Web Design Blog & Web Design Resources Blog & News: Web design resources and graphics blog with lists of useful web site design tools, utilities, and articles for web designers. : Web Design Resources Blog & Graphics Blog with Lists of Web Site Design Tools

Quick Ways to Bump up Your Web Design Skills

July 23, 2010 – 9:51 am

MediaBistro is offering one killer deal for anyone looking to bump up his/her web design skills. Right now you can get a year subscription to their On Demand Video library for just $97–that’s more than half off the usual price!

The On Demand Videos are a great resource for any designer, and include practical online tutorials showing you everything from how to get the most out of design programs to solid career advice. You can even download the juiciest clips from MediaBistro’s design conferences.

MediaBistro does an excellent job recruiting subject experts, oftentimes design professors, to lead each how-to video. They’re perfect for busy professionals who don’t have the time for an extensive course or the resources to go back to school. If you’re looking for other easy, efficient ways to hone your design skills, consider these options:

1. Conventions and Seminars

Attending a one or two day convention like An Event Apart is a great way to re-energize your passion for web design and learn from some of the best designers out there. What’s even better–you may be able to get your company to foot the bill.

2. Summer Classes

Many design schools and community colleges offer short, intensive summer courses. These are a great option for someone who wants more web design education, but can’t commit to a full-time program.

3. Online Courses

Want more than a video tutorial but less structure than a formal web design program? Consider an online design school. Many let you work at your own pace, wherever you can find an Internet connection.

By admin Posted in web design education No Comments

How to Design an iPhone Application: Part 2

July 15, 2010 – 3:51 pm

So the last post started you down the road to iPhone app stardom. Now let’s talk about how to execute your big idea and actually get it up and running in the iTunes store:

5. Get going on the design work.

While you’re waiting for Mac’s Software Development Kit (SDK) and Xcode files to download, work on designing your app. Storyboard on paper or in Photoshop so you know exactly how everything works and flows together.

6. Develop your app.

Once your app is storyboarded, choose from the templates in the SDK and start developing. Don’t miss the YouTube tutorials that offer great guidance on using the templates.

7. Program your app.

If you don’t already know Objective-C for Cocoa, you’re going to have to get a good book and teach yourself. Not confident in your programming skills? Don’t panic. Enlist a freelancer or friend to help with this part.

8. Test with the iPhone Simulator.

Never skip this step. The SDK comes with a handy testing tool for a reason. So upload your app to the iPhone Simulator and test, test, test. Think about all the different ways your app will be used and keep track of your test scenarios as you work out the bugs.

9. Time to pony up.

Loading your developed, thoroughly tested app into the iTunes store costs a one-time member fee of $99.

10: Let the app community take a crack at your creation.

Once you pay the fee and load your app, you’ve reached the final de-bugging stage. Other app creators can take your creation for a test drive and give you feedback.

11. Submit for approval.

Once the de-bugging is over, it’s time to submit for final approval from iTunes. Approval could take some time, but be patient. Soon enough you can watch the money (or traffic, if your app is free) roll in!

By admin Posted in Tools & Resources No Comments

How to Design an iPhone Application: Part 1

July 9, 2010 – 10:17 am

Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Apple banished app developer Thuat Nguyen and all of his applications from the iTunes online store. It was a severe punishment for a prolific book app provider, but a necessary one. It seems that Nguyen was breaching user’s accounts to make purchases (of his own applications) without their permission.

But it’s unlikely that a little security issue can slow down the big business of iTunes applications. Apple reports that the App Store currently has more than 225,000 applications for sale, with more than 5 billion downloaded.

So how do you get in on the action, without having to go through another graphic design education? Well, it’s Mac, so they make it relatively simple. Here’s how to get started:

1. Come up with the next big app idea.

This takes more than just brilliance. Get into the iTunes store and do your research. What works? What’s popular? What’s already been done? Who’s your market? Find a way to make your app stand out, and think about what makes people actually want to buy it.

2. Get a Mac.

In addition to the fact that you need to be intimately familiar with the iPhone or iPad to design for it, you also need a Mac to use their app development tools.

3. Register as an Apple Developer.

To work with Mac’s development tools, you have to register, but it’s free. You can even use the same username and password you use for your iTunes account. Once you’re an official Apple Developer, you’re cool to design apps for any Mac product.

4. Download the tools.

Next you need the Software Development Kit For iPhone (SDK), which allows you to actually build your app. You also need XCode if you don’t already have it.

At this point you are armed with a great idea and the tools to make it happen. Next up: How to actually build it!

By admin Posted in Web Design & Layout No Comments

Time-saving Tools You Shouldn’t Miss

June 30, 2010 – 3:26 am

Smashing Magazine recently posted an excellent roundup of powerful time savers for web designers–a whopping 50 of them. Funny, trolling through a list of 50 web design tools built to help you save time doesn’t seem very efficient. That’s why you can find a recap of 4 of the most helpful/innovative/time saving ones below. They’re the perfect shortcuts for professionals or people working on a graphic design education–pretty much anyone who’s looking to be a lean, mean, efficient design machine.

Launch List

This is a one-stop checklist for proofing work before it goes live. There are 28 items to tick off, so you can ask yourself if the metadata is in place or if all the images have alt tags before you release your site into the world. Add additional things to the list or scratch those that don’t apply. When it’s all done, an email receipt goes out to the team.

Visual Web Optimizer

According to their own site, Visual Website Optimizer is undoubtedly the best A/B, split and multivariate testing software ever created by mankind. Can’t verify that, but this tool can help you quickly create and test multiple versions of your site.

Keyonary

Use this clearinghouse of shortcuts for Mac OS X, Photoshop, and more to save time and energy. Just type the name of the application in the search box and Keyonary serves up a list of keyboard shortcuts. It’s totally free, so thank the Keyonary creator by purchasing a cute porcelain coffee cup.

KuKu Klok

With all that extra time you’re saving, you might be able to catch a cat nap now and then. Make sure you don’t oversleep at your desk by setting a computer alarm with KuKu Klok.

By admin Posted in Cheat Sheets & Quick Reference Guides, Checkers & Validation Tools, Tools & Resources, Uncategorized, Web Site Analysis No Comments

Using Open Source Fonts from Google

June 25, 2010 – 3:23 pm

Until recent history, the folks working in print were having all the fun with fonts. On the digital side, web designers have had to resort to workarounds and text-filled images to even come close to the richly diverse fonts available to print designers.

But the good folks at Google are working to change that, one open source code at a time. In May, they launched the Google Font API and an accompanying Google Font Directory, allowing free access to a library of web fonts and making it easy for web designers to apply them to any web page.

The high-quality, totally open-source fonts are designed to work in most browsers and are licensed so that they can be used anywhere, from personal blogs to big time eCommerce sites. To apply the fonts, just use the effortless Google Font API, which is compatible with versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and even Internet Explorer.

Web fonts have to be downloaded to the site visitor’s computer before they display, meaning there could be some lag time on the initial visit. But Google notes that once their Font API becomes widely used, most users will already have the fonts cached. However, it’s still recommended to have a default “safe” font that displays if there are issues.

All in all though, this sounds like a huge plus for web designers, offering more creative flexibility. And Google’s hoping that the library will only continue to grow–if you’ve got a killer font design up your sleeve, contact them about contributing!