Author: Cosima Mielke

Posted on

Ingredients For A Cozy November (2024 Wallpapers Edition)

Featured Imgs 23

When the days are gray and misty as they are in many parts of the world in November, there’s no better remedy than a bit of colorful inspiration. To bring some good vibes to your desktops this month, artists and designers from across the globe once again tickled their creative ideas and designed unique and inspiring wallpapers that are bound to sweeten up your November.

The wallpapers in this post come in versions with and without a calendar for November 2024 and can be downloaded for free — as it has been a monthly tradition here at Smashing Magazine for more than 13 years already. As a little bonus goodie, we also added a selection of November favorites from our wallpapers archives to the post. Maybe you’ll spot one of your almost-forgotten favorites in here, too?

A huge thank-you to everyone who shared their wallpapers with us this month — this post wouldn’t exist without you. Happy November!

  • You can click on every image to see a larger preview.
  • We respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.
  • Submit your wallpaper design! 👩‍🎨
    Feeling inspired? We are always looking for creative talent and would love to feature your desktop wallpaper in one of our upcoming posts. We can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with!

Honoring the Sound of Jazz And Soul

“Today, we celebrate the saxophone, an instrument that has added its signature sound to jazz, rock, classical, and so much more. From smooth solos to bold brass harmonies, the sax has shaped the soundtrack of our lives. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just love its iconic sound, let’s show some love to this musical marvel!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Snow Falls In The Alps

“The end of the year is approaching, and winter is just around the corner, so we’ll spend this month in the Alps. The snow has arrived in the mountains, and we can take advantage of it to ski or have a hot coffee while we watch the flakes fall.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

The Secret Cave

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Designed by Cronix from the United States.

Space Explorer

“A peaceful, minimalist wallpaper of a lone cartoon astronaut floating in space surrounded by planets and stars.” — Designed by Reethu from London.

The Sailor

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Happy Diwali

Designed by Cronix from the United States.

Elimination Of Violence Against Women

“November 25th is the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.” We wanted to create a wallpaper that can hopefully contribute to building awareness and support.” — Designed by Friendlystock from Greece.

Square Isn’t It

“When playing with lines, which were at the beginning displaying a square, I finally arrived to this drawing, and I was surprised. I thought it would make a nice wallpaper for one’s desktop, doesn’t it?” — Designed by Philippe Brouard from France.

Transition

“Inspired by the transition from autumn to winter.” — Designed by Tecxology from India.

Sunset Or Sunrise

“November is autumn in all its splendor. Earthy colors, falling leaves, and afternoons in the warmth of the home. But it is also adventurous and exciting and why not, different. We sit in Bali contemplating Pura Ulun Danu Bratan. We don’t know if it’s sunset or dusk, but… does that really matter?” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela Jimenez from Spain.

Cozy Autumn Cups And Cute Pumpkins

“Autumn coziness, which is created by fallen leaves, pumpkins, and cups of cocoa, inspired our designers for this wallpaper. — Designed by MasterBundles from Ukraine.

A Jelly November

“Been looking for a mysterious, gloomy, yet beautiful desktop wallpaper for this winter season? We’ve got you, as this month’s calendar marks Jellyfish Day. On November 3rd, we celebrate these unique, bewildering, and stunning marine animals. Besides adorning your screen, we’ve got you covered with some jellyfish fun facts: they aren’t really fish, they need very little oxygen, eat a broad diet, and shrink in size when food is scarce. Now that’s some tenacity to look up to.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Colorful Autumn

“Autumn can be dreary, especially in November, when rain starts pouring every day. We wanted to summon better days, so that’s how this colourful November calendar was created. Open your umbrella and let’s roll!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Winter Is Here

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Moonlight Bats

“I designed some Halloween characters and then this idea came to my mind — a bat family hanging around in the moonlight. A cute and scary mood is just perfect for autumn.” — Designed by Carmen Eisendle from Germany.

Time To Give Thanks

Designed by Glynnis Owen from Australia.

The Kind Soul

“Kindness drives humanity. Be kind. Be humble. Be humane. Be the best of yourself!” — Designed by Color Mean Creative Studio from Dubai.

Anbani

“Anbani means alphabet in Georgian. The letters that grow on that tree are the Georgian alphabet. It’s very unique!” — Designed by Vlad Gerasimov from Georgia.

Tempestuous November

“By the end of autumn, ferocious Poseidon will part from tinted clouds and timid breeze. After this uneven clash, the sky once more becomes pellucid just in time for imminent luminous snow.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

Me And The Key Three

Designed by Bart Bonte from Belgium.

Mushroom Season

“It is autumn! It is raining and thus… it is mushroom season! It is the perfect moment to go to the forest and get the best mushrooms to do the best recipe.” — Designed by Verónica Valenzuela from Spain.

Welcome Home Dear Winter

“The smell of winter is lingering in the air. The time to be home! Winter reminds us of good food, of the warmth, the touch of a friendly hand, and a talk beside the fire. Keep calm and let us welcome winter.” — Designed by Acodez IT Solutions from India.

Outer Space

“We were inspired by the nature around us and the universe above us, so we created an out-of-this-world calendar. Now, let us all stop for a second and contemplate on preserving our forests, let us send birds of passage off to warmer places, and let us think to ourselves — if not on Earth, could we find a home somewhere else in outer space?” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Captain’s Home

Designed by Elise Vanoorbeek from Belgium.

Holiday Season Is Approaching

Designed by ActiveCollab from the United States.

Deer Fall, I Love You

Designed by Maria Porter from the United States.

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

“November is the Peanut Butter Month so I decided to make a wallpaper around that. As everyone knows peanut butter goes really well with some jelly so I made two sandwiches, one with peanut butter and one with jelly. Together they make the best combination.” — Designed by Senne Mommens from Belgium.

International Civil Aviation Day

“On December 7, we mark International Civil Aviation Day, celebrating those who prove day by day that the sky really is the limit. As the engine of global connectivity, civil aviation is now, more than ever, a symbol of social and economic progress and a vehicle of international understanding. This monthly calendar is our sign of gratitude to those who dedicate their lives to enabling everyone to reach their dreams.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

November Nights On Mountains

“Those chill November nights when you see mountain tops covered with the first snow sparkling in the moonlight.” — Designed by Jovana Djokic from Serbia.

November Fun

Designed by Xenia Latii from Germany.

November Ingredients

“Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, there’s certain things that always make the harvest season special. As a Floridian, I’m a big fan of any signs that the weather might be cooling down soon, too!” — Designed by Dorothy Timmer from the United States.

Universal Children’s Day

“Universal Children’s Day, November 20. It feels like a dream world, it invites you to let your imagination flow, see the details, and find the child inside you.” — Designed by Luis Costa from Portugal.

A Gentleman’s November

Designed by Cedric Bloem from Belgium.

Posted on

Tales Of An Eternal Summer (July 2024 Wallpapers Edition)

Fotolia Subscription Monthly 4685447 Xl Stock

For many of us, July is the epitome of summer. The time for spending every free minute outside to enjoy the sun and those seemingly endless summer days, be it in a nearby park, by a lake, or on a trip exploring new places. So why not bring a bit of that summer joy to your desktop, too?

For this month’s wallpapers post, artists and designers from across the globe once again tickled their creativity to capture the July feeling in a collection of desktop wallpapers. They all come in versions with and without a calendar for July 2024 and can be downloaded for free — as it has been a Smashing tradition for more than 13 years already. A huge thank-you to everyone who submitted their artworks this month — this post wouldn’t exist without you!

As a little bonus goodie, we also compiled a selection of July favorites from our wallpapers archives at the end of this post. So maybe you’ll discover one of your almost-forgotten favorites in here, too? Have a fantastic July, no matter what your plans are!

  • You can click on every image to see a larger preview,
  • We respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.
  • Submit a wallpaper!
    Did you know that you could get featured in our next wallpapers post, too? We are always looking for creative talent.

Diving Among Corals

“The long-awaited vacation is coming closer. After working all year, we find ourselves with months that, although we don’t stop completely, are lived differently. We enjoy the days and nights more, and if we can, the beach will keep us company. Therefore, we’ll spend this month in Australia, enjoying the coral reefs and diving without limits.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

Level Up

“Join gamers worldwide on National Video Game Day to honor the rich history and vibrant culture of gaming. Enjoy exclusive discounts on top titles, participate in exciting online tournaments, and dive into special events featuring your favorite games. Whether you're a casual player or a dedicated enthusiast, there’s something for everyone to celebrate on this epic day!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Bigfoot And The Little Girl

“This heartwarming moment captures an unlikely friendship of a gentle Bigfoot and an adorable little girl set against the backdrop of a magical and serene evening in nature.” — Designed by Reethu M from London.

Good Night

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Floral Elegance Of July

“The inspiration came from the lush gardens and floral landscapes that thrive in the height of summer. I wanted to bring the elegance and tranquility of these blooming flowers into a calendar that people can enjoy throughout the month of July.” — Designed by Hyfa K from India.

No More Hugs

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Olympics Stadium

“We have been waiting for it for many months: The Paris 2024 Olympics Games are coming in July! My drawing is a vision of the joyful activity of athletes in the stadium, with only colored tracks. I chose to use the colors of the Olympics rings. Let’s go to Paris or watch it on TV.” — Designed by Philippe Brouard from France.

Full Buck Moon

“July is the month of the full buck moon, named after the fact that many deer regrow their antlers around this time. It is also when the United States celebrate their Independence Day with fireworks and fun. I decided to combine these aspects into a magical encounter during the fourth of July. It takes place in a field of larkspur which is a flower associated with July.” — Designed by Quincy van Geffen from the Netherlands.

Celebrating World Chocolate Day

“World Chocolate Day, celebrated on July 7th, invites chocolate lovers worldwide to indulge in their favorite treat. Commemorating chocolate’s introduction to Europe, this day celebrates its global popularity. Enjoy dark, milk, or white chocolate, bake delicious desserts, and share the sweetness with loved ones.” — Designed by Reethu M from London.

Birdie July

Designed by Lívi Lénárt from Hungary.

Summer Cannonball

“Summer is coming in the northern hemisphere and what better way to enjoy it than with watermelons and cannonballs.” — Designed by Maria Keller from Mexico.

In Space

Designed by Lieke Dol from the Netherlands.

A Flamboyance Of Flamingos

“July in South Africa is dreary and wintery so we give all the southern hemisphere dwellers a bit of color for those gray days. And for the northern hemisphere dwellers a bit of pop for their summer!” — Designed by Wonderland Collective from South Africa.

Eternal Summer

“And once you let your imagination go, you find yourself surrounded by eternal summer, unexplored worlds, and all-pervading warmth, where there are no rules of physics and colors tint the sky under your feet.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

Day Turns To Night

Designed by Xenia Latii from Germany.

Tropical Lilies

“I enjoy creating tropical designs. They fuel my wanderlust and passion for the exotic, instantaneously transporting me to a tropical destination.” — Designed by Tamsin Raslan from the United States.

Road Trip In July

“July is the middle of summer, when most of us go on road trips, so I designed a calendar inspired by my love of traveling and summer holidays.” — Designed by Patricia Coroi from Romania.

The Ancient Device

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Taste Like Summer

“In times of clean eating and the world of superfoods there is one vegetable missing. An old, forgotten one. A flower actually. Rare and special. Once it had a royal reputation (I cheated a bit with the blue). The artichocke — this is my superhero in the garden! I am a food lover — you too? Enjoy it — dip it!” — Designed by Alexandra Tamgnoué from Germany.

Island River

“Make sure you have a refreshing source of ideas, plans and hopes this July. Especially if you are to escape from urban life for a while.” — Designed by Igor Izhik from Canada.

Cactus Hug

Designed by Ilaria Bagnasco from Italy.

Under The Enchanting Moonlight

“Two friends sat under the enchanting moonlight, enjoying the serene ambiance as they savoured their cups of tea. It was a rare and precious connection that transcended the ordinary, kindled by the magic of the moonlight. Eventually, as the night began to wane, they reluctantly stood, their empty cups in hand. They carried with them the memories and the tranquility of the moonlit tea session, knowing that they would return to this special place to create new memories in the future.” — Designed by Bhabna Basak from India.

DJ Little Bird

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Heated Mountains

“Warm summer weather inspired the color palette.” — Designed by Marijana Pivac from Croatia.

July Flavor

Designed by Natalia Szendzielorz from Poland.

Summer Heat

Designed by Xenia Latii from Berlin, Germany.

Mason Jar

“Make the days count this summer!” — Designed by Meghan Pascarella from the United States.

Summer Essentials

“A few essential items for the summertime weather at the beach, park, and everywhere in-between.” — Designed by Zach Vandehey from the United States.

Captain Amphicar

“My son and I are obsessed with the Amphicar right now, so why not have a little fun with it?” — Designed by 3 Bicycles Creative from the United States.

Hotdog

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Less Busy Work, More Fun!

Designed by ActiveCollab from the United States.

Sweet Summer

“In summer everything inspires me.” — Designed by Maria Karapaunova from Bulgaria.

Fire Camp

“What’s better than a starry summer night with an (unexpected) friend around a fire camp with some marshmallows? Happy July!” — Designed by Etienne Mansard from the UK.

Riding In The Drizzle

“Rain has come, showering the existence with new seeds of life. Everywhere life is blooming, as if they were asleep and the falling music of raindrops have awakened them. Feel the drops of rain. Feel this beautiful mystery of life. Listen to its music, melt into it.” — Designed by DMS Software from India.

An Intrusion Of Cockroaches

“Ever watched Joe’s Apartment when you were a kid? Well, that movie left a soft spot in my heart for the little critters. Don’t get me wrong: I won’t invite them over for dinner, but I won’t grab my flip flop and bring the wrath upon them when I see one running in the house. So there you have it… three roaches… bringing the smack down on that pesky human… ZZZZZZZAP!!” — Designed by Wonderland Collective from South Africa.

July Rocks!

Designed by Joana Moreira from Portugal.

Frogs In The Night

“July is coming and the nights are warmer. Frogs look at the moon while they talk about their day.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

Posted on

Useful Email Newsletters For Designers

Fotolia Subscription Monthly 4685447 Xl Stock

Struggling to keep our inboxes under control and aim for that magical state of inbox zero, the notification announcing an incoming email isn’t the most appreciated sound for many of us. However, there are some emails to actually look forward to: A newsletter, curated and written with love and care, can be a nice break in your daily routine, providing new insights and sparking ideas and inspiration for your work.

With so many wonderful design newsletters out there, we know it can be a challenge to decide which newsletter (or newsletters) to subscribe to. That’s why we want to shine a light on some newsletter gems today to make your decision at least a bit easier — and help you discover newsletters you might not have heard of yet. Ranging from design systems to UX writing, motion design, and user research, there sure is something in it for you.

A huge thank you to everyone who writes, edits, and publishes these newsletters to help us all get better at our craft. You are truly smashing! 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾

Table of Contents

Below you’ll find quick jumps to newsletters on specific topics you might be interested in. Scroll down to browse the complete list or skip the table of contents.

Design & Front-End

HeyDesigner

🗓 Delivered every Monday
🖋 Written by Tamas Sari

Aimed at product people, UXers, PMs, and design engineers, the HeyDesigner newsletter is packed with a carefully curated selection of the latest design and front-end articles, tools, and resources.

Pixels of the Week

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Stéphanie Walter

Stéphanie Walter’s Pixels of the Week newsletter keeps you informed about the latest UX research, design, tech (HTML, CSS, SVG) news, tools, methods, and other resources that caught Stéphanie’s interest.

TLDR Design

🗓 Delivered daily
🖋 Written by Dan Ni

You’re looking for some bite-sized design inspiration? TLDR Design is a daily newsletter highlighting news, tools, tutorials, trends, and inspiration for design professionals.

DesignOps

🗓 Delivered every two weeks
🖋 Written by Ch'an Armstrong

The DesignOps newsletter provides the DesignOps community with the best hand-picked articles all around design, code, AI, design tools, no-code tools, developer tools, and, of course, design ops.

Adam Silver’s Newsletter

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Adam Silver

Every week, Adam Silver sends out a newsletter aimed at designers, content designers, and front-end developers. It includes short and sweet, evidence-based design tips, mostly about forms UX, but not always.

Smashing Newsletter

🗓 Delivered every Tuesday
🖋 Written by the Smashing Editorial team

Every Tuesday, we publish the Smashing Newsletter with useful tips and techniques on front-end and UX, covering everything from design systems and UX research to CSS and JavaScript. Each issue is curated, written, and edited with love and care, no third-party mailings or hidden advertising.

UX

UX Design Weekly

🗓 Delivered every Monday
🖋 Written by Kenny Chen

UX Design Weekly provides you with a weekly dose of hand-picked user experience design links. Every issue features articles, tools and resources, a UX portfolio, and a quote to spark ideas and get you thinking.

UX Collective

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Fabricio Teixeira and Caio Braga

“Designers are thinkers as much as they are makers.” Following this credo, the UX Collective newsletter helps designers think more critically about their work. Every issue highlights thought-provoking reads, little gems, tools, and resources.

Built For Mars

🗓 Delivered every few weeks
🖋 Written by Peter Ramsey

The Built for Mars newsletter brings Peter Ramsey’s UX research straight to your inbox. It includes in-depth UX case studies and bite-sized UX ideas and experiments.

NN Group

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by the Nielsen Norman Group

Studying users around the world, the Nielsen Norman Group provides research-based UX guidance. If you don’t want to miss their latest articles and videos about usability, design, and UX research, you can subscribe to the NN/g newsletter to stay up-to-date.

UX Notebook

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Sarah Doody

The UX Notebook Newsletter is aimed at UX and product professionals who want to learn how to apply UX and design principles to design and grow their teams, products, and careers.

Smart Interface Design Patterns

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Vitaly Friedman

Every issue of the Smart Interface Design Patterns newsletter is dedicated to a common interface challenge and how to solve it to avoid issues down the line. A treasure chest of design patterns and UX techniques.

UX Weekly

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by the Interaction Design Foundation

The Interaction Design Foundation is known for their UX courses and webinars for both aspiring designers and advanced professionals. Their UX Weekly newsletter delivers design tips and educational material to help you leverage the power of design.

Design With Care

🗓 Delivered every first Tuesday of a month
🖋 Written by Alex Bilstein

Healthcare systems desparately need UX designers to improve the status quo for both healthcare professionals and patients. The Design With Care newsletter empowers UX designers to create better healthcare experiences and make an impact that matters.

UX Writing & Content Strategy

The UX Gal

🗓 Delivered every Monday
🖋 Written by Slater Katz

Whether you’re about to start your UX content education or want to get better at UX writing, The UX Gal newsletter is for you. Every Monday, Slater Katz sends out a new newsletter with prompts, thoughts, and exercises to build your UX writing and content design skills.

UX Content Collective

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by the UX Content Collective

The newsletter by the UX Content Collective is perfect for anyone interested in content design. In it, you’ll find curated UX writing resources, new job openings, and exclusive discounts.

GatherContent

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by the GatherContent team

The GatherContent newsletter is a weekly email full of content strategy goodies. It features articles, webinars and masterclasses, new books, free templates, and industry news.

User Research

User Research Academy

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Nikki Anderson

If you want to get more creative and confident when conducting user research, the User Research Academy might be for you. With carefully curated articles, podcasts, events, books, and academic resources all around user research, the newsletter is perfect for beginners and senior UX researchers alike.

User Weekly

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Jan Ahrend

What mattered in UX research this week? To keep you up-to-date on trends, methods, and insights across the UX research industry, Jan Ahrend captures the pulse of the UX research community in his User Weekly newsletter.

User Interviews

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by the User Interviews team

The UX Research Newsletter by the folks at User Interviews delivers the latest UX research articles, reports, podcast episodes, and special features. For professional user researchers just like teams who need to conduct user research without a dedicated research team.

Baymard Institute

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by the Baymard Institute

User experience, web design, and e-commerce are the topics which the Baymard Institute newsletter covers. It features ad-free full-length research articles to give you precious insights into the field.

Interaction Design

Design Spells

🗓 Delivered every other Sunday
🖋 Written by Chester How, Duncan Leo, and Rick Lee

Whether it’s micro-interactions or easter eggs, Design Spells celebrates the design details that feel like magic and add a spark of delight to a design.

Justin Volz’s Newsletter

🖋 Written by Justin Volz

Getting you ready for the future of motion design is the goal of Justin Volz’s newsletter. It features UX motion design trends, new UX motion design articles, and more to “make your UI tap dance.”

Design Systems & Figma

Design System Guide

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Romina Kavcic

Accompanying her interactive step-by-step guide to design systems, Romina Kavcic sends out the weekly Design System Guide newsletter on all things design systems, design process, and design strategy.

Figmalion

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Eugene Fedorenko

The Figmalion newsletter keeps you up-to-date on what is happening in the Figma community, with curated design resources and a weekly roundup of Figma and design tool news.

Information Architecture

Informa(c)tion

🗓 Delivered every other Sunday
🖋 Written by Jorge Arango

The Informa(c)tion newsletter explores the intersection of information, cognition, and design. Each issue includes an essay about information architecture and/or personal knowledge management and a list of interesting links.

Product Design

Product Design Challenges

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Artiom Dashinsky

How about a weekly design challenge to work on your core design skills, improve your portfolio, or prepare for your next job interview? The Weekly Product Design Challenges newsletter has got you covered. Every week, Artiom Dashinsky shares a new exercise inspired and used by companies like Facebook, Google, and WeWork to interview UX design candidates.

Fundament

🗓 Delivered every other Thursday
🖋 Written by Arkadiusz Radek and Mateusz Litarowicz

With Fundament, Arkadiusz Radek and Mateusz Litarowicz created a place to share what they’ve learned in their ten-year UX and Product Design careers. The newsletter is about the things that matter in design, the practicalities of the job, the lesser-known bits, and content that will help you grow as a UX or Product Designer.

Case Study Club

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Jan Haaland

How do people design digital products? With curated UX case studies, the Case Study Club newsletter grants insights into other designers’ processes.

Ethical Design & Sustainability

Ethical Design Network

🗓 Delivered monthly
🖋 Written by Trine Falbe

The Ethical Design Network is a space for digital professionals to share, discuss, and self-educate about ethical design. You can sign up to the newsletter to receive monthly news, resources, and event updates all around ethical design.

Sustainable UX

🗓 Delivered monthly
🖋 Written by Thorsten Jonas

As designers, we have to take responsibility for more than our users. Shining a light on how to design and build more sustainable digital products, the SUX Newsletter by the Sustainable UX Network helps you stand up to that responsibility.

AI

AI Goodies

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Ioana Teleanu

A brand-new newsletter on AI, design, and UX goodies comes from Ioana Teleanu: AI Goodies. Every week, it covers the latest resources, trends, news, and tools from the world of AI.

Business

d.MBA

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Alen Faljic

Learning business can help you become a better designer. The d.MBA newsletter is your weekly source of briefings from the business world, hand-picked for the design community by Alen Faljic and the d.MBA team.

Career & Leadership

Dan Mall Teaches

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Dan Mall

Tips, tricks, and tools about design systems, process, and leadership, delivered to your inbox every week. That’s the Dan Mall Teaches newsletter.

Stratatics

🗓 Delivered weekly
🖋 Written by Ryan Rumsey

To do things differently, you must look at your work in a new light. That’s the idea behind the Stratatics newsletter. Each week, Ryan Rumsey provides design leaders and executives (and those who work alongside them) with a new idea to reimagine and deliver their best work.

Spread The Word

Do you have a favorite newsletter that isn’t featured in the post? Or maybe you’re writing and publishing a newsletter yourself? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Posted on

Useful CSS Tips And Techniques

Fotolia Subscription Monthly 4685447 Xl Stock

If you’ve been in the web development game for longer, you might recall the days when CSS was utterly confusing and you had to come up with hacks and workarounds to make things work. Luckily, these days are over and new features such as container queries, cascade layers, CSS nesting, the :has selector, grid and subgrid, and even new color spaces make CSS more powerful than ever before.

And the innovation doesn’t stop here. We also might have style queries and perhaps even state queries, along with balanced text-wrapping and CSS anchor positioning coming our way.

With all these lovely new CSS features on the horizon, in this post, we dive into the world of CSS with a few helpful techniques, a deep-dive into specificity, hanging punctuation, and self-modifying CSS variables. We hope they’ll come in handy in your work.

Cascade And Specificity Primer

Many fear the cascade and specificity in CSS. However, the concept isn’t as hard to get to grips with as one might think. To help you get more comfortable with two of the most fundamental parts of CSS, Andy Bell wrote a wonderful primer on the cascade and specificity.

The guide explains how certain CSS property types will be prioritized over others and dives deeper into specificity scoring to help you assess how likely it is that the CSS of a specific rule will apply. Andy uses practical examples to illustrate the concepts and simplifies the underlying mental model to make it easy to adopt and utilize. A power boost for your CSS skills.

Testing HTML With Modern CSS

Have you ever considered testing HTML with CSS instead of JavaScript? CSS selectors today are so powerful that it is actually possible to test for most kinds of HTML patterns using CSS alone. A proponent of the practice, Heydon Pickering summarized everything you need to know about testing HTML with CSS, whether you want to test accessibility, uncover HTML bloat, or check the general usability.

As Heydon points out, testing with CSS has quite some benefits. Particularly if you work in the browser and prefer exploring visual regressions and inspector information over command line logs, testing with CSS could be for you. It also shines in situations where you don’t have direct access to a client’s stack: Just provide a test stylesheet, and clients can locate instances of bad patterns you have identified for them without having to onboard you to help them do so. Clever!

Self-Modifying CSS Variables

The CSS spec for custom properties does not allow a custom property to reference itself — although there are quite some use cases where such a feature would be useful. To close the gap, Lea Verou proposed an inherit() function in 2018, which the CSSWG added to the specs in 2021. It hasn’t been edited-in yet, but Roman Komarov found a workaround that makes it possible to start involving its behavior.

Roman’s approach uses container-style queries as a way to access the previous state of a custom property. It can be useful when you want to cycle through various hues without having a static list of values, to match the border-radius visually, or to nest menu lists, for example. The workaround is still strictly experimental (so do not use it in production!), but since it is likely that style queries will gain broad browser support before inherit(), it has great potential.

Hanging Punctuation In CSS

hanging-punctuation is a neat little CSS property. It extends punctuation marks such as opening quotes to cater to nice, clean blocks of text. And while it’s currently only supported in Safari, it doesn’t hurt to include it in your code, as the property is a perfect example of progressive enhancement: It leaves things as they are in browsers that don’t support it and adds the extra bit of polish in browsers that do.

Jeremy Keith noticed an unintended side-effect of hanging-punctuation, though. When you apply it globally, it’s also applied to form fields. So, if the text in a form field starts with a quotation mark or some other piece of punctuation, it’s pushed outside the field and hidden. Jeremy shares a fix for it: Add input, textarea { hanging-punctuation: none; } to prevent your quotation marks from disappearing. A small tip that can save you a lot of headaches.

Fixing aspect-ratio Issues

The aspect-ratio property shines in fluid environments. It can handle anything from inserting a square-shaped <div> to matching the 16:9 size of a <video>, without you thinking in exact dimensions. And most of the time, it does so flawlessly. However, there are some things that can break aspect-ratio. Chris Coyier takes a closer look at three reasons why your aspect-ratio might not work as expected.

As Chris explains, one potential breakage is setting both dimensions — which might seem obvious, but it can be confusing if one of the dimensions is set from somewhere you didn’t expect. Stretching and content that forces height can also lead to unexpected results. A great overview of what to look out for when aspect-ratio breaks.

Masonry Layout With CSS

CSS Grid has taken layouts on the web to the next level. However, as powerful as CSS is today, not every layout that can be imagined is feasible. Masonry layout is one of those things that can’t be accomplished with CSS alone. To change that, the CSS Working Group is asking for your help.

There are currently two approaches in discussion at the CSS Working Group about how CSS should handle masonry-style layouts — and they are asking for insights from real-world developers and designers to find the best solution.

The first approach would expand CSS Grid to include masonry, and the second approach would be to introduce a masonry layout as a display: masonry display type. Jen Simmons summarized what you need to know about the ongoing debate and how you can contribute your thoughts on which direction CSS should take.

Before you come to a conclusion, also be sure to read Rachel Andrew’s post on the topic. She explains why the Chrome team has concerns about implementing a masonry layout as a part of the CSS Grid specification and clarifies what the alternate proposal enables.

Boost Your CSS Skills

If you’d like to dive deeper into CSS, we’ve got your back — with a few friendly events and SmashingConfs coming up this year:

We’d be absolutely delighted to welcome you to one of our special Smashing experiences — be it online or in person!

Smashing Weekly Newsletter

With our weekly newsletter, we aim to bring you useful, practical tidbits and share some of the helpful things that folks are working on in the web industry. There are so many talented folks out there working on brilliant projects, and we’d appreciate it if you could help spread the word and give them the credit they deserve!

Also, by subscribing, there are no third-party mailings or hidden advertising, and your support really helps us pay the bills. ❤️

Interested in sponsoring? Feel free to check out our partnership options and get in touch with the team anytime — they’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as they can.

Posted on

Goodbye Summer, Hello September (2024 Wallpapers Edition)

Featured Imgs 23

Lush green slowly turning into yellows and reds in the Northern hemisphere; nature reawakening in the Southern part of the world: September is a time of change. A chance to leave old habits behind and embrace the beginning of something new. And, well, sometimes it only takes a small change in routines to spark fresh inspiration and, who knows, maybe even great ideas.

With that in mind, we started our monthly wallpapers series more than 13 years ago, and from the very beginning to today, artists and designers from across the globe have submitted their designs to it to cater for a bit of variety on your screens every month. Of course, it wasn’t any different this time around.

In this post, you’ll find their wallpaper designs for September 2024. All of them come in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. As a little bonus goodie, we also added some favorites from past years’ September editions to the collection. So maybe you’ll spot one of your almost-forgotten favorites in here, too? A huge thank-you to everyone who shared their wallpapers with us this month — this post wouldn’t exist without you!

  • You can click on every image to see a larger preview,
  • We respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.
  • Submit a wallpaper!
    Did you know that you could get featured in our next wallpapers post, too? We are always looking for creative talent.

National Elephant Appreciation Day

“Today, we celebrate these magnificent creatures who play such a vital role in our ecosystems and cultures. Elephants are symbols of wisdom, strength, and loyalty. Their social bonds are strong, and their playful nature, especially in the young ones, reminds us of the importance of joy and connection in our lives.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Summer In Costa Rica

“We continue in tropical climates. In this case, we travel to Costa Rica to observe the Arenal volcano from the lake while we use a kayak.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

Pigman And Robin

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

A Mind Of Their Own

“My eyes have a mind of their own: they see what they want to see…” — Designed by Bhabna Basak from India.

More Bananas

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Quality Education For All

“Our team takes pride in aligning our volunteer initiatives with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s ‘Quality Education’ goal. This goal reflects a global commitment to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. We encourage our team members to volunteer with non-profits they care about year-round. Explore local opportunities and use your skills to make a meaningful impact!” — Designed by Jenna Finberg from Portland, OR.

Green Jewellery

“I was thinking about African bead necklaces when making this wallpaper. I chose green and warm colors, because summer has not ended in the north — let’s enjoy it.” — Designed by Philippe Brouard from France.

Discover, Dream, Travel!

“Celebrate World Tourism Day by exploring new destinations and cultures around the globe!” — Designed by Reethu M from London.

Happy Labor Day

“I wanted my design to revolve around the themes of unity, hard work, and patriotism to honor the workforce that builds a great nation. The flags, the skyline, and the human figure outline evoke a sense of pride, appreciation, dedication, and solidarity.” — Designed by Cronix from the United States.

Autumn Rains

“This autumn, we expect to see a lot of rainy days and blues, so we wanted to change the paradigm and wish a warm welcome to the new season. After all, if you come to think of it: rain is not so bad if you have an umbrella and a raincoat. Come autumn, we welcome you!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Terrazzo

“With the end of summer and fall coming soon, I created this terrazzo pattern wallpaper to brighten up your desktop. Enjoy the month!” — Designed by Melissa Bogemans from Belgium.

Funny Cats

“Cats are beautiful animals. They’re quiet, clean, and warm. They’re funny and can become an endless source of love and entertainment. Here for the cats!” — Designed by UrbanUI from India.

Cacti Everywhere

“Seasons come and go, but our brave cactuses still stand. Summer is almost over and autumn is coming, but the beloved plants don’t care.” — Designed by Lívia Lénárt from Hungary.

Summer Ending

“As summer comes to an end, all the creatures pull back to their hiding places, searching for warmth within themselves and dreaming of neverending adventures under the tinted sky of closing dog days.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

The Rebel

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

National Video Games Day Delight

“September 12th brings us National Video Games Day. US-based video game players love this day and celebrate with huge gaming tournaments. What was once a 2D experience in the home is now a global phenomenon with players playing against each other across statelines and national borders via the internet. National Video Games Day gives gamers the perfect chance to celebrate and socialize! So grab your controller, join online and let the games begin!” — Designed by Ever Increasing Circles from the United Kingdom.

Long Live Summer

“While September’s Autumnal Equinox technically signifies the end of the summer season, this wallpaper is for all those summer lovers, like me, who don’t want the sunshine, warm weather, and lazy days to end.” — Designed by Vicki Grunewald from Washington.

Flower Soul

“The earth has music for those who listen. Take a break and relax and while you drive out the stress, catch a glimpse of the beautiful nature around you. Can you hear the rhythm of the breeze blowing, the flowers singing, and the butterflies fluttering to cheer you up? We dedicate flowers which symbolize happiness and love to one and all.” — Designed by Krishnankutty from India.

Stay Or Leave?

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Hungry

Designed by Elise Vanoorbeek from Belgium.

Rainy Flowers

Designed by Teodora Vasileva from Bulgaria.

Science Is Magic

“Science is like magic, except it’s real.” — Designed by Bhabna Basak from India.

Listen Closer… The Mushrooms Are Growing

“It’s this time of the year when children go to school and grown-ups go to collect mushrooms.” — Designed by Igor Izhik from Canada.

Batmom

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Wine Harvest Season

“Welcome to the wine harvest season in Serbia. It’s September, and the hazy sunshine bathes the vines on the slopes of Fruška Gora. Everything is ready for the making of Bermet, the most famous wine from Serbia. This spiced wine was a favorite of the Austro-Hungarian elite and was served even on the Titanic. Bermet’s recipe is a closely guarded secret, and the wine is produced by just a handful of families in the town of Sremski Karlovci, near Novi Sad. On the other side of Novi Sad, plains of corn and sunflower fields blend in with the horizon, catching the last warm sun rays of this year.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Bear Time

Designed by Bojana Stojanovic from Serbia.

Maryland Pride

“As summer comes to a close, so does the end of blue crab season in Maryland. Blue crabs have been a regional delicacy since the 1700s and have become Maryland’s most valuable fishing industry, adding millions of dollars to the Maryland economy each year. The blue crab has contributed so much to the state’s regional culture and economy, in 1989 it was named the State Crustacean, cementing its importance in Maryland history.” — Designed by The Hannon Group from Washington DC.

Finding Jaguar

“Nature and our planet have given us life, enabled us to enjoy the most wonderful place known to us in the universe. People have given themselves the right to master something they do not fully understand. We dedicate this September calendar to a true nature lover, Vedran Badjun from Dalmatia, Croatia, who inspires us to love our planet, live in harmony with it and appreciate all that it has to offer. Amazon, Siberia, and every tree or animal on the planet are treasures we lose every day. Let’s change that!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Penguin Family

“Penguins are sociable, independent and able to survive harsh winters. They work as a team to care for their offspring and I love that!” — Designed by Glynnis Owen from Australia.

Early Autumn

“September is usually considered as early autumn so I decided to draw some trees and leaves. However, nobody likes that summer is coming to an end, that’s why I kept summerish colors and style.” — Designed by Kat Gluszek from Germany.

Summer Is Leaving

“It is inevitable. Summer is leaving silently. Let us think of ways to make the most of what is left of the beloved season.” — Designed by Bootstrap Dashboards from India.

Lucha Libre

“This month is Mexico’s independence day and I decided to illustrate one of the things Mexico’s best known for: the Lucha Libre.” — Designed by Maria Keller from Mexico.

Geometric Autumn

“I designed this wallpaper to remind everyone that autumn is here.” — Designed by Advanced Web Ranking from Romania.

Never Stop Exploring

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Still In Vacation Mood

“It’s officially the end of summer and I’m still in vacation mood, dreaming about all the amazing places I’ve seen. This illustration is inspired by a small town in France, on the Atlantic coast, right by the beach.” — Designed by Miruna Sfia from Romania.

Colors Of September

“I love September. Its colors and smells.” — Designed by Juliagav from Ukraine.

Office

“Clean, minimalistic office for a productive day.” — Designed by Antun Hiršman from Croatia.

Posted on

Ice Cream Ahead (June 2024 Wallpapers Edition)

Featured Imgs 23

There’s an artist in everyone. Some bring their ideas to life with digital tools, others capture the perfect moment with a camera or love to grab pen and paper to create little doodles or pieces of lettering. And even if you think you’re far from being an artist, well, it might just be hidden deep inside of you. So why not explore it?

For more than 13 years already, our monthly wallpapers series has been the perfect opportunity to do just that: to break out of your daily routine and get fully immersed in a creative little project. This month was no exception, of course.

In this post, you’ll find beautiful, unique, and inspiring wallpapers designed by creative folks who took on the challenge. All of them are available in versions with and without a calendar for June 2024 and can be downloaded for free. As a little bonus goodie, we also added a selection of June favorites from our archives that are just too good to be forgotten. Thank you to everyone who shared their designs with us this month! Happy June!

  • You can click on every image to see a larger preview,
  • We respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.
  • Submit a wallpaper!
    Did you know that you could get featured in our next wallpapers post, too? We are always looking for creative talent.

Kitten

Designed by Design Studio from India.

Celebrate National Tropic Day

“Today, let’s dive into the lush wonders of the tropics! From breathtaking landscapes to tantalizing flavors, National Tropic Day is a celebration of all things tropical. Join us in honoring the vibrant cultures and biodiversity that make these regions so unique. Get ready to embark on a tropical adventure!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

All-Seeing Eye

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Grand Canyon In June

“June arrives, and with it, summer. The endless afternoons, the heat… and all those moments to enjoy and rest, because, even if we are working, in summer everything is seen with different eyes. This year, we are going to the Grand Canyon of Colorado to admire the beauty of its landscapes and enjoy its sunsets.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela Jimenez from Spain.

Splash

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

What Is Green

“When June arrives, it’s the best moment of the year for the photosynthesis (in the north). Most of the plants are in green colors. I like to play with colors and computers. This picture comes out of my imagination. It’s like looking with an electronic microscope at a strange green structure.” — Designed by Philippe Brouard from France.

Back In My Days

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Create Your Own Path

“Nice weather has arrived! Clean the dust off your bike and explore your hometown from a different angle! Invite a friend or loved one and share the joy of cycling. Whether you decide to go for a city ride or a ride in nature, the time spent on a bicycle will make you feel free and happy. So don’t wait, take your bike and call your loved one because happiness is greater only when it is shared. Happy World Bike Day!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Summer Coziness

“I’ve waited for this summer more than I waited for any other summer since I was a kid. I dream of watermelon, strawberries, and lots of colors.” — Designed by Kate Jameson from the United States.

Summer Surf

“Summer vibes…” — Designed by Antun Hirsman from Croatia.

Strawberry Fields

Designed by Nathalie Ouederni from France.

Deep Dive

“Summer rains, sunny days, and a whole month to enjoy. Dive deep inside your passions and let them guide you.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

Join The Wave

“The month of warmth and nice weather is finally here. We found inspiration in the World Oceans Day which occurs on June 8th and celebrates the wave of change worldwide. Join the wave and dive in!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Summer Party

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Oh, The Places You Will Go!

“In celebration of high school and college graduates ready to make their way in the world!” — Designed by Bri Loesch from the United States.

Ice Creams Away!

“Summer is taking off with some magical ice cream hot air balloons.” — Designed by Sasha Endoh from Canada.

Merry-Go-Round

Designed by Xenia Latii from Germany.

Nine Lives

“I grew up with cats around (and drawing them all the time). They are so funny… one moment they are being funny, the next they are reserved. If you have place in your life for a pet, adopt one today!” — Designed by Karen Frolo from the United States.

Solstice Sunset

“June 21 marks the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere — and sunsets like these will be getting earlier and earlier after that!” — Designed by James Mitchell from the United Kingdom.

Travel Time

“June is our favorite time of the year because the keenly anticipated sunny weather inspires us to travel. Stuck at the airport, waiting for our flight but still excited about wayfaring, we often start dreaming about the new places we are going to visit. Where will you travel to this summer? Wherever you go, we wish you a pleasant journey!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Bauhaus

“I created a screenprint of one of the most famous buildings from the Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe for you. So, enjoy the Barcelona Pavillon for your June wallpaper.” — Designed by Anne Korfmacher from Germany.

Pineapple Summer Pop

“I love creating fun and feminine illustrations and designs. I was inspired by juicy tropical pineapples to celebrate the start of summer.” — Designed by Brooke Glaser from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Melting Away

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

The Kids Looking Outside

“These are my cats looking out of the window. Because it is Children’s Day in June in a lot of countries, I chose to make a wallpaper with this photo of my cats. The cats are like kids, they always want to play and love to be outside! Also, most kids love cats!” — Designed by Kevin van Geloven from the Netherlands.

Expand Your Horizons

“It’s summer! Go out, explore, expand your horizons!” — Designed by Dorvan Davoudi from Canada.

Ice Cream June

“For me, June always marks the beginning of summer! The best way to celebrate summer is of course ice cream, what else?” — Designed by Tatiana Anagnostaki from Greece.

Sunset In Jamaica

“Photo from a recent trip to Jamaica edited to give a retro look and feel.” — Designed by Tommy Digiovanni from the United States.

Flamingood Vibes Only

“I love flamingos! They give me a happy feeling that I want to share with the world.” — Designed by Melissa Bogemans from Belgium.

Knitting For Summer

“I made multiple circles overlapping with close distances. The overall drawing looks like a clothing texture, for something you could wear in coming summer. Let’s have a nice summer.” — Designed by Philippe Brouard from France.

Posted on

Sweet Nostalgia In August (2024 Wallpapers Edition)

Typography Definitions Cover

Everybody loves a beautiful wallpaper to freshen up their desktops and home screens, right? To cater for new and unique artworks on a regular basis, we started our monthly wallpapers series more than 13 years ago, and from the very beginning to today, artists and designers from across the globe have accepted the challenge and submitted their designs to it. Just like this month.

In this post, you’ll find their wallpaper designs for August 2024. All of them come in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. As a little bonus goodie, we also added a selection of August favorites from our wallpapers archives that are just too good to be forgotten. A big thank-you to everyone who shared their designs with us this month! Happy August!

  • You can click on every image to see a larger preview,
  • We respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.
  • Submit a wallpaper!
    Did you know that you could get featured in our next wallpapers post, too? We are always looking for creative talent.

Nostalgia

“August, the final breath of summer, brings with it a wistful nostalgia for a season not yet past.” — Designed by Ami Totorean from Romania.

Relax In Bora-Bora

“As we have taken a liking to diving through the coral reefs, we’ll also spend August diving and took the leap to Bora-Bora. There we enjoy the sea and nature and above all, we rest to gain strength for the new course that is to come.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

Sandcastle Day

“Join us on Sandcastle Day for a fun-filled beach adventure, where creativity meets the sand — build, play, and enjoy the sun!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Banana!

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Cullion

Designed by Bhabna Basak from India.

Pirate Aged Rum

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

World Friendship Day

“Cherish the bonds of friendship, share smiles, and create beautiful memories with your friends. Let’s spread love and joy together!” — Designed by Reethu from London.

Summer Day

Designed by Kasturi Palmal from India.

Retro Road Trip

“As the sun dips below the horizon, casting a warm glow upon the open road, the retro van finds a resting place for the night. A campsite bathed in moonlight or a cozy motel straight from a postcard become havens where weary travelers can rest, rejuvenate, and prepare for the adventures that await with the dawn of a new day.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Spooky Campfire Stories

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Happiness Happens In August

“Many people find August one of the happiest months of the year because of holidays. You can spend days sunbathing, swimming, birdwatching, listening to their joyful chirping, and indulging in sheer summer bliss. August 8th is also known as the Happiness Happens Day, so make it worthwhile.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Bee Happy!

“August means that fall is just around the corner, so I designed this wallpaper to remind everyone to ‘bee happy’ even though summer is almost over. Sweeter things are ahead!” — Designed by Emily Haines from the United States.

Colorful Summer

“‘Always keep mint on your windowsill in August, to ensure that the buzzing flies will stay outside where they belong. Don’t think summer is over, even when roses droop and turn brown and the stars shift position in the sky. Never presume August is a safe or reliable time of the year.’ (Alice Hoffman)” — Designed by Lívi from Hungary.

Psst, It’s Camping Time…

“August is one of my favorite months, when the nights are long and deep and crackling fire makes you think of many things at once and nothing at all at the same time. It’s about heat and cold which allow you to touch the eternity for a few moments.” — Designed by Igor Izhik from Canada.

Oh La La… Paris’ Night

“I like the Paris’ night! All is very bright!” — Designed by Verónica Valenzuela from Spain.

Summer Nap

Designed by Dorvan Davoudi from Canada.

Shrimp Party

“A nice summer shrimp party!” — Designed by Pedro Rolo from Portugal.

Cowabunga

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Childhood Memories

Designed by Francesco Paratici from Australia.

Live In The Moment

“My dog Sami inspired me for this one. He lives in the moment and enjoys every second with a big smile on his face. I wish we could learn to enjoy life like he does! Happy August everyone!” — Designed by Westie Vibes from Portugal.

Swimming In The Summer

“It’s the perfect evening and the water is so warm! Can you feel it? You move your legs just a little bit and you feel the water bubbles dancing around you! It’s just you in there, floating in the clean lake and small sparkly lights shining above you! It’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?” — Designed by Creative Pinky from the Netherlands.

It’s Vacation O’Clock!

“It’s vacation o’clock! Or is it? While we bend our backs in front of a screen, it’s hard not to think about sandy beaches, flipping the pages of a corny book under the umbrella while waves splash continuously. Summer days! So hard to bear them in the city, so pleasant when you’re living the dolce far niente.” — Designed by ActiveCollab from the United States.

Launch

“The warm, clear summer nights make me notice the stars more — that’s what inspired this space-themed design!” — Designed by James Mitchell from the United Kingdom.

Ahoy

Designed by Webshift 2.0 from South Africa.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

“Remember the nursery rhyme where the little boy pleads the rain to go away? It is one of the most pleasant and beautiful seasons when the whole universe buckles up to dance to the rhythm of the drizzles that splash across the earth. And, it is August, the time of the year when monsoons add a lot of color and beauty to nature. We welcome everyone to enjoy the awesomeness of monsoons.” — Designed by Acodez from India.

Olympic Summer

“The Summer Olympic Games promise two weeks of superhuman struggle for eternal glory. Support your favorites and enjoy hot August.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Handwritten August

“I love typography handwritten style.” — Designed by Chalermkiat Oncharoen from Thailand.

Hello Again

“In Melbourne it is the last month of quite a cool winter so we are looking forward to some warmer days to come.” — Designed by Tazi from Australia.

El Pollo Pepe

“Summer is beach and swimming pool, but it means countryside, too. We enjoy those summer afternoons with our friend ‘El pollo Pepe’. Happy summer!” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

Coffee Break Time

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Spain.

Subtle August Chamomiles

“Our designers wanted to create something summery, but not very colorful, something more subtle. The first thing that came to mind was chamomile because there are a lot of them in Ukraine and their smell is associated with a summer field.” — Designed by MasterBundles from Ukraine.

Work Hard, Play Hard

“It seems the feeling of summer breaks we had back in school never leaves us. The mere thought of alarm clocks feels wrong in the summer, especially if you’ve recently come back from a trip to the seaside. So, we try to do our best during working hours and then compensate with fun activities and plenty of rest. Cheers!” — Designed by ActiveCollab from the United States.