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Design Inspiration (Archive)

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  • January 14, 2008 in Design Inspiration

    Breaking the Rules to Create a Talk Worthy Web Site

    In the spring 2005 I decided that having a talk worthy website is a critical advantage for an independent web designer. That realization prompted me to build the latest iteration of Liquid Design Media--the web site for my design studio. All the top search engine marketing and usability experts would disagree with almost every decision I made in building that site. I had a splash page, I used Flash, and the layout was abnormal. But I didn't design it to impress SEO and usability experts. I designed it so that someone looking for a web designer in my town would see it and say, "Wow...", and the competiion would fade into the background.

  • November 16, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    Smashing Magazine's Free Font List

    Typography is important but quality fonts can be expensive. I found Smashing Magazine's list of 40+ free fonts a very helpful resource. Here is a list of free fonts that don't look like they're free.

  • October 23, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    25 Beautiful Minimalistic Website Designs

    This links was on Digg this morning.

  • October 3, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    Breaking Down the Colors of the Top 20 Magazine Covers

    Vitamin News posted a link to an article on colourlovers.com that shows the top twenty magazine covers of all time along with their color palettes. It's an interesting study at least and a great point of inspiration at best.

  • September 27, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    LogoLounge.Com - 2007 Logo Trends

    This is an interesting article about design trends for logos in 2007. The section that really struck me was the one entitled "rubber band". I blame the Lance Armstrong awareness bands for this particular trend. They've been so pervasive for so long that they've finally made their way through the designer psyche and materialized on paper.

  • June 25, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    Are Splash Pages Really the Devil?

    Well, one look at my home page (Liquid Design Media) and you probably already know how I feel about the question. But the issue is much more complex than that. The new web 2.0 generation of designers has told us to reject the splash page as an unnecessary barrier between the visitor and the information they want to see. I would agree with that assertion in most cases and, in fact, I very rarely use splash pages. However, there are some instances where I would highly recommend a splash page. Generally, the higher the art factor in the content of the site, the more appropriate a splash page is. I the case my web site, though, I feel like the splash page helps direct visitors more effectively to the content they are looking for. The point is that you shouldn�t let the latest trends dictate the direction you take on a site. Do what works best.

  • June 12, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    Stock Photography is Out

    I know it�s really easy to just go to a stock photography site and pick out a quick stock photo for your project but you may be hurting yourself more than you realize. Yeah, it looks good, but stock photography is easy to spot and gives a disingenuous vibe. People buy from people, not models. I would recommend forming a relationship with a local photographer and including their fee as part of your web projects. Here is a photo taken by my partner in photography (leavethecamera.com). It looks good but it also looks real. It�s the best of both worlds and it only tacked a couple hundred to the cost of the project. Well worth it.

  • April 10, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    Illustration Inspiration

    Incorporating complex illustrations into traditional CSS design has become a growing trend in the web design world. N.Design Studio is doing a great job using this technique. Incorporating complex illustrations into traditional CSS design has become a growing trend in the web design world. N.Design Studio is doing a great job using this technique.

  • April 7, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    Web Design Inspiration - a photoset on Flickr

    Web Design Inspiration - a photoset on Flickr A contstant stream of great design and inspiration.

  • April 4, 2007 in Design Inspiration

    GenoPal - for eye-pleasing colors

    GenoPal - for eye-pleasing colors Having trouble getting that perfect color combination for a design? This little tool has helped me out tremendously. I�ve never been inspired by the color wheel and this is a fresh new approach to picking schemes.

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