When it’s working, we call it developing a distinctive style. When it’s not, we call it falling into a rut. Formulaic, trend-based design might help you get the bills paid on time, but it won’t win you any design awards — and let’s face it, what’s most scary about that feeling is the idea that your artistic side might be slipping as you behave more like a manufacturer. While this is a common feeling shared by all designers at some [...]

When you enter the world of web hosting, you will find yourself inundated with options. Choosing a hosting company is only the beginning. Even after you have a domain, hosting account, and all of the preliminary tasks out of the way, you still have to build a website. Many options out there are proprietary, sold by commercial vendors and private developers, but in some situations, it is much better for your website and your business to use free and open [...]

I have been a freelancer for almost a decade now and in the course of these years, I have had dozens of clients and hundreds of projects. While no two clients are the same, I have noticed some common things many of my clients hate. For truth’s sake, I try to avoid these things, especially when I really value the client but sometimes the items on the list below are unavoidable. Here are the Top 5 of things (my) clients [...]

Functional web typography is, of course, key to the usabilty of any website. But functional does not mean boring. Big, loud and attention grabbing typography does have the presence and magnificence to truly grab the attention of your visitors. It does not quite shout at your readers, it merely says with a slighlt harder-overtone ‘Look at ME!’. Its effect can be impressive and memorable. Today we have a creative and exciting collection of websites who do you use, and succesfully [...]

We have a fantastic freebie for all of you web designers out there, you’ll love this:) Designed by Land-of-Web, the Colorful 3D UI Kit comes in .psd format and is full of beautifully designed modern web elements covering almost all aspects of web design

Social networks have grown into the norm in today’s sophisticated Internet. Modern web pages have become very personalized over the past decade including a number of user interface features. One such example is the user profile picture often accompanied by each username. Web designers don’t often realize how important this profile photo can be. It distinguishes a blend of personality between each member. And this feature also has quite a few other handy applications to the user experience ultimately offering [...]

In part 1 of this article, we analyzed the technical problems facing HTML5. In part 2, we’re going to discuss the problems facing HTML5 commercially. Unity: Microsoft, Google and Apple are clearky the 3 giants of the industry at the moment, and it’s really hard to unify them under a single standard. “Go, go, go! Fire in the hole!” As Apple declares war on Flash, Microsoft seems willing to watch the fire from the other side of the river. As [...]

Nowadays, HTML5 is like a shining star in the webs sky. However, is HTML5 ready to take the overall crown? From 2 aspects, we are going to discuss what else HTML5 needs to defeat Flash. Technically: First of all, I’d like to emphasize that HTML5 and Flash don’t have many overlapping functions. For example, you can invoke hardware like cameras through Flash; but not HTML5. However, the elements imported by HTML5 do bring some serious competition to Flash. The most [...]

A code framework is nothing more than a collection of pre-formatted classes and functions. There are frameworks created for practically every language out there – even including frontend web development like JavaScript and CSS. Developers would be wise to follow these trends of working on top of pre-built code. There are reasons both for and against building on top of web frameworks. You need to spend time learning the code and adjust your website accordingly. But in the long run [...]

A freelance career offers a plethora of opportunities and rewards for web designers like you, just itching to make it on your own. At the same time, it can lead to a lot of headache, even failure, if you don’t grasp a few basic skills that extend beyond your creative talents in graphic design. With a focus on the entrepreneurial spirit, let’s discuss the 5 critical points that you must know before becoming a freelance web designer. Grasp the Business [...]

In this tutorial, I’ll teach you how to adapt a simple HTML blog layout into a WordPress theme. We’ll be using this static page as starting point.

The most successful and important proposal in my life was a quick win. With the ring decision aside, it was based on three fundamentally important ingredients: clarity, timeliness and problem-solving power. My intentions were clear and unambiguous, the offer was made in due time and solved a relationship evolution dilemma that all couples inevitably face, sooner or later. Simply put, it was a win-win that both of us have been enjoying ever since. But can this personal success tactic be [...]

A charity or cause may not need the sleek sales pages of a business on the web, but a poorly designed one could still mean the difference between helping people or failing to do so. Therefore, a non profit website design should be appealing enough to invite the organization’s targeted donors and volunteers. The basics of web design are enough to make a difference – An easy to navigate and user friendly website with careful use of fonts, colors and [...]