20 Mac Apps For Everyone To Help Increase Productivity
Every hardworking employed or self-employed individual strives to be more productive at work. However, a resolution to be more productive is easier said and done. There are plenty of temptations in the office, especially for home-based workers. Sleep, idling around and even playing games are just a few clicks away. Of course, being less efficient at work will result in less quality output and in turn a smaller paycheck.
Thankfully, there are plenty of Mac apps out there to keep you in check. Here are our top 20–to do lists, documents, spreadsheets, task management and other productive office applications. The Macbook is a great innovation (thanks to Apple and the late Steve Jobs, bless him). Many of these applications aren’t free though, but we know that good things are never free these days although these apps are worth more than what you pay for.
Read More
20 Premium WordPress eCommerce Themes And 6 Shopping Cart Scripts
One of the coolest things that ever happened on the internet is the ability to sell things online. Not everyone has the capability to create websites that are built to sell products, it’s a good thing we have WordPress and WordPress developers to thank for their themes and scripts. In this article I will present eCommerce themes and PHP scripts that will help sell your product online using the cheapest means possible.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, WordPress has an amazing support community today that you won’t ever get lost. But of course it is always good if you have a basic understanding of how WordPress themes and scripts are created so that you can have an idea, if you have not yet, of how to edit and customize themes and scripts. A little knowledge of PHP and JavaScript is good too, but not really needed unless you want some tweaking done.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s begin with the selection of premium eCommerce themes and scripts!
Read More
An Introduction to Breadcrumb Navigation
Web design has come a long way. Gone are the days when a collection of a few static pages would complete a website. As of now it is about the ever-growing model of content creation that exponentially increases the depth of a website. A simple website can become the go-to hub of information in only a few months time. This is when the complexity of that website increases and it becomes necessary for the webmaster to handle the same.
Reducing complexity is an art and a “breadcrumb” is one tool that designers love to use. Breadcrumbs act as the navigational device for a website visitor. When used smartly, breadcrumbs make website navigation effortless. This article will enlighten you about the basics of breadcrumbs and help you understand the importance of breadcrumbs in your upcoming web design.
Read More
Showcase of 50 Kick-Ass Travel Web Designs
Expensive, cheap, grand or microscopic – traveling is a life-changing experience for many (including me) and you got to admit that! Mother nature tends to push you towards that inward realization that might leave you in admiration. Although traveling cannot be done virtually, web designers have walked that extra mile that has resulted into beautiful travel websites. Not only do they save us precious time, but also they pump our desires for our travel destinations.
Read More
Graphic Design from Around the World 3: Developing Countries
The third part of the series ‘Graphic Design from Around the World’ will feature graphic design from ‘developing countries’. There is no single definition to what a developing country is, and the list may vary greatly. Some developing countries may have high standards of living, while others vice versa. These countries are not as well represented in many aspects because of their so-called status–may it be politically, socially or culturally. Even in designs, most of the famous graphic designers hail from first world, or developed countries. There is much debate and criticism on the term ‘developing country’, but let us not discuss it in this article. The countries I will discuss here are from the list of the World Economic Outlook Report by the International Monetary Fund; and thus following the ‘Western model’ of economic development.
Read More
Brilliant Japanese Product & Packaging Design
It’s been more than a month since the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. It is one of the most devastating natural disasters of the century, having caused thousands of deaths to our brothers and sisters in Japan.
On a lighter side, let us remember what the crazy creative Japanese brought to the world. They are innovators, not imitators. One great difference I saw between Western and Japanese package and product design is the amount of energy and life found in the latter. Most Western packaging appeared limited, merely ‘contained’ on the canvas or package. Whereas Japanese design is more alive, spirited and energetic. Japanese packaging is created not to just contain the product, but has a unique soul of its own. It’s easy to tell–most of the packaging and product designs are based on nature and all things cute. In fact, they go through lengths to add tiny details like faces, eyes and smiles to products to make it more ‘kawaii’. Charming mascots, sweet characters and happy faces definitely sell in the company, and cute characters will definitely lure consumers into buying their products.
Read More
Great Art Movements That Inspired Modern Web Designers
The first modern designers are, of course, inspired by traditional and classical art. We designers, as a whole, get our ideas of beauty and aesthetics from by viewing paintings, sculptures and artworks from the most powerful art movements in history. Here are among the top art movements in the 20th century that helped shape how we view art and beauty.
Read More
Worldwide Graphic Design: How Different Nationalities Design Part 2
You asked for more, so you got it. We’ve covered Latin American, Middle Eastern, Dutch, Chinese and Japanese graphic design. It was a beautiful introduction to art from our brothers who speak different tongues. Graphic Design can be dramatic, emotional, powerful, romantic, serene, political or even all of the above.
Now we’re going to cover lesser known, but still equally powerful and equivocal graphic design from around the world. This time we hand the floor to Scandinavia, Israel, Russia and Africa.
Read More
Best Password Management Softwares for Free
Remembering passwords, without a doubt, is one of the most difficult tasks. Passwords are the key to every valuable service you use on the web and they cannot be compromised. Forgetting your passwords result in time consuming retrieval, because you have to go through all the verification processes to get your password back. Of course, every problem has a solution. In this roundup we will share some of the best free password management software that you can use to store your passwords securely.
Read More
55 Super Powerful jQuery Navigation and Menu Plugins
Navigation is one of the most important elements in web design. It has to be neat, usable and creative at the same time in order to not scare your visitors away. jQuery is one of the most powerful tools to enhance your navigation and make it stand out. With jQuery you can bring together both the creative and usable. This article will cover 55 fresh and superb jQuery plugins that will make your menus look awesome. Note that all of the listed plugins have been released in the last six months.
Read More
