Sunday, October 13, 2013

Icon Talk: Choosing the Perfect Icons for Your Website

Posted in Icons, Illustration, Tips, Web Design • 2 weeks ago • Written by  • 10 Comments
This thought might be the prevailing philosophy that hides beneath the shroud of web design: that small details sometimes happen to be the most important ones. That the things we think do not matter in our design are, in fact, necessary for the smooth flow and exchange of information.
Sometimes small things tend to have the biggest importance.
One of these small things that are commonly taken for granted are icons. Icons can be considered as a worldwide-understood element of web design. They are apprehended by most people, making the websites benefit from the addition of such. It is in this universality that icons are considered to be one of the most important design elements that have ever walked (figuratively) on the face of the earth.
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How Do You Teach Children Web Design?

Posted in Tips, Web Design • 2 weeks ago • Written by  • 27 Comments
For web designers, starting out young is very vital and advantageous. You get to learn without any prior knowledge or biases. We could easily compare teaching web design to a kid to writing on a blank sheet of paper. You can write without being distracted by previous doodles and scribbles. You can easily understand what you are writing because the paper is very clean; it has all the space in the world for your convenience. Hence, like writing in a blank sheet of paper, teaching a kid to design websites could be a very satisfying experience. At one point, for our web designers out there, this is a perfect bonding opportunity with your son, daughter, younger brother or your toddler neighbor. You’ll be able to hit two birds with one stone. You can work while teaching your kid a new cool hobby.
How do you exactly teach children web design?
Don’t forget to share your tips and stories!
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Giveaway: 7 Copies of Flat UI Pro by DesignModo (PSD & HTML) [Ended]

Posted in Tools, Web Design • 1 month ago • Written by  • 127 Comments
Our friends at DesignModo are generous enough to give 1stwebdesigner readers a chance to win7 copies of their Flat UI Pro ($69/copy)! If you’re a fan of flat design and you’re just itching to design as soon as you sit in front of your computer, then this is for you!
As of late, flat design has taken the Internet by storm. Not only that, the same style has been seen on interfaces of games, operating systems, logos, and you name it!
So, do you want to win this elegant kit?
Giveaway: 7 Copies of Flat UI Pro by DesignModo (PSD & HTML) [Ended]Read More

20 Adobe Photoshop Plugins that You Might Want to Download

Posted in Tools, Web Design • 1 month ago • Written by  • 23 Comments
Let’s face this fact: Photoshop is still the number one design tool that a designer should master. The mastery of Photoshop will always be tantamount to the learning of other Adobe software programs.
Personally, I consider Photoshop as the mother of all Adobe platform software collection. It is versatile and jam-packed. Everything you need (well, almost all) is in there. You just have to stretch your creativity a wee bit. But being imperfect too, Photoshop has its limits at times. Sometimes, it cannot seem to perform the way we want it to be.
Designers often have problems with Photoshop functions that are non-existent. This predicament calls for additional software. So what designers do is search, download and open another software just to fit the needs of their imagination. This, I think, might cause some time. And for a designer, time is always of the essence. With this, it is very advantageous to have just one software that could cater to all the needs.
Now, you, as a designer have two choices: Either you get rid of Photoshop and look for a more versatile software (which I think would be very difficult, if not impossible), or look for solutions that could make Photoshop better. Hence, plugins.
20 Adobe Photoshop Plugins that You Might Want to DownloadRead More

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: Does Age Matter in Learning Web Design?

Posted in Tips, Web Design • 1 month ago • Written by  • 27 Comments
A lot of people say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,  that old people have nothing to learn and should suit themselves just watching sunsets and daisies blooming while sitting in an old wooden rocking chair at the porch of the house they bought at the countryside. Most young designers tend to think that older people have no place in web design since the field is technologically inclined in nature thus requiring a more youthful and fresh mind.
I, for one, believe that this notion is not always correct. Older people have their own places in the realm of web design. In fact, they could still learn, given the opportunity, access to information and of course, an unbreakable will. In fact, I strongly feel that they can even attract clients and make this craft their new source of income!

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20 Hot Female Web Designers That Will Take Your Breath Away

Posted in Freelance, Web Design • 1 month ago • Written by  • 146 Comments
Sizzling hot designs from hot female web designers will prove that, though web design industry has always been viewed as a world fully packed with men, the best stuff doesn’t always come from them!
Female web designers constantly battle to acquire the top spot in web design industry. Though we cannot speak in numbers, recent blog listing posts is clear evidence of the huge difference in the head count of males and females in this industry. The great thing about knowing this statistic is that, though females are considered extinct in web designing, still most of them are reputable.
Female web designers put their heart and soul on their designs. They even reflect themselves on their works. If there is a saying that you are what you eat; in web designing, we can translate that as “You are what you design!” Having said that, what should we expect from these hot female web designers??
But first let me ask you to hold your breath. To escape from the wrath of the male hot web designers and being accused of being a sexist, let me remind you that this article is made to uplift the spirits of young female web designers. This is to show the little girls out there that web designing is not just a man’s world. To prove that 1stwebdesigner is equal in promoting both sexes in web design, feel free to read this post: 15 Most Influential People in Web Design.

Font Police: 20 Fonts to Avoid to Maintain Your Readers’ Sanity

Posted in Fonts, Tips, Web Design • 2 months ago • Written by  • 46 Comments
Fonts perform a great role in your design, but you should know which fonts to avoid, too. Either in typography or in web page design, the use of proper fonts is a great advantage. Sometimes, designs become disasters just because the font is not used properly or, in some sense, does not fit the occasion.
This calls for the proper selection. For decades, the Internet has constantly provided us with a vast database of fonts, all segregated by variety, style and use. This lets us choose which to use. Because of this wide variety that we have, it is just fitting to say that nobody can have an excuse why they chose the wrong font. It’s also safe to say that with the liberty each designer has, he should pick the right fonts at the right time.
Font Police: 20 Fonts to Avoid to Maintain Your Readers’ SanityRead More

How to Not Suck at Typography Like a Designer-convert Doctor

Posted in Tips, Typography, Web Design • 2 months ago • Written by  • 10 Comments
We probably would all  be savages if printing was not invented. The invention of the Gutenberg movable type has been a very great leap towards the spreading of information from one person to another and from generation to generation. After this momentous invention, greater finds have flourished and soon became what we know now as the software. Of course, without the invention of the movable type, printing would not be invented and all falls into oblivion, including one of the most reliable inventions man has ever made – the Internet.
Whether we admit it or not, the invention of printing is the unofficial father of all technology. Without it, technology would just be limited to mechanical modernization. Software would have probably not existed and the world would be a much gloomier place. Truly, the gallant invention of the Gutenberg movable type saved humanity from the decadence of ignorance.
How to Not Suck at Typography Like a Designer-convert DoctorRead More

What Happened to HD Web Design?

Posted in Web Design • 2 months ago • Written by  • 15 Comments
In this article, we will be sharing with you about how HD web design changed the world. Why do people love or hate it? Are web designers excited about it? Do people even notice? How did it change the workflow? What are the some tips and tricks that web designers can do to make their lives a bit easier when it comes to web designing for high resolution screens?
It is undeniable that Apple is a great influence and mover in technological innovations. These days the popularity of gadgets with retina displays changed the way designs are made. This new advancement requires increase in every bit of pixel used in a design. Mass production of high resolution screens, tablets and smartphones demands web designers to catch up.
What Happened to HD Web Design?Read More

Basic Principles of Flat Design – And Resources to Get You Started!

Posted in Tips, Web Design • 2 months ago • Written by  • 24 Comments
In case that you have been stuck in a cave for the past few years, let me tell you this nice news: flat design is the current craze. We should now say goodbye to those intricate designs dominated by brushes, gradients, drop shadows and all those kinds of designs. I repeat, flat is the new trend.
The flat design is an emerging design style that uses flat shapes and icons. It basically revolves around the use of rectangles, circles, triangles and others shapes with the absence of other design elements like shadows, strokes and gradients. It was made popular by Microsoft in their computer systems, especially their new operating system they call Windows 8. Basically, the flat design style is rooted on two principles: simplicity and readability. These two principles guide the designers in formulating stylish web layouts, software designs, posters and many more.
Basic Principles of Flat Design – And Resources to Get You Started!

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