Mar9th In Tips 81

Top 8 Dreaded Favors Asked of Web Designers

Long before you officially take the profession of graphic or web designer, your friends and family will support your ambitions by developing your talent. At first, your loved ones inspect your work and if they like what they see, you’ll get flooded with their requests for one page flyers, t-shirt designs, logos, and company websites. When you are just starting out, you welcome their requests because it gives you a chance to grow your skill set as a designer. After all, it’s almost like dealing with real clients, right?

The drama comes when you actually become a full time designer. The friends and family who drew upon your talent during your newbie years are still standing around with their hands out, and now you also must contend with two more groups of favor askers: clients and anonymous foreigners who contact you through Twitter.

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Feb16th In Tips 53

Shannon Noack

The Most Common HTML and CSS Mistakes to Avoid

Beginners through advanced coders make mistakes in their HTML and CSS files, either through carelessness or lack of experience. Clean code is very important though and will help further your skills as a developer, as well as save you time in editing later on! It never hurts to review if you’re a skilled developer, many mistakes are caused by going too quickly and not practicing good coding skills from the beginning. Here’s a helpful list of common mistakes and missteps that I’ve encountered through my own work, as well as working with others. (more…)

Feb3rd In Tips 27

Henry Jones

The Principle of Contrast in Web Design

A web design is made of many different elements, each having varying levels of importance and some demanding prominence over others. Some elements share a relationship, while others are not related at all. The tricky part is being able to communicate this visually and effectively. This is where the principle of contrast comes into play. (more…)

Jan12th In Tips 37

Henry Jones

Whitespace: The Underutilized Design Element

There are a number of elements that make up a great web design, but probably one of the most overlooked and underutilized is whitespace. Every design has whitespace, but the problem is that not every design has enough. This could be due to the fact that inexperienced designers and their clients see whitespace as empty space and therefore a waste of valuable screen real estate. The truth is, whitespace might be one of the most valuable parts of your design. (more…)

Jan6th In Tips 19

Jessica Cox

Seven Useful Web Development Tips & Tools for Cross-Compatibility

As a web designer, you would think that the major Internet browsers would’ve come to some sort of agreement on standards and best practices after all this time. In reality, browser compatibility is a minefield of confusing conflicts and picky platforms that refuse to play nice with each other. Here are some useful tools and tips for riding out the waves: (more…)

Dec30th In Tips 24

Henry Jones

Adding Depth with Pixel Perfect Line Work

A pixel is a single point in a raster image. Computer displays are capable of showing millions of these at a time. So how can one lone pixel have an impact on a web design? It probably can’t. However, if you extend that pixel in one direction, it becomes a line, and in the hands of a masterful designer with an attention for subtle detail, the 1px line is a powerful design element. It can be used in many different ways, but in this article we’re going to take a look at how pixel perfect line work can add depth to a design. (more…)

Dec28th In Tips 18

Tim Blackwell

13 Useful Code Snippets for WordPress Development

WordPress has grown to be commonly defined as the core solution for your blogging needs. It is the most recognized and sought after Content Management System by writers and designers. Consequently, over the past few years there has been a voluble increase in WordPress blogs, this has caused the “need” for useful tips, tricks, and hacks, all made to allow the customizing of your WordPress powered site. Here are 13 code snippets or hacks that will help you extend the capabilities of your WordPress site. (more…)