http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/10/09/30-usability-issues-to-be-aware-of/
"You don’t have to agree upon everything. As a professional web developer you are the advocate of your visitors’ interests and needs; you have to protect your understanding of good user experience and make sure the visitors will find their way through (possibly) complex site architecture. And this means that you need to be able to protect your position and communicate your ideas effectively — in discussions with your clients and colleagues. In fact, it’s your job to compromise wrong ideas and misleading concepts instead of following them blindly."
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
100 (Legal) Sources for Free Stock Images
http://www.virtualhosting.com/blog/2007/100-legal-sources-for-free-stock-images/
"If you’ve ever tried to design a website or blog, you’ve probably felt the need to add images to your creation. It can be easy to see the Internet as a free-for-all, but images belong to the people who created them. Staying legal means you’ll have to either create your own images or buy them from stock sites. Fortunately, there are a number of sources for free images, and we’ve collected them here. So read on for 100 sources where you can find free stock images: and don’t worry — they’re all legal!"
"If you’ve ever tried to design a website or blog, you’ve probably felt the need to add images to your creation. It can be easy to see the Internet as a free-for-all, but images belong to the people who created them. Staying legal means you’ll have to either create your own images or buy them from stock sites. Fortunately, there are a number of sources for free images, and we’ve collected them here. So read on for 100 sources where you can find free stock images: and don’t worry — they’re all legal!"
Saturday, September 22, 2007
muse: a collection of inspiration
http://muse.drewwilson.com/
" Muse is a project designed and developed by Drew Wilson. My reason for developing Muse was to create a gallery where the focus is on the Artist, rather than simply the Art.
I have often wondered what inspires great artisits/creators, and that is where Muse came from. Muse will not only showcase great art, but it will also attempt to showcase the inspiration behind the art. And ultimaely the inspiration of great artists/creators.
My intention is keep keep Muse as fresh as absolutely possible. Meaning more new content, more often. New Showcases will be added as often as possible, but that all depends on how quickly the interviews from Showcase artists are returned to me. That's why I have the Inspiration Feed. It's a collection of links that I have found inspiring, and I can update it as often as I like.
If you have any questions or comments, use the form below. Or you can email me at: muse@drewwilson.com"
" Muse is a project designed and developed by Drew Wilson. My reason for developing Muse was to create a gallery where the focus is on the Artist, rather than simply the Art.
I have often wondered what inspires great artisits/creators, and that is where Muse came from. Muse will not only showcase great art, but it will also attempt to showcase the inspiration behind the art. And ultimaely the inspiration of great artists/creators.
My intention is keep keep Muse as fresh as absolutely possible. Meaning more new content, more often. New Showcases will be added as often as possible, but that all depends on how quickly the interviews from Showcase artists are returned to me. That's why I have the Inspiration Feed. It's a collection of links that I have found inspiring, and I can update it as often as I like.
If you have any questions or comments, use the form below. Or you can email me at: muse@drewwilson.com"
Drew Wilson Portfolio
http://www.drewwilson.com/work/
"Art has been my passion since I was a kid. Everything from drawing & painting to videos & photography. I merged the traditional arts with the computer when my dad bought Adobe Photoshop 3. It's been my main platform for artistic expression ever since, and I have been designing websites with it since 1996. I am blessed to be able to make a living at what I love doing."
"Art has been my passion since I was a kid. Everything from drawing & painting to videos & photography. I merged the traditional arts with the computer when my dad bought Adobe Photoshop 3. It's been my main platform for artistic expression ever since, and I have been designing websites with it since 1996. I am blessed to be able to make a living at what I love doing."
85+ Free Killer Resources Every Designer Should Know
http://www.snap2objects.com/2007/06/06/85-killer-resources-every-designer-should-know/
"Well the good news is that you just need courage to persist and the light of information to scare those monsters away.
"Well the good news is that you just need courage to persist and the light of information to scare those monsters away.
You got the courage. I got the Info.
Here I’ll give the info that could take you ages to find by yourself or another designer to tell (maybe because of lack of time or selfishness). I tried to cover most of the aspects that will help you in your journey, in a total of 15 aspects. Let’s start with some healthy tips for images."
Branding Strategy: Branding Judgement vs. Luck
http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2007/09/branding-judgem.html
"In 1968, 3M research scientist Dr Spencer Silver was attempting to improve the adhesives 3M uses on many of its tapes. By complete accident he managed to create a robust adhesive that could stick temporarily to any surface and then be removed and reapplied continually. Baffled but enthused, Dr Silver spent the next five years presenting his discovery to fellow 3M scientists."
"In 1968, 3M research scientist Dr Spencer Silver was attempting to improve the adhesives 3M uses on many of its tapes. By complete accident he managed to create a robust adhesive that could stick temporarily to any surface and then be removed and reapplied continually. Baffled but enthused, Dr Silver spent the next five years presenting his discovery to fellow 3M scientists."
Smashing Magazine: CSS Frameworks + CSS Reset: Design From Scratch
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/09/21/css-frameworks-css-reset-design-from-scratch/
"You don’t have to write the same CSS-code or (X)HTML-Markup over and over again. Whatever project you’re starting to work with, at some point you have to define classes and IDs you’ve already defined in your previous web-projects. To avoid unnecessary mistakes you might want to start not from a blank file, but from an almost “perfect” scratch. The latter might contain some basic definitions you’d write in your code anyway. However, once you’ve decided to create such a scratch, you need to make sure it is really bulletproof — besides, if the stylesheet also sets up optimal typographic rules and basic form styling you manage to kill two birds with one stone."
"You don’t have to write the same CSS-code or (X)HTML-Markup over and over again. Whatever project you’re starting to work with, at some point you have to define classes and IDs you’ve already defined in your previous web-projects. To avoid unnecessary mistakes you might want to start not from a blank file, but from an almost “perfect” scratch. The latter might contain some basic definitions you’d write in your code anyway. However, once you’ve decided to create such a scratch, you need to make sure it is really bulletproof — besides, if the stylesheet also sets up optimal typographic rules and basic form styling you manage to kill two birds with one stone."
37 Signals Manifesto (from 1999)
http://37signals.com/manifesto
" The 37signals manifesto was our original site from 1999-2001. It's a collection of 37 nuggets of online philosophy and design wisdom. It's a great introduction to the 37signals' school of thought and a fun, quick read to boot."
" The 37signals manifesto was our original site from 1999-2001. It's a collection of 37 nuggets of online philosophy and design wisdom. It's a great introduction to the 37signals' school of thought and a fun, quick read to boot."
Minimalism: New Minimalism in Web Interface Design
http://rainfall-daffinson.com/minimalism/
"Web minimalism has come back as a trend in the summer of 2007. Rainfall Daffinson adores the concept of minimalism, zen culture and the essence of things. We chose 24 moments of minimalism web interface design in the last decade, selected several quotes to easily define the minimalism and represent some of the best new minimalism websites."
"Web minimalism has come back as a trend in the summer of 2007. Rainfall Daffinson adores the concept of minimalism, zen culture and the essence of things. We chose 24 moments of minimalism web interface design in the last decade, selected several quotes to easily define the minimalism and represent some of the best new minimalism websites."
CSS Globe: Floater
http://cssglobe.com/post.asp?id=955
"Here's a simple little trick on how to have make secondary content float to the right of the title. You can use this for variety of purposes like put an icon to rss feed or link to full article. View example page to get an idea :).
"Here's a simple little trick on how to have make secondary content float to the right of the title. You can use this for variety of purposes like put an icon to rss feed or link to full article. View example page to get an idea :).
Why should this make any sense?
Usually when putting floated content, developers put it BEFORE the element in the flow. i.e. images before paragraphs. When it comes to titles (and we all use heading tags for that right? :) ) the situation is a tiny bit different. Title should represent the beginning of the section and anything related to it should come AFTER it in the markup structure. So "click for full story" links should be below the title not above it."
Devlounge: 30 Fonts You Want to Have
http://www.devlounge.net/articles/30-fonts-you-want-to-have
"Everyone has their own personal preferences when it comes to deciding what fonts to you one their designs. Depending on the project type and what the design is for, certain fonts make more sense in certain situations than in others. There are millions of fonts out there - not one list could ever list them all. Some are available for free, and others will cost you a little bit of dinero, but in the end, the larger font collection you have the better off you’ll be in ensuring you have the perfect font to meet your clients needs.
"Everyone has their own personal preferences when it comes to deciding what fonts to you one their designs. Depending on the project type and what the design is for, certain fonts make more sense in certain situations than in others. There are millions of fonts out there - not one list could ever list them all. Some are available for free, and others will cost you a little bit of dinero, but in the end, the larger font collection you have the better off you’ll be in ensuring you have the perfect font to meet your clients needs.
We’ve compiled our own list of 30 fonts we think you should have if you don’t already have them. The list is a mix of some popular ones as listed in a “Favorite Font” thread over at Mintpages, and some of them I have added myself because I happen to be a big fan on them. Each font also has a url listed where you can grab it from (damn we make it convenient for you huh?) Enjoy!"
Vandelay Web Design: Designing to Save Time on Maintenance
http://www.vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/designing-to-save-time-on-maintenance/
"If you’ve ever tried to redesign a website (especially one that was designed by someone other than yourself) you know how frustrating it can be. Even performing routine maintenance can be difficult if you don’t spend a lot of time on the site and you’re not familiar with the structure. There are a few things you can do when you design a new website that will make maintenance and a future redesign a much smoother and less painful process."
"If you’ve ever tried to redesign a website (especially one that was designed by someone other than yourself) you know how frustrating it can be. Even performing routine maintenance can be difficult if you don’t spend a lot of time on the site and you’re not familiar with the structure. There are a few things you can do when you design a new website that will make maintenance and a future redesign a much smoother and less painful process."
Branding Strategy: The Language of Branding: 'Brand'
http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2007/09/the-language-of.html
"It is important to establish a common brand management vocabulary in your organization. Establishing this common vocabulary will ensure that people can communicate with fewer misunderstandings. More importantly, it will help communicate and reinforce key brand management principles."
"It is important to establish a common brand management vocabulary in your organization. Establishing this common vocabulary will ensure that people can communicate with fewer misunderstandings. More importantly, it will help communicate and reinforce key brand management principles."
456 Berea St: 10 colour contrast checking tools to improve the accessibility of your design
http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200709/10_colour_contrast_checking_tools_to_improve_the_accessibility_of_your_design/
"At my dayjob we create the graphic design for most of our clients’ sites, but not for all of them. Sometimes the client or the client’s design agency creates the visual design and leaves conversion to HTML + CSS + JavaScript and CMS-ifying to us. When that happens, I almost always find problems with insufficient colour contrast in the design. Sometimes the problems are minor enough to be acceptable, but often there are areas that need to be adjusted."
"At my dayjob we create the graphic design for most of our clients’ sites, but not for all of them. Sometimes the client or the client’s design agency creates the visual design and leaves conversion to HTML + CSS + JavaScript and CMS-ifying to us. When that happens, I almost always find problems with insufficient colour contrast in the design. Sometimes the problems are minor enough to be acceptable, but often there are areas that need to be adjusted."
Design Bliss: 7 Sites for Free Vector Logos
http://www.designbliss.com/2007/09/18/7-sites-for-free-vector-logos/
"There are a number of sites out there that provide free vector logos of major corporate brands, etc. These could be very useful for mock-ups or student portfolio work."
"There are a number of sites out there that provide free vector logos of major corporate brands, etc. These could be very useful for mock-ups or student portfolio work."
Alan Bernard's F&Ckn Mayhem!
http://www.alanbernard.com/mayhem/
"Alan Bernard is a self educated Google junkie that runs his humble business from home. He does stuff like web and graphic design and is also currently in the midst of setting up his own apparel company.
It all began when he decided that he wanted to stop working for someone else because although the pay was good, he was not able to satisfy his other needs, like proper sleep and self enrichment. Well, he still does not sleep much, even lesser at times, but he is much more happier these days, and walks around with a permanent grin on his face, which can be awkward sometimes."
"Alan Bernard is a self educated Google junkie that runs his humble business from home. He does stuff like web and graphic design and is also currently in the midst of setting up his own apparel company.
It all began when he decided that he wanted to stop working for someone else because although the pay was good, he was not able to satisfy his other needs, like proper sleep and self enrichment. Well, he still does not sleep much, even lesser at times, but he is much more happier these days, and walks around with a permanent grin on his face, which can be awkward sometimes."
Create a timed stylesheet using PHP
http://www.prdesign-studio.co.uk/HarryRoberts/index.php?2007/09/10/08/15/29-create-a-timed-stylesheet-using-php
"Hi all, as this is the first tutorial I've posted I thought I'd make it an easy one (for my sake). Basically this tiny PHP script will show you how to make a stylesheet switch depending on the time of day, similar to the one found here."
"Hi all, as this is the first tutorial I've posted I thought I'd make it an easy one (for my sake). Basically this tiny PHP script will show you how to make a stylesheet switch depending on the time of day, similar to the one found here."
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Yahoo! Food: 10 Tips For the Greatest Grilled Cheese
http://food.yahoo.com/blog/editorspicks/2430/10-tips-for-the-greatest-grilled-cheese
"It's the childhood favorite you never outgrow, the most comforting comfort food of all time -- the grilled cheese sandwich. American, cheddar, gouda ... whatever your pleasure, follow these ten tips from Laura Werlin, author of Great Grilled Cheese, and have yourself a slice of melted heaven."
"It's the childhood favorite you never outgrow, the most comforting comfort food of all time -- the grilled cheese sandwich. American, cheddar, gouda ... whatever your pleasure, follow these ten tips from Laura Werlin, author of Great Grilled Cheese, and have yourself a slice of melted heaven."
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
iPhone-specific Web Development Misguided
http://www.christopherschmitt.com/2007/09/11/iphone-specific-web-development-misguided/
"Working with the web since 1993, Christopher Schmitt directs Heatvision.com, Inc., a small new media publishing and design firm. The author of several books, including CSS Cookbook and Photoshop in 10 Simple Steps or Less, Schmitt is also a contributor to many web development magazines."
"Working with the web since 1993, Christopher Schmitt directs Heatvision.com, Inc., a small new media publishing and design firm. The author of several books, including CSS Cookbook and Photoshop in 10 Simple Steps or Less, Schmitt is also a contributor to many web development magazines."
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