designm.ag - Archives (novembre 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
Choosing a hosting company that suits your needs can be a daunting task. Anyone who’s ever switched from one host to another knows that it can be a tedious process and it’s just plain annoying to do. So, choosing the right hosting company from the get go, one you will possibly stick with for years, is critical. All hosting providers are not created equal, some are better than others, some have features better suited for your needs, and some even a better reputation than others. Depending on what you intend to do with your hosting account or server, there’s a lot of questions to ask yourself before you settle on one:
- How much traffic will you be getting?
- How much bandwidth and storage will you need?
- How many domains and/or sub-domains will you be hosting?
- Will you host only your own sites or your client’s sites as well?
- Ecommerce website? Do you need SSL?
- Will you be reselling hosting to your clients?
- Do you even need hosting? Would all-in-one solutions like SquareSpace, WordPress.com, Tumblr or Virb be enough for you?
- Does the host offer any type of discount if you purchase hosting for multiple months or a year?
- Do you need shell/ssh access?
- Do you need a domain? Some hosts offer a free domain name when you purchase a hosting plan.
- Do you need to be able to choose your OS? Linux or Windows?
- Do you know what runs the HTTP server? Nginx, Litespeed, Apache, Lighttpd?
- Does your website or project require you to deploy scripts like Ruby on Rails?
- How comfortable are you updating your server? Should you go with a fully managed or an unmanaged solution?
- Will you need to manage your hosting account on the go? Does the host offer a mobile app to manage your account?
- Are you comfortable installing a CMS like WordPress yourself? If not, does the hosting company provide one-click installation?
- Do they offer 24/7 support? Email, phone, support tickets, live chat?
- Where do you want your server to be located? Do you need a CDN?
- If you’re moving to a new host, will that new hosting provider help you move your files and databases over? Is there a fee?
- If you choose a small plan to start, will your hosting company let you upgrade to a bigger plan or server? What are the costs associated with this?
- Are there setup fees when you open a new account?
- Does the web host offer some guarantee when it comes to uptime? What’s their check interval?
MediaTemple
While a responsive theme is not the best choice for every website, most will benefit from a responsive layout. A responsive theme assures that no matter what browser a viewer sees the website in, they will recognize not only the website itself but also have the same layout. Many designers and developers today believe that if you need a different layout for your site, then you should offer an app, rather than a different mobile website. Responsive layouts also cut down on your design time drastically. After all, you only need to create one design! We have further helped you cut down on your time by doing the research for you and compiling 30 of the best responsive WordPress themes out there. The list below includes a variety of layouts for different industries and purposes. If you don't find what you need here, you may want to check out our list of Artistic Themes or maybe our collection of Grunge-style Themes. Have fun exploring!
1. DeepFocus Photography
By entering this contest, you’ll automatically receive a pack of premium resources worth $55 for free. It comes from the Inky Deals best seller Full Design Library: $3,860 worth of Premium Resources for Only $49.
The 'flat' design style is one we hear about everywhere now, and I believe it's here to stay. I don't see flat design as something trendy or flavor-of-the-month - rather it's what design should be; focussing on how things work rather than how things look, keeping things clean and minimalist. So, we decided to create our very own UI kit, it's called FlatPix and it is available to purchase exclusively through the DesignM.ag network.
One of the amazing things about WordPress is its versatility. It is not just for blogging. It's not just for portfolios. It's not just for business/corporate websites. You can find a WordPress theme for almost any type of organization, from bands to restaurants to retail stores. In fact, eCommerce themes are one of the easiest themes to find, beside general purpose themes, and eCommerce layouts come in all shapes and sizes, with many being responsive themes as well. But creative eCommerce WordPress themes aren't always easy to find. Many seem to follow a certain format, very often with little visual stimulation...except for the collection below. In the following list, we have compiled some of our favorite well-designed eCommerce WordPress themes for your enjoyment and, perhaps, your benefit if one happens to be perfect for a project. Be sure to click on the Demo links since most of these themes come with more than one layout or extra skins. Have fun browsing!
1. StyleShop
When you sit down to develop a modern-day WordPress theme you'll typically be following some design mockup, or at least an idea in your head. This can be a challenge at times when you don't want to think much about the customizations. But any good WordPress theme should be comprised of a number of key points.
In October 2013 the newest WordPress 3.7 release was announced with plenty of new features. Not many updates will directly impact themes, yet it is a marvel seeing how far this platform has advanced since version 3.0. In this article I want to go over some of the core fundamentals you should think about including with every new WordPress theme. Especially for premium or free themes designated for commercial use by hundreds of different webmasters.
One of the most important parts of a successful magazine or news website is, of course, the content. However, just as important is the design of the site. Even if your content is top notch, without an appealing design and navigable site, readers won't stick around. Thankfully, there are plenty of stunning and usable themes available from WordPress created specifically for news, magazine, or even a combo news/ magazine website. Below, we've compiled 30 of the best news magazine WordPress themes available from various sites across the web to save you time in the research phase of your project. However, if you still can't find what you need, you can always check out the 10 Best Selling WordPress Themes of All Time or even The Top Mobile WordPress Themes on DzineBlog. Have fun browsing!
1. Nexus
Do web designers and web developers need the services of a social media specialist?
The answer is...it depends. Here are some key questions to help you find out if you need the services of a social media specialist:
- Do you want to grow your business?
- Do you have a product to sell?
- Do you operate a blog for profit?
- Is the traffic to your website or blog lethargic or dropping?
- Do you seem to get the wrong kind of reader?
After you've been freelancing for a while, you may decide to move. And of course, wherever you go, that's where your freelancing business is.
While local moves probably won't affect your freelancing business much, there are definitely some factors to consider when you move to a new city or even a new state.
In this post, I list six factors that may affect your freelancing business when you move to a new area. If you like this post, you may also like How I Kept My Freelance Business Intact During Relocation.
As a reader of this blog, you’ve probably seen some of my posts about the guys over at LearnWebDevelopment.com, and their Successful Web Designer program. I’m sure you’ve probably thought about starting your own web design business, and in fact, you may have already started one. If you’ve been hesitant to start, or if you’re not getting the results you’d like, you’re not alone. Many people are afraid that it will take a long time to start making money. Others fear that they will encounter roadblocks, and not know where to turn for help. But what if there were a way to avoid these problems, and get right to building a successful business and making money? What if you could learn how to keep your costs low, begin earning income in a month or less, and have expert one-on-one help whenever you need it? Well, I have good news. LearnWebDevelopment.com has a program that will help you achieve just that. And this company is one of the largest players in the web design training industry, having trained more than 30,000 students to build successful businesses over the past 10 years. By taking advantage of their Successful Web Designer QuickStart program, in just four weeks you can: Get your first client (willing to pay real money) Build an awesome website for them (even including e-commerce if you want) Charge $1,000 (or more). Everything is included: How to find high paying clients, how to build websites quickly and efficiently, how to generate leads, and much more. And their support is second to none. You’ll work with a Member Ambassador, who will customize the program to match your specific goals. You will have one-on-one help whenever you need it. Whether you have a question about how to work with clients, how to write effective copy, how to code your website, or how to drive traffic, you’ll get an answer from an expert in that field. No more endless hours searching the Internet for answers. But this is a limited time offer, and they’re closing the doors this Thursday at midnight. To secure your spot, go here and become a member. Don’t miss out on this chance to build a business that will allow you to achieve your goals and live your dreams.
I have seen countless launches of amazing WordPress magazine websites. These have been gaining more traction over the past few months and now there are so many brand new premium themes being created. With more demand comes more supply, and it should be obvious how many webmasters are launching their own online magazines.
In this gallery I want to present 25 extremely high-quality WordPress magazine & blog themes. You can utilize these for any content niche as long as the site is maintained like a blog. The frontpage will always feature new posts, along with some other extra widgets. Plus the more complicated themes will generally have a unique settings panel located within wp-admin. Check out this collection and see if you can use anything for yourself.
The Oracle
The Oracle theme is a blog/magazine style website using a homepage image slider. This is fairly common among other magazine themes, but the content loads very quickly. You will also have access to button shortcodes and custom page widgets. The design is more tech-based than anything else but it does look fantastic on-screen.
The online world of startups has been growing at a rapid pace. It seems like every new founder has some exceptional idea to bring more value onto the Internet. Beta launches are so frequent because it's a smart method to build a following before actually getting the product out in the open. Plus you can gauge user feedback and determine which areas may need to be touched up before any type of v1 release.
I've collected 44 brilliant website homepage layouts focused on startups and web applications. Anybody who is thinking about launching their own project may find some great techniques within this showcase. Especially if you would need launch at a beta stage trying to hook early adopters. Skim through these various examples and see if any design techniques really catch your eye.
Tawk.to
Every week my email inbox is overflowing with marketing emails that, for the most part, are not very interesting. But a few weeks ago I got an email from the guys at LearnWebDevelopment.com that really caught my attention. I met these guys at a conference last year, and they invited me to check out their program. After spending some time with them and exchanging a slew of emails, I realized they had a pretty unique program, and this was something my readers would be interested in.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to be extremely transparent with my readers. Because I’m such a fan of their product I’ve partnered with them to be an affiliate to help promote their training. They offer a great product and I will receive compensation from them if you purchase their training, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
The various blogging platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, and Medium has paved the way for newer and better features in web applications. Tumblr has always been a very interesting platform because it utilizes many post formats which appear naturally in the user interface. Thus many Tumblr themes are built focusing around these post formats. It is a unique way of blogging where you don't always need to be writing text in order to post.
For this collection I have organized 35 outstanding themes for Tumblr blogs. Some of the free themes have been around for years, while others are still pretty new. I've also split the list between some free themes along with some premium designs. You can definitely count on high-quality work in these premium themes - the question is do you use Tumblr enough to justify a purchase? Check out these templates and see what you think about refreshing your blog, or even opening up a new one!
Mono
As a web developer I love to find new exciting applications which make my daily life easier. Completing a project or getting something updated can take hours or even weeks of extra work. Online webapps have grown very quickly and most of them are free to use.
I have gone through my bookmarks and put together 28 must-have resources for webmasters. Whether you are a designer, developer, marketer, copywriter or otherwise, there is something in this list for you. Granted the number of tools online has been growing very quickly and it's certainly not a complete collection. If you know of any helpful links which I've forgotten please share with us in the discussion area below.
Web Colour Data
Sliding parallax websites incorporate animation with page sections to build a very unique experience. Over the past few years I have found a large number of parallax designs wrapped into a single webpage. Notably this parallax interface may be hard-coded from scratch, but there are lots of free open source plugins to do the job quicker.
In this tutorial I want to demonstrate how we can use AnimateScroll to build a sliding single-page website layout. I've kept inner page content to a minimum so we can see exactly how the CSS structure works with the animations. Keep in mind this definitely isn't a tough concept to implement. But you should have an understanding of page hierarchy and CSS positioning or it gets confusing fast. Check out my live demo example to see exactly what we are making.
Live Demo - Download Source Code
Every week my email inbox is overflowing with marketing emails that, for the most part, are not very interesting. But a few weeks ago I got an email from the guys at LearnWebDevelopment.com that really caught my attention. I met these guys at a conference last year, and they invited me to check out their program. After spending some time with them and exchanging a slew of emails, I realized they had a pretty unique program, and this was something my readers would be interested in.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to be extremely transparent with my readers. Because I’m such a fan of their product I’ve partnered with them to be an affiliate to help promote their training. They offer a great product and I will receive compensation from them if you purchase their training, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
Freelancing rates are one of the most emotionally charged issues that we freelancers discuss online. People have all kinds of opinions when it comes to rates. But it's a topic that often comes up during this time of the year. Many freelancers naturally want to increase their rates when a new year rolls around.
If you plan to raise your rates in January, now is the time to start planning for your rate increase.
Most new freelance web designers struggle to figure out what to charge for their services. As a result, they often end up charging too little. Of course, there are some basic pricing principles you can follow to determine how much you should be earning.
But what if you started out wrong? What if you're already earning far less than you should be earning? What do you do then?
In this post, I provide 35 thoughts on when and how to raise your freelancing web design rates. I'll provide clear signs that it's time to raise your rate. I'll also list some strategies to help you earn more money.