If we don’t question this kind of design homogenization, do we put ourselves at risk of perpetuating the same mistakes in the years to come? Or is it even a mistake to begin with? Today, I’m going to look at four things that are likely causing this, and what you can do to break the mold. 1. Education We used to have a design school in every city in the world, each with its own design style or, at the very least, the encouragement of its designers to...

For many professionals looking for new work opportunities, they know that prospective employers are going to ask for proof of their credentials; where they went to school; how long they worked in the field; who they worked for; a résumé communicates these details nicely. For web designers, though, a list of jobs and accolades isn’t sufficient. Imagine if you created a resume that listed off your skills and experience as a designer: I have...

The web has made it all too easy for consumers to look up anything and everything they’re interested in or have questions about. “Pet stores near me.” “Best web hosting 2020.” “Tom Brady net worth.” And it’s with this easy access to data that consumers have grown pickier about who they do business with. Because if they can get answers to all the other questions in their lives, why can’t they find out everything there is to know...

For those of you working from home right now (willingly or unwillingly), you can’t allow your surroundings to have an effect on your work and, more importantly, your client relationships. Clients don’t care where you are. They just want you to get the job done, and get it done it well. By that same token, you can’t allow your interactions with clients to have a trickle-down effect on your home life. There needs to be a clear separation between...

In today’s roundup of the latest research for web designers, we’re going to look at a variety of topics, from 2020 holiday shopping predictions to missed opportunities in SEO. Retail Experts Predict Huge Uptick in E-commerce Holiday Sales Shelley E. Kohan wrote a piece for Forbes entitled, “Coronavirus Fears May Drive U.S. E-Commerce Sales Beyond 2020 Projections—And Change How People Shop In The Future”. While all we have at...

Today, we’re going to look at what web standards are, why we have them, and what you actually need to do with them as a web designer. What Are Web Standards? When we talk about web standards, what we’re referring to are formal specifications that the Internet and everything on it should adhere to. So, this is frequently less about how the frontend of a website appears and more about how the backend of it is structured. Web standards aren’t...

There are a lot of negative emotions swirling around right now: fear; stress; frustration; anxiety; depression. And what’s worse is that it feels like there’s no escape from them. We don’t know how long the coronavirus crisis is going to last, so we can’t allow these negative emotions to overwhelm us day in and day out. It’s not sustainable. What’s more, there’s a direct correlation between negativity and productivity. So,...

I know this might seem like an odd question to ask. After all, it’s not like we’re living in a villain-filled Gotham City in need of saving. When it comes to asking the question, “Can web designers save the world?”, I look at it like this: Superheroes don’t exist in real life, so there’s no way that one single person on this planet is going to “save” the world — web designer or otherwise. But heroes that fight small battles that...

Have you ever heard of disaster recovery and business continuity? Basically, they’re processes that enable businesses to survive a crisis — no matter what it’s caused by: a natural disaster, economic downturn, personal emergency, or something else. There’s a lot involved, but one of the most important parts of recovery is how the company manages their finances before and during a crisis. This isn’t just for large corporations,...

Videos aren’t inherently accessible. Even if the content comes from an outside source — like a videographer or a YouTube channel — you’re still responsible for ensuring that every visitor on your website can fully access it. Video can serve many purposes for a website: Home page videos featuring company founders or illustrated walk-throughs of a solution can serve as a unique welcome to the site; Product videos give customers a better...

While it’s important to know about the latest research and surveys impacting web design, I think it’s just as important to stay informed about news that may affect your work as a designer. As such, this roundup of the latest research for web designers includes a mix of reports along with some news and facts about something that people are talking about all around the world: the coronavirus. A Better Lemonade Stand Analyzes the Best Remote...

Whenever a company posts a job opening for a web design employee or freelancer, they typically include a set of hard and soft skills they’re looking for. Hard skills are design skills that are measurable and well-documented. For instance: A degree in a web design-related field; Aptitude with Sketch or Photoshop; Training in color theory and responsive design. Your portfolio and résumé serve as proof of hard skills. Soft skills, on the...

There’s a lot riding on your shoulders as a freelance designer. You have to play the part of salesperson, project manager, web designer, accountant, and more. That’s why it’s critical to develop more efficient ways to work while maximizing results. One way that agencies and even small teams of designers do this is through design systems. By taking the time to create a collection of design standards, reusable components, and documentation,...

In the following roundup of the latest research for web designers, I’ve included reports and surveys that shed light on: The battle between mobile and desktop, Why so many websites keep getting hacked, What’s keeping ecommerce business owners awake at night, and What Google is now saying about mobile-first indexing. Hootsuite Puts a Spotlight on Mobile Although Hootsuite is a social media marketing tool, its Digital 2020 report...