An essential resource for every designer’s toolbox

Read on to find how you can try it for free!

A great source of stock images, vectors, textures, and patterns is an essential component in any freelancer’s toolbox. Not only can stock images be used as intended, but they’re also an amazing source of design inspiration. Whether you’re stuck for a layout, or puzzling over a color scheme, browsing through a good stock catalog can really fire up the creative juices. It’s especially helpful when you can download the assets and rework them. Unfortunately, a good source of stock images that doesn’t break the bank is rare. One such, is GraphicStock; a subscription-based design site that has just undergone a relaunch.

GraphicStock’s recent redesign has seen a huge boost in user experience across their library of images. It’s now easier than ever to shortlist assets and download them for your projects. As part of the relaunch, 50,000 new photos have been added, bringing the total number of images to over 300,000 files. Like any stock site, you’ll find the usual categories, like business, people, abstracts, and textures; all royalty free and usable on personal or commercial projects.

Where GraphicStock differs from most sites is that it’s a subscription service. For one low price of $99 you’ll have access to the entire GraphicStock archive with unlimited downloads. With GraphicStock’s simple, easy to understand pricing model, you’ll never have to worry about credits, or pay as you go plans, or paying $9.99 per image. GraphicStock adds new content all the time, so even if you don’t need an asset for a project, or for inspiration, it’s worth logging in just to check out what’s new and make the most of your daily image allowance.

Stock images are ideal for bringing pages to life, illustrating concepts, creating atmosphere, and even reinforcing brand values. It’s amazing how versatile some images can be; all you need is a basic design application and you’ll quickly find dozens of different use cases. The price of an annual plan on GraphicStock is less than the price of a single image at some stock sites, so maintaining a membership is one way to ensure that you always have the assets you need. However, if you should choose to, you can cancel your subscription at any time. Even after canceling you can keep and use everything you downloaded on GraphicStock.

Feel free to check out GraphicStock for yourself. GraphicStock is offering a free 7 day trial membership if you want to sample the site without committing to their membership. With 20 downloads per day that’s 140 free assets for you to play with. Once your trial is up, if you choose not to maintain a subscription, anything you downloaded during the trial is yours to keep, royalty free, forever. Head over to graphicstock.com to sign up for a free 7 day trial.

 

[– This is a sponsored post for GraphicStock via Syndicate Ads –]

Mega Bundle 30 Keynote Templates from Slidehack – only $37!

Source

si pide pass es: WebdesignerDepot Staff

Sketch 3.4 is released

The UI designer’s tool of choice, Sketch, has just received a significant update. The version 3.4 release from Bohemian Coding includes dozens of new features, and even more bug fixes.

Sketch has never failed to impress with its minimal interface, feature-rich tool set, and design-lead workflow. It also has an unenviable—and not entirely deserved—reputation for a lack of robustness. However the sheer number of bugs resolved in this update may finally silence the nay-sayers.

90 separate bugs have been isolated and resolved, ranging from the inconvenient (the layers list’s scrollbar no longer obscures the hide and lock icons) to the essential (Sketch no longer crashes when you change fonts).

The new Material Design preset.

In addition to the necessary fixes, dozens of new features have been added: one of Sketch’s most trusted features is the auto-save, but for those occasions when it’s inconvenient, it can now be disabled in the preferences; quick masking has been enabled for bitmaps; moving layers isn’t locked to whole pixels when pixel fitting is disabled; a replace image… option has been added when right-clicking an image; SVG images can now be dragged straight into Sketch from the browser.

Additional new features allow you to:

• edit the layout or grid of multiple artboards simultaneously;
• manage installed plugins in a dedicated preferences pane;
• preview artboards in the browser;
• share artboards on local networks;
• make use of a new Material Design preset;
• use the command key for distance measuring between layers inside groups;
• use option-hover on the layer list to measure the distance to the selected layer;
• see transparency clearly when exporting, thanks to the new CC-style checkerboard background.

In addition to the new features, Sketch users will notice a number of changes:

• the reliability of undo and redo has been improved;
• copy and paste is now more predictable;
• rotating a layer in the inspector now rotates clockwise;
• double export buttons in the artboard inspector have been removed;
• zooming is now faster, especially for multiple zooms, or mousewheel zooming;
• gradients are now based on the current fill color;
• plugins now have the option to disable CocoaScript preprocessing.

A full list of features, changes, and bug fixes is available on the Sketch website.

Version 3.4 of Sketch is a free update for licensed users, app store users can log into their account for the update, non-app store users can find the update here.

87 Photorealistic PSD Mockups for your Designs – only $17!

Source

si pide pass es: Benjie Moss

Working with writers: what designers need to know

Writers don’t want designers to hate us, but we ‘get it’.

Designers see us as defensive babies — that’s fair. You assume we’re only killing time until we sell our manuscript — also fair. But be nice, or we’ll name a character after you and make them a massive jerk.

We need to be comrades. When we work in unison, magic happens and projects reach a whole other level. When we work against each other, it’s a hateful experience, and the job becomes the child of a loveless marriage.

In an effort to unite designers and writers around the world, here are a few things that you should know about your wordsmith:

You have magic powers we don’t understand

Seriously. How the hell do you do anything that you do? Your skills are insane. We can’t do those things, and struggle to understand them. We control our laptops with a small trackpad at the bottom. You have a magic pen mouse thing that confuses and scares us.

Copywriters don’t know the first thing about graphic design. We have no clue how long it takes to code an image map. We might say something like ‘Maybe make that word pink,’ but we don’t actually know if that is a good idea. — one humble writer.

Bear with our ignorance. We’re coachable. If we ever ask you a stupid question, or a have a stupid idea, be patient. Try to teach us, so you only have to have this conversation once.

And please don’t look down on the little sketches we make when we’re trying to show you what we’re imagining. We know they suck. Just wave your magic pen mouse and make it better.

We’re sorry we leave at 5pm while you’re still working 

We truly are sorry. We wish we could help you. But as outlined above, we can’t do your job. Letting us help you with design is like letting a 5-year-old help you paint the house. You’d have to work very hard to undo our damage.

Also, staying after 5pm really cuts into naptime. And then there’s the crankiness.

Kidding aside, your work is often more time consuming. It’s estimated that a designer can design a website in 20 hours, if they work uninterrupted (try to imagine not being interrupted) and everything runs perfectly. If writers had the same circumstances, our work would likely be done in under 10. So you’re almost always going to have more on your plate.

We would love to help, any way we can. When you’re slammed on a big project, let us know if there is any way we can lighten your load. Feel free to give us any grunt work you think we can handle.

We share a lot of frustrations (mainly the client)

Writers and designers can often bond over the fact that people try to ruin our work.

We can imagine how frustrating it is when a client suggests that you wedge a logo into your work. And you can imagine how frustrating it is when they ask us to add buzzwords like “Omni-channel” to ours. We’re both given the always-vague feedback of, “Make it pop”. We’re also both asked to “whip something together” by people who have no idea how long our work should take.

We don’t love that your work usually comes first

There’s a polarization of opinions about what’s more important: the design or the copy? Should the copy be written to fit the design, or vice versa? Both sides have merit, but design-first typically wins out in most agencies.

You are also most likely getting paid more than us, with more opportunity for freelance. This may lead to a bit of professional jealously, even though we fully acknowledge the earning potential of your magic powers.

Again, stay patient with us. Let us pout now and then. We’ll get over it.

Get your writer involved in the creative process, as early as possible. Let them in, even if they’re not supposed to start working on the copy just yet. Show them what you’re working on, and where you want to go. This gets our juices going early, helping us turn out better copy to go with your amazing design.

People will try to turn us against each other

Account managers or sales staff can be sneaky, in an agency setting. They may get you to try to convince us to reel in a deadline, or vice versa. This can’t happen.

It may be subtle. It could be an email that says “Hey, Jan said the grape juice ad will take 3 days to design. Can we speed this up?” Or they may outright ask us to convince the other to re-shift our priorities. No matter what form it takes, it’s a simple case of asking Dad when Mom says, “No”.

We’re a team. We need to form a unified front against these attacks. We need to always extend the professional courtesy of respecting the each other’s deadlines and timeframes.

we need to have each other’s backs when people…ask for too much

This isn’t to say we won’t re-arrange deadlines to help you. That’s just a case of the artists sticking together and helping each other out. But we need to have each other’s backs when people outside of creative ask for too much.

It sounds cliquish, but this is how great work gets done.

We want to work with you again in another life

We won’t be together forever, but we want to be together again.

If one of us leaves the company, we need to stay in touch — on e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn or whatever. Writers love having a network of talented creative people. And we want to refer you.

This means we want to drop your name if a freelance client needs a designer. We would also love to help you get your next job. Of course, we also want you to return the favor. Hopefully we have impressed you enough to keep our name in the front of your mind.

It’s important that we stay in touch after our paths go different ways. So let’s stay on each other’s radar.

This is far from a complete list. Writers need a lot of understanding. But do your best to learn and understand our creative intricacies and we will do our best to bring out the best in your work.

87 Photorealistic PSD Mockups for your Designs – only $17!

Source

si pide pass es: Ryan Leclaire

Popular design news of the week: October 19, 2015 – October 25, 2015

Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers. 

The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the Webdesigner News site, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the past week.

Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that were posted, so don’t miss out and subscribe to our newsletter and follow the site daily for all the news.

Rawcode – A New Home for your Code Snippets

 

4 UX Habits for Improving Interaction Design

 

Let’s Redesign Web Design

 

Google User Experience Research Studies

 

Google Goes After Microsoft by Making Google Apps for Work Free

 

Hypsum – The Themed Placeholder Text Generator

 

Rare Photos of Apple’s Highly Secretive Input Design Lab

 

Choosing a CMS your Organization will Love

 

404 – Back to the Future

 

Bootstrap Studio: Create Responsive Websites Using the Bootstrap Framework

 

StarWars.iOS

 

Project Flux – Leaked Internal Google Document

 

TechPrep by Facebook

 

Covers – A Series of 55 Animated Vintage Book Graphics

 

Blocks – The World’s First Modular Smartwatch

 

Voice & Tone by MailChimp

 

Apple Bans Over 250 Apps that Secretly Accessed Users’ Personal Info

 

Site Design: What is Burning Man?

 

Siri Celebrates ‘Back to the Future’ Day with Humorous Responses

 

Introducing Boomerang from Instagram

 

Windows 10 Upgrade Nags Become More Aggressive, Offer no Opt-out

 

Google Frightgeist

 

Twitter and Facebook are Turning Publishers into Ghost Writers

 

The Secret History of the Hashtag, Slash, and Interrobang

 

Existential GIFs That’ll Make You Question your Daily Grind

 

Want more? No problem! Keep track of top design news from around the web with Webdesigner News.

LAST DAY: 650 Hi-Res Stock Photos from ApertureVintage – only $24!

Source

si pide pass es: Cameron Chapman

Comics of the week #310

Every week we feature a set of comics created exclusively for WDD.

The content revolves around web design, blogging and funny situations that we encounter in our daily lives as designers.

These great cartoons are created by Jerry King, an award-winning cartoonist who’s one of the most published, prolific and versatile cartoonists in the world today.

So for a few moments, take a break from your daily routine, have a laugh and enjoy these funny cartoons.

Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below as well as any related stories of your own…

Catch and release

 

When Ho Ho Ho is No No No

 

Don’t ask, don’t tell

Can you relate to these situations? Please share your funny stories and comments below…

Learn to Launch Your Own Business with the Freelance Startup Guide – only $4.97!

Source

si pide pass es: Jerry King

Essential tips for converting a desktop site, to mobile

Since mobile devices have now overtaken the desktop in popularity it’s necessary that designers design with mobile in mind. Mobile-first is popular as a technique because it is easier to scale mobile up, than scale desktop down.

However, sometimes the choice is taken out of your hands. Commonly designers find themselves adapting existing desktop designs to mobile. And because some elements don’t translate well, it’s essential designers understand what specific adjustments to make when designing for the small screen. Here’s how…

Embrace minimalism

Minimalism has been popular in web design for years now, simply because it often aids usability and looks nice, too. When it comes to mobile, though, minimalism is less of an aesthetic choice, as it is one based purely on usability.

According to the Nielsen Norman Group, cutting features is a necessity in mobile design. So what does this mean for designers as they try to build a mobile site from an already-established desktop one?

It means doing away with what’s not essential to the mobile user experience. For instance, if you’re transitioning an e-commerce store from desktop to mobile, keep the same amount of products displayed on the mobile site; it only makes sense, because shoppers want to be able to find everything an online store has to offer, just as the online store wants to show everything it has to sell to its site visitors. A big ad carousel for the latest deals, however, might reasonably be be pared down a bit.

Hide navigation

One of the most common features on mobile screens is the hamburger menu, that almost omnipresent little icon with three horizontal line segments piled on top of each other. This is another perfect case where the smaller screen size of mobile forces designers to change around elements that are expected to look a certain way on desktops.

In spite of the divided opinion on the hamburger menu’s presence, it is pretty much ubiquitous on mobile screens simply because this is the best solution that designers have found for downscaling the navigation menu from desktops to mobile devices.

Check out famed chef Bobby Flay’s website for his chain eatery called Bobby’s Burger Palace. As expected, the navigation menu is horizontally laid out across the top of the homepage, yet when you go on the site’s mobile version, the horizontal menu is gone. In its place is the neat and tidy hamburger menu, right in the same place of the screen where the longer horizontal menu would be on the desktop version.

Walmart also makes use of the hamburger menu in its desktop-to-mobile design transition.

On its desktop site, Walmart displays the “All Departments” dropdown navigation that opens up a second layer of navigational choices all on the same page. On the mobile site, though, that feature isn’t possible due to the small screen size, so a replacement has been designed: the second layer of navigational choices are in the hamburger menu and these open up more and more navigational choices with every selection—almost like flipping the pages of a book from left to right.

Switch to a single-column

In keeping with the fact that simpler is just better when it comes to mobile design, you’ll do well for your clients if you remember that a single-column layout is cleaner and easier for their users to operate on a smaller screen. The big benefit of a single-column layout is that you do away with horizontal scrolling, as if you had a lot of text on a page and wanted your readers to swipe the screen from left to right, to read on.

When you introduce a single-column layout, you streamline the user experience, encouraging users to simply scroll down to read on or click on a link they want to see on a new page. This beats forcing them to swipe left to right, which is harder to do than simply scroll down, especially when you consider your user’s thumb position relative to how they hold a mobile device.

The desktop website of The New York Times newspaper features multiple columns. That’s easy to use on a desktop, when your client’s users can simply move the cursor from left to right with no issues on a trackpad or mouse.

Of course, The New York Times’ mobile site understands how things have to change on smaller screens, so it introduces a clean and efficient single-column design that boosts the user experience, as readers can just effortlessly scroll down for more content with their thumbs.

Mobile considerations

Because of mobile’s influence on users today, designers have to always design for mobile. It’s not good enough to simply design a mobile site along with the desktop site and call that designing for mobile, though!

Designing for mobile means actually being considerate of the specific adjustments you’ll have to make for your client’s site when you design for the small screen. This includes everything we talked about above, from minimalism in design to hiding the navigation bar to moving to a single-column layout.

By adopting these best practices in your skillset, you’ll create sites that are a perfect fit for mobile.

22 Superhero Toon Characters in 2200+ poses – only $24!

Source

si pide pass es: Marc Schenker