designm.ag - Archives (mai 2013)
Back just a few years ago it was required for web developers use JavaScript/jQuery to perform animated effects in-browser. CSS3 has dramatic
Ever since the early days of MySpace there have been social networking websites getting online with each passing year. The whole world is taken in this craze of social networking, tweeting, blogging, and lots of other similar tech-based activities. I have found that many social networks are utilizing common interaction techniques within their designs.
I want to share just a few examples of my insights towards building a usable social network. This means designing a captivating landing page with easy instructions and rules for the users. Profile pages are also a big point in the design critique. You want to make your network as easy to use as possible. This is obviously much simpler said than done, but I am sure all observant designers will pick up quickly and follow suit with their own ideas.
There will always be new people getting into the process of learning web design. It is a convoluted topic at first, but if you stick with your studies it can be an extremely rewarding experience. The web design community is full of useful freebies and tutorials which you can find all through Google.
I want to present a small collection of posts which are geared towards newcomers in web design. The technique involves both designing graphics and coding them into HTML/CSS webpages. These two main fields of study will require months if not years of practice before you feel confident with your work. But that is the beauty of web design! Just follow what the professionals do and you will quickly learn how to emulate the best design practices.
There are so many various plugins and scripts to use for making draggable elements. Some of them allow you to create upload forms or dynamically sorted webpage tables. However, what about just creating some very basic functionality to give users the ability for dragging items through the page? The jQuery UI Draggable feature has all of this and it is very simple to add into your website.
I want to demonstrate how using a very simple jQuery UI script will allow for any objects to be dragged along the page. Since this is all built into jQuery we have the ability to use callback functions, which are sort of like unique JS codes we write whenever a user drags or drops an item. There are so many different examples on the jQuery UI website that you should definitely go and check out. I am not using anything overly complex, but you can also see my live demo or download the source codes from the links below.
Live Demo - Download Source Code
The modern design trends for building mobile applications have been changing rapidly. Developers are constantly looking to push the boundaries of what is possible on iOS. And with all the latest software updates, it is safe to say that Objective-C is a forthcoming language with a lot of potential in the mobile realm.
But how about all of the various user experience designs? The iPhone has promoted hundreds of thousands of new applications, and the pool for new submissions is growing rapidly. I want to take a look at some of the more popular UX trends for mobile apps. Specifically I will be using examples from Dribbble to illustrate new ideas in the world of iOS. Designers from any continent should be able to appreciate the talent and technique for building usable mobile applications.
Over the past year I have witnessed a rise in the popularity of background videos. There have been a lot of advancements with CSS3 and jQuery plugins to encapsulate the method of using fullscreen images within a website layout. This has been typical and expected for a while, yet designers are always breaking the mold for bigger and better ideas. Fullscreen video backgrounds are bandwidth-intensive and they also provide a unique browsing experience.
However the process of locating high quality videos for your background can be tough. There are not always places online you can go to grab a free download. And the other paid alternatives usually require a lot of haggling just to find what you need. I would like to present just a few solutions for those who are interested in using fullscreen video backgrounds. The technique does require some time and effort but in the end your website's presentation will be phenomenal.
When targeting search engine results you need to understand the most common strategies for website ranking. Longtail keywords are the searches which make up over 70% of Google search terms. These are often longer than 3-4 words and they can be very specific in relation to your website. This is why most visitors who search longtail will stay on your website for a long time, if you can fill their exact need(s).
For this post I just want to share a few alternate resources which are related to longtail keyword research. There is no perfect solution and it merely requires new attempts at different areas for driving positive traffic. Search Engine optimization is a long-term process and you must be ready to continue studying years into the future.
The open source jQuery library has penetrated fields of the old methods for coding JavaScript. New frontend developers have a larger toolbase to start building with, and so we can see loads of new plugins being released every month. This combination of open source codes along with plugin functionality means that you can extend your website using a single instance of jQuery.
I want to expand on some of the more recent plugins I have found over the past couple weeks. These are based on all forms of Internet media and consider the interface aspect of building websites. Ajax and jQuery animations are also extremely popular among web developers. But check out a few of these ideas and see if you can find any gems.
Listen up guys! Today we have an iStock promo that is SO BIG it is only available for 24 hours so we don't want you to miss it! Today iStockphoto is offering 50% off credit downloads for vector illustrations. What makes this offer even better is that we still have several other iStock promo codes that still work that can be combined with today's 50% off discount.
Just a quick reminder: Registration on LearnWebDevelopment.com’s WordPress Bootcamp is ending this week - May 23, 2013 at midnight. If you want to learn WordPress - and create your first website in just a few days - this is the bootcamp for you! You’ll learn how to build a fully-functioning website using WordPress faster than ever before. Grab your seat today.
There are so many newly released icon sets which are free to download and use in your own projects. Building a website application will take a lot of time and patience. If you are using a CMS or backend programming framework then it might shave off some time. But overall you will be dedicated to finishing your projects in a decent timeframe. It is worth taking any help which can hasten the completion date.
I feel these small user interface icon sets will provide a lot of benefit to web developers. Creating webapps specifically for mobile and desktop computers are not easy to design. Why should you have to make all your own icons from scratch? It becomes a lot easier when you know exactly what you are looking for. Check out these freebie icon sets and see if you can locate designs which may work well in your own projects.
Video players both HTML5 and flash-based are becoming more popular. Faster Internet connections are leading towards a full technological breakthrough all around the world. We are now able to share content with people in almost every country - and streaming video is one of the cornerstones to Internet media.
I want to look into just a few video player styles from some popular social networking websites. Of course YouTube is known as one of the titans in the industry. But there are some other savvy companies and startups which are pushing the boundaries for online video players. The user interface design is a very important concept and it is worth a deeper study.
Building your own website is certainly a task in-and-of itself. But to then fill up your website will useful content and get those pages indexed into Google is a completely separate task. The obligations are much different and SEO factors a big role into the equation. But webmasters should feel comfortable writing their own copy and putting together pages with great content.
There cannot be any single rule that always tends to work. But we can look at trends over time and see how other websites have followed things in the past. Also don't be afraid to do your own research on this topic, either. Hit Google and try searching for keywords related to your own niche. Study what is already out there and make a note of things that you could be doing better than the competition.
Food pictures have become one of the more prominent forms of photography. Years ago no one took the time to photograph food as a hobby but with the growth of picture focused blogs and mobile devices it has become the primary focus for a lot of photographers. Today we are featuring 20 awesome examples of fruit photography. Enjoy!
1. A Glimpse Of Summer
Tumblr is an online social network for blogging and connecting with other users. It is easy to post new photos and reblog what others have posted. I really like this system because of the Dashboard UI, which displays all the latest reblogs from everybody you follow. It is much different than Facebook or Twitter and you can share all types of media, from text to videos and audio too.
But what about the option of using a Tumblr blog for your company? The idea is very popular among new startups which are not interested in hosting their blog locally. This provides an external resource for managing company updates. And users who are on Tumblr may follow your blog to keep themselves in the loop with new posts. I'll share just a few benefits to using a Tumblr blog and why it may be a good choice for your company.
Bakeries and cake shops around the world are the sweetest treats. Business owners want their website to reflect this and draw in customers based on the unique and tasteful design. But this process can be difficult if you are unfamiliar with design techniques.
I want to offer a series of 29 brilliant cake shops and bakeries using fantastic website layouts. These are all very captivating and quickly remind you of the bakery itself. Designers will often include illustrations and vector artwork showing off cupcakes and other dessert treats. Keep in mind there is no one-size-fits-all solution. But there are many design ideas which you may tread the water and see how it fits into your own layout.
Adelaide's Cakes
Comparing Japanese web design trends to the United States is a great difference. Icons and banners and Flash media is all too common, especially amongst video game websites and cartoons/TV shows. The Japanese culture is so different from the western world, yet we all share the same planet and the same Internet.
I want to showcase 45 Japanese animation & gaming website layouts for design inspiration. You may not consider using these techniques in your own layouts, but it is always good to know the market. Japan's economy is within the top 5 worldwide and they spend a lot of money online. And you do not need to understand the Japanese language to appreciate beautiful website design. It is truly magnificent how designers may communicate across language barriers to share and understand more complex design trends.
Otomate
Video editing is difficult especially on a budget. Today we are featuring a roundup of 15 pieces of software and online tools to give you a leg up next time you are needing to crank out some editing. Enjoy!
1. Clipcanvas Video editor
Shortcut Commands for Photoshop Photographers use Photoshop to edit their photos but this software can be a bit time consuming especially for beginners. There are different tools you can use with Photoshop and switching from 1 tool with the next one is what would consume most of your time. Here are 45 exceptionally useful Photoshop shortcuts that will bypass all those mouse clicks you need to switch tools and it will make photo editing a lot more convenient for you. There are many shortcuts out there and it can be a bit overwhelming at first. You won’t be able to memorize all of them. If you want, you can make a chart so you can easily remember what the shortcuts to use to execute what you desire. Choose your favorites and try to memorize them. Beginners may be overwhelmed with the complexity of Photoshop but with practice you will eventually learn how to control and finally properly edit your photos with this wonderful program that is also used by professionals. You can transform an ordinary photo into an exceptional one with the help of this program but it takes a lot of skills to create such art. Slowly learn your way around the program by trying out the different tools and see what they’re used for and how they can transform your photos. What users normally notice is that there are a number of menu items and buttons to click and open then click again for the execution you want and that can really be time consuming. These tools are there for a reason and because Photoshop is very complex and comprehensive photo editing software, it has a lot of executions and tools available. If you don’t want to waste your time finding your way through all these buttons then these shortcuts will surely help you out.