We usually export images for the Web from our favorite graphics software. Our eyes fixate on an image’s preview, adjusting the quality settings until we’ve found that sweet spot, where the file size and quality are both the best they can be. After having gone to all that care and effort, we would be forgiven for thinking that our image is in the best shape possible, but that’s not always the case. In fact, much more data is usually left in such files, data that keeps our users waiting just a bit longer than necessary. Thankfully, a number of popular tools can help us optimize images even further!
Read more…
When a group wants to generate ideas, you assemble, spell out the basic ground rules for brainstorming and then have people yell out ideas one at a time. It’s a method chosen for ideation, but it is fraught with problems. Brainwriting is an easy alternative or a complement to face-to-face brainstorming, and it often yields more ideas in less time than traditional group brainstorming. In this article Chauncey Wilson will talk about this method!
Read more…
Jan Martin attracts many followers with his visual design skills. He grew up in the small city of Brandenburg. After graduating from the Berlin Design Academy with a degree in Communication Design, he cofounded 6Wunderkinder. Since then, he has been the company’s lead designer, responsible for the visual design of the popular Wunderlist and the company’s website, blog, social-network sites and branding.
Read more…
The psychological dimension that springs from a dialogue between two strategic conceptions that depend on the personality of each chess player has long been a mystery. How do Grandmasters think? The most successful strategies are rooted in our very own nature. And common to most Grandmasters is that they almost never take the easy way out. That creativity, that compulsion to look beyond what comes instinctively is what fuels successful strategies and explains why so few Grandmasters are out there.
Read more…
Two years ago, Portuguese graphic and type designer Natanael Gama started to play with glyphs — as a way to discover typography. Doodling around, he created Exo, a font which he released for free in a Kickstarter project which turned out to be quite successful, and Natanael did a complete redesign. Today, he is no longer a student and Exo has evolved into Exo 2.0, an elegant, contemporary geometric sans serif typeface.
Read more…
Businesses are learning new ways to leverage data to improve themselves on a daily basis. They’re realizing that data collection and data analysis have a measurable return on investment, and decision-makers are asking to see them. Google Tag Manager is a relatively new system in which all of the different Google code snippets for a website or mobile application can be organized and controlled through a drag-and-drop interface in a Web browser. For this article, Drew Thomas will talk about adding Google Analytics to a mobile application, using the very future-proof Google Tag Manager to implement it.
Read more…
Leona Hu met Benjamin in a Berlin cafe called Shakespeare & Sons, during his transition from SoundCloud to NPR. During their conversation, he talked about when his father began using digital programs like AutoCAD, and how he became equally inspired, seeing it as a way for static design to achieve dimension. Benjamin spoke about his passion for music and how he enjoyed being involved in the design and music communities. He was named a “SoundCloud Hero” for raising awareness of white nose syndrome and colony collapse disorder.
Read more…
In this article, you’ll look how to modify admin post lists with WordPress. Daniel Pataki will focus on how to extend existing tables. You’ll do this using an example from a theme that he and his team recently built, named Rock Band. Rock Band includes event management, which means that they needed some custom event-specific interface elements and details to make the admin section more useful!
Read more…
Imagine how your excitement after posting a blog and seeing so many visitors talking about it, turns to dismay as they start to tweet that your website is down — a database connection error is shown. Many of these mobile users access the Web via slow data connections and crowded public Wi-Fi. So, anything you can do to ensure that your website loads quickly will benefit those users. In this article, Rachel Andrew will show you Varnish Web application accelerator, a free and simple thing that makes a world of difference when a lot of people land on your website all at once.
Read more…
Navigation is merely a means to an end, and this is why users have contrasting expectations about content and navigation. While content is supposed to be unique and exciting, navigating to it is supposed to be as simple as possible. In this article, you will find a guide to efficiently simplifying the navigation experience, by analyzing the type and amount of content as well as choosing and designing the right type of navigation menu!
Read more…
