Tools & Resources articles

With an API, you create a connection between your website and an application for the purposes of drawing on its data or features. This allows you to not only enhance the on-site experience, but to streamline a lot of the processes that would otherwise require much tedious hand-holding behind the scenes. Many of you are probably familiar with the multitude of APIs Google has created. But it’s not just Google that’s trying to make it easier...

It’s time for me to go all fanboy on you guys, because Vivaldi is on Android, ya’ll! Vivaldi the browser, that is. You know, the one made by former Opera devs, and which is aimed at power users who want loads of customization and choice, plus a little privacy. It’s the browser I’ve been using and only mildly worshipping for a while, now. Look, it’s just best if we make it clear that I am biased. Though I do worry that too many browsers are based...

My name is Suzanne Scacca and I am a tool snob.  Before I became a writer, and before I entered the world of marketing and web design, I was a long-time project manager. And although I could’ve stepped into any of my project management jobs and simply executed the tasks employers asked of me, I was never happy with the status quo.  We’re living in an amazing time for technology and I knew there would always be a better way to work, if only we could...

2019 is half over, but don’t let that stop you from trying something new… specifically, a new CMS. “But Ezequiel, good buddy, I don’t have time to check out a whole new content management system. I have websites to make!”, you say, in those exact words. That’s fair, but you should be keeping an eye on the up-and comers anyway. These are the people who have the sheer brass walnuts (which are a real thing, unisex, and available to anyone...

Some of the new tools in this month’s roundup are designed for productivity and getting ahead, from a tool that converts text to speech to a font that’s made for the winter holidays. That’s the whole point of new tools – to make our design lives that much easier. Here’s what’s new for designers this month. Paaatterns Paaatterns is a collection of vector patterns for backgrounds, fills, and anywhere you want an interesting design...

A design system helps everyone in your business to maintain brand consistency. It’s a collection of guidelines that explains how your branding assets should be used in everyday communication and marketing efforts. A design system usually consists of general brand guidelines, color usage, brand tone and voice, typography, patterns, and any other visual element that helps convey your brand principles. Use them as an inspiration and...

What’s even better is that you don’t have to spend years mastering programming either. Thanks to numerous coding apps available for both Android and iOS devices, you can easily level up your coding skills even when you’re on the go. In this post, we’ve rounded up the best coding apps that will help you learn to code like a pro. SoloLearn SoloLearn is an app available for both iOS and Android devices and it also has a web app so you can use it...

It’s hard to stay focused this time of year. With vacations coming up (or having recently passed) it’s easy to get distracted from work-related tasks. For that reason, this month’s roundup is full of design tools plus a few design diversions that you can have fun with. 404 Illustrations Have you ever wanted to create a cool 404 page but didn’t have the time or inspiration? 404 Illustrations takes all the work out of it for you with funky...

Back in April, jQuery 3.4 was released with all the pomp and ceremony of a British monarch on the 4th of July (happy Independence Day to all our American readers). There have been a flurry of minor releases since then, with the current version being 3.4.1. We’ve had a few weeks to poke around, and check out the new features, and more importantly the now deprecated features. What we found was a modern library that defied a few of our expectations....

It’s that time of year when everyone’s mind is less on work, than on vacation. So, we’ve tried to round up a few new tools and resources for designers that can make projects seem a little more like play. Enjoy! Fontanello Fontanello is a Chrome browser extension that lets you see the type styles of text just by right-clicking it. This tool takes all the hassle out of looking for font styles by showing the name, size, leading, and color of a typeface...

Drawing is one of the most common and fun past times. Nowadays, with the release of new and powerful Android tablets and iPads, you don’t even have to break out your drawing pad and favorite drawing utensils. There are dozens of drawing apps that allow you to draw digitally and hone your artistic skills. The only problem is, which drawing app to pick? To help you answer that question, we’ve rounded up the best drawing apps for Android and iPad....

Saving color palettes you find online or as you’re working on a design is not always an easy process. You could use the browser’s Inspect tool to grab the hex code or grab a screenshot and use Photoshop later on to pull the colors from it. Or you could simplify the process and grab a dedicated color picker tool that will allow you to grab color from any website, on desktop or on mobile without having to leave your browser window. Here are 10 best...

There are plenty of cool new tools and resources available for designers this month, and you’ll be especially happy if you are looking to find photos with ease, increase productivity or even create better documentation. If we’ve missed something that you think should have been on the list, let us know in the comments. And if you know of a new app or resource that should be featured next month, tweet it to @carriecousins to be considered! Creative...

WordPress is the most used CMS across the world today. It has attained the number one position because it is so simple to use and maintain, not only from a designer’s point of view, but also from the end user’s perspective. In this article, we will look at a few different questions people have about WordPress. Some may seem downright silly, some a little technical, and some questions will be the ones that you yourself always wanted to ask! How...