Pros And Cons Of Using Frameworks

Posted in , , 727 days ago • Written by 28 Comments

Sometimes you should ask yourself, why you need to do the same thing everyday when there’s a new bridge to shorten the path. Think of a framework as a bridge that will help you code faster and easier. Did you notice I didn’t include the word “better” in the last sentence? Faster and easier doesn’t always mean better, but we will get to that later.

First things first, so what is a framework really? It actually depends on the context it is used. It can be defined as an abstraction tool that makes it easier to develop applications and reuse code.

“The framework aims to alleviate the overhead associated with common activities performed in Web development… and they often promote code reuse.”

Like everything else, when it comes to its use, a framework has advantages and downsides. Below is a list of some important facts you should consider, before you decide to start learning or using one.

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30 Useful and Cutting Edge CSS3 Text Effect and Web Typography Tutorials

Posted in , , , 734 days ago • Written by 11 Comments

CSS3 with it’s possibilities is a revolution in web development. The new CSS3 properties give developers a wonderful chance to enhance their designs in a way that’s quick and easy, yet visually impressive. What’s more, almost all of the major browsers now support most of the CSS3 features so that’s another reason for mastering the new techniques. One of the spheres CSS3 has changed dramatically is web typography. Text styling and neat effects can now be achieved without using any Javascript or images at all. This article presents 30 useful and cutting edge CSS3 text effect and web typography tutorials that will take your designs to the next level.

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Photoshop WebDesigner Toolbox: All the Resources You’ll Ever Need

Posted in , 735 days ago • Written by 16 Comments

If you’re using Photoshop daily it’s essential to have an asset library. Having a pre made toolbox or asset library can be extremely handy. Having the right toolbox can save you a whale of a time and provide you with nifty resources. If you’re a web designer, your asset library will probably differ from a photographers library, however there are things which should be found in every Photoshop user’s toolbox. While you could spend countless hours making your own resources, usually there’s no need to do that. Nowadays the web is full of pre made high-quality resources. I’ve collected various resources, sites and tools that can considerably boost your workflow, free up some time on your agenda and simply enhance your projects. If you don’t see your favourite resource/site/tool, please, feel free to mention it in comments because  maybe I’ve missed something great and noteworthy.

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What You Need to Know About Usability

Posted in , , , 739 days ago • Written by 19 Comments

Having good structure and navigation with poor layout does not provide a bright future for your website or application. However, having good layout design with poor structure and navigation does not provide a future at all.

Aesthetics is an important factor, but keep in mind that usability must be number one on your list. When I started designing websites and interfaces, my main, and probably only, concern was to make something beautiful that would catch the user’s attention – I had no idea about how wrong I was. If the user does not know where to go or how to proceed, he will close the page within 5 to 10 seconds.

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Google Products You Probably Don’t Know

Posted in , 751 days ago • Written by 15 Comments

Google search engine is one of the best product by Google, but there are many other innovative products as well that Google is developing them in  their so-called Google Labs. Many of these products are still in beta stage, but are really useful. Today I’m going to share some of the lesser known products from Google, which can help you. Some of them may even surprise you as you might not even heard about them and yet they’re so useful.

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Color Calibration for Your Devices

Posted in , , 783 days ago • Written by 9 Comments

We’ve all experienced it at one point: we’ve created an impressive digital work, and wanting to show it off to other people, decided to print it. But after seeing the printing job, you are horrified to see that the colors are off, the brightness, contrast or saturation is all wrong. You’ve realized that your screen’s calibration is wrong. The image you see on-screen is a lot different from what you see when an image is printed.

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Presentation Tools: Keynote vs. PowerPoint

Posted in , , 790 days ago • Written by 26 Comments

When we need to make a presentation, we often think about using Microsoft Powerpoint. Whether it’s presentations for school, work, home or party, Microsoft Powerpoint seems to be the only choice. But Powerpoint’s got a whole lot of competition: Google Presentation, Impress, Symphony, and its strongest rival, Keynote.

Some of you may have heard of Keynote, the Apple version equivalent of Powerpoint. Loyal Mac users have raved about it. It’s not as popular as Powerpoint, but has received rave reviews from many critics and designers. Which is better when it comes to performance–Microsoft’s Powerpoint or Apple’s Keynote? Let’s take it one aspect at a time.

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Create Your Dream Workstation: Popular Computers And Gadgets For Designers (PC/Mac)

Posted in , 792 days ago • Written by 14 Comments

I spent several hours scouring the internet for designers’ workplaces and their specifications. Now, this will seem biased towards Apple products since almost everything I have seen on Flickr, Dribble, and other communities for designers indeed favor Apple products. But don’t worry here you’ll see all the most popular alternatives and everything else you need to build your dream workspace!

From what I have noticed the number of displays needed for a designer is always one more. You have two? Add another one. A good combination I have seen is a laptop and a cinematic display from 24” to 27”. Wireless mouse and keyboards are also favored.

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15 Outstanding Tools to Collect, Organize and Share Your Web Experience

Posted in , 797 days ago • Written by 19 Comments

If you’re a blogger, journalist or simply desire more knowledge, you’ve most definitely faced information organization problems. Sometimes being able to access and find information quickly is crucial. Nowadays the web is enormous and it’s a big advantage to have a place where you can store all your bookmarks, pictures and links, access them anytime, anywhere and be able share them quickly. If you’re as lazy as I am you’ve probably got something like a ‘Do it later’ folder in your bookmarks. And then you’re just shoving links there until that list is the length of your screen. Sometimes you’ve got a great idea and you write it down on a notepad for example. Most likely you’d forget about it and never open it again. I’m kind of a pedant and I like when everything is organized neatly and quickly available. It’s especially true with my web experience.

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Freelance Proposals and How to Make Them Effective

Posted in , , , 808 days ago • Written by 7 Comments

I’ve been getting requests for the article on doing proposals, and it is finally here! This will cover the portion of your freelance career where you get the joy of quoting a project now that you’ve met with the client and have some time management skills under your belt. Whether you’ve done this two times or 200 times, the process will constantly need refining but the most important thing is to be clear, concise, accurate, and on time. Make your proposal bulletproof. Make sure it includes the scope of the project, so that anything outside of the scope will be billed extra. This will help with your time management, your billing, your timeline, and of course, your sanity. We’ll also talk a bit about a proposal system I love and highly recommend. Here we go!

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