Looking for color palettes for your UI? Color Hex is a useful online tool with a collection of almost 40,000 color palettes that you can use in your projects. You can copy hex codes and even download a .PNG version of each palette. Check out some our favourites below. … [Read more...]
This Animated Video Brilliantly Explains How To Choose The Right Colors For Your Designs
Choosing the right color palette is essential to the success of any design project. But how do we know which colors look good together and which ones don't? How do the pros do it? The answer is color theory. Artists and designers have used color theory for centuries, but anyone can learn more about it. … [Read more...]
The Homepages Of America’s Fastest Growing Companies Have These Elements In Common
“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...]
25 Gorgeous Free Fonts For Your Next Design Project
Fonts are to designers what shoes are to women. They can never have enough of them. And what's better than a beautiful font? A beautiful font that's available for FREE. We've compiled a list of 25 stylish and contemporary fonts that designers will love to get their hands on. Check them out below. … [Read more...]
7 Hidden Tricks That Could Change The Way You Use Photoshop
Did you know that the 'Recent Files' menu in Photoshop can show more than (the default) 10 files? You can change this number in Preferences > File Handling. Here's another tip: The tiny star (*) at the end of a document tab indicates that you have unsaved changes in that file. The forward arrow (▸) in the status bar at the bottom of every document provides a host of information … [Read more...]
35 Creative Invoices Designed To Leave A Good Impression On Clients
A good last impression is as important as the first one. In the design/creative business, every single item of stationery you present to a client speaks volumes about your capabilities and attention to detail. Most designers, agencies and studios put a lot of thought into designing creative business cards, letterheads and envelopes. But when it comes to invoices, few of them … [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...]
Google AutoDraw Turns Your Rough Scribbles Into Beautiful Icons For Free
Google's latest A.I. experiment is a web-based drawing tool called AutoDraw that converts your rough scribbles and doodles into beautiful, symmetrical icons/clipart that you can download for free. It works on your phone, computer or tablet and uses artificial intelligence to guess and suggest a more polished icon or symbol to replace your drawing. … [Read more...]
This Clever Pen Tool Technique Shows You How To Place Anchor Points And Curves In Illustrator
The Pen Tool is one of the most powerful tools in Adobe Illustrator and also the hardest to master. You don't always know where the anchor points have to go and where the bezier handles are supposed to be directed. Too many anchor points result in choppy curves and can also cause printing errors. The bezier handles need to be in the right direction and at the right length to … [Read more...]
This Animated Video Brilliantly Explains Layout And Composition In Graphic Design
Layout and composition are the foundation of design. They give your work structure and make it easier to navigate. Without a well-composed layout, your elements would basically fall apart. GCFLearnFree has come up with an excellent animated tutorial on the five basic layout and composition principles that can help transform your work and sharpen your eye for design. Check it … [Read more...]
30 Great Font Combinations For Your Next Design Project
Designers often spend a lot of time deciding which typefaces to pair up and most sites don’t offer a real preview of what the text will look like. To make life easier for everyone, designer Poppie Pack from Canva has created a set of mock-ups that show different headline and body font combinations for a variety of design projects. Pack has also specified the font size and style … [Read more...]
How To Convert Your Hand Lettering From Paper To Digital In Adobe Illustrator
Yesterday, we featured Mackey Saturday's 60 second tutorial on how to create a custom logotype. Today, we'll be focusing in depth on the process of converting your hand-lettering to vector, with the help of this brilliant tutorial from designer Jenn Coyle at Hello Brio Studio. Watch below. … [Read more...]
Designer Who Created The Instagram Logo Shows You How To Design A Logotype
A logotype is the name of a brand or a company designed in a visually unique way for use by that company. The logos of Google, Coca-Cola, Facebook, Disney, Cadbury, Nokia and Philips are examples of famous logotypes. The wordmarks are created using a custom or an existing typeface. … [Read more...]
10 Tricks To Cut Out Anything In Photoshop
A young monk artist went up to his teacher who was reciting Photoshop keyboard shortcuts under a Himalayan tree and asked him “Teacher, when will I become a master artist like you?” The teacher replied “When you can select all the feathers of a morning sparrow without missing a single one, only then will you be a true Photoshop master.” (source) … [Read more...]
50 Beautiful Color Combinations For Your Next Design Project
Looking for some nifty color combinations for your next project? The design team at Visme, an online tool for creating presentations and infographics, has created a list of 50 beautiful color schemes you can use in your designs. These color presets are available within Visme to use in any charts or graphics that you create with it. Check out the list below. … [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...]
Adobe Pokes Fun At Annoying Bosses Who Micromanage Their Designers
To promote their stock photography service, Adobe has come up with a witty ad that spoofs hovering art directors who micromanage their designers. The 1:44 clip features a stereotypical art director providing constant inputs to his designer, who uses Adobe Stock to keep up with his demanding boss. Watch below. … [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...]
Designer Brilliantly Explains How To Charge Clients For Logos And Other Design Services
Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning designer and founder of Blind, a brand strategy design consultancy in Santa Monica. He also runs an online venture called The Futur which teaches the business of design to creative entrepreneurs. … [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...]
30 Beautiful Color Gradients For Your Next Design Project
Looking for cool background gradients for your UI? Software and design company Itmeo has created a useful online tool called WebGradients – a free collection of 180 linear gradients that you can use as content backdrops in any part of your website. You can download a .PNG version of each gradient and copy their CSS3 cross-browser codes. Sketch and Photoshop packs are available … [Read more...]
Designer Creates Clean, Minimalist Animal Logos And Shares His Design Process
Korean graphic designer Jahng Hyoung joon has come up with a series of minimalist animal pictograms and two short time-lapse videos that show his design process. Though the clips are sped up, it's always good to see the workflow used by the designer and pick up valuable pointers. Check them out below. … [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...]
5 Tips For A Killer Portfolio
Your portfolio should showcase only your best work. Don't use mediocre work as filler. Also, develop your skills using the "T-shaped" model, i.e., hold a thorough knowledge and strong skill-set in one subject, but also work beyond your area of expertise to collaborate in other fields. … [Read more...]
These Chameleon Pens Change Their Ink Color So You Can Create Gradients, Blends And More
Chameleon Art Products have developed a set of alcohol-based markers that change their ink tone while drawing so you can create seamless color gradients, blends, highlights and shadows using a single pen. The inks are refillable and the nibs are replaceable.The pens cost $21.59 for a pack of 5 and $79.99 for a deluxe set of 22. Check them out below. … [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...]
600 Free Icons For Your Design Projects
illustrio is a smarter icon library. From one single icon, you can easily generate hundreds of new ones by simply changing their colors and styles online. The outcome is infinite since illustrio already have more than 7000 unique icons on their platform, with thousands more to come. … [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...]
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...]
10 Common Photoshop Mistakes That Novice Designers Make
Still using Bevel and Emboss on your Photoshop text? That's not a bad idea if you want your designs to look like flea market flyers from the 90s. Here's a handy tutorial by Nathaniel Dodson at tutvid that features 10 common Photoshop mistakes that amateur designers make, and how to avoid them. … [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...]
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...]
9 Useful Tips For Better Typography
Like any form of art, there is no set formula to create good typography. Typographic choices that work for one form of text won’t necessarily work for another. There are however good practices to follow. Design resource website Pixelo has come up with a nifty animated video that shares a few useful tips to keep in mind when combining typefaces and working with typography. … [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...]
10 Great Google Font Combinations For Your Next Design Project
Designers often spend a lot of time deciding which typefaces to pair up and most sites just give one-sentence examples that don't offer a real preview of what the text will look like. To make life easier for everyone, the team at Milo Themes has created a set of mock-ups that show different Google Font combinations for headline and body copy. They've used filler text from … [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...]
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...]
This Brilliant Font Lets You Create Graphs Quickly By Converting Numbers To Visuals
FF Chartwell is a handy typeface that lets you create charts and graphs out of numerical data with just a few keystrokes. Designed by Travis Kochel, the typeface transforms simple strings of numbers into a graph with corresponding values. The visualized data remains editable, allowing for updates and styling. Here's how it works: … [Read more...]
15 Great Google Font Combinations For Your Next Design Project
Designers often spend a lot of time deciding which typefaces to pair up and most sites just give one-sentence examples that don't offer a real preview of what the text will look like. To make life easier for everyone, the team at Milo Themes has created a set of mock-ups that show different Google Font combinations for headline and body copy. They've used filler text from … [Read more...]
This Powerful Photoshop Trick Lets You Remove Unwanted Objects In Just 3 Simple Steps
To remove unwanted objects from an image, we usually use the Clone Stamp Tool to duplicate elements from the surrounding area. But here's a Photoshop hack that makes it even simpler. … [Read more...]
