August 1, 2013 — As designers we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a matter of fact, we’ve discovered the best one—desktop wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd “Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: August 2013”) This creativity mission has been going on for over five years now, and we are very thankful to all the designers who have contributed and are still diligently contributing each month! Read more…

July 30, 2013 — Welcome to the second part of the sample chapter from Smashing Book #4. You might want to read the first part of this chapter beforehand — if you haven’t already. In part 1 we explored the infrastructure of the Internet and the make-up of a Web server. We left off at the stage where our Web server software is up and running again, and we’ve just double-checked this by telnetting an HTTP request and received the successful response code. It’s now time for… finding your website! Read more…

July 29, 2013 — “Cool” is a rather ambiguous term, and means different things to different people. But when working with data, the term “cool” is often directly juxtaposed with common charts and written off as “boring.” The emphasis on the instant visual appeal of an infographic over the clarity of the presentation of data is a troubling trend that plagues the modern incarnation of the infographic. Read more…

July 26, 2013 — We all make mistakes. Whether in our design and development work or just in life in general, we all do it. Thankfully, even the biggest mistakes carry valuable lessons. In this article, Jeremy Girard will share stories of some of the missteps he had made in the course of his career and the lessons he’d learned in the process. Read more…

July 25, 2013 — Automation saves precious time on repetitive tasks and helps us solve certain problems more quickly and easily. Kamil Khadeyev has known about Photoshop scripts for years but decided to really dive in a few months ago. He had avoided it because he thought it was the domain of smart math-minded programmers. He was wrong, and today he’ll show that, although it requires some basic programming skills, scripting isn’t hard to grasp. Read more…

July 24, 2013 — For those of us who design and build apps, websites and software, a great product means one that delights its users. But digital product development is complex. What can designers do to increase the overall quality and success rate of the products we craft and to elevate our team’s batting average? An answer lies in the way artists and composers have worked for centuries to create paintings and music — by focusing on a singular element: a motif. Read more…

July 23, 2013 — Help! The Internet is gone! In this article, Paul Tero explores the infrastructure of the Internet and the make-up of a Web server, imparting lots of little tips and commands along the way, opening up a new perspective on how websites can stop working — and be fixed. Read more…

July 22, 2013 — There’s an easy, straightforward way to deliver responsive images that’s supported by all of today’s Web browsers: A CSS background image. However, the approach has some limitations, and it doesn’t work in all cases. But if your requirements aren’t complicated, and if you’re willing to make an extra effort to ensure your images are accessible, CSS background images may be all you need! Read more…

July 19, 2013 — Unlike other industries, the web design and development community are all about sharing knowledge and experience. We are very lucky to be part of such a great and useful learning environment, and it is up to us to embrace it — to embrace our learning experiences, and also to embrace our ability to share. Read more…

July 18, 2013 — A digital strategy is not as intimidating as it sounds. It is just a document outlining how your client should handle the different aspects of digital from the website and mobile to email. It doesn’t need to cover everything in huge depth, but instead should establish some general approaches to these different areas. This post will provide you with a crash course on where to start and what kinds of things to include. I hope it proves useful. Read more…