The famous helvetica font was developed in 1957 in Switzerland by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann. Its still used fanatically even today in 2012. Numerously described as timeless by many famous designers and type gurus. In 2007 there was even a film made about Helvetica, no other types have those credentials.
Design outDesigning for people and user experience has now become very common place and an integral part of the web design process for many web design agencies. It just makes sense to think about users at all stages in the process from idea through to fully operational website.
criticalAs web designers and developers we can be in control of some important property ( websites). Just about every website in the world can and has gone down at some point. Even Google sites go down at times and they are seen as masters of up time and reliability.
ContrastContrast is a hugely powerful design tool but lets investigate it further and relating to psychology. The human brain has evolved to protect us from harm and that's what contrast comes down to.
Emotional DesignTheres a lot of websites in the world and most of they are dry, corporate, boring, lack luster affairs. There are some sites in which that style and appeal is wanted.
Embracing Design ConstraintsThis boils down to focus, constraints allow you to focus to find a better or solution that simply wouldn't be found if there were no constraints.
Fonts, fonts , fontsI just read an interesting article from last year on the BBC website. Do type faces really matter?
The 5 C’sWe are often asked to redesign web sites for our clients. Web design is still a young medium and something that worked 5 years ago might not work now. When reviewing previous carnations of their sites its normally the base of the 5 'C's in which they fail on.
UX – Conventions and ConsistencyMost days I pay for stuff on a chip and pin. I'm just like every other person, most things are now put on cards. There must be what 100,000 chip and pins in the UK? Total guess, some a very high figure anyway...
Redesign or realignRedesign or realign? Sometimes there are so many things better changed its better to redesign.
Pre PhotoShopFor many design teams and designers, it still seems the very first port of call is Photoshop. This is wrong, and very wrong.
Web Design and PhotographyWhile designing a website, the usage of photographs can be called as a necessity in today’s competitive marketplace. When a designer plans for the creation of a perfect layout for the website of his/her company; the first thing that comes in mind after the basic structure is the usage of textures, patterns and photos.
Screensizes - the change in last few years, from 800 wide to 2000 to mobile devicesIf we go back and see those screens that were being used by people in 2000 you will be surprise to see that just few years back 800x600 screen resolution was being used.
Color and MeaningThe meaning of different color in the world of design is much skewed. The choice of the colors and contrasts can vary from one person to another, and is totally up to the personal preference of an individual.
What it takes to become a good designerBecoming a good web designer is not a big science, and you should not be reluctant to try your hands on the web designing, if you are really looking forward to make your career in this area. Here are few tips for you, that would allow you to become a confident and productive web designer;
Design Trends in 2011 and beyondToday, web designing is something that is constantly going through the change and evolvement process. The day by day development of new and innovative technologies has brought an edge for the web developers to develop the web applications that can grab user attention in a very effective manner.
Designing, focus, conversion and fluffWhen designing a site all features going to be on that page should have been worked out before Photoshop is even opened. Designers and clients have an inclination to add in the latest item of technology and fluff.
Reinventing the wheel can be greatest enemy of good designDesigners are defined by being in the creative industry, yet reinventing the wheel is commonly the last thing that is best for the design clients websites.
CSS3 and HTML5 is undoubtabley the future but dont get too hung up on itSites are buzzing at the moment with talk of HTML5 and CSS3, but the unfortunate thing is the vast majority of your users wont be able to use or see the goodness.
Design layout and the process that makes it successfulHow to create successful layouts and the process of creating that layout