The Hamburger Menu: a Tasty or Bland Design Trend?

The UI design landscape is always changing with new trends and technologies. In a past article we covered responsive navigation trends but in this post I want to focus specifically on one controversial trend: the hamburger menu.

You might recognize this as the slide-out menu with the three bar icon that looks like a tiny digital hamburger. It has been rapidly adopted in all areas of UI/UX over the past few years. But how well does it work in web design?

I’ll dig into the history of the hamburger menu - studying where it came from, how it moved onto the web, and where it could go in the future.

The post The Hamburger Menu: a Tasty or Bland Design Trend? appeared first on Vandelay Design.

from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/hamburger-menus/

How to Miss a Deadline Without Losing the Client or Your Credibility

Missing a deadline isn’t ideal in any line of work. For freelancers and agencies, however, it’s especially bad. Your clients often don’t have much context for judging you and your reliability, so even though on the whole you might submit your work when you promise you will, the specific customer may only know you’ve blown past one of the two due dates you promised them. Your on-time submission rate is 99%—but in their eyes, it’s a dismal 50%.

Of course, occasionally missing a deadline is inevitable. It doesn’t need to spell the end of your relationship with the client in question. In fact, you can submit late work without any negative consequences if you use these five techniques...

The post How to Miss a Deadline Without Losing the Client or Your Credibility appeared first on Vandelay Design.

from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/missing-a-deadline/

Fall-Colored Web and Print Designs

Autumn is well-known around the world as the season of change. The shifting colors of the lush forests have been an inspiration for mankind for centuries. In art, Fall represents duality and diversity.

It is a transitional season that has the characteristics of both its predecessor and its descendant. Days of warmth and growth are followed by wintriness and hibernation. This period of fluctuation can be successfully translated into the design world through the use of symbolic design elements. By picking the right color palette and applying the right textures, designers can create a variety of abstract art that originates from the mesmerizing Autumnal beauty.

Today’s collection of graphic art will take you on an inspiring journey through some of the most remarkable Autumn designs.

Fall-Colored Web & Print Design Inspiration

#1: Gunnarshögs Gård

Source: The Dieline

The packaging design for this all-natural food brand takes the best out of the Autumn color palette. The deep yellow, creamy beige and light purple labels make a great contrast with the whole food packs. The decoration of the product display acts as a fine reference to the harvesting season.

#2: Elkhorn Vintage Label

Source: Flickr

Photographer: Jon Williamson

This vintage green peas packaging has a dark design with a yellow-tinted overlay. The elk refers to the Elkhorn brand while the green peas photo collage naturally balances the composition.

#3: Life is Damn Good

Source: Behance

Designer: Fil Gouvea

Although the floral composition of this typography design reminds mostly of Spring, the dark, low-contrast colors and rough font give the poster an Autumnal feel.

#4: Vintage Autumn Collage

Source: Designspiration

Designer: Lee McKenna

This vintage mixed media collage is everything an Autumn design could hope for. The raw textures and natural elements combined with a soft earthy color palette make this collage an outstanding example of a Fall-inspired design.

#5: Sweet Pantone Palette

Source: Food Photogrist

Designer: Lucy Litman

This photographic composition by Lucia Litman will make your mouth water and get your creative juices flowing. Each color in this Pantone palette is represented by a specific food. All combined together, the colors remind of an abstract Autumnal landscape.

#6: Autumnal Typographic Poster

Source: Behance

Designer: Jairo Miranda

The soft overlay of the vintage floral letters gives the poster a nostalgic feel. The color combination and the overall remorse finish of this poster make it a beautiful example of an Autumn-colored design.

#7: CHVRCHES Poster Design

Source: Behance

Designers: Sean Freeman, Atton Conrad

This remarkable poster presents a combination of soft natural colors and raw, detailed textures. Although the poster is targeted for the Spring, the color palette of the design can be successfully used in Autumn-themed graphic projects.

#8: HER Magazine Cover

Source: Behance

Designer: Victor Beuren

This awe-inspiring drawing of two redhead lovebirds is an ideal representation of a Fall-colored design. This Autumnal illustration is created for the October issue of the HER Magazine.

#9: Franciscan Restaurant Poster

Source: Designspiration

This cheerful, vintage poster of a San Francisco restaurant uses a beautiful combination of Autumnal colors to create a jolly and natural looking illustration of the local Fisherman’s wharf.

#10: “Welcome To Austria” Vintage Travel Poster

Source: Creative Roots

This is one of the many gorgeous Austrian travel posters you can find online. Yet, it’s the one that best uses the Fall color palette to draw the mesmerizing nature of the bavarian mountains.

#11: Houstonia Burger Poster

Source: Fonts in Use

We can’t talk about Fall-colored design without featuring a food-themed art project. Food photography uses the full spectrum of Autumnal colors to create delicious and naturally looking meal shots.

#12: Cirque du Soleil JOYA Poster

Source: Behance

Designer: Kate O’Hara

Most of the illustrations of Kate O’Hara have that Autumnal feel we’re looking for, yet the Cirque du Soleil cover is the most remarkable of them. It presents a hand-drawn fairy tale illustration and uses a combination of Fall-inspired colors to refer to the feasting season.

#13: Woloho Website

Source: Design Made in Germany

Designer: Salina T. Gandji

The website of WOLOHO – We Help Eachother has a vintage header image that uses a mix of photographic collages tinted in different colors. As a whole, the website has a dreamy, wistful feel that can be related to the Autumn season.

#14: Fall-Colored Food Website Theme

Source: WP Mustache

Yet another food-themed website layout that made it to our Fall-colored design collection. The delightful combination of highly saturated colors that can be seen on the food photos can make anyone hungry.

#15: PeopleMap

Source: SiteInspire

Website: Peoplemap.co

This minimalist website uses a combination of soft beige and orange for its header image and product display. Although it’s quite simple, the color use of this web design can be creatively used in other Fall-inspired design projects.

 

The post Fall-Colored Web and Print Designs appeared first on SpyreStudios.

from SpyreStudios http://spyrestudios.com/fall-colored-web-print-design/

13 Ways to Gain Exposure as a Web Designer

As a web designer you may be faced with the challenge of getting your work and your abilities in front of others. If this is the case, here is a list of 13 different things you can do to get noticed...

The post 13 Ways to Gain Exposure as a Web Designer appeared first on Vandelay Design.

from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/web-design-exposure/

How To Design Text To Keep Visitors Engaged On Your Website

Digital typography is made for content consumption. The color, size, placement, and space surrounding text usually correlates with the content style.

But in web design you have to consider how these text elements fit into the page so that they’re also easy to consume. In the past we’ve shared awesome font resources to help design pristine typographic layouts.

But in this post I’d like to share tips & tricks for designing text that encourages users to stick around and even interact with a page. Engrossing web copy isn’t always enough. It also needs to fit well in the page and keep readers fixed on the content...

The post How To Design Text To Keep Visitors Engaged On Your Website appeared first on Vandelay Design.

from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/design-text-for-engagement/

Draw Browser UI in Adobe XD

In this tutorial, we’re going to learn how to draw a browser user interface in Adobe XD.

Download Adobe Experience Design CC (Adobe XD).

Read More at Draw Browser UI in Adobe XD

from Web Design Ledger https://webdesignledger.com/draw-browser-ui-adobe-xd/

20 Influential Web Designers to Spark Your Creativity

Personalities in the web space have become the norm with social profiles and international design conferences. But with so many designers out there it’s tough to wade through everyone.

In this post I’ll share the top 20 most influential web designers in the industry that deserve your attention. If you’re looking for unique voices in the design field then this list has a lot to offer...

The post 20 Influential Web Designers to Spark Your Creativity appeared first on Vandelay Design.

from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/influential-web-designers/

Blisk.io – Web Browser for Web Developers

Web Browser to View Website Across Multiple Devices. No Coding Skills Required.

  

One of the challenges web developers face when building a responsive website is making sure it looks great on all devices. I recently came across a web browser that is specifically built for web developers and allows you to see your website across multiple devices. The web browser is called Blisk and it can be found at https://blisk.io. In the video above I give a quick overview of the web browser and where to download it.

When building a fixed-width or fluid-width website in Adobe Muse this browser can be very useful. You can quickly test and see how your website will look across multiple devices as you are developing within Adobe Muse.

With the Blisk web browser you can see how your website will look on the following devices:

Phones:

• Iphone 4
• Iphone 5
• Iphone 6
• Iphone 6 Plus
• Iphone 7
• Iphone 7 Plus
• Nokia N9
• Samsung Galaxy S3
• Samsung Galaxy S4
• Samsung Galaxy S5
• Samsung Galaxy S6
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5
• LG G3
• Google Nexus 4
• Google Nexus 6

Tablets:

• Ipad Mini
• Ipad Air Retina
• Google Nexus 7
• Google Nexus 10

The browser allows you to view the mobile/tablet version and the browser version of the site at the same time. This will allow you to test the site and see how it looks visually across different devices. Also clicking with the mouse is the same as touching the device on the mobile and tablet versions of the site. Along with showing the website on these phones it also gives you the dimensions of the phones within the selection panel. This can be useful when deciding where you would like to place breakpoints within Adobe Muse.

For more video tutorials and widgets for Adobe Muse visit http://museforyoushop.com.

Happy Musing :).

Read More at Blisk.io – Web Browser for Web Developers

from Web Design Ledger https://webdesignledger.com/blisk-io-web-browser-web-developers/

Intense or Not Intense: It Is Hardly a Question [Multipurpose Website Template]

The concept of a multipurpose website template from TemplateMonster has won the world rather quickly. The popularity of web templates can be explained by many factors that are connected both with programmers and non-programmers. For a programmer, a multipurpose website template means less sleepless nights, less dirty job (meaning hand coding), and surprisingly more clients (we all know that clients do not like waiting). For a non-programmer, a web template from TemplateMonster is basically the only way to become an integral part of the web world. In addition, due to the 24/7 Support Team and affordable prices everyone can get a blog, a portfolio, or an online-shop that is fully customizable, speed- and SEO-optimized.

You would ask – what else can you ask for if everything is already this perfect? You would be surprised to know that there is the web template from TemplateMonster that is literally a programming wonder. And this wonder is called Intense. Designed as the first multipurpose website template, it got so popular that TemplateMonster has decided to create 10 more Intense-based templates. By the way, there is a rumor that TemplateMonster is not going to stop at number 10.

What is So Special About The Intense Multipurpose Website Template?

The answer is simple – everything. It could be said that the main unique feature of the Intense multipurpose website templates is their flexibility. It means that every Intense template can be easily transformed into 30 personal blogs, 20 different portfolios, or 10 authentic online-shops. Feel free to correct us, but as far as we know, this is the only template that can boast such flexibility.

What is also fantastic about the Intense multipurpose website template is the unbelievable amount of customizable elements that you can adjust to your needs. Numbers speak for themselves – 250+ HTML pages, 13 header and 4 footer styles, 60+ reusable elements, 2000+ Font Icons, 190+ PSD files and lots of other cool things. All this in one template. Outstanding, right?

One more breathtaking detail is that buying an Intense template means that you automatically sign up for the lifetime free updates from TemplateMonster. Knowing how productive the TemplateMonster programmers could be, there is a high chance that you would not need to wait for a long time before you see a better version of your Intense template. Yes, it is almost impossible to imagine that Intense could be better than it is now. But as people say, there is no end to perfection.

As one can see, the Intense templates is a profitable investment no matter what type of a website you are planning to launch. Or how well you know the latest trends in web development, or how big your expectations are. Also, Intense fits into any budget (see for yourself the prices for an individual Intense template or for the whole pack), into any company image and size. Enjoy the Intense multipurpose website template and choose the new look for your web project!

Chief Intense Template

This template has quickly become a bestseller due to its practical potential and amazing design. With Chief Intense your future website is equipped with all necessary tools not only to survive but also to thrive in the Internet world. While the valid semantic code, the parallax scrolling and the extended Bootstrap toolkit help this template to maintain its leading role in the Intense template family.

Details | Demo

Look and Love Multipurpose Website Template

The main goal of this template for photographers is to concentrate all your visitors’ attention on your content. This is achieved thanks to the clever choice of colors and easy-to-use navigation. Also, the valid semantic code ensures that your portfolio loads quickly so your customers could be more than satisfied when visiting your site. Let Look and Love do all the job while you are taking breathtaking photos!

Details | Demo

A Better Place Website Template

This template is designed the way your customers would want it to be designed. The white background that adds emphasis on your goods, different types of galleries with the photos that can stir anyone’s imagination. And social media buttons that help you to enlarge your clientele daily – this is what A Better Place offers. Finally selling property has never been easier!

Details | Demo

Tasty Intense Template

All your visitors will be absolutely stunned when using your website for the first time. First of all designed as a restaurant template, Tasty Intense represents the whole new approach to food industry. Being ultra responsive and cross-browser compatible, this template offers limitless possibilities for creativity. Moreover, this templates can guarantee that your restaurant is as busy as it could ever possibly be.

Details | Demo

Hard-working Multipurpose Website Template

If you need a job portal with the modern design and practical layout, then Hard-working is waiting for you. Equipped with the powerful search engine, this template allows your clients to find the jobs or employees of their dreams in no time. Due to the smart combination of black and white in the background accompanied by green highlights, your site looks positive and approachable.

Details | Demo

Intense Blogger Template

This template effectively uses the white color as a means to attract all the attention of your visitors to your thoughts and experience. Cute social icons help your blog get more popular on the web. The minimalist design is combined with the best functionality ever and extraordinary technical features.

Details | Demo

Energy Inside Multipurpose Website Template

Looking powerful and ambitious, this template possesses all the qualities that the Intense family can be so proud of. The fully responsive slider, the speed optimisation and social feed widgets create the unforgettable image of your sports center. The drop-down menu helps your website look well-organized and clean.

Details | Demo

Hand in Hand Template

This template is aimed at small businesses that deal with handicraft. Warm colors and the user-friendly layout of this template evoke an interest of your clients from all over the world. Also, sliced PSD and the drop-down menu look smart and welcoming.

Details | Demo

Play Intense Multipurpose Website Template

This particular template is created to suit the need for fresh and cute websites for kids’ goods. The absolutely charming color scheme harmonizes with cute Google Fonts. In addition being SEO-optimized, this template can quickly turn your web project into a profitable business.

Details | Demo

Heal Multipurpose Website Template

You can definitely rely on this template if you are planning to launch a successful medical business. Because of easy-to-navigate and cross-browser compatible, Heal can boast great practical potential. Furthermore, your clients know where to find you if needed thanks to the smart use of Google Maps and the fresh-looking Contact form. The sticky navigation bar and the back-to-top button help your visitors to find the information they need in no time.

Details | Demo

Money Talks Multipurpose Website Template

This template is designed for consulting companies of different budgets, types, and sizes. The combination of the green background and yellow spots create the image of stability and prosperity. Moreover, being speed-optimized, Money Talks makes sure that your clients enjoy visiting your site.

Details | Demo

In addition, you can find out more about Intense and other newest creations of TemplateMonster on the TemplateMonster Youtube Channel.

Read More at Intense or Not Intense: It Is Hardly a Question [Multipurpose Website Template]

from Web Design Ledger https://webdesignledger.com/intense-not-intense-hardly-question-multipurpose-website-template/

Affinity Designer For Beginners: Best Guides And Resources

With Photoshop being the de-facto design software it can be tough knowing what else is out there. Affinity Designer is a great alternative and it's one of the few programs specifically made for UI/UX design and graphic design work.

But most of your existing knowledge will not carry over to Affinity. How do you get started using this program with no prior experience?

I've curated the best free tutorials, videos, and other resources made for designers learning Affinity from scratch. If you stick with it and practice on your own you can quickly replace Photoshop or Sketch with Affinity Designer in your digital design workflow...

The post Affinity Designer For Beginners: Best Guides And Resources appeared first on Vandelay Design.

from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/affinity-designer-for-beginners/

Draw Instagram Icon in Adobe XD

In this tutorial, we’re going to learn how to draw the Instagram icon in Adobe XD.

Download Adobe Experience Design CC (Adobe XD).

Read More at Draw Instagram Icon in Adobe XD

from Web Design Ledger https://webdesignledger.com/draw-instagram-icon-adobe-xd/

The Thick Standard – Bold Business Cards with Painted Edges Giveaway

We’re excited to collaborate with the innovators in print, Jukebox, for an amazing giveaway!

FIVE winners will receive 500 ultra thick business cards with painted edges – What better way to show off your personal style than with the coolest business cards!?

Winners can choose from Jukebox’s 24pt white recycled stock or their earthy 22pt brown kraft, both of which are exceptionally sturdy, uncoated and have a natural texture. The giveaway includes full color both sides, so your design ideas are limitless.

With the touch of painted edges, your business cards instantly transform from mediocre to an art piece!

Enter The Thick Standard – Bold Business Cards with Painted Edges Giveaway by Jukebox

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Read More at The Thick Standard – Bold Business Cards with Painted Edges Giveaway

from Web Design Ledger https://webdesignledger.com/thick-standard-bold-business-cards-painted-edges-giveaway/

How to Design the Perfect Contact Page

Contact pages are critically important for websites—the more efficient and user-friendly a contact page, the more opportunities are likely to arise.

A good contact page design can even influence conversion rates; if a visitor can easily contact you, that same user will likely have a positive impression of your site. Additionally, if the process is simple (i.e. fewer number of form fields), you could be looking at a huge jump in conversion rates.

In the same way contact pages improve your site, they also create a relationship with your users. In fact, contact pages are used by a wide number of sources: eCommerce, news magazines, online services, etc.

Despite this fact, however, many designers underestimate the importance of a well-designed contact page, choosing instead to focus on other content...

The post How to Design the Perfect Contact Page appeared first on Vandelay Design.

from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/design-perfect-contact-page/

15 Terrifying Horror Movie Posters Designs

We’ve prepared a neat list of some of the most bizarre and brilliant horror movie posters that have been created throughout the years .

Source: http://theghostdiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/80s-horror-movies.jpeg

Horror Movie Posters: An Emotion-Driven Design That Sells

The holiday’s uncanny nature has also created the ideal conditions for the development of an entertainment industry focused deeply on the horrors and nightmares that keep people awake in bed.Horror movies posters are a classic example of the power of emotion-driven design. No matter how silly or utterly frightening the movie is, it’s “horror” tag always sells. The evolving TV and cinema productions have resulted in an endless list of terror movies, each with a scarier and more revolting poster than its predecessors.

Horror movies posters are a classic example of the power of emotion-driven design. No matter how silly or utterly frightening the movie is, it’s “horror” tag always sells. The evolving TV and cinema productions have resulted in an endless list of terror movies, each with a scarier and more revolting poster than its predecessors.

Tighten your belts and prepare for a bumpy ride, because today’s horror movie poster roundup is just about to begin.

Horror Movie Poster Designs

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/379076493618001851/

Movie: Stranger Things

This gorgeous poster is one of the many amazing fanart designs you can spot. A classical actors-in-the-center design with a spooky red title are all a horror movie needs to get your attention.

Source: http://www.impawards.com/2016/cabin_fever_ver3.html

Movie: Cabin Fever

The thick mist and the blood-stained water can make anyone shiver in fear.

Source: http://www.coroflot.com/chadhake/just-for-fun

Movie: The Thing

An inverted skull head crossed with an eight-legged creature is definitely not the type of pet you’d bring home.

Source: http://www.complex.com/style/2011/10/the-25-best-horror-movie-posters-of-the-80s/5

Movie: Pimpkinhead

You’ll think twice before calling your little one “pumpkin” after watching this terror-filled movie.

Source: http://www.complex.com/style/2011/10/the-25-best-horror-movie-posters-of-the-80s/5

Movie: Pimpkinhead

This mind-boggling poster features a creepy set of hands lurking over an innocent soul, trapped in an endless swirl of stairs.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/355221489341909471/

Movie: The Amityville Horror

This poster shows a scary man figure holding an unidentified object, standing in front of a big house in a dark and terrifying setting.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/452893306261348319/

Movie: The Remains

A little innocent girl playing with a dollhouse in a haunted house. Will the evil get her? Or maybe she’s the evil herself? The one and true recipe for a terrifying movie plot.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/84442561742999962/

Movie: Piranha

A sexy bikini girl peacefully enjoying her Summer vacation while the bottom of the ocean is crawling with blood-thirsty piranhas. This poster embraces the terrors of every tourist.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/349169777343855426/

Movie: The Birds

Birds are a symbol of freedom, hope, and healing. Yet, it may strike you as a true surprise that some people are utterly terrified by them. This Hitchcock movie poster is all about Ornithophobia ( the fear of birds ).

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/349169777343855426/

Movie: The Hills Have Eyes

If these deformed faces don’t make you shiver enough, don’t judge this book by its cover. The Hills Have Eyes will leave a cold and dark trace in your memories, making for a truly terrifying horror experience.

Source: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2011/10/the-50-sickest-horror-movie-posters-of-all-time/38

Movie: Scream And Scream Again

A truly nasty movie poster that shows a helpless woman being sunk into a tank of triple distilled acid. Not everyone’s favorite type of bubble bath I guess.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/570549846512548550/

Movie: One Missed Call

Missed calls sure are terrifying when they are from your mom, but with eyes of screaming terror and an enlarged, creepily smiling mouth, you’d better hope this prank caller doesn’t dial your number.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AVGgLckWJr-OsfsoTIMlqJFbGS-JnbiXeMUQSpESTvV5BKd43LdHybE/

Movie: Halloween

Do you sometimes find yourself wondering what crawls out of the dark shadows while your little ones are roaming the neighborhood for candy and treats?

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/268104984046202131/

Movie: Dead Silence

No one likes creepy dolls. Especially when they tend to wake up at night and scare the Hell out of you. And when you’re not even permitted to scream your lungs out things get particularly complicated.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/377176537520610350/

Movie: Dracula

We’re finishing with this vintage Dracula movie poster that in comparison with other productions seems like a fun joyride. Nonetheless, this doesn’t make the movie any less scary.

If you’re hungry for more Halloween design ideas, don’t forget to check these out:

Clever Halloween Ad Designs

The post 15 Terrifying Horror Movie Posters Designs appeared first on SpyreStudios.

from SpyreStudios http://spyrestudios.com/scary-movie-poster-designs/