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

Find Inspiration From 2010 Webby Winners

June 4, 2010 – 10:08 am

Prepare to be inspired folks–the 14^th Annual Webby Award results are in. Presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the Webbys honor the best and brightest in more than 100 website, interactive advertising, online film, online video, and mobile web categories.

Indeed, the 2010 winners are an eclectic group, featuring everything from a simply designed (and rather hilarious) portfolio site to a cutting edge interactive video experience. But as the Webbys’ own site notes, the honorees all share at least great design aesthetics, killer functionality, or both. So here are a few highlights to get the creative juices flowing–you never know, you might just be inspired to design something award-worthy yourself!

An Artful Experience: Miroslaw Balka, Tate Modern Museum

Built in conjunction with the Miroslaw Balka exhibit at the Tate, this site is a disorienting piece of avant garde art. Trippy navigation and abstract design make it truly unique.

Activism Done Right: Make It Right

Brad Pitt’s Make it Right campaign site makes it easy to donate and easy to see how each donation provides direct and immediate benefits to hurricane-affected families in New Orleans.

Coolest Navigation: HBO Magazine

As you click through a complicated-looking web of spinning video boxes, audio clips, and other content, characters are revealed and a multilayered, multidimensional story unfolds. Engaging, innovative, and surprisingly easy to use.

By admin Posted in Web Design Inspiration No Comments

The Art of Animation

May 14, 2010 – 6:44 pm

In the name of Avatar and the soon-to-hit-theaters Toy Story III, we’re going to focus on animation this week. New technologies are sprouting up daily, so if your work in web design isn’t animated, it’s hard to make it pop. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some animation programs that just might blow your mind.

Toon Boom Studio 4

Animators made it so why shouldn’t animators love it? If you are a web designer and ready to take your ideas to the next level, Toon Boom can deliver. Not only is it a great application, but the support team is ready and willing to assist if needed. Confident as they are in their product, Toon Boom offers a free trial with a visually-enhanced user guide. This one is definitely worth exploring.

After Effects

Brought to us by Adobe, After Effects enables you to bring footage of any size and form to life. The program aims to create professional-grade animations with a 64-bit operating system and all of the Adobe tools. Whether your interest is motion graphics, video editing, or interactive design, After Effects has the web designer in mind with countless tools and enhanced efficiency.

Plastic Animation Paper

Having arrived from Denmark, this awesome software creates 2D animation and allows you to see your animation as you create it. Any web designer’s dream come true! Download a free demo here.

This software is also being lauded for its use in design classrooms. Teachers can show techniques while the animation is created, and students can see their work instantly.

By admin Posted in Animaton and Flash Tools, Image Tools, Web Design & Layout, Web Design Inspiration, web design education 1 Comment

Web Design - Creating Your Portfolio Website

May 10, 2010 – 2:45 pm

As a graphic designer, it’s key that you brand and market yourself competitively. One of the most essential aspects of this effort is your website. This is the storefront where prospective customers window shop, and they better like what they see or they’re moving on.

Let’s explore what you need to create the ultimate website.

Logo & Tagline

Your logo and tagline are front and center when potential clients visit your site. Make them pop! Together they should communicate the look and feel of you and your graphic design aesthetic. One technical note–always link your logo to your homepage! As for your tagline, make it short, catchy, and informative.

Content

The point of your website is to showcase your work as a graphic designer or web designer. Think about online browsing experiences you have had. What was enjoyable? What was frustrating? If you do nothing else, make your images large, high-res, and easily accessible. These are the selling points so you don’t want people to have a hard time finding them.

Selling You

Now, they have been impressed by your logo and wow’ed by your portfolio. The next step is to make it easy for them to understand what you can do for them. Explain your services, how you work, and how to contact you. This is also a great area to include some quotes from previous clients. Everyone loves a positive review!

Remember that when building your portfolio website, you have to act as much like a web designer as you do like a visitor to the site. Put yourself in your potential clients’ shoes and build a site that will knock their socks off!

By admin Posted in Graphic Design, Logo Design Tips, Uncategorized, Web Design & Layout, Web Design Inspiration, web design education 1 Comment

Web Design & Working From Home: How to Stay Motivated

May 7, 2010 – 12:38 pm

There are a lot of dreamy fantasies that come to mind when you picture the work-from-home life. The dress code is pajamas and there is no nosy cubicle neighbor, and whenever you feel like it, you can just get up and take a walk. All of these things are pretty fantastic, but what happens if working solo stifles your creativity? Here are a few tips to help prevent that scenario.

Maintain Interaction!

Thanks to our ever-evolving digital world, there are plenty of ways to stay in touch with fellow work-from-homers. Just as you may have corresponded with classmates during an online degree program, chat it up with this group of fellow at-homers. Read and respond to a blog, enter a chat room, or start your own social forum for communication with the group. Have a virtual brainstorm with your new multi-media coworkers and don’t hold back!

Become an Honorary Employee!

If you used to work for a firm, and are now working from home, stay in touch with your former colleagues. Not only might they throw business your way, but they can be your sounding board. Just because you don’t work under the same roof doesn’t mean you can’t share ideas and inspirations. Plus, this group understands your trials when you encounter them. So suggest a coffee date, continue to forward funny emails, and attend that BBQ no matter how tired you are. These are valuable relationships to maintain.

Take it Seriously!

While working in your skivvies can be fun and casual, it’s important for your brain that you keep your body active. Get up and prepare for the day just like you would if you were heading to the office. Shower, change, and have a good breakfast. Slinking over to your desk with bed head should be a rare occasion. You feel stronger and more capable if you’re composed and ready for the day!

By admin Posted in Web Design Inspiration, Web Design Jobs, web design education No Comments

Hopping on the App Train

April 19, 2010 – 1:59 pm

Web Design for the iNation

As if you weren’t busy enough, Apple has devised a way to fill your idle time. The “apps” that have largely distinguished the iPad from its Blackberry-type competitors are becoming necessities in our day-to-day lives. Well, the successful ones are. If you are a web designer or graphic designer and want to jump into the app arena, here are a few tips.

Who Will Use it?

Remember that just because you think it’s a great idea, doesn’t mean that everyone will. For your app to be successful, people have to download it, so consider your target audience. Then, consider how to build your app so that even people outside of it might enjoy it. If you can, test it on friends and let them tell you what could make it better.

What Will It Look Like?

Maybe you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it’s perfectly reasonable to judge an app by one. Especially with the iPad, users are going to want something simple to understand and easy to use. As a web designer or graphic designer, make sure that your app is appealing to the eye and easy on the brain.

Can it Be Dynamic?

In short, definitely! As users demand tools that are web-based, dynamic apps are becoming more and more prevalent. Some of the problems include variable connection speeds, but this just takes a little planning. So-called hybrid apps, which draw from web pages, can create awesome visuals to give your users an experience they don’t want to miss. Check out more on dynamic web design tools.