Whether you are reading a printed magazine or a web article it is very rarely the content that draws you in at first, the hook is always the title or the headline. A well written and thought out title or headline are fundamental, it has to not only describe with very few words the articles content but also has to be formatted in a way that it draws the attention of your readers and is a seemingly must read – [...]

.psd source files are truly amazing and unique resources – not only do they showcase the talents of the artist, but they also offer the opportunity to dig deeper and discover how they were created. They give you the chance to learn, unlike tutorials which are step-by-step, with a .psd file you roll your sleeves and you get your hands dirty delving into its inner workings.

In May last year we published an article entitled 22 CSS Button Styling Tutorials and Techniques, it proved to be pretty popular, and the most amazing thing about that post is that none of the tutorials even touch on the subject of CSS3.. What a difference a year makes!

At first glance the Google Map API may seem scary, I mean, were do you possibly start? You probably only want to display a simple map that displays directions to your clients address, you don’t really want an all singing and dancing interactive map with more options than necessary. There has to be a simpler way. Of course there is, and as with almost all web site interactivity, jQuery does offer some simple and easy to use plugins. The plugins [...]

Are your fresh design ideas no longer fresh or are you a designer who continually re-uses the same old and trusted design patterns that have followed you for many a year? Or, you might just be a UI designer that is stuck in a rut?
If you are looking to change all that, then this is the post for you.

Lets be honest, when you look at the volume of WP themes that are available, there is not really that much originality. They are basically they same theme re-hashed in a different style. That maybe fine for some, but not for me. I look for all of those individual elements that add up to something original and unique, something that sets the theme apart from the rest. Perhaps that is why I am always drawn to a minimal theme, where [...]

Lets face it there is no enjoyment in writing a proposals. You became a web designer to build web sites, no one thought to mention anything about the processes you would have to follow to find new contracts and clients. Unfortunately, web design proposals are one of those essential processes you have to learn, and learn well.

Web design trends change with the wind – what is popular this year will undoubtedly not be popular next year. There is only one web design style that you can rely on and be deemed timeless – and that is the Vintage style. And alongside that, and similar in style, there is the permanently cool and always creative – retro(ism). Vintage and retro should not be categorized as a style – they are much more than that. They are a [...]

Every web designer and developer should have a good and reliable wireframe (mockup or prototype) tool at there disposal. The importance of such a tool differentiates amongst web designers and developers, some use them, some don’t. Personally, I use them. It is in this initial stage of development that makes web design enjoyable, the coming together of the clients needs and your own creative ideas onto a blank canvas, allowing you to plan effectively the visual arrangement of the sites content.

Since its launch, an extension system has been one of the most sought after and requested features for Google Chrome, and last month, Google delivered. They launched, in beta, there Google Chrome Extensions web site, and in just under a month they have already cataloged an impressive 1000+ extensions (no support for the Mac, as yet).
So, the big question now is, how powerful, useful and indispensable can we, as developers and designers, actually make Chrome, while backed up with its new extensions? The next question is, can it or will it replace Firefox?

The demand for development icons is huge, and thankfully this year has been a fairly productive year with new icon sets being freely released every other week. As you will see from the list below, they are all of high quality, some do have more flexibility than the others, and some do have limited numbers and options, but all are beautifully designed.
Anyway, all of the icons I have listed below have been designed specifically for web design, web development, web applications and blogging. And I am sure you will agree, they are amazing.

On Monday past we published the post 49 Most Creative Photoshop Tutorials of 2009, a collection of the best artistic tutorials for Photoshop from this year. As a follow up to that post, today we have The Best 40 Photoshop Text Effects from 2009, a collection of diverse and unique effects and type treatments that will add a little extra to your next design.

When designing the homepage of any web design agency it has to be well thought out, researched and planned. It basically all comes down to what clientele you are going to target? Is it corporate businesses and professional individuals or would you target corner-shop stores and small B&Bs? How your agency is first portrayed to any potential client is the cornerstone to your success. Yes, being good and professional designers and developers certainly helps, but won’t guarantee good business.