MyBackgrounds Blog

Read The 65 Most Annoying things about the Web Today and have a laugh, then use it as a checklist to inspect your website. How annoying is your site? Visitors should be able to know who you are, what you do and how to buy from you without road blocks like Flash, confusing navigation, pop-ups, auto-playing videos and other web nuisances.

Another reference to use in annoyance measurement is How Popular Website Designs Looked Like In Late 90’s. Some, like Apple.com, have aged for the better with sleeker, cleaner designs. Others, like Yahoo.com, are still plastered with links, banners and information overload. How does your site compare?

The term “homepage” is often misused when discussing websites. As a designer, I consider a site’s homepage as the first page you see on www.domain.com. Usually there are more pages than the homepage! Homepages, or single page websites, had their run on Geocities and other free hosts until people realized (duh!) you can have more than one page on a site.

Or… do you need to? Check out this list of one page websites on dzineblog.com. Talk about gorgeous! Animated GIFs and webrings of the past have been replaced with stunning graphics and creative content.

A one page site may not be appropriate for a company with hundreds of products, but they stand out as portfolios. ayushsaran.com has a very creative graphic of the designer as a packaged action figure. rzmota.com has navigation that slides content in and out on one page.

Maybe if I have time I’ll take the homepage challenge, though I don’t think a giant photo of my head will make a great homepage!

If you have a graphic designer or web developer on your list this holiday season, here are some fun items to fill their stockings (besides the MacBook and other things you can’t afford).

Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
Published in 1996, Microserfs is a great read for any techie or anti-social gamer. When a group of Microsoft employees defect to form their own start-up, they learn that socialization and self-discovery is actually a good thing. The inspiring story moves quickly, with witty dialog and plenty of pop-culture references.

Artists Color Wheel Mixing Guide (Pkg. Of 3)
There’s countless tools online to help you pick colors, but sometimes the good old color wheel gives you the best visualization for color matching. Maybe it’s the entertainment value of something that spins. You get three in the pack… throwing them like ninja stars at your coworkers will surely inspire something.

Season’s Gleamings: The Art of the Aluminum Christmas Tree by John Shimon and Julie Lindeman
Retro design is still hot, and there’s nothing as kitschy and retro as aluminum Christmas trees. Get some design inspiration from the full-color photographs in this book while taking a trip down memory lane.

Make Your Own Shrinky Dinks
Take design old-school! This kit includes shrink plastic, colored pencils and jewelery findings to make your own Shrinky Dinks. Spend your time drawing something ornate, then shrink it down so you can barely see it. Even if your eyes aren’t what they were when you were eight, these are still fun!

Honey Farm Gift Set by LUSH
MyBackgrounds is not responsible for the addiction LUSH products will create! The Honey Farm gift set contains some of LUSH’s best sellers… all scented like honey, toffee and other sweet treats. This gift set is perfect for any hard-working developer that needs a bit of relaxation after work.

Bodum Chambord 3-cup Coffee Press
Maximize your caffeine intake with a French Press. Pour in ground coffee and hot water, steep, then press the plunger down for a rich, bold cup of coffee. Using a French press retains the coffee’s flavors and oils better than a drip coffee maker. You’ll never drink the office stuff again.

Why logo design does not cost $5.00 by Jacob Cass is a witty look at the world of logo design. It’s true that you get what you pay for!

If a mechanic looked at your car for two minutes and said, “That’ll be $5.00!” don’t you think you’d question why? The same goes for logos. A logo, graphic or web designer should take the time to know you, your company and your goals before slapping something together with clip art and stock fonts. Take the time to read this article if you’re looking into logo design… and if you’re a designer, just nod your head and smile!