The ultimate guide to flat design It is easy to say that 2013 has so far been the year of flat design. Even Apple, the driver of the skeuomorphic design trend for many years, is trying some level of flat design when it releases iOS 7 later this year. So are you ready to try it out as well? Not sure how to get started? If you want to test the flat design waters or swim out a little deeper, we have everything you need to get started, from ready-made tools to tutorials for the do-it-yourselfer. Flat design 101 Flat design is a style that lacks the “tricks” designers often use in order to create a realistic or three-dimensional effect. Flat design techniques avoid embellishments such as bevels, embossing, drop shadows, gradients or artificial textures. The design style is hugely popular for simple websites that only include a few pages and for mobile applications. Animation is typically avoided in flat design projects and large images are in. UI kits User interface kits are a great way to get started with a flat design project.
Free Meta Tag Generator Website speed test Nobody Likes a Slow Website We built this Website Speed Test to help you analyze the load speed of your websites and learn how to make them faster. It lets you identify what about a web page is fast, slow, too big, what best practices you’re not following, and so on. We have tried to make it useful both to experts and novices alike. In short, we wanted it to be a easy-to-use tool to help webmasters and web developers everywhere optimize the performance of their websites. Feature Overview Examine all parts of a web page – View file sizes, load times, and other details about every single element of a web page (HTML, JavaScript and CSS files, images, etc.). How it works All tests are done with real web browsers, so the results match the end-user experience exactly.
User Experience Design Imitation Isn’t As Simple As It Looks User Experience Design Imitation Isn’t As Simple As It LooksBy Nis Frome When I began designing websites at the age of 17, I had lofty aspirations. I was going to one up the status quo. But, as many do, I quickly discovered how difficult it can be to build a truly inspiring user experience. I found myself instead relying on the oft repeated adage, which has become something of a cornerstone of user experience design for novices (and even some experts, like Picasso): “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Seems like a simple concept, right? For example, when we were designing the website for my last startup, Hublished, we sat in front of a screen with windows open for Facebook and LinkedIn. So while in consumer mode, our users would see one set of icons: And while in publisher mode (which would be made clear to them with a message similar to the one displayed on Facebook), they’d have a different set of icons: How could this be?
18 rules for using text We visited The Visual Communication Guy and found this – one of the best infographics we've seen that provides designers with 18 rules for using text – so we had to share it with you. The use of typography can be confusing – which font do you choose, and what size? If you follow these 18 rules you won't go wrong and quickly start to see a world of difference in your designs. Subscription offer Like this? Position y Float El valor predeterminado para todos los elementos es position:static, que posiciona al elemento según el lugar donde fue definido en el HTML. Por lo general no hay necesidad de definir position:static, a menos que querramos caerle encima a alguna regla anterior que haya modificado el posicionamiento. Si le definimos position:relative a un elemento, entonces podemos utilizar top, bottom, left y right para mover el elemento con relación a la posición en la que aparecería normalmente en el documento. Movamos el div-1 20 pixeles hacia abajo y 40 pixeles hacia la izquierda: Fíjate que en el lugar donde hubiese aparecido el div-1 ahora hay un espacio en blanco. Parecería que position:relative no es muy útil, pero tendrá una tarea muy importante más adelante. Cuando utilizamos position:absolute, el elemento es removido del documento y colocado exactamente donde nosotros queremos. Movamos el div-1a a la esquina superior derecha de la página: Un momento, ¿qué sucedió con los demás elementos?
moklick/frontend-stuff How to Design an App That Doesn't Risk Abandonment Marc Barach is the Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for Jumio. Anyone who has gone through the process of building a mobile app knows it’s no small feat in spend, time and resources. It’s estimated that companies invest anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000 in app development. With the number of smartphone users expected to rise to 1.75 billion this year, consumers are more app-savvy than ever. For mobile app providers, it’s time to get serious about eliminating pain points to give your app the best possible chance to not just survive but thrive. Easy as 1, 2, 3 Apps without an intuitive design and interface are destined to fail. How do you decide on one thing? Take a look at customer behavior on your site. Hone in on the greatest value you’re already providing and streamline your app to give customers more of what they want, and less of what they aren’t using. Buggy technology Monitoring the app closely is crucial to catch technical glitches only your internal team can correct. Checked out
Fresh Education For Creative Professionals Inspirational Videos For Designers – The Big Collection The biggest collection of inspirational videos for designers is here. TED videos for designers The Best of Creative Mornings You see, as much as I love full-length features, sometimes what you really want is just something quick to watch and get inspired by. I love seeing how amazing speakers are spreading their great thoughts, ideas and projects on TED. I can’t explain why (is there a scientist in the crowd?) Memetics is the science of how new ideas are spreading. The ideas and the visuals being discussed on the video somehow make their way into my brain. For me, a good TED video is much better than another 20 mins on Facebook or Instagram. OK, let’s get into business. (I’m planning to update this post until it has as many inspirational videos for designers as possible. TED Videos for designers The art of first impressions — in design and life Book designer Chip Kidd knows all too well how often we judge things by first appearances.