Drawar Forum: Design

Thematic, a FREE Wordpress theme

aminusone — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:53:26

what do you guys thinks of this theme?

Thinning fonts on the web

Ozone42 — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:51:54

I like dark backgrounds. The problem with them is that due to the way fonts render in various browsers, and the way our eyes interpret things you can easily get into a case where things are fat, overbolded, and too high contrast to be nice on the eyes.

One solution to this is knockout type using text-shadow in css3. Unfortunately Safari is the only widely used browser that supports this so far.

Other than jumping to siFR or the like for headings, or creating static images, does anyone know a way to slim down fonts on the web?

Flexible or Fixed layout for a blog?

kailoon — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:57:55

I just read an article from smashingmagazine about the Flexible Layouts: Challenge For The Future. So, I just wondering if I am doing a blog design. Is it good to use flexible layout?

Things that I consider are:
1. dynamic content
2. different wirtting style of the bloggers
3. cross browsers?

I hope can read some comments from you guys.

Thanks!

Fatdoor finally has a public offering after tons of funding and privacy issue concerns

jasonmalone — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:35:08

After what seems like forever, a well funded social network site finally has a public offering after realizations that the initial concept for Fatdoor would lead to a myriad of privacy issues. Here is a snippet from their email today:
"Thanks for requesting an invitation to Fatdoor, we appreciate your patience. We've been busy building a new site, and as you may have noticed, we also changed our company name to Center'd (www.centerd.com) to better reflect our new product."

Snazzy looking site, with a nice mix of graphic elements and photography.

Does anyone think this idea can take off?

MySpace new design launched

Tyme — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:22:59

I rarely go to MySpace but when I heard about the design change I decided to check it out. It's Facebookish and not at the same time. I guess it is an improvement but well, I have a "blah" feeling on it.

I know most of you are Facebook users but from a design perspective, what do you think of the new design?

2008 Web Design Trends

Mike — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:46:36

The trends of web design change every year and it's really interesting to see what someone deems as being an "in trend" and what isn't.

So what defines a trend? Who defines a trend? Obviously picking out what's hot in the world of web design right now is pretty subjective, so what would you define as being hot right now? Here's my quick list:

Old-timey looks including weathered designs, watercolor, hand-drawn stuff.
Grid-based and ultra modern. Uber sparse.
Illustrations on top of photographs. These never get old and always look slick.

Also interesting to look at is the list of 2008 logo trends (and 2007) to see how they match up with trends in web design.

Has anyone noticed the silent redesign of the Tivo Site?

jasonmalone — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:54:38

The new design, IMHO, (take a look here)is actually stunningly elegant. I really like the tone on tone coloring of the blue as well as the simplified navigation. They are planning to add some easier to use features as well. All in all, I am impressed with the direction the product is going. Recently they have won their lawsuits and brought back the lifetime service plan, and now a new site with fresh easy to use content. Welcome Back Tivo. I never left your side.

Drawar Gallery Feed

Scrivs — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:33:41

It needs some tweaking, but if you'd like to stay up to date when new items are added to the Gallery then here is the feed to fulfill all your needs. It's rudimentary right now so cut me some slack, but it does the job.

Site suggestions for Drawar Superstream on 5/29 @9pm

Scrivs — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:47:30

The Drawar Superstream is happening tonight at 9pm (or tomorrow depending on where you are at the moment) and Mike and I will be gracing the video screens. Since this is the "design" site I figured one of the things we could do is provide live design critiques on a couple of sites to get in the minds of how we view the world.

Don't suggest personal sites unless you are the owner of the site and understand we aren't here to blow smoke up your ass. We are here to entertain, be informative and provide cut-throat, brutal honesty. You will be dealing with one of the great designers on the web you know.

This Superstream will also give you a great opportunity to ask Rundle the questions that you always wanted answered like how much of a pain in the ass it is to design with me watching over his shoulder.

Anyways hope everyone can make it.

Beautiful icon set

Tyme — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:33:03

I came across a list of icons from DeviantART and I thought I'd pass it on. Their beautiful. There are 40 sets - perhaps they will come in handy for you.

Design Blogs

atom — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:28:06

Name me some good ones other than FFFFOUND (:

The Artist vs. The Designer

xirclebox — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:18:30

I was reading an article “You Are Not A Designer” and it stirred up some feelings in me on he subject that I have been wanti9ng to explore. This was the catalyst I needed for me to get writing.

I think what’s going on here is that we have “The Artist” vs. “The Designer” and the way applications are used. The Artist is only concerned with the look and feel of the creation whereas The Designer is concerned about both the look and feel as well as the technical details required to make the creation work. The Artist is someone who uses these applications to only create what Designers build. Is the ability to create something Boolean? Yes. You either created it or not. But to design something such as a UI is to have an understanding of “how” or the “purpose” for creating said UI. The path to understanding design is not found in the “tools” drop down menu.

Not to take anything away from those who use applications to get the job done. I designed my first web site back in ‘94 using Photoshop and wrote the HTML by hand using Pico. Today I use the Adobe Creative Suite to build sites, however I also know the code and can do it by hand. But as projects grew and time lines shrunk these tools proved their usefulness.

I feel those Artists who use applications and wear the “Designer” badge can be classified as either: Novice, Advanced User, Expert.

The Novice is just starting out. They will most likely use some WYSIWYG because it helps speed up the process. They may be doing this as a hobby or it could be a career move for them as some point.

The Advanced User is not all that new to the game and is very good at using the applications to achieve their goals like the “Painter” Stevie mentioned. They may have a formal background in the arts but don’t “waste” time with learning things outside of their box. “Just let the application do it for me.”

The Expert is the person who knows what’s going on up top and under the hood. They know why the code is behaving a certain way, they know why it’s best to use a certain technique in Photoshop over another. They may be formally trained in the arts or computers but have taken the steps to learn or become familiar with the details outside of their box.

In any case, to be able to create something takes initiative and talent. Does that mean the end result is any less important? Not if serves it’s purpose.

My Mother, Pat Gaines-Mills is a very accomplished Artist who went to school to study Art and now has work hanging all over Indiana and abroad. Me, I’m an accomplished Designer who went to school to study Psychology and has sites all over the web.

My Mom is great at painting anything from abstract compositions to the endangered Black Rhinos in Africa. But if you need an interactive presence I’m the one to call. Love you Mom :)

Very Cool Interface

xirclebox — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:50:36

Came across this site last night while exploring. It's not a practical UI but it's still a good execution.

star-room

I'm in the store...

parenteau — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:12:03

So, I posted a header in the store... and didn't know the deal with the points stuff and such... so anyway I post this header thinking I can go ahead and use it for myself. I find out that I can't use it. I figured that others would be able to buy it... and so I say that the quantity I am uploading is 1... which is actually just one available for purchase.. and I set the price at 10 points. Then later on... now that I have navigated the whole store for headers... I realize that my price was way low! Computerjoe gat a steal of a deal!!! Anyway, I have made it my new price for design headers... if anybody wants one uniquely done custom for their profile... I will gladly do so for donations of points. I look forward to hearing from you all!!!

CSS Frameworks?

markupninjas — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:08:22

A bit of a rehash, but I'd like to see what this community thinks.

I'm pretty heavily involved in writing a CSS framework that will allow themes for Telligent (my full time job) to theme more quickly for their customer base.

It's got plugins, any order columns, and modules that can split into further grids and such, but keeping it light. No matter what though, because I have to account for anything, its got just boatloads more divs than I would ever write. I can't know that for the rounded corner plugin, I always have this element or that element to hook into for the rounded corners, etc etc. This is important to me, but the devs and money makers don't much care, as long as we're churning out more faster and its generally clean.

How do you guys feel? Bloated-ish markup and fast turn around times, or from scratch css and html each time thats ultra clean and semantic? Speed over quality? Or is it even a question of that?

CSS or XHTML Validation: If you had a choice

ldragon — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:02:20

Hey people :) just been discussing this with my mates at work:

"Concerning all the websites you've ever made and are ever going to make, consider this: If you had to make sure that the site in question was 100% valid in either CSS2 or XHTML in order to finish, what would you choose?"

Personally, I'd probably stick with the XHTML validation, since I reckon this is more important overall i.e. for screen-readers, usability/accessibility issues.

Your thoughts?

Image zooming within a website? Help!

RightOn — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:16:51

My boss contacted me last night wanting to include a feature similar to one he saw online @ David's Bridal into our website and I can't find anything decent enough to mimic it so far in my searches.

Here is an example...

What he's looking for is something like the photograph of the product, that allows you to zoom into the image to better see detailed areas.

I don't do Flash so that's out of the question and I'm not to find MooTools or extensive Javascripting EASY by all means.

Does anyone know of a WordPress plugin that will do this or a script I can include that will do something like this?

Thanks!

YouTube Clone?

creativeaccess — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:35:46

Can anyone reccomend a decent video blogging YouTube-type clone? I did find one a while ago but cant for the life of me remember where!

Can I call myself a web designer?

memecow — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:52:46

In brief: I'm self taught (which I suspect is the norm). I specialize in Blogger (and whatever else is free). But is what I'm doing design or just tinkering? Examples:

http://whoisioz.blogspot.com/
http://fringetv.blogspot.com/

And yes, I'd like some critical input too. What am I doing wrong?

What OS shopping cart?

creativeaccess — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:57:34

I need to use an open source shopping cart and wondered which cart is your weapon of choice at the moment? I was thinking of Zen Cart.

Internet World 2008

creativeaccess — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:10:20

Anyone going along to Internet World 2008 @ Earls Court the week after next?

Logo Design Love Awards judges' verdict

davidair — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:48:34

The judges' have delivered their verdicts, in the search for the most effective blog logo.

Some very insightful comments from the distinguished panel:

http://www.logodesignlove.com/logo-design-love-awards-results

Examples of Grunge Design?

steckel — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:54:27

Hey everyone! I'm in the process of designing a tattoo web site for a friend and wanted to know if anyone has any favorite grunge styled web sites I can use for research. Grunge texture, grunge font, grunge-like-grid. Any examples or advice is appreciated!

Alternative Typeface for Helvetica / Helvetica Neue

diegooriani — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:05:35

Hello,

I am basically researching an alternative typeface for Helvetica Neue and Helvetica that works without anti-aliasing.

Helvetica Neue works fine without anti-aliasing but this is not the case for Helvetica.

I basically trying to find a bitmap alternative for "Helvetica Neue 35 Thin" and "Helvetica Neue Medium 35". Yes, I know I am asking to much but I have sure someone has some good options for it.

Arial is the closest match to Helvetica so far. Any others?

These Guys' Web Design "Ripped" By THE GOLF CHANNEL.com

mrrabbitfluff — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:50:08

A large business "The Golf Channel" has decided to rip off their "New Web Design" from an award winning small local golf site featured in many design gallery's... NCGolfers.com. Article from owner of ncgolfers here

Reddit submitted by fellow user, vote for it

Blog about it if ya can, it's the only way to help this little site fight them..

Geeks the word?

creativeaccess — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:34:21

Had a conversation with a potential client today who was complaining about his last web designer and saying he was a "total geek". So that got me wondering (doesn't take much!) How do web designers, coders etc feel about the term 'Geek'?

Personally I haven't got a problem with it but it seems to me that when a Geek calls another Geek... a Geek (still with me?) it's OK. But when a client uses the term it's usually not so complementary.

What do you think? Love it, hate it or have better things to do with your time?

Intermediate CSS Courses

ashleek — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:56:46

Hi All,

I'm looking for a good intermediate CSS course in the north of England. Any Ideas?

I've developed a number of sites using CSS / XHTML but want to really tie up my understanding of CSS and make sure I'm using the best possible methods to produce commercial work.

I follow the Design blog everyday and know you guys are the best.
Hope you can help

Cheers,
Ash

Feedback needed on project

palbergstrom — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:19:24

Hi,

This is my first post. I love the design of this place. Anyway, that said, I'm in the process of getting my ideas out and I realize that I need help to manifest them. I'm taking a chance of opening the door by posting here.

I've developed a method and a philosophy called DesignGenetics. It's a tool for analyzing and mapping design and behavior attributes with the same "ruler", something I feel has been lacking within Design Management. One of the purposes with this method is to be able to Personify Organizations.

My humble mission is to redefine design and make people realize that even a Manager or a CEO is a designer, and that Design is actually a mirror of the collective personality, and something that should be at the core of the company before anything else. Personality is what makes and breaks a company. It gives direction. Design and behavior are a result of that and has many things to say. Everything else are functions for implementing that personality.

With DesignGenetics as a hub I'm trying to create an eco system around that, or around personality. I call this The Gepio Project.

I'm working on this by myself but I now need some power behind it. I believe it has a create potential, in many ways. Not sure what I expect from asking for help here, but I'm looking for feedback, insights, and more so help with building this to something bigger, perhaps by entering into a bigger context within an organization you perhaps know of. My plan are to create a business of this, but I'm completely open for ideas. Any thoughts of who might be interested in what I'm creating are welcome.

I'd like to tell you more and show you some links where I'm building it, if there's an interest here, but not sure that's ok with the Terms of Service here. It might be seen as commercial links. Even thought they are, they're not (yet :-) ). Can I?

Looking forward to be using this site more and get in touch with like-minded people.

Desktop Backgrounds for Macbook?

aadil — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:26:48

Where can i find great [visually stunning] desktop backgrounds [wallpapers] for my Macbook?

The Are You A Virgin? Design Competition

shadowsun7 — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:27:05

Have you guys heard of AIGA DC's Are You A Virgin design competition? Gotta love the site concept.

Been thinking of joining, but I don't think that'll be possible with my current schedule and location. Great idea they have, tho.

IE7 javascript onclick weirdness anyone?

michaelmurphy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:21:46

I hesitated to post in the design group about this but I see other browser/css/etc related notes here.

I had a link on a website recently that looked something like this:

<a href='#' onclick='somefunction();'>click me</a>

Where somefunction made a previously hidden piece of content visible. somefunction ended with a return false statement to keep the browser from executing its default behavior of going to the href target.

This worked like intended in all the recent versions of the major browsers I tested in (IE, FF, Opera, and Safari). But a trickle of complaints started from IE7 users saying they were getting redirected to the homepage (#). I couldn't reproduce this error in IE7 on my machine.

When I tried changing the link to:

<a href='javascript: void();' onclick='somefunction();'>click me</a>

The link did absolutely nothing for users reporting the problem.

There was loads of other troubleshooting which I'll leave out because they led nowhere.

As it turns out, at least one of these users had the McAfee anti-virus suite installed which had installed the McAfee IE7 anti-phishing tool. A particularly clever customer figured out that if he disabled this add-on, then everything worked perfectly.

When I was trying to troubleshoot this problem, I was tearing my hair out and couldn't find any helpful information so I figured it was a worthwhile post here.

Has anybody else run into something like this?

Quick Question for those with IE 6.0 (CSS with IE6 problem?)

ericastjohn — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:04:31

Hi.
I have IE 7, but I test with IE 6 on Virtual PC (MS). When I test a site I am working on using Virtual PC with IE 6, it does not show my background - the illustration part of the site and the whole background is just dark brown.

example ie6 with virtualpc

example in firefox

Can anyone with IE6 confirm that the illustration does not show like in the example ie6 with virtualpc above, or do you all see the illustration as in the firefox example above ? Thanks
Erica

Ericastjohn.com

Why are rounded corners so attractive

AsaBerdahl — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:51:41

I have been sending quite a bit more time looking at others sites and realizing that the reason I look at some sites longer might be they design. I read somewhere that a rounded corners create a natural shape but I am not quite easily convinced I am the only one. If the site's natural flow is kept on the move with rounded corners or just no harp edges, it gives it a more organic or human feel. I just hope to find more reasons or good opinions of why you think it seems to work.

Good examples of round or organic shapes:

Gmail - The inbox view uses rounded corners to connect the menu ith the list of items in your box.

9rules - They use it sparingly among the major areas of the site like the header and the sidebar, plus the actual page wrapper.

Sheezyart - An art site developed by the original deviant art guy. The site layout is simple and utilizes the use of round corners almost everywhere.

And many more!

The Blueprint CSS Framework

Scrivs — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 06:04:20

I have been working on a couple of side projects (no don't ask about them since they probably will never go live) as usual and when thinking of the layouts of the sites a big issue that continued to creep into my head was the CSS. This is especially on my mind with what we are doing here at Chawlk and our future sites because much of the CSS is repetitive and there really shouldn't be a need to replicate it over and over again.

Recently I came across the Blueprint CSS framework and I love what it has helped me do. It has given me a baseline starting point for a site with easy to follow conventions that help to guide the structure of my site. For example, I decided to apply the framework to Expert Idiot to being work on a new design and I was able to construct the layout in minutes with the help of Blueprint. Note that the design is without any changes in style and so you get the defaults that the Blueprint framework provides.

I am leery of frameworks used anywhere because many times people use them as a crutch to simply get things done without an understanding of how they work. If you are a CSS professional and you know the ins and outs of it then I suggest you take a look at Blueprint to see if it can help speed up the standardization of your design or at the very least help you start at point D instead of point A. If you are still a CSS rookie I advise you to keep on plugging away and testing new designs that push your CSS skills. If you being with Blueprint you risk not being able to truly customize a layout that fits your needs. I'm aware of more than on Ruby on Rails professional who doesn't really know Ruby and without Rails couldn't code the most basic of functions.

Also note that any framework is going to have its limitations, but since I love grid design this framework fits into my design philosophy perfectly. I also don't want to overload the web with grid designs as this framework might do. We should always continue to push our boundaries and try new things because there is no fun in designing if we aren't creating something new.

Here are some resources to get you started:

The Chawlk-board header ;)

RightOn — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:55:30

Scrivs is standing behind me with a large wooden spoon, saying I'm gonna get a beat down so I'm gonna tell you how I did my Chawlk-Board header. ;)

I wanted something that looked like I had written all over my header, so I took a screenshot of my header and brought it into Photoshop.

I went on a stock image website (www.sxc.hu for the curious ones) and grabbed a chalkboard image. I pasted it on top of my screenshot and reduced the opacity of the chalkboard so I could see the elements in the live header.

I took the Brush Tool and my pressure sensitive pen and drew in some doodles and some arrows with a white brush on a layer above the chalkboard and then used a font I had laying around that looked like handwriting to fill in the notes.

Once I had all my "chalk drawings" to satisfaction I upped the opacity on the board, went in and duplicated a color channel and messed with the levels a bit to bring out the scratches and dust on the board. I made a selection from the dust and scratches and deleted out a portion of the chalk drawings to make them look like they were on the board.

Saved, then uploaded :) (actually since new functions of anything on 9rules and chawlk always seem to have something against me, Scrivs had to upload it but you get the point)

Now go out there and chalk up your boards!