Archive for May, 2008
Friday, May 30th, 2008
Another reader suggested we check out Toucouleur’s website. Incredible! Very artistic, very creative. I especially like the way the ‘canvas’ is torn back to reveal the RSS feed button over on the right hand portion of the screen. I also like the paperclip and strips of paper effect too. It has a sort of grunge look about it.
It’s very well done and should provide loads of inspiration to other designers. Thanks for sending us the link!
**One caveat, it does take some time to load initially…but, it’s worth it!
Posted in Layout/Design | No Comments »
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Recently we were made aware of an article listing 30 Free Web-based Image Editing Applications. After reading through the article, we agreed that perhaps one of these applications might be useful to designers. Having the ability to use a web based system to edit and store images is a great way to save space on your own computer and utilize an easy to use system. No downloads, no hard drive space…piece of cake.
I suggest reading through their well put together list and selecting the service that works out best for you. By the way, there is also another interesting article listed in The News in Print. 20 Creatively Hacked Urban Garden Shed Offices sheds some light on creative office space design for people who work from home. Again, check it out. But, be forewarned…it will cause you to think about making your own unique, creative office space at home!
**This article is based on a request by a reader. If you would like the team at WDI to create a post about a particular subject or website, please send us a message with your request! Thanks!
Posted in Resources | No Comments »
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
I found a treasure trove of JavaScript tutorials this morning at W3Schools. If you are just a beginning user of JavaScript, they have lots of great, helpful information ready and waiting for you. If you are an intermediate or advanced user, you will find some great refresher tutorials along with advanced information on stuff that you might not know about just yet. Check it out and bookmark it, because it’s a valuable resource that you will want to revisit time and time again!
Posted in Programming, Resources | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
I’m sure many of you know about this site already,but I still am compelled to list it because of its vast resources. developerWorks is a huge resource created by IBM that should not be overlooked by new and seasoned web developers. Blogs, podcasts, live webcasts, and on location conferences are all listed and available through their site. It’s a fantastic resource chock full of great information. Check it out and check back often…you’ll learn something every time you visit their site.
Posted in Resources | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
Attention freelancers! There is a new graphic design job board that has just been released in the past two weeks. The job board is a feature of the site, You the Designer. Along with checking out this new, exciting job tool, I’d highly recommend that you spend some time reading through some of their interesting articles as well. Personally, I really enjoyed the article entitled, Propaganda Posters Part 1, USA and I’ll definitely be back to check for related follow up articles.
In the future, I will be featuring other good, helpful job boards and freelance sites. As a graphic designer and/or web developer, it’s important to stay current on the best sites to locate new, potentially lucrative work.
Posted in Other | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
Since Ajax is under constant development, it’s imperative to stay current on the latest and greatest Ajax news. One of the best, frequently updates sites about Ajax is Ajaxian. On their site you’ll find information, reviews on JavaScript frameworks, helpful tools, and server-side technology specific articles (such as articles about PHP, RoR, and .NET). If you need Ajax news and information, be sure to check out Ajaxian frequently. There’s a ton of information there all the time and you are sure to learn something new every time you visit their site!
Posted in Programming | No Comments »
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Have you ever found yourself trying to remember lots of different things only to forget them later? I hate it when that happens. I’ve thought about carrying a mini voice recorder around to record thoughts, ideas, or a description of something that I saw, but it’s not practical. I often wonder how many things I ‘miss’ because I forget. As a web designer, it’s important to try and remember things that catch your eye or provide some sort of inspiration.
Evernote has come up with a clever way to assist people like me (and perhaps you too?). Evernote allows you to use your phone to record pictures, video or audio, it also allows you to capture information you have found on the Internet too. Once the information is captured, it makes this information accessible and searchable at anytime and from anywhere. Not bad!
So now, you can take a snapshot of a cool design, or record information you want to remember later on, and Evernote gives you the ability to retrieve it later on across multiple platforms. You can access the information from your desktop, phone, or Internet.
Check it out and let me know what you think of it. I’m going to give it a try.
**Also, I have to mention their logo as well. It’s a great, simple design. The elephant ties in perfectly with their tag line, “remember everything.” Elephants, excellent memories, they never forget…get it?! Anyhow, it’s a great logo. I hope Evermore catches on and finds itself useful to many, many people. It seems like a great idea.
Posted in Logos, Resources | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
Because of a reader comment, I have recently discovered Xcavator.net. It’s quite an interesting photo search site. Once you figure out how to use it, it is definitely a time saving site! From this one location, you can search many of the leading stock image websites. Once you’ve found an image you wish to purchase, Xcavator sends you to the page on the site where the image may be purchased. Check it out and let me know your thoughts on it.
Posted in Images/Photos | 3 Comments »
Monday, May 19th, 2008
Are you in need of some great quality, seamless patterns for backgrounds or other purposes? Check out the fantastic patterns available at Mujka.ca. Burcu has some wonderful, up to date, popular, and well priced patterns available there.
Posted in Backgrounds/Patterns | 3 Comments »
Friday, May 16th, 2008
As a web designer, you know that time is a precious commodity. On many days, it would be nice to have a few extra hours. However, you know that in most cases, you look at over the clock and your reaction is, “holy cow…it’s THAT late?!”
So, instead of wishing for me time (which will never come true), we need to find ways to better use our time. We need to maximize our time and maximize the way we use it.
One simple way is to look at how we use the Internet while researching, checking out a client’s site, etc. I read an article at makeuseof.com that contained several good time saving methods that are available to people who use Firefox. While there were a couple that I already knew about, there were several more that I wasn’t aware of and had never used. I don’t think I’ll use all of them personally, but by using some of them, I do definitely work more efficiently while I’m using Firefox. So, in doing so, I’ve gained a few extra minutes of precious time in my day!
Check out the entire article here.
Posted in Resources | No Comments »
