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How to Handle Information Overload

Walter — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:30:40 +0000

The Internet holds a wealth of information on virtually any topic one could think of. With a simple search, you can gain access to knowledge about almost any subject out there.

In fact, you can often get so much information returned that it’s a little intimidating even knowing where to start. Information overload gets more and more common as ever-growing amounts of information go online…

Exploring Photoshop’s Angle Gradient Tool

Walter — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:30:21 +0000

The angle gradient tool is an overlooked gem tucked away in Photoshop’s toolbar.

Often passed over for its more popular sibling, the linear gradient tool, angle gradients create clockwise blends of color around the point a user clicks.

The angle gradients create clockwise blends of color around the point a user clicks.

Most people stop there. But when combined with other techniques and some creativity, the angled gradient has some surprising uses…

Our Favorite Tweets of the Week Jul 18-Jul 25, 2010

Walter — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:30:44 +0000

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…

Comics of the Week #35

Walter — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:30:40 +0000

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…

Book Review: From Photoshop to HTML

Walter — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:30:57 +0000

If you’re new to creating website designs using Photoshop, learning to transform those .PSD files into semantic, standards-compliant CSS and HTML files can be a bit intimidating.

After all, there are plenty of great services out there that can slice up and code your files for you. But there are those cases when you may prefer to slice those designs by yourself.

That’s where From Photoshop to HTML: How to Slice Your Designs Like a Pro by Jeffrey Way, editor of Nettuts+, comes in…

20+ Demos Showing Advanced jQuery Effects

Walter — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:25:47 +0000

Just a short while ago, Flash was one of the primary technologies used by web designers to add interactivity to a website.

Since the introduction of the iPad, with its lack of the Flash Player, there’s an acceleration in the web development world to use alternative technologies to Flash, such as jQuery, Ajax and others.

Although Flash is still a very powerful and useful tool, which works great on many cases, several of the effects that web designers are accustomed to creating in Flash, can be just as easily implemented using jQuery…

Winners of Icon Sets from IconDock

Walter — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:30:31 +0000

For the past week, we’ve been running IconDock’s Giveaway for 10 Icon sets. Thanks to all who participated and a special thanks to Nick La for these wonderful icons.

IconDock features professionally designed pixel and vector stock icons suitable for print and web projects. The website contains a great collection of both premium and free icons.

Today we have the results of the contest and 10 lucky winners get the chance to pick any icon set of their choice from the great collection at IconDock…

A Complete Guide to A/B Testing

Walter — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:30:43 +0000

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…

Applying Duotones to Data

Walter — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:30:06 +0000

The ability to tint black-and-white photographs with color has been a staple of photography for decades, and modern image editors make warming and cooling grayscale images a snap.

This concept of a steady progression of shades can be used to present information as well.

This technique of tinting digital photos works well for presenting information and can improve usability.

Just as a gradient shows a range of colors, a monotone or duotone can be used to show a range of data…

Our Favorite Tweets of the Week Jul 11-Jul 17, 2010

Walter — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 10:30:16 +0000

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.

Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that we tweeted about, so don’t miss out…

Comics of the Week #34

Walter — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 10:30:21 +0000

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…

A Collection of Splendid Illustrated Websites

Walter — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:30:15 +0000

Illustrated additions to websites can lend even the plainest theme an extra level of visual interest and complexity.

Illustrations vary widely from one site to the next. Some look hand-drawn (whether they are or not) while others are obviously digitally rendered.

Below are more than thirty great website designs that feature illustrations.

Most common are illustrations in headers and backgrounds, often of site mascots or characters…

Mixing Type and Imagery: How to Manage a Controlled Collision

Walter — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:30:39 +0000

By setting images in type, you are able to express more than words or pictures can alone.

The effect packs a lot of information into a tight space. But it can get ugly if the text and imagery are at odds with each other.

Designers can steer clear of disaster by keeping their purpose in mind: expressing the idea clearly should trump the “wow” factor of the technique…

Win 10 Fantastic Icon Sets from IconDock

Walter — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:30:34 +0000

IconDock is the brain child of renowned designer Nick La, more known for his popular blog, Web Designer Wall, and his portfolio site, N Design Studio.

IconDock features professionally designed pixel and vector stock icons suitable for print and web projects. The site contains a great collection of both premium and free icons.

With today’s contest, we’re bringing you the chance to win 10 sets of these wonderful and useful icons…

7 Personality Types of Clients Today

Walter — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:30:47 +0000

In previous articles, we discussed seven types of designers and seven types of developers.

Designers and developers form two parts of the design trinity: the client completes it. You can have the technology to build something and the design to make it magnificent, but if someone doesn’t fund the project, it usually falls flat.

No one has the time to do such a thing for fun…

Our Favorite Tweets of the WeekJul 4-Jul 10, 2010

Walter — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 10:30:00 +0000

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.

Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that we tweeted about, so don’t miss out…

Comics of the Week #33

Walter — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:30:07 +0000

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…

Smart Logos with Hidden Symbolism

Walter — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:30:26 +0000

Logos can convey many ideas in one simple design and as designers we need to be fully aware of any hidden symbolism.

You should be in full control of your design and use symbolism to convey messages to your advantage as this will further the impact of your logo.

For this post, we’ve compiled some great logos that carry hidden symbolism that you can use for inspiration in your own designs…

Occam’s Razor: A Great Principle for Designers

Walter — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:30:26 +0000

Lex parsimoniae is the Latin expression of what is known in English as Occam’s Razor, a philosophical rule of thumb that has guided some of the world’s best and brightest minds (including Isaac Newton).

It is named after the 14th-century logician and theologian William of Ockham.

But what the heck does Occam’s Razor have to do with web design? I’m glad you asked…

Winners of 1000 Postcards from UPrinting

Walter — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:00:36 +0000

For the past 7 days we’ve been running a great giveaway from UPrinting. Many thanks to all those of you who participated and to UPrinting for a great giveaway.

UPrinting is one of the leading online printing companies in the world, with over 25 years of experience under their belt.

Each of the 10 winners has won a set of 500 free business cards of their choice with free shipping to anywhere in the world…