Creating HTML Emails: An Overview for Web Designers
A lot of the requirements of great HTML emails fly right in the face of what makes great website designs. Until you understand the nuances of HTML email design, it can be a frustrating and fruitless experience. But once you understand and accept that HTML email is a fickle, inconsistent, and bug-prone medium, it’s possible to use it to great effect in marketing both for yourself and your clients.
The Evolution of Internet-Enabled Devices
The Internet is a wondrous thing. It’s an unrivalled source of knowledge for its users, and as web designers and web developers, it keeps many of us from becoming homeless with "Will code for food" signs hanging around our necks!
As the Web matures, the devices that provide access to it have evolved along with it. No longer are we limited to "surfing the ‘net" on a 28.8 kbps dial-up modem. These days, we don’t even require a computer to go online — we have smartphones, tablets, e-book readers like the Kindle, and more.
Smarter Web Designs: Responsive and Customizable
The way we design websites has changed profoundly in recent years. We have more information on how web users interact with user interfaces, we have developed many testing methods for evaluating usability, and we now build sites with great emphasis on user-centered design. In addition, research in the fields of psychology, sociology and usability has enriched our understanding of our site visitors.
Using Your Design Graveyard More Effectively
Much of the work we create for the Web has a limited shelf life. We know and accept that the work we produce will likely disappear from the Web within a few years of a site launch, if it makes it to that stage at all, or will be modified and changed from its original form.
Designing for Different Age Groups
Diversity is one of the things that make the web great, and every audience has its own needs and requirements. But what happens if that audience is comprised of a specific age group? Are you providing something fun and interactive for kids, or are you strictly an adult-only website (such as one that sells alcohol)?
Age is an influential factor on the web in terms of not only psychology, but also accessibility, usability, and user interface design. Many other variables can affect your designs, but we’ll focus on the difference that age can make in creating a website.
Are Dribbble Users Blurring the Line Between Art and Design?
You can easily split the design community into two groups: those drafted into Dribbble and those who aren’t.
Despite me being in the latter group, I find it difficult to ignore the fact that snapshots that are supposedly showing what designers are currently working on are no more than art and idealized designs that don’t reflect the actual principles and real-world requirements of a usable and function-oriented design.
How to Design Browser Themes
The web browser is probably one of the most frequently used applications on a person’s computer. For designers and developers, a browser theme can be canvas that provides hours of exposure to the artist or brand willing to create a theme for their fan base.
But with such an extreme landscape orientation and a range of functional obstructions, designing browser themes is a creative endeavor with plenty of pitfalls and gotchas.
There are many things to consider when approaching a new theme — from avoiding copyrighted images to achieving designs that work within the confines of a particular browser.
