Saturday, September 29, 2012

10 Great Places to Sell Your Web Design Work

Media_httpcdndesignmo_bozav

If someone is creating a new web design from initial step, it would be productive for him but at the same time it would also be time consuming. In order to make more money without spending a lot of time, selling of a web design as a theme or a template would be the easiest as well as the best option.

Most of the web designers take the responsibility to sell the themes or templates but the fact is that it is difficult to sell the template or theme on his own than by selling it through different sites as these template selling sites have a wide range of different web designers. Another fact is that the buyers usually visit a particular site & analyze the template quickly rather than searching for the theme here & there.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Smart And Effective Package Designs Created By Designers

Media_httpwwwdesignre_sjtxn

Package design starts with the identification of all the requirements: structural design, marketing, shelf life, quality assurance, logistics, legal, regulatory, graphic design, end-use, environmental, etc. Designers must take these requirements into account when designing a package design for a product and if they do and do their work carefully they end up with smart and effective results.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Here's The Problem With Our Economy

Media_httpstatic1busi_eyaxi

Several factors have come together to produce a frustratingly weak economy that has persisted in the U.S. for more than a decade:

"Globalization" has opened up a vast pool of billions of workers who work for much less than Americans. This, in turn, has resulted in companies shifting formerly middle-wage-paying jobs overseas.

Technology has continued to increase productivity, allowing companies to do more with fewer employees.

Average hourly earnings have been flat for ~50 years (after adjusting for inflation), as companies steer their wealth primarily to senior management and owners at the expense of average employees.

Tax policies have increasingly favored investors and high wage earners over middle-class and upper-middle-class wage-earners.

An obsession with "shareholder value" at the expense of other stakeholders (namely, customers and employees) has led companies to cut employee costs to the bone.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Typography Basics: Understand the Language of Letters

Media_httpcdndesignmo_cccfp

Sometimes the toughest part of getting started with a first design project can be understanding the language of design. Typographers, for example, have a whole language of their own that relates to type, fonts and design.

To have an open and successful conversation in your next design meeting, it will help to fully understand the lingo when talking about type. Here’s your primer.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Great Stylish Illustrations by Rafael Albuquerque

Media_httpwwwdenzomag_hanqg

Rafael Albuquerque is a Brazilian illustrator from Porto Alegre. He has some kickass illustrations, really worth checking out. For more of his work, you may visit his portfolio at DeviantART. We hope you all enjoy these.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Your old friend MySpace could be your newest social place

Media_httpcdntechicom_xgeqh

Justin Timberlake may have played in the movie “The Social Network”, however in real life he has taken on a new role within by investing in another Social Network, one we are all too familiar with, MySpace.

You may remember MySpace as an unorganized cluttered space where music auto-played and glitter covered the pages that you had no idea where to start. Now MySpace is getting revamped and reorganized to for you to be able to discover what is happening on the site.

Posted via email from Inspiration

50 Inspiring Examples of Corporate Identity and Branding

Media_httpblogprintru_bhkyi

A marketing strategy won’t come into full circle without the proper corporate identity and branding implemented on all your promotional tools. Think of your branding as means to get into the consciousness of your target audiences. By consistently applying the same colors, logo design, and layout on all your print products, you can help increase familiarity on your business, which could also increase leads and sales of your products and services.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Mind Bending Optical Illusions by Rob Gonsalves

Media_httpwwwdezinegu_mgbjg

An optical illusion is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Inspiring noir photography by Emiliano Grusovin

Media_httpfarm9static_limev

"Emiliano Grusovin, Italian photographer located in the north-east region on the border with Slovenia, I love the night, I’m passionate about cinema. The series Alphaville and Nouvelle Vague are a tribute to noir films, I focused on those dark atmospheres.

Film noir is a cinematic subgenre of thriller movie, which had the summit in the United States. Hollywood’s classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Besides the topic of inquiry and the classic town ambience, the noir movie provides strong contrasts of light between white and black, which symbolically represent the conflict between good and evil.

Mostly, I used a compact camera on a tripod with a self-timer, and the figure that appears in the photos is me, wearing a trench coat and a hat as a detective… Film noir mood!" ~ Emiliano Grusovin

Posted via email from Inspiration

The Free Graphic Resources Finder

Media_httpwwwtopdesig_nbqdf

Another characteristic of the site that you may find pretty valuable is the way of searching. What I mean is that Freepik doesn’t just give all the results randomly, apart from visiting hundreds of websites to fulfill your request, Freepik reads the contents and analyzes them in order to determine their value and relevance, according to your needs. Once you have found the desired file, it redirects you to the host site, simplifying the process, as you just take it from the source (respecting in this way both the host and the author’s rights over the files).

Posted via email from Inspiration

Friday, September 28, 2012

10 Logo Design Tips for a Timeless and Creative Logo

Media_httpwww1stwebde_biecu

So, are you designing a logo? Alright! That sounds awesome, doesn’t it? And easy too!

Really? Did we just say “easy”?

If you think logo design is an easy process, trust me, that’s a misconception. To begin with, a logo is not merely some colors, fonts and fancy lines put together. It is a brand’s identity, to the extent that, more often than not, a logo is more identifiable than the brand’s name! For an entity so important, the design process requires thinking, artistic inputs and systematic planning. In other words, you don’t simply sit down and draw a logo while watching your favorite anime series.

If that is the case, how does one accomplish the creation of an awesome logo? We shall attempt to answer this very question in this article. Now, I have divided the article into two parts (because one is too mainstream): the first part talks about things that you should do while designing a logo, whereas the second one deals specifically with things you shouldn’t. Sound good? Well then, let’s start!

Posted via email from Inspiration

Landscape Photography by Scott Smorra

Media_httpwwwcudedcom_lclql

Landscape Photography by Scott Smorra. Scott is an amateur photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Using Nikon digital SLR cameras and a variety of Nikkor lenses, Scott primarily creates landscape images of the beautiful wilderness areas of North America.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Best Social Media Apps In The World

Media_httpstatic1busi_fetsj

Earlier this month, we published the App 100, a collection of the best across all platforms.

Realizing that 100 apps is a lot to digest, we decided to break up the list by category.

Over the next several days we'll republish the individual sections to help you get through the best apps easier.

Here's our definitive list of the best social media apps you can get today.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Rad 3D Works by Toni Bratincevic

Media_httpimgsabduzee_fdrvy

Computer graphics are on my list of things to learn sometime during my life simply because I find it amazing! Technology has come so far that it evolved from simple pixel art to astonishing 3d pieces. The people that come up with these are true artists!

Posted via email from Inspiration

60+ Exceptional Logo Designs

Media_httpdenzomagcom_ageii

A Logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype (a uniquely set and arranged typeface) form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo’s design is for immediate recognition. The logo is one aspect of a company’s commercial brand, or economic or academic entity, and its shapes, colors, fonts, and images usually are different from others in a similar market. Logos are also used to identify organizations and other non-commercial entities.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Freelancer Getting Started Guide to Finances

Media_httpfreelancesw_vrydz

Riddle me this, freelancers – is a killer month when you earn $10,000 working on jobs or when you’re actually paid that $10,000?

If you’ve been working as a freelancer for any real amount of time, you know all too well that completing a job has very little to do with the timeframe in which you will get paid.

Some clients (who we love) pay immediately – for those who pay electronically, this is often literally true. Other clients (and we love you too – mostly) can take weeks, months or (gulp) even longer to get the money to you.

Because of this fact, it’s really hard to figure out things like what our weekly and monthly earnings are. You might complete that $10,000 job mentioned earlier, but the money that comes in that month is from a few dozen jobs the month before totaling around $4,000.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Star Wars Alphabet for Kids... or nerds...

Media_httpblogthaeger_uyjbk

My inner nerd absolutely loves this.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Top 10 Fonts Web Designers Love [Infographic]

Media_httpmedia02hong_lccpy

Ever wonder what fonts other web designers prefer to use in their work? Ever wonder if your choice of font can help you set you apart from the rest? Ever wanted to know the answers to a question so badly that you would carry out a research to find out? Fellow web designer and writer of Hongkiat.com, Tomas Laurinavicius did just that. Granted it’s not a large sample size but the research revealed some interesting information like 3 Top 10 lists of fonts designers most love, most popular free fonts and most popular premium ones.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Photoshop Tutorials Roundup – September 2012

Media_httpwwwpixel77c_lfhdl

How am I going to make it up to you, you ask? Well, I’ve personally hand-picked the coolest Photoshop tutorials from the past month and put them in a convenient, easy to browse showcase. We’re going to learn together how to create a set of vintage tickets, a vintage radio icon, a bloody text effect, a cute and scary children’s illustration, a 3D logo animation, an eerie Grim Reaper scene, a “zombification”, a Judge Dredd badge design and much more. Enjoy!

Posted via email from Inspiration

90+ Epic Sign Design

Media_httpwwwandysowa_kghkt

These days we see signs everywhere. Reminds me of that song by Five Man Electrical Band that goes like this “SIGN SIGN EVERYWHERES A SIGN – Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind. Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?” (love that song lol its so old, brings back the memories! I used to hear it on the radio in my dads truck all the time as a kid). However, these days it is a little different as well – some signs serve a critical purpose, while other signs are for fun, but there are still those really idiotic signs out there that you see that just make you think “Really who is this one for?” lol. Today we are going to look at some really clever sign designs, some of them look awesome, most of them are just meant to be hilarious haha. I like to look at the history of said thing a little bit though first, so lets delve.

Posted via email from Inspiration

4 Great New Tools to Manage Your Money

Media_httpiforbesimgc_guizc

I know that managing your money isn’t easy, and it’s generally not much fun. But I’ve just learned about four new tech tools for your computer and smartphone that can relieve the pain. Better yet, they can help you cut debt, access records smoothly and securely and assist a family member in a financial jam.

I discovered the tools at Finovate, an annual financial-technology trade show in New York City, where dozens of entrepreneurs demonstrate their offerings to prospective customers, investors and the media.

Posted via email from Inspiration

You! Be Inspired! – Ties and Bows

Media_httpwwwyouthede_scpkn

In popular western culture, a man’s formal wear wouldn’t be complete without a matching bow tie or neck tie. Neck ties were commonly worn on special occasions or as part of regular office attire. However, it has become common especially in men and sometimes even women to use ties as a fashion accessory.

Having said this, necktie and bow tie designs have slowly evolved from classic and conservative prints to fancy and creative designs that even Walt Disney or Looney Tunes characters would be proud to wear. In today’s You! Be Inspired! post, we’ll take a look at some of the coolest and funkiest necktie and bow tie designs that certainly add that creative flair to your outfits.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Country Photography Series: Incredible India Photos

Media_httpwwwdemortal_loewe

I love photography. I cannot stop publishing inspirational photography articles. Just a few days ago, I was looking at some gorgeous Travel photographs. At that point of time an idea crossed my mind, how cool would it be to collect photographs of various countries, its monuments, its specialities, its negatives, everything that represents that country. Thus, from today onwards(till time permits) I would be publishing photography of one country per week. So, starting with my own Country, India, today I would be publishing the first post on Country Photography Series. This post is on Incredible India Photography.

Posted via email from Inspiration

iPhone Evolution Completely Showcased [Infographic]

Media_httpcdnbitrebel_ngget

There’s no doubt an epic amount of talk about the iPhone 5 these days. I recently heard that Apple sold 5 million iPhone 5s in the first weekend. That is a serious number of smartphones being sold, and a whole lot of people wielding its power. It’s been over 5 years since the first iPhone was revealed by Steve Jobs at an event that went down in history as one of the most important announcements ever made in the smartphone industry. It changed pretty much everything. I am not saying the iPhone changed everything, just the sheer announcement of a solution which became the standard and still is. But what has happened since then? What about iPhone evolution?

Posted via email from Inspiration

70+ Subtle Patterns Perfect for Minimal Designs

Media_httpwebdesignle_goeuv

When taking a minimalistic approach to designing a website, the key is to keep things clean and clutter free. It’s important not to over-design and use tons of graphical elements, but this doesn’t mean you can’t use any. So for this post, we’ve rounded up a collection of subtle patterns for when your minimal design needs a little something.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Facebook Social Media Posts Don’t Make Consumers Buy Online

Media_httptimecheapsk_cwnsa

Social media has been described as having an “enormous influence” on consumer behavior. A 2011 Nielsen study found that roughly one-quarter of all time spent by Americans on the web is devoted to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Tumblr, and that 70% of active online networkers shop online. Yet new research suggests that less than 1% of online purchases can be traced back to something the shopper saw posted on social media.

Social media may be transforming the way people interact with each other. But, at least for the time being, it doesn’t seem to be having much of a direct impact in how consumers decide to buy things.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Apple CEO Apologizes for Horrible Maps

Media_httpstatic4busi_choor

Tim Cook just released a statement aimed at customers apologizing for the Apple maps mess.

In the letter he says, Apple is "extremely sorry" for releasing a subpar product and "we are doing everything we can to make Maps better."

He even tells customers to try other apps while Apple fixes its maps: "You can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app."

Posted via email from Inspiration

10 Best Ways to Promote Your Mobile Applications

Media_httpcdnmobiletu_gjioe

People are already living into the digital era. It is where updated computers, microchips and all in one gadgets rule the world. There has been lots of applications that are making things light and easy for one to use such gadget and it has been on the market for quite some time now.

Well, if you happen to be one of those people who fairly know about making apps, it would be a good thing for you, as you would not only entertain people, but you could also make money from it. Yes, creating and designing apps can surely give you the chance to make and earn money. People will be using it, and every usage will give you extra funds in return.

Posted via email from Inspiration

A-

Media_httpimagesintel_gfjdd

Tim Cook just released a statement aimed at customers apologizing for the Apple maps mess.
In the letter he says, Apple is "extremely sorry" for releasing a subpar product and "we are doing everything we can to make Maps better."
He even tells customers to try other apps while Apple fixes its maps: "You can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-apologizes-for-apple-maps-2012-9#ixzz...

Posted via email from Inspiration

How To Buy A Smartphone: What Do Hardware Specs Mean?

Media_httpwwwreadwrit_gecda

Smartphone manufacturers like to throw a lot of specifications at potential customers. But how many consumers know or care what they mean? Specs inform consumers but also have the potential to confuse. Here's what you need to know about smartphone hardware.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Comic Book Artist: Jim Cheung

Media_httpimgsabduzee_gdhdm

JIm Cehung is one hell of a comic book artist, during the past 2 years he is the guy behind The Avengers comics. Having a good taste for composition and scene concept, Jim can make some extremely detailed and clean lines, check it out.

Posted via email from Inspiration

25+ Collection of Creative Illustration For Inspiration

The popularity and demand for illustration in the publishing industry is highly increasing due to the fact that targeted, professionally created illustrations can work wonder in grabbing the attention of the viewers and can be better understandable as compared to the texts or contents that comes with it.

Illustrations are the most effective method of articulating the contents and delivering the messages to the right audience visually if employed in the right and accurate way. Professional illustrators are capable of understanding the kind of readers or viewers when they create the illustrations. In this post I will share with you collection of creative Illustration for Inspiration.

Posted via email from Inspiration

50 Business Logo Design Inspiration #9

Media_httpgraphicdesi_hdxuo

This is the inspiration #9 in logo designs series. Here you can find dozens of fresh business logo design concepts created by professional designers. Today we’re gather 50 business logo design for inspiration created by some hard-working and professional designers from all over the web.

It’s been weeks ago since my last article on logo design with titled: 55 Business Logo Design Inspiration #8 was very popular and today’s ninth article on business logo designinspiration series for my readers and designers. In this post you can find trendybusiness logo design for inspiration.

Posted via email from Inspiration

The Sales Training Every Freelancer Needs

Media_httpfreelancesw_abgdf

As a freelancer, it’s practically guaranteed that you have great creative skills. In your chosen field, you can come up with inspired solutions to big problems and absolutely wow your clients. But actually landing those clients may be another story — few freelancers come from a sales background, which can make actually landing projects harder than it needs to be.
There are plenty of consultants and trainers who are willing to teach a person how to be a great salesman. If you’re not in a position to take those courses, though, there are some steps you can take to improve your ability to make a sale.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Night photography inspiration by William Cho

Media_httpfarm9static_rrtgi

"I am a freelance graphic designer/photographer from Singapore.

I started in photography late. Used to think that it was a boring job, having to shoot family portraits, passport photos, etc. But I guess back then, those were the bread and butter jobs!

And so after secondary school I instead decided to become a graphic designer. This career took me to a few places, some of which included Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, New Caledonia, Mauritius, Re-union Island, Cebu in the Philippines, Bali in Indonesia, Phuket in Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Hualien in Taiwan, Kyoto & Kyushu in Japan, and much of Europe..."

Posted via email from Inspiration

The Anatomy of a Perfect Website [Infographic]

How to composite and blend images in Photoshop

Media_httpwwwfuelyour_fbbhz

A common occurrence as a designer is to receive a myriad of images and be expected to make something out of them for a client. The images may be related by subject, but they may not look as if they belong together visually. A common task is having to blend multiple images together to create an advertisement such as a brochure, a flyer, or a poster.

Create a new document. Select a common print size, depending on your intended output. Your format may be letter, tabloid, or anything else. if you are creating this for print purposes, set the resolution to 300dpi. The images below will be combined to create a composite image using different methods to blend the images together. Click on each image below to go to its download page.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Best Way to Get Great Talent: Train or Hire?

Media_httpwwwinccomup_wozbu

When it's time to fill a key position, should you look inside or outside your company? Here's a look at the pros and cons of both strategies.

Posted via email from Inspiration

60+ Epic Futuristic Design

Media_httpwwwandysowa_decvi

So you know how much we like Technology and Design around here. Well you also know that one of our favorite ways of exploring and thinking about this, is by looking at really awesome futuristic design concepts! There is almost nothing more exciting (and fulfilling) than going where no man (or Woman!) has gone before, and creating something new – a new object, a new idea for an object, an idea for making things better, whatever. Making new things (or making something better) is the lifeblood of most creatives (designer or not). We have written about & showcased a lot of futurist, unbelievable, & down right innovative designs in the past – so this is kind of an update, with some new perspective and revisiting the old stuff as well to give you even more resources to supplement that big imagination of yours on your next design concept. Remember, There is always a way to make something better, you just haven’t thought of it yet! Or maybe you have…

Posted via email from Inspiration

30-Story Building Built in 15 Days

Media_httpenpunditcom_qfdku

At a pace never before achieved in history, Broad Group, a construction company that specializes in sustainable architecture, has built a 30-story building in 15 days. The remarkable time-lapse video (below) was shot over the course of just 360 hours and shows a 328-foot-tall tower rise from an empty site.

Posted via email from Inspiration

The Latest Web Design Trends in 22 Awesome Examples

Media_httpneatdesigns_ikaxi

Anxious to see the latest trends in web design? Planning to create your own website and you would like to give it a cutting edge?

Posted via email from Inspiration

How to be More Productive Online

Media_httpwwwincomedi_becdl

The Internet gives us unprecedented power to produce, but it simultaneously offers unprecedented opportunity to distract ourselves.

Slip into the bottomless abyss of email, StumbleUpon, YouTube, and your myriad social feeds… and you may as well throw your goals for the day out the window.

Posted via email from Inspiration

40 Awesome Twitter Covers for Your New Twitter Profile

Media_httpmaxcdnthede_iixhj

Few days ago, Twitter pushed live new updates, launching version 5.0 and refreshing the user interface, introducing fresh profile views, new photo streams. Twitter has released New Header Images for each user’s profile. You may now change your Twitter Covers if you like.

Simply choose to edit your profile using the iPad app, touch the “Header” button, and choose your preferred cover image. If you’re visiting Twitter using your computer, you can upload your cover by clicking the image of the cog in the upper right-hand corner and choosing to “Edit Profile.” Choose “Design” from the left-hand menu, and then scroll down to the “Customize Your Own” section.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Google's Eric Schmidt slams patent wars, still has nice things to say about Apple and Samsung

Media_httpwwwblogcdnc_dtjlm

Eric Schmidt's recent trip to Seoul wasn't all spontaneous Gangnam dancing. Google's former-CEO / current executive chair had a lot to say during the Korean launch of the company's Nexus 7 tablet, bemoaning the patent wars that have ensnarled the industry, telling the crowd, "literally patent wars prevent choice, prevent innovation and I think that is very bad. We are obviously working through that and trying to make sure we stay on the right side of these issues." The war for marketshare ought to be fought with the release of better products, rather legal maneuvering, according to the executive.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Stunning Illustration Artwork (45 Fresh Creative Examples)

Media_httpblogkarachi_qbgir

Adobe Illustrator is a powerful software for illustrating artwork. A creative illustration art is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information (such as a story, poem or newspaper article) by providing a visual representation graphically.

Posted via email from Inspiration

What Happens When You Add Color to Iconic Black and White Photos?

It's a little disorienting, to say the least. The best way I can describe the addition of color to famous black and white photos is that it looks more like a frame from a movie scene, than snapshot of real life. A little unreal.

It's obviously not as hilarious as uncropped iconic photos but adding color kind of removes the picture from its time in history. Do they look better? Possibly. But are the pictures as powerful? I don't think so.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Internet freedom is on the decline, but we’re fighting back

Media_httpwwwextremet_tpefv

Our internet freedoms are being curtailed, but not without a fight. This is the finding of a new study released on Tuesday by Freedom House, which looked at threats to Internet freedom and efforts to fight back in 47 countries worldwide.

Posted via email from Inspiration

Game Movie Parody Posters

Media_httpblogthaeger_ccacc

Game movie parody (concerning “Battlefield” movie) poster series by unknown artist.

Posted via email from Inspiration

40 Vintage Computer Ads of Yesteryears

Media_httpmedia02hong_xzwkp

Still remember the good ol’ days with joysticks and bulky monitors? 1TB hard disks may now be a common sight, but did you know that people used to be excited over ads promoting 10MB hard disks? Modems were the size of radios, the Macintosh computer looked like a typewriter, and laptops reminded us of toolboxes.

We may have outlived 3.5-inch floppy disk slots, and today 10 MB is the limit for an email attachment. It took us (a mere) few decades for us to come this far. In comparison, we can now carry 64 GB (that’s 64,000 MB) of information in a drive that is the size of our thumb!

Posted via email from Inspiration

7 Habits of Extraordinary People

Media_http4bpblogspot_xxcab

The concept of living an extraordinary life has been on my mind since I was a child.

I wanted to be a singer or an actress like every other girl and I believed that this was the ultimate way of showing that I was special.

20 years later, I’m a tiny bit wiser and know that being exceptional has nothing to do with being famous.

But everything to do with your own attitude and mindset.

Being extraordinary can have many forms and everyone has his or her own definition.

But there are a few habits we can all create to take our life and ourselves to the next level.

Posted via email from Inspiration

How to Accept Criticism as a Freelancer

Media_httpwwwahmadhan_kkhpa

Criticism is a fact of life when you work as a freelancer. Still, when you work hard on something, whether it’s a design, an article or a piece of art, you become attached to the work. You feel you have done your best, and it can be hard to accept criticism of that work. If you follow these steps, though, you should be able to accept criticism with the grace and good attitude that will lead to repeat business and recommendations.

Posted via email from Inspiration