An introduction to HTML and CSS for designers
As a graphic designer, you’re probably aware of the ever-evolving relationship between design and technology. This is especially true for those focusing on web design. In this industry, we need to have a basic understanding of how our carefully crafted mockups become live web pages. When we understand the basics of this process (and it’s limitations), …
This is how you rock a magazine cover design
The magazine cover is a designer’s dream. There are enough constraints to give you structure — a set space of 8 by 11 inches or so; a few unifying traits that carry across issues — but beyond that it’s up to you to arrange text and touch up photos, working with some of the best …
A 99er’s winning design process (infographic included)
Have you ever wondered what a winning designer and client were saying to each other during a contest? Look no further! We’ve made an infographic of designer DSKY‘s winning design process in the After Eleven logo contest. While DSKY is a very skilled designer, he is also great at communicating with the client. He explains his …
Typefaces of the world: snapshots from the community
In our last Type Around Town post, we called upon the community to photograph awesome typeface implementations from their own neighborhoods. The point of this series is to appreciate the effect of good typography in the real world — in signs, ads, books, etc. — and not just on the web. Of course, artful typeface …
Create a sleek Photoshop button in 15 minutes
Buttons, buttons, buttons! You see these little fellas nearly everywhere you look on the web — on menus, contact forms and product pages (just to name a few). Since buttons are an integral part of the user experience, I’m going to show you how to create your own sleek button in Photoshop. It’s a fairly simple …
Experts answer: what makes websites great
How many times have you bookmarked a beautifully crafted website? Not because the visual design was great, not because the interface was amazing, but because there was something special about it — everything worked. Great web design work is definitely a result of great skill, expertise and experience. You can read a lot of great …
Responsive typography: a quest for flexible typesetting
With the rise of responsive websites, it’s important to look at how web typography is changing, and where it’s headed. In this article, we’re going to start with the basics of typography, and explain solutions web designers can use while dealing with responsive typography. Typography units from past to computer Ancient units presented on Vitruvian …
5 famous copyright infringement cases (what you can learn)
Copyright has never been an easy, black-and-white kind of issue. Arguments over copyright between creatives happen all of the time, it’s an inescapable issue. Read through some of these famous court cases that have created major public discourse over copyright — how it’s handled, what it means, and why we should all care. 1. Rogers …
Why all designers need to understand color blindness
Given the question of how to deal with color blindness in graphic design, many people would be tempted to give a brusque answer: “Choose a different profession.” As any professional designer should understand, it’s not that simple. Even if you (a designer) are not colorblind, over 8% of your male clients are likely to be, …
Create an original logotype through custom font treatments
A logotype, also known as a wordmark, is a text-only graphic created to uniquely brand a company’s name. Logotypes come in thousands of variations, shapes, sizes, and styles, all with a common goal to quickly communicate a company’s message, and grab the attention of its desired audience. This is why the logotypes you design MUST be …
