CategoryDesign

October 15, 2013 — These websites have some captivating interactivity; however, the selection of type and the typographic styling and spacing are the reasons why we chose them for this piece. We focus on typography and on how engaging it can be; hopefully, this article will draw your attention to some of the minutiae involved in effective typography, and move you to continue on your own thought-provoking journey through the typographic details of other websites. Read more…

October 10, 2013 — Is sketching by hand more than a nostalgic activity? How is paper any different from a screen, especially when hardware is becoming more and more sophisticated? Is improving your hand-sketching skills really worthwhile when high-tech software is advancing every day? Read more…

October 2, 2013 — Time is a key factor in productivity. Working efficiently enables us to deliver better value at a competitive price. In this article, Melanie Lang presents a collection of tools, tips and tricks that will make your standard workflow as fast and practical as possible, so that you have more time for the exciting parts of the project. Ready? Here we go! Read more…

September 12, 2013 — Creating great copy is pointless if it is visually uninspiring or unreadable. Likewise, if the content doesn’t deliver, then even the most attractive page won’t hold the reader’s attention. No matter how clearly laid out a design is or how elegant the infographics are, our number one visual tool for relaying information to the audience is well-written text. Read more…

September 5, 2013 — This tutorial shows the basic steps Veerle Pieters followed to create a water lily; but in creating this flower, she did way more than what is presented here. You see, every creation is never straightforward or perfect right away. It takes some trial and error, because she also needed to find the method that can be most easily explained. To get to her result, you’ll be doing a lot of clever actions while having a lot of room for experimentation as well. Read more…

September 3, 2013 — Lately we’ve seen a rapid shift in software and app interface design, from 3-D and skeuomorphic to flat and minimal. Let’s take a moment to consider how we got here and what influence it’s having on interface design as a whole. Minimal design’s widespread resurgence is refreshing to witness. It is by no means the right solution for everything, but when applied thoughtfully and appropriately, it makes for a highly usable and enjoyable digital experience. Read more…

August 28, 2013 — Jesse Friedman has spent nearly a decade trying to create scalable, predictably insightful, inspirational environments. he has led creative teams in these environments, and is currently doing it as the Director of Web Interface and Development at Astonish. What follows is what Jesse has found to help his team harness inspiration effectively. Read more…

August 22, 2013 — We have gotten serious about asking how to better serve users, which reflects a significant change in the designer’s skill set. Designers will use the same tools they have always used, but they are now responsible for more than just the interface. Whether or not a designer calls him or herself a product designer is beside the point; to remain relevant, they need to master these new user-centered values and processes. Read more…

August 16, 2013 — Adobe’s InDesign page-layout application has been made faster and more feature-rich with each iteration. But even the best applications lack some features. Luckily, Adobe realized this and opened the doors to allow designers to expand this set of tools through plugins. In this article, we’ve put together a small collection to show a bit of what InDesign can do. Read more…

August 6, 2013 — Your typography helps to create an experience for users before they’ve even read a word or clicked a button. The treatment of type creates an atmosphere and elicits a response much the same way as tone of voice does. It establishes a mode of communication and, in turn, the personality of the website. The choice of typeface will determine how people respond to your website. The following websites have very distinct personalities, largely established by the typography. Read more…