inspiration, insight and style

Several people are asking about Fireworks help...
Let this be another helpful resource... (a collection of fireworks sites that provide insight on the tool)
http://www.noupe.com/how-tos/the-ultimate-adobe-fireworks-toolbox.html


How the Swiss Style Relates to the Web
This style of graphic design was born in the institutional context. The majority of work from this movement are in the form of posters, stamps, institutional typographical identity, street signs, etc. In this sense, these artists are leveraging much more than just top-down communication, they’re creating user-friendly interfaces.

As a result of that, Swiss Style artists tend to put their artistic efforts in that the content they are conveying delivers its intended message in a clear, unobtrusive fashion. One can make the point that they were thinking, in a broader sense, about usability long before the web even existed. How can we not learn from these great masters?

Have you seen/rented Helvetica?  interesting film.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/07/17/lessons-from-swiss-style-graphic-design/

Fillerati - Faux Latin is a Dead Language

Fillerati - Faux Latin is a Dead Language

Are you tired of reading “Lorem ipsum…” in every new design on which you work? Use Fillerati instead.

Colors In Corporate Branding And Design - Smashing Magazine

Colors In Corporate Branding And Design - Smashing Magazine:

I have been in discussion with many on your color choices and issues with it... take a look at this article...

"Color is a major consideration in any Web design. Whether for an individual, small company, or major corporation, color scheme is one of the most significant factors in the overall look and appearance of a website. In some cases, the designer may have the sole discretion in making color choices, but many times a color scheme has already been established and needs to be followed. In situations where a company already has a strong brand, color usage for the website can either build or take away from this."

Redesign: When To Relaunch The Site and Best Practices - Smashing Magazine

Redesign: Best Practices - Smashing Magazine

Since many of you are working through redesigning your recipe site, here's an article for your consideration.

Project Recipes | Food Enthused

Project Food Blog | Food Enthused

check out the link above for inspiration...

from your assignment...

Overview

We have been writing XHTML and CSS from the very beginning of the course. We have also been learning about the Web as a unique design environment. In this project we are going to bring them all together to create a web site. All of you have put together a recipe for your demonstration files. For this site you will collect all the recipes from your fellow students and collect them into a finished web site. Your site will include the following pages:

* Home Page
* Recipe Pages (one from each person in the class)
* Table of Measurements

Academy of Art | School of Web Design New Media Blog

Academy of Art | School of Web Design New Media Blog

the official dept blog site...

The Gettysburg Address

To Be or Not to Be...

The previous week, students were asked to style the Gettysburg Address by Lincoln. Some merely used basic tags and put little effort into the style and aesthetics of the page.

To truly make it engaging to the viewer, you must work with the content to make the layout and imagery compelling and readable.

This is what will make you successful.

Pages need to be accessible too. We'll get there.

Students need to make interesting work out of the assignments given each week.

Here's a few sample pages:

0. The Gettysburg Address (bold color, nicely styled)

1. The Gettysburg Address (page)

2. The Gettysburg Address (too much script font)

3. The Gettysburg Address (this meets the basic requirements and only that.)

Ajax loading animated gif

Ajax loading animated gif

need an animated loading symbol? I do, here's many different ones that are free (creative commons)

find the one that works for you!

Free Illustrator Assets for UI Design | CreativePro.com

Free Illustrator Assets for UI Design | CreativePro.com

The User Interface Design Framework is created by Webalys and is free for any use, even commercial. The only requirement is that you link to this page if you use the elements in a published website.

A free User Interface Design tool for Web Designers
* Design faster wireframes and create better mockup deliverables in Illustrator.
* Design usable application interface with hundreds of common GUI elements: just drop them from Illustrator Panels or pick them in the library files.
* Customize easily the vectors GUI elements to your own needs: you can easily resize, color or tweak their appearance.
* Benefit from a consistent UI elements library made by a web designer expert in application interface design.

A flexible GUI elements library for Illustrator
* The GUI elements are based on common interface patterns (accordion, expandable panel, progress bar, tags, slide show…).
* They integrate usability good practices and are perfect for wireframes design.
* They are also a good start for interface application design: the appearance is consistent, they are easily customizable and all states of interaction are provided.