Why Great Designs Aren’t Always Enough: The Importance of AB Testing
Sep 8, 2010 General, Inspiration, Resources, Tutorials
There’s a famous story in the design world about Google, who tested 41 different shades of blue . It’s often shown as an example of why AB split testing is bad or excessive, and why designers should just be allowed to just do their own thing (that’s what they get paid for, right?). But using Google’s obsession to prove that testing is always bad does a disservice to the medium. Testing can be an essential tool for web designers who may occasionally forget that design can’t just be beautiful: it must be functional as well. Testing 41 shades of blue might seem excessive, but testing blue versus purple link colors will show you exactly why there are some design standards that shouldn’t be altered.
Tags: ab testing, articles, Inspiration, iphone, testing, Tutorials, Web Design
Cyber Bullies – The Terminators of the Design Community
Sep 8, 2010 General, Inspiration, Resources, Tutorials
Not everyone has been mistreated by a school yard bully. However, everyone knows bullying exists. Bullying is not restricted by age or environment and doesn’t necessarily have to be a physical altercation to be considered bullying. In fact, designers and developers are also prone to bullying – cyber bullying .
Tags: article, articles, build-internet, bully, crime, cyber-bullies, development, freelancing, Inspiration, internet, people, Resources, Tutorials, Web Design
Quick Tip: Color and InDesign
Sep 7, 2010 General, Inspiration, Tutorials
For this tutorial I will list a selection of my favorite InDesign shortcuts when working with color. Once memorized these shortcuts will help you become more efficient and give you more time to be creative. First, I would like to share some general color advice that I regard as essential. Use a Color Wheel By using a color wheel and developing color schemes, you can restrict your palette to avoid using random colors and ultimately a color clash.
Tags: articles, Effects, facebook, illustration, premium, saturation, theory, Tips
13 Websites with Mind-Blowing jQuery Effects
Sep 7, 2010 General, Inspiration, Resources, Tutorials
This is a guest post from Sean – a multimedia addict with a specialty in Front-End Development. He is the creator of Freshen Up Design , a multimedia design blog dedicated to resources from all realms of digital media. Connect with him on Twitter , or visit the blog. The battle between HTML5 and Flash has been raging on for the past year or so, with Steve Jobs and his friends at Apple making a strong case for a Flash-less future.
Tags: articles, digital, Effects, facebook, friends, Inspiration, media, query-effects, Resources, trend-hunting, twitter, Web Design, Websites
Web Project: Weighing Cost vs Speed vs Quality
Sep 7, 2010 General, Inspiration, Resources, Tutorials
One of the most common issues that web professionals regularly encounter is the age old question of how best to meet your clients ever increasing requirements. While the technologies we use may change like the class of client we attract, the need to balance the three fundamental features of any project whether design, development or relative to something else must be answered. It is therefore necessary that we highlight the compromise between cost, speed and quality of service . Introducing the Principle There is a common saying in business that is as true today as it was when it was first invented which states that in any project, your client should expect only two out of three between cost, speed and quality .
Tags: article, articles, build-internet, delicious, development, guidelines, Inspiration, Resources, web project, web-project-quality
The Best Premium Tutorials from the New Tuts + Marketplace and Giveaway
Sep 6, 2010 General, Inspiration, Resources, Tutorials
Our friends from Envato launched a new site last week completing their massive marketplace network with a tutorial outlet. Let’s all give a warm welcome to Tuts + Marketplace ! We compiled a list with the most popular tutorials, screencasts & ebooks and the Envato crew was kind enough to offer $100 in credits for Inspired Mag readers. Tuts + Marketplace The new marketplace works just like the other Envato Marketplaces, and the regular user account and balance will work on the new site as well. Read more about the launch of the new site .
Tags: articles, catalin-zorzini, Design, envato, facebook, Inspiration, iphone, Photoshop, Resources, the best tutorials, trend-hunting, tuts-marketplace, Web Design
How to Write an Effective About Me Page
Sep 6, 2010 General, Inspiration, Resources, Tutorials
The “About Me” page is what many potential clients look at either right away, or at least the second thing they look at when viewing a freelance portfolio. As a solo worker, providing potential clients with information on yourself and your work is essential, because nobody wants to hire just anyone off the street. It is reasonable that a bit of research on the individual should be done, and an about page can make or break relationships with leads. As a result, an about page can make or break an entire freelancing business.
Tags: advertising, article, articles, delicious, Design, development, guidelines, Inspiration, kayla-knight, Portfolio, Tutorials
Quick Tip: An Introduction to Polarizing Filters
Sep 6, 2010 General, Inspiration, Tutorials
Over the next month we are going to take in depth look at different photography filters. We will find out what each one does and then how to use them. We start with a common filter used by beginners – the polarizing filter. We’ll take a look at what polarizing filters do, how they help your photography, and where you can get one from! What Does a Polarizing Filter Do?
Tags: articles, camera, composition, facebook, Inspiration, photography fundamentals, polarizer, post-processing, theory, Tips, Tutorials
JQuery (In Comparison To Flash)
Sep 6, 2010 General, Inspiration, Resources, Tutorials
JQuery is a framework for JavaScript which was released in 2006. The whole framework was developed by John Resig, an American Resident, Currently working with Mozilla Corporation as a JavaScript Tool Developer. Although there are many other JavaScript frameworks jQuery has been proven best in all the frameworks. The other frameworks like MooTools, Spry, midori, qooxdoo also allow you to manipulate the client side HTML content, but jQuery became very popular among all these because of its flexibility, easy coding standards and ability to deliver robust outcomes.
Tags: answers, articles, color, comparison, Design, designer, Inspiration, javascript, jquery, photography, Resources, Web Design
Quick Tip: Avoiding Camera Damage
Sep 4, 2010 General, Inspiration, Tutorials
A camera is the most important asset of any photographer. It’s your defining piece of equipment, and well worth protecting carefully from any damage, or wear-and-tear. Today we’re going to take a look at a few suggestions and tips for avoiding camera damage! Disastrous Dust Dust is your digital camera’s worst enemy. You should always take care that dust or sand doesn’t find it’s way into your lens – it can quickly ruin equipment, and also cause damage to internal parts of your camera.
Tags: articles, camera, composition, Inspiration, photography fundamentals, rishabh-agarwal, Tips
