“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” – Will Rogers. The homepage of your website is a user/customer’s first impression of your company. You have 0-8 seconds to engage a user, after which the majority of them leave. A one-second delay in your site speed can result in a 7% reduction in conversions. The key ingredients of an effective homepage are speed, … [Read more...]
A Useful Guide To Different Font Formats That Every Designer Should Know
There are many choices of font formats but not a single one works across all browsers. You will have to use multiple font formats to deliver a consistent experience. These include TrueType Font (TTF), OpenType (OTF), Embedded OpenType (EOT), Web Open Font Format (WOFF) and Scalable Vector Graphics font (SVG). … [Read more...]
Learn Basic Photoshop Tools And Tricks With This Handy Cheat Sheet For Beginners
If you're using Adobe Photoshop for the first time without any training, all those tools and features can seem a bit daunting. Once you get used to the interface and spend a few hours on the program, you'll realize it's actually not that hard. To become a pro, you'll need practice, patience and an in-depth knowledge of most of the features the program has to offer. … [Read more...]
Sketch vs. Photoshop
Blogger Helga Moreno has come up with a handy infographic that compares the time-tested Adobe Photoshop with the relatively new Sketch app, on the basis of their usability for web design and development. The infographic lists the key features of both apps and compares them on relevant parameters. … [Read more...]
8 Illustrator Tips And Tricks For Faster Work
Did you know that the Symbols panel in Adobe Illustrator is a great way of building a collection of artwork that you can quickly draw from in-between projects? Also, the Graphic Styles panel lets you save and reuse an appearance (fill, stroke, opacity, etc.) that you've created. Ctrl/Cmd + D is useful for rapidly repeating the last transformation action performed. … [Read more...]
22 Graphic Design Mistakes That Novice Designers Make
After a few years in the graphic design business, you realize how important it is to get the basics right. Like following a file naming convention, creating scalable logos, ensuring proper kerning and leading, using high-res images for printing, and so on. … [Read more...]
How Filmmakers Use Colors To Set The Mood Of A Film
In filmmaking, color is used to set the tone of a scene before any of the actors have even uttered a word. Red is used to denote passion, danger or power. Pink signifies innocence, femininity and beauty. Yellow is associated with joy, naivety and insanity. Blue symbolizes isolation, passivity and calmness. … [Read more...]
10 Hilarious Examples Of How Punctuation Makes A Big Difference
The absence or presence of a comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence. For example, there's a cannibalistic difference between "Let's eat grandma" and "Let's eat, grandma." The same holds true for apostrophes, hyphens, colons and other punctuation marks. … [Read more...]
What Different Types Of Fonts Mean And How To Use Them
Every font has a unique personality and purpose. While working on a project, it's imperative to know which font matches the intended tone of communication. Serif fonts portray tradition, sophistication and a formal tone. Sans serif fonts are modern, humanist and neutral. Slab serifs are bold and contemporary. Script fonts are elegant, classic, stylish and formal. … [Read more...]
Adobe Illustrator ‘Pen Tool’ Cheat Sheet For Designers
Paul Trani, Senior Worldwide Creative Cloud Evangelist for Adobe, has created a handy 'Pen Tool' cheat sheet for Adobe Illustrator. The 8-point visual guide covers the basics and shows you how to create straight and curved lines, add/delete/move anchor points and use bezier handles. We've also collated a few tutorials that Illustrator newbies might find useful. Check them all … [Read more...]
Who Legally Owns A Website Once It’s Designed?
"I paid a professional web designer to create my site, of course I own it!" - this is probably the belief that almost every website client holds. It makes perfect sense - you paid someone to develop a website for you. Why then would you not own what you paid for? … [Read more...]
What Is SSL And Why Every Website Will Need It In 2017
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser to avoid interception by hackers. Encryption means to convert information or data into a code, especially to prevent unauthorized access. A website that uses SSL encryption has a padlock next to their domain name in the browser's address bar (like … [Read more...]
The Recipe For Creating Epic Logo Designs
A logo is not just a graphical symbol, it is the embodiment of your organization. Designing a logo is not just about creating a business identity, it's about creating a connection between the customer and your brand. A successful logo is one that is memorable, versatile, appropriate and timeless. … [Read more...]
The Original Names And Logos Of 12 Famous Companies
In 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin started collaborating on a search engine called BackRub. It operated on Stanford servers for more than a year, eventually taking up too much bandwidth. On September 15, 1997, Page and Brin registered the domain name Google.com - a play on the word "googol", a mathematical term for the number ten raised to the power hundred (10100). The rest … [Read more...]
The Most Used Brand Colours In Each Industry And Their Impact On Consumers
Colour psychology has become an increasingly important part of branding, identity and logo design for businesses as each shade has a specific psychological impact on the consumer they are targeting. … [Read more...]
A Useful CSS Reference Guide To Speed Up Your Workflow
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a stylesheet language that defines how the content on a web page is to be displayed with colors, borders, fonts, backgrounds etc. As a web developer, it is imperative that you know all the major CSS elements at the back of your hand. … [Read more...]
9 Simple Ways To Become More Creative
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." - Pablo Picasso. 60% CEOs believe that creativity is the most important leadership quality, but only 1 in 4 people believe they are living up to their creative potential. … [Read more...]
200 Words To Use Instead Of “Good”
"Good" is dull and unimaginative. People often use "good" as a lazy replacement for a more appropriate word. Custom Writing have created an excellent infographic that lists 200 words you can use instead of "good". For instance, to describe taste, use "scrumptious" or "delicious". To describe a performance, use "stellar" or "captivating". Know more in the infographic below. … [Read more...]
The Top 50 Companies That Creatives Would Love To Work For
Creative talent network Working Not Working surveyed their community (77% freelance, 23% full-time) for the third consecutive year to find out which companies they would 'kill' to work for full-time. Here are the results from over 300 votes. … [Read more...]
10 Simple Exercises For Designers And Desk Workers To Stay Fit
Designers and artists spend long sedentary hours at their desk which can lead to a range of health issues like obesity, back pain, neck strain, diabetes, heart disease and more. Jack Dennerlein, professor at Northeastern's Bouvé College of Health Sciences in Boston, suggests a 20-20-20 rule to counter the health risks of prolonged sitting - after every 20 minutes, walk 20 feet … [Read more...]
12 Funny Charts That Highlight The Importance Of Color
UK-based designer Stephen Wildish gives a humorous take on the importance of color through these witty charts that are part of his weekly series of illustrations called Friday Project. Wildish's minimalist infographics show how an object becomes something else entirely, only by changing its color. He's even published a book filled with similar charts and funny visuals that's … [Read more...]
Web Design Psychology: How To Create A Site That Influences People
"Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent." - Joe Sparano. An effective website is one that builds trust with its user and influences him/her to take your preferred course of action. From layout and typeface to colors and CTAs, each element plays an important role in engaging users and creating profitable conversions. … [Read more...]
69 Useful Photoshop Shortcuts To Speed Up Your Workflow
Photoshop shortcuts help speed up your workflow considerably. The more time you spend with the software, the more shortcuts you learn and use. Creative Bloq has created a handy cheat sheet/infographic that contains 69 useful Photoshop shortcuts to help you save time – a perfect reference guide for PS newcomers or as a checklist for experienced designers. Check it out below and … [Read more...]
How Filmmakers Use Shapes And Geometry In Movies To Trigger Your Emotions
The brain gives abstract meaning to many different shapes in a consistent way and filmmakers use this phenomenon to tell their story. In animation, for example, evil characters have sharper features, pointy noses and long curly fingers. The lovable characters are designed soft and round. … [Read more...]
15 Surprising Things That Can’t Be Copyrighted
Copyrights are an essential legal tool for artists, writers, musicians and inventors to protect their work. However, not everything can be copyrighted. The ingredients of a recipe can't be copyrighted. Neither can a domain name, or the title of a book. … [Read more...]
The Psychology of Colors in Marketing (Infographic)
When buying a product, 93% of buyers focus on its visual appearance. 84.7% of buyers claim that color is the primary draw card. Different colors have different psychological effects on consumers - red encourages appetite, blue provides a sense of security, green stimulates harmony, orange promotes enthusiasm, purple is associated with royalty, and so on. … [Read more...]
5 Things Every Designer Should Know When Dealing With Clients
If you're making changes to a project in front of a client, you're doing it wrong. You might think you're saving time, but you end up making the design process look simpler than it actually is. Here's a handy infographic by Basekit and Josuedric that shares five such important tips you should keep in mind when dealing with design clients. … [Read more...]
Tips To Make Your Website User-Friendly For People With Disabilities
A website should be user-friendly for everyone, including those with poor vision, dyslexia, autism or physical disabilities. UK-based interaction designer Karwai Pun has created a set of six infographics that highlight the dos and don'ts of designing for accessibility. … [Read more...]
16 Funny Illustrations That Show The Cultural Differences Between The East And The West
Yang Liu is a Berlin-based graphic artist, professor and the head of the Department of Communications Design at the Berlin Technical Art University. She moved to the German capital from her hometown, Beijing, in 1990, at the age of 13. … [Read more...]
The 100 Best Web Design Tools And Resources
As a designer, it's imperative that you know your tools like an artist knows their paintbrushes. But with so many new apps and resources around, which ones should you bookmark? … [Read more...]
128 Words to Use Instead of “Very”
"Very" is vague and weak. People often use "very" as a lazy replacement for a more appropriate word. Proof Reading Services have created an excellent infographic that lists 128 words you can use instead of "very". For instance, instead of "very colorful", use "vibrant". Instead of "very funny", use "hilarious". Know more in the infographic below. … [Read more...]
A Useful, Comprehensive List Of Typography Terms For Designers
Do you know the difference between kerning and tracking, beak and serif, baseline and descender line? As a designer, it's imperative that you know what different typography terms mean, even if you don't use them every day. Here's a brilliant typeface glossary/infographic by DesignMantic that explains the meanings of terms like kerning, leading, tracking, glyph, serif, etc. and … [Read more...]
How To Structure URLs To Make Your Web Pages Rank Higher
Short and clean URLs don't just improve usability and user experience but they also help your pages rank higher in search results. Keep your URLs to under 60 characters, match them to their page titles and avoid keyword repetition and stop words like 'the', 'and', 'but', 'of', etc. FME Modules has created a handy infographic that offers URL structuring tips and suggestions to … [Read more...]
14 Graphic Design Terms That Most Designers Get Wrong
Most amateur designers don't know the difference between a font and a typeface. They use the two terms interchangeably. A font is the variation of weights (bold, italic, thin) of a typeface. A typeface is a family of fonts, like Arial, Helvetica, Bebas, etc. … [Read more...]
A Closer Look At Web Designers And Their Funny Habits
We web designers are a peculiar species. We like to do things with <style>. We refuse to eat at restaurants where the <table> layout sucks. We search for the Ctrl/Cmd Z button every time we spill our coffee. Our relationship with developers is similar to Donald Trump's relationship with immigrants. We like to keep 'other' humans at a distance, unless they know the … [Read more...]
The Best Colors For Productivity And Creativity In Your Workplace
Did you know that yellow induces a sense of optimism and is a good color for high energy creative spaces? Red boosts heart rate, increases brain activity and is good for places where people work at night. Green boosts creativity, promotes harmony and is a good choice for brainstorming spaces. … [Read more...]
Interesting Facts About Flag Colors And Design That You Probably Didn’t Know
Flag Stories is an award-winning data visualisation project by Danish designers Jeppe Morgenstjerne and Birger Morgenstjerne, co-founders of Copenhagen-based infographic agency Ferdio. The project consists of a series of infographics that share interesting facts and trivia about flag colors, layouts, design, history and more. … [Read more...]
40 Little Things You Can Do To Break Your Creative Block
We're all short of creative juice sometimes. Panic-driven deadlines, unreasonable clients/bosses and lack of proper rest can sap the positivity out of your system, leaving you in a frame of mind that is seldom productive. The key is to (re)find your inspiration, trust your abilities and distance yourself from all things negative. … [Read more...]
How To Choose The Best Colors For Your Logo
Picking colors for your logo is not just an artistic decision based on personal preference. Different colors elicit different psychological responses that impact consumer behaviour. Red stands for excitement, passion, appetite and urgency. Green is associated with nature, wealth and conservation. Blue stands for confidence, trust and reliability. Yellow is associated with … [Read more...]
16 Tips For Better Brainstorming Sessions
The best ideas come from great minds working together. But group brainstormings can be tricky. Senior members can end up dominating. People can be wary of contributing due to lack of involvement or fear of rejection. Every year, more than $37 billion is spent on unproductive meetings according to research compiled by online meeting service provider Fuze. … [Read more...]
Copywriter vs Art Director vs Developer – 11 Clever Illustrations That Show The Differences
After someone sent Imgur user PickAndWhammy a link to our post on Copywriters vs Art Directors, he decided to add a third panel to the illustrations - that of a developer. The result is pure awesomeness. Check it out below. … [Read more...]
What Do The World’s Most Popular Logos Have In Common?
Online education marketplace Udemy examined the logos of the top 50 companies on Fortune's "World's Most Admired Companies" list and came up with some interesting observations. They've collated the data into an infographic titled "Deconstructing successful logos". Check it out below. … [Read more...]
5 Color Choices You Must Avoid When Designing For The Web
When it comes to web design, colors play a vital role in increasing conversions, reducing bounce rate and ensuring a smooth user experience. We often see websites compromising on readability by using light-colored text on light backgrounds. Also, it's never ok to use red and green in excess, even if you're making a Christmas-themed website. … [Read more...]
What Different Colors Represent And How To Use Them
Did you know that blue is used for corporate and business designs because it represents dependability, trustworthiness and security? Orange is used to give a friendly impression without being overpowering. Darker shades of purple characterize wealth and luxury. Here's a handy lil' infographic by TechKing that covers the psychology of different colors, their appropriate usage … [Read more...]
10 Useful Kerning Tips To Improve Your Typography
“Typography is an art. Good typography is art.” – Paul Rand. If you’re a typography freak like us, you’ll enjoy this handy infographic by Creative Market that shares some useful kerning tips and tricks to improve your typography. It covers some good points like kerning each letter individually, using visual space not actual space, and even a few unconventional hacks like … [Read more...]
8 Dos and Don’ts Of Creating Pixel Icons In Illustrator
Chennai-based UI/UX Designer M.A. Kather has created an eight-point visual guide that covers some basic dos and don’ts of creating pixel icons in Adobe Illustrator. Kather’s visual comparison of Photoshop vs Illustrator was previously featured on our site. This new series offers a few tips and tricks that’ll come in handy for design students, beginners and professionals alike. … [Read more...]
Have You Been Pronouncing These 30 Brand Names Incorrectly?
If your friend wants to buy a "porsh" someday, tell him or her to at least pronounce the name right. Here's a handy infographic by UK printing company Oomph that shows you the correct pronunciation of 30 famous brand names that most people get wrong. … [Read more...]
15 Graphic Design Terms That Most Designers Get Wrong
It's cool to use design jargons with clients and co-workers but not if you're getting them wrong. Here's a brilliant infographic by Creative Market that helps you remember the differences between 15 common design terms like font and typeface, opacity and fill, px and em, trim and crop, etc. … [Read more...]
8 Positive Habits That Will Boost Your Creativity
Creativity is a way of life. You can't have a negative mindset 24/7 and expect to be brimming with ideas and solutions. Today's high pressure environment and erratic work lifestyle makes everyone run out of creative juice once in a while, but if you want to spring back into action, maintaining an optimistic outlook is key. … [Read more...]
10 Ways To Annoy A Graphic Designer
Are you a design client looking for ways to de-stress? Do you believe people perform best under pressure? Is your designer producing top quality work with too much ease? Here's a handy infographic by UK printing company Print-Print that shows you how to play havoc with your designer's mind and show him/her who's boss. Check it out below. … [Read more...]
