From up North - High quality design inspiration - Part 2 I just love it when companies think outside of the box and uses creativity to market their products. One company that frequently does this is McDonalds and here’s a collection of my favorite McDonalds ads. Which one is your favorite? Official sponsor Torino 2006 Web Design Trends For 2009 Advertisement We Web designers are a fickle lot. We love to experiment with things. We love to observe how people interact with our work. And we love to try out unusual design approaches that might possibly go mainstream and become a classic approach. Over the last months, we’ve analyzed numerous Web designs, observing emerging trends and weighing the merits of numerous design decisions and coding solutions. This article covers only 10 of the over 25 trends we’ve identified over the last months. Update: the second part of our review1 is now published as well. Web Design Trends For 2009 Let’s first take a closer look at the main trends we identified, discovered and observed over the last months. Embossing Letterpress Rich user interfaces PNG transparency Big typography Font replacement (sIFR, etc.) Now let’s go into detail and take a closer look at each of the trends presented above. 1. 2. 3. 4. We presented some outstanding examples of BIG typography in previous6 posts7. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Code QR - Trucs et Astuces pour design personnalisés Un code QR peut être numérisé (« scanné ») par les téléphones mobiles intelligents sert à faire la transition d’une publicité hors-ligne (par exemple, dans un magazine ou sur une carte d’affaires) vers un site web ou autres fonctionnalités telles que SMS, V-Cards, etc. Une critique revient souvent par rapport à leur apparence robotique et ennuyante étant donné leurs couleurs noir et blanc. Heureusement, un code QR est malléable et peut être travaillé graphiquement de plusieurs façons, sans en affecter son habilitée de numérisation. La vérité est que les codes QR n’ont plus à ressembler à une planche de jeu d’échec. Vous trouverez dans cet article des trucs et techniques pouvant vous aider à améliorer au niveau visuel un code QR. L’article suivant est une traduction d’un article paru sur le site de Mashable.com et a été écrit par Hamilton Chan, président et fondateur de Paperlinks, une application de Codes QR disponible sur le Apple Store. 1. 2. 3. 4. Source des images : Custom QR Codes.
BLUE VERTIGO | Web Design Resources Links | Last update AUG.27.2012 More Web Design Trends For 2009 Advertisement Last week we presented 10 Web Design Trends For 20091, our review of the most promising developments and techniques in web design that may become big in 2009. In the first part we covered embossing letters (“letterpress”), rich user interfaces, PNG transparency, big typography, carousels and media blocks. This post is the second part of our review. It presents design trends for 2009 in terms of layouts, visual approaches and design elements. Please notice that this post showcases trends and developments that were extensively covered in our previous articles (e.g. handwriting, retro and vintage etc.) and therefore weren’t covered in this post (they are all linked in the overview, so feel free to explore these single posts as well). You may want to take a look at the following related posts: Web Design Trends For 2009 Let’s first take a closer look at some of the trends we identified, discovered and observed over the last months. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Did we miss something?
Hakim El Hattab 50 Reasons not to use Photoshop for Webdesign | reinegger.net - professional webdesign First things first, I love Photoshop. It is the world’s best program for image editing. I do not intend to say Photoshop is a bad program, I just wish to clear up the misunderstanding that Photoshop is the right tool to use for web and screen design. Photoshop was designed to be used for image manipulation. It was not designed to create effective pixel-precise layouts for computer screens, or to make quick changes to screen layouts. Photoshop tends to be used for this purpose however, because users are familiar with the program, and are not aware that Fireworks was designed for this specific purpose. Users generally try to compare Fireworks with Photoshop. Fireworks can be thought of more in terms of a program such as InDesign. The following video demonstrates some of the most important features that make Fireworks the best layout tool for screen design. Adobe Fireworks CS5 Webdesign Workflow Tutorial from Andre Reinegger on Vimeo.
Textures In Modern Web Design Advertisement If you look around at well-designed websites in CSS galleries or any other source of design inspiration, you’ll see that texture is extremely common in modern Web design. One of the reasons it’s so popular is because of its versatility. Textures in Web design can be very subtle, so that the visitor hardly notices, or they can be a focal point of the design. When examining exemplary Web designs that employ textures, you’ll notice that textures are used in background images, headers, footers, sidebars, content areas and even fonts. One of the reasons texture is so useful to designers and so popular is because adding it to a design can be quick and easy with a program like Photoshop. Gallery: Texture in Modern Web Design Now, we’ll take a look at 50 websites in which texture has been applied to the design to improve it in some way. Textured Backgrounds When it comes to textures in modern Web design, background images are probably the most common area of use. Textured Headers 1.
8 Design Books You Should Own Think back to when you first learned design. Where did you start? Likely it in some way was connected to a book, whether on your own or in a classroom. And you still need books today. Having a great stack of reference materials on hand as I work is a must. Need a little inspiration? “Type Idea Index” By Jim Krause A variety of new online tools have made it really easy for designers to play with and pair fonts. The book is set up in a series of themes to help you look at type examples based on the kind of project you are working on, and the examples are usable. My favorite part? I would also strongly recommended the other titles in the Idea Index series, although I only included one on this list, they are equally useful. “The Designer’s Web Handbook” By Patrick McNeil Designing for a digital project? The screenshots and samples used throughout are fantastic examples of best practices. The best part of this book is how it is put together. Yes, some of the exercises are silly. Conclusion
The Messy Art Of UX Sketching Advertisement I hear a lot of people talking about the importance of sketching when designing or problem-solving, yet it seems that very few people actually sketch. As a UX professional, I sketch every day. I often take over entire walls in our office and cover them with sketches, mapping out everything from context scenarios to wireframes to presentations. My desk. Although starting a prototype on a computer is sometimes easier, it’s not the best way to visually problem-solve. Many articles discuss the power of sketching and why you should do it, but they don’t go into the how or the methods involved. Sketching ≠ Drawing Some of the most effective sketches I’ve seen are far from perfect drawings. Sketching is an expression of thinking and problem-solving.It’s a form of visual communication, and, as in all languages, some ways of communicating are clearer than others.Sketching is a skill: the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it. OK, let’s get started. Work In Layers Technique Why? Tools
Retro and Vintage In Modern Web Design Advertisement Retro and vintage are becoming a new trend. Once rarely used in this robust, dynamic medium, early, retro and vintage elements are now becoming more and more popular in a variety of design contexts. Online shops, corporate designs, portfolios and blogs incorporate both styles on a small and large scale. Retro and vintage designs exhibit graphic solutions that are strongly influenced by the time period that they are supposed to represent. Such elements create a nostalgic atmosphere, awaken feelings and memories and attempt to communicate information effectively using emotions. The Secrets Of Vintage and Retro Designs What elements do designers use to create a genuine vintage or retro atmosphere? illustrations from old posters, movies, newspapers, CDs, vinyls, ads; old-style typography (e.g. vintage and retro are often combined with a hand-drawing style2 and grunge style3. Below, you’ll find a showcase of 50 beautiful retro, vintage and Renaissance designs. Custom Design6
100 Free PSD Files Every Web Designer Should Have In this post we gather a collection of 100 fully customizable web design elements layered PSD files, easy to use and customize with some adjustment as per your need and can be turned into ready web element. PSD files can be used to create good-looking and eye-catching web design layouts, icons, buttons, any web design elements and much more. There are lots of great designer out there who are regularly sharing some awesome PSDs and resources. So in today’s post we think why not to make a collection of some awesome PSDs files. You will find login boxes, icons, upload status icons, maps, coupon code images and much more. Freemium is the new hot thing, and it looks like its here to stay! Upload to Cloud Professional Web Card Profile Pretty little frame Day 176 Beautiful power button, the volume and texture treatment is quite remarkable as well as the 3D look. Download: Pretty little red ribbon (PSD) Form Message Buttons Seek Bar Volume slider
Hand-Drawing Style In Modern Web Design - Volume 2 Advertisement When it comes to web design too often perfect, colorful and boxy designs make the cut; however, the reality is different as it is hard to find objects with a perfect shape and a perfect color in our daily routine. To achieve a unique and communicative design we need to consider more creative approaches. For instance, we can draw sites by ourselves — or at least some parts of it. The main purpose of hand-drawn elements lies in their ability to convey a personality and an individual note in times when perfect, boxy and rounded elements can be found almost everywhere. And in fact, this is done quite often: whether a blog, a shop, an ad, a private page, or some collaborative project — doesn’t matter whether with Flash or (X)HTML. Please also have a look at our previous showcase Hand-Drawing Style In Modern Web Design What’s new? Few months ago we’ve declared that, in our humble opinion, shiny and glossy design elements were officially outdated. Script fonts gain on popularity 1.
Navigation Menus: Trends and Examples Advertisement Navigation is the most significant element in web design. Since web-layouts don’t have any physical representation a user can stick to, consistent navigation menu is one of the few design elements which provide users with some sense of orientation and guide them through the site. Users should be able to rely on it which is why designers shouldn’t mess around with it. That’s why in most cases it’s where simple, intuitive and conventional solutions are usually the best option. This article presents recent trends, examples and innovative solutions for design of modern navigation menus. 1. The most significant task a navigation menu has to fulfill is to unambiguously guide the visitors through the different sections of the site. This navigation scheme can be used not only for the horizontal navigation; it can can be applied to vertical navigation as well. 2. In any case over the last months a number of web-sites integrated Mac-styled-navigation in their web-sites. 3. 4. 5. 6.