your own? Do you even see the need for one? If so, do you go for all the bells and whistles or just a quick and dirty solution?

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We’ve all seen or heard about the horrors of failed redesigns.

Regardless of the size or scale of a site, any redesign is frought with potential perils and pitfalls. Alienating your existing users is probably one of the biggest dangers of any redesign project.

Of course, the larger the site, the greater this danger becomes. But even a small site can suffer from ill-will if they don’t consider their existing visitors when tackling a redesign project.

The following guide should keep you on the right path for creating a revamped and re-imagined site that keeps your users happy.

And if you’ve already found yourself in the midst of a failed redesign, we’ve got help for you, too. Read more

As the number and variety of devices from which we access the internet increases, new web design challenges present themselves.

It’s no longer simply enough to have a mobile version and a browser version. Now, we have to consider whether the person visiting our site is visiting from a tablet, a smartphone (and whether that smartphone has a high-res screen or not), a netbook, a desktop computer or full-size laptop (and whether it’s one with a high-res or low-res screen), or some other device entirely.

And optimizing the experience for all of those different possibilities is becoming more expected among savvy internet users.

A few years ago, a designer would have looked at the list of devices they had to design for and then set about creating individual website designs for each device. But as the number and variety of devices increases, that becomes an impractical, time-consuming proposition.

Instead, designers should create designs that adapt to the needs of each browser, regardless of the device. Read more

New apps and websites appear on an almost daily basis, but trying to find the good ones among them can be tough, especially considering how many are not that great.

That’s why every month we research and showcase some of the best and latest resources available for web designers.

In this April installment we’ve rounded up more than thirty great books, tools, apps, fonts, and other resources for web designers and developers.

As always, if we’ve missed something, 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

Not every designer wants to (or knows how to) code. Sometimes all you want to do is design, and leave the coding to someone else.s

Or maybe you’ve just taken on more design work than you can handle, and don’t have time to code everything yourself.

In either case, PSD to HTML services can be a great way to save time and energy, while still getting a hand-coded design.

In this post, we’ve compiled a hundred PSD to HTML services that might be just what you need for coding your next project.

Some of the services below also offer CMS implementation and other add-on services. The better services take as much time and care with converting your design as you would take yourself, so be sure to shop around and compare not only on the basis of price (which starts as low as $29), but also quality and service.

When picking a service like this, make sure you find a company that either provides samples of their work or a money-back guarantee (preferably both). A non-disclosure agreement is also a good idea, especially if you’re using them for client work. Read more

There are some definite downsides to building websites with Flash (key being the lack of support for Flash on iOS), but there are still plenty of sites out there that are built on Flash, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon.

And sometimes you’re going to have clients who are dead-set on having a Flash website.

But what if you don’t know how to use Flash? Do you spend hours trying to adapt a template, learning as you go? Or is there a better way?

Wix is a great option for anyone who wants to create a Flash website without learning Flash.

Unlike a lot of website creators, it lets you customize virtually every aspect of the sites you create, whether you start from scratch or build your site from a template. Read more

Apple.com has undergone some adjustments to its design in the past week or so, changes that, if you weren’t paying close enough attention, you may not have even noticed.

Although many reports are referring to this as a “redesign”, I think it’s difficult to classify it as such. There certainly are some significant changes, but the changes are not exactly a complete overhaul as was the case for CNN.com in late 2009.

Nonetheless, the changes are significant to web designers, so I’ll briefly look at them here. If there’s anything about the changes that I’ve neglected to mention, feel free to comment. Read more

If you want to pursue full-time employment in the web design industry but not in an agency, then chances are that you’ll be looking at working as an in-house web designer or developer for an internet based company.

This type of role comes with its own lists of benefits and challenges to consider before throwing yourself headlong down this career path.

Today we’ll be exploring all those areas in detail and we’ll also be asking other people in the industry for their experiences to get a broad overview of the entire subject.

Whether you currently work for an agency, as a student, or as a freelancer, there should be some relevant and important information here to keep you interested!

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If an organization’s goal is for people to inquire, then its website’s contact page is among its most critical assets.

No matter what the organization promotes, the contact (or sign-up) page is the last step in the sales pitch. This is what the rest of the website, from the home page to the blog to the site map, lead to: enticing people to act.

Yet the contact page gets relatively little attention. The home page usually gets far more. Naturally, the home page is important; it bears the burden of giving a first impression, explaining the website’s purpose and guiding people to the right content—and it has to do it within seconds.

The contact page is a kind of anti-home page: focused, interactive, less persuasive, but more reassuring. Home pages provide information, whereas contact pages provide options. Read more

New WordPress themes are released all the time, and it’s hard keeping up with the best that’s out there. And let’s face it: a lot of new themes aren’t very high quality.

Below we’ve collected nearly fifty high-quality WP themes from around the web.

A little over half of them are free themes, released under a variety of licenses.

The rest are premium themes, ranging in price from around $30 right up to $200, depending on the creator and licensing options.

Have we missed any good ones here, feel free to add their links in the comments! Read more

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.

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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

Do you browse the internet often? Are you amazed at how many internet web pages there are in the world today? Don’t you wish you could get a piece of that action?

You’re probably thinking that in order to build an internet web page, you have to be some kind of computer genius. You probably think you have to go to college for at least one year to learn to make internet web pages.

Well, that used to be true, but not anymore. I’m going to show you how you can create an internet web page today in just a matter of minutes — even if you’ve never been trained in any kind of electronic technology. That’s right — you don’t have to be a 1-year college graduate or any other kind of electronic genius.

Just follow the step-by-step instructions described in this article, and you’ll have your very own internet web page for everyone to see. Read more

We often complain about the multitude of limitations which we’re faced with every day as designers.

From browsers, to screen resolutions, to user interactions, we seem to constantly be struggling to find some way of thinking outside the tiny little box of “best practice” which we’re constrained by.

Limitations are abundant but are they really such a bad thing? Is it possible, even, that they actually produce far better results than if we did not have them?

Ikea for example, starts with price and then work backwards. Their main concern is the price of the product to the end user. It’s up to the designers to create something appealing which fits within that.

37Signals wrote a whole book about how they operate with similarly heavy restrictions when building web apps; they set a date to launch and then they stick to it, no matter what.

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A/B testing (also called split testing) is a testing method generally used in marketing to compare results between two samples with the goal to improve conversion or response rates.

In web design, A/B tests are generally used to test design elements (sometimes against the existing design) to better determine which design elements will get the best response from visitors.

A/B tests, by definition, compare only two variables (design elements) at a time. There is also multivariate testing, which compares more than one variable.

Each one serves a purpose and can help your clients make better decisions that will result in a more successful website.

Here we present a thorough guide to A/B testing, including the benefits of using it and how to administer A/B tests on your own projects. Read more

Photoshop’s Curves is a flexible control that can brighten or darken parts of a layer based on the layer’s luminosity.

Editing tones in an image—not just grays and not always photos—can do more than fix highlights and shadows.

Curves can be used to edit photos, masks, graphics and even hues. But using it requires a little know-how and imagination.

Read on for more details about what Photoshop curves are, as well as how to use them properly for your designs.

As usual, feel free to leave us your comments at the end of this post. Read more

Developers and programmers are meticulous individuals, and developers sometimes stand out even among themselves.

We introduced you to 7 types of designers in our article 7 Personality Types of Designers Today. Developers have peculiar traits and habits of their own. This article looks at 7 types of developers today and their defining characteristics.

“The best programmers are not marginally better than merely good ones. They are an order of magnitude better, measured by whatever standard: conceptual creativity, speed, ingenuity of design or problem-solving ability.”
—Randall E. Stross

Stereotyping is generally not good practice. But we’re not trying to squeeze individuals into categories. Rather, delineating these types can help you figure out where you stand and help you understand others. Read more