MyBackgrounds Blog » Techniques & Tutorials

Site Makeovers: How Extreme Should You Go?

kristen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:47:48 +0000

Is your site in need of an extreme makeover? Some reasons are obvious, like frames, content from 2002 or hideous animated GIFs. Before you tackle a redesign, do some research. Preparing and Planning for a Redesign is a great checklist. Instead of scrapping everything on the site, what do your customers like? What has been working for you? What hasn’t? You may find that your site’s structure works great for customers and search engines, and some graphics changes will be enough. If your site has never worked for you, it may be worth rebuilding from the ground up. Preliminary research will save you from deleting your most-read content or jumping on design trends just because everyone else is doing it.

The Influence of Print on Web Design

kristen — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:21:37 +0000

With magazines and newspapers going under all the time, is print really dead? The neat columns, clean text and bold ads we see on websites today look very similar to traditional printed media. 25 Content Heavy Websites with Beautiful Structure, Layout and Hierarchy showcases websites that use clean, modular layouts to organize text. Instead of mile-long pages, designers are using columns and blocks to break up content. The result is reminiscent of newspapers and magazines.

Web typography can also go beyond Arial and Verdana. 50 Essential Web Typography Tutorials, Tips, Guides and Best Practices has a slew of web-based tools that let you test fonts in real time.

Why Logos Should be Taken Seriously

kristen — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:51:49 +0000

How NOT To Design A Logo at Webdesigner Depot has good reminders for designers and great points for any company looking to get a logo designed.

Your logo is important! People may toss a business card, but a memorable logo will likely stick in their brains. Typing text in Arial over a clip art image is not going to make a good logo! Sure your neighbor’s cousin’s son’s friend that took a graphic design class can hack something together in Photoshop and send you a JPG. What about when you need a crisp vector of that image for your signs or vehicle graphics?

Take the time and, yes, the appropriate financial investment, to do it right the first time!

Fun with 404 Pages (and Other Website Elements)

kristen — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:21:29 +0000

Pattern Tap has scores of inspiration for designers. The collection of creative 404 pages is particularly fun. Check out the awesome ways other designers are styling breadcrumbs, lists, tags and more!