Web Design Ledger | The Blog Pros

February 5, 2019

Tips for the Best Real Estate Website Design

What makes a good website? Depending on what industry you’re in, or your preferences, that answer may be a little different from person to person. There are a few key factors that make up a good website, but depending on the experience the owner is trying to give the audience, it’s never quite the same. With that said, today we’re going to focus on some of the elements that go into a good real estate website design.

As you might expect, a real estate website is a very specific niche. Yes, there are lots of different houses displaying different styles, but the goal of the website is very specific: sell houses. So what exactly goes into real estate website design? Let’s dive a little deeper:

Beautiful images

It is incredibly hard to sell a product online with terrible pictures. If the customer can’t get a good sense of what the house looks like from a computer screen, they may get the wrong impression, and lookover a house completely. High-quality, detailed images are absolutely vital to the overall design of the website.

You should try to provide the best images possible for the listings, yes, but that theme should carry throughout the entire website. Don’t cut any corners.

Let your images do the talking

You know that phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words”? That phrase rings incredibly true in the real estate business. Working off of our last point, if you have high-quality images of beautiful homes, you can easily implement them into the main theme of the overall sight.

Remember, people are visiting these websites for one thing and one thing only: to look at beautiful houses. What better way to please them than to give them what they want, front and center?

Take a look at Piercommercial.com, for example. It’s a simple, clean design that isn’t overwhelmed by tabs and sidebars. They’ve provided all the necessary information you need as a potential buyer, and topped it off with a nice image.

Include client testimonials

Granted, this is a great idea for any website selling a product or service, but you can understand why. Testimonials are a great way to include custom content that no other website can obtain. Each customer served or home sold produces a unique, one-of-a-kind experience that just simply can’t be duplicated naturally.

Besides that, a real estate website is all about pulling in traffic, and converting them to customers. The absolute best way to do that is to include past experiences that resulted in a happy customer. You can huff and puff all day long about how awesome you are at selling houses, but the average customer will believe another satisfied customer over you 9 times out of 10.

All of that being said, you’ll want to include images that represent the market you’re in. It doesn’t make much sense for a commercial real estate agent to use images of a country cottage. Perhaps the best practice would be to use images of homes or buildings that you’ve sold in the past.

Make it mobile friendly

It kind of goes without saying at this point that any website design should be created with mobile users in mind. In this case, we’re talking about real estate website design, which means that you’ll have clients out and about, going house to house as they find them.They’ll need a quick way to look up some information about the house that they very well could be standing right in front of.

As time goes on, the need for more mobile friendly websites will increase to a point where it will pretty much be unavoidable. So, if your website isn’t already created with mobile users in mind, you have homework to do.

Keep the navigation simple

There’s no need to get fancy with the navigation in your real estate website design. The best practice in this case would be to be straightforward. Again, this is something that a lot of websites struggle with. While it is appropriate to be a little silly or playful on some websites, a real estate page should be simple and professional.

I know, I know, professional can be boring, but it will help you in the end. You have to remember what kind of an audience you’re reeling in. most of the time, you’ll have people that want to get in, find what they’re looking for, and get out. Make it simple and straightforward, and it’ll avoid any potential confusion.

Focus on speed

Real estate websites contain a lot of information. This, of course, can result in very slow loading times, which isn’t a good thing. In fact, if your website loads slowly, not only will potential, high-paying clients leave, Google will, too. With that said, you should take every chance you get to improve loading speeds.

There are a few ways to help your site load faster, but perhaps the best and most widely used method is condensing image files. For a website with loads of images, it’s pretty important that all of their file sizes are as small as they can be without compromising the quality of the image itself. There are lots of free softwares that will help you do this online.

Create area profiles

Most people, when searching for their new home, know exactly the area they want to live in. if you create an area profile, it will help you in two ways:

First, it will really speed up the search process that everyone goes through when looking for a home. They don’t want to look at every house available in the state, or even city. They want to look neighborhood by neighborhood.

Second, it really helps with SEO search results. When someone is looking for a house in a specific neighborhood, they type ,”Homes for sale” and then the name of the neighborhood. If you’ve created a profile dedicated to such neighborhood, you’ll rank for it. It’s a win-win.

The conclusion

Real estate website design isn’t any sort of new industry or practice. It’s been around for quite a while, actually, but it does change. Although there are plenty of experimental methods out there (as there are for just about everything), there are methods that remain true to success. If you’re struggling with your real estate website design, or maybe just looking for ways to improve on it, give these tips a shot.

February 4, 2019

Worst design fails, and how to avoid them

Within the world of the internet, there are many great things. You can order food, shop in your underwear, and connect with people from all over the world right from your living room. Unfortunately, with these amazing things comes some pretty terrible things, too. Today, we’re going to be focusing on some of the worst design fails ever, and how you can avoid them.

Some of these fails are generic, and will have specific examples. Regardless of which category each one falls into, the point of this list is to avoid each and every one of the following fails completely. After all, that’s why they call it a fail.

Overdesign

Over designed websites are the worst thing to happen to any website. Fortunately, these websites are being weeded out slowly, but they definitely still exist, and they’re still pretty terrible.

The reasons to avoid such a terrible decision are pretty obvious. For one, too much on one page can greatly slow down your loading speeds, and it sends the reader away almost immediately. Secondly, it confuses everyone. Looking at the image above, if you manage not to get a headache and pass out, you’ll have a hard time finding what you’re looking for.

Granted, web design isn’t always easy. After all, if it were easy, we wouldn’t have a need for web designers at all. The moral of this story is to make it simple, make it clean, and for the love of God, make it easy to navigate.

Auto-playing audio and video

We’ve all been there. It’s late, you’re tired, you’re just ready to go to bed, and out of nowhere, amongst your dozens of tabs you have opened, a video starts playing. Now, you get to play the always fun and engaging game of “guess the tab” and try your best to shut down the video. It feels like you’re trying to defuse a bomb. Only in this case, you don’t know where the bomb is and you feel like crying.

If ever you find yourself wondering if an auto-playing video or audio file anywhere within your web design, stop yourself. Unless you want to slow your loading times down, and make literally everyone on the internet upset, avoid this design fail.

Websites that aren’t mobile friendly

We live in a time where everyone uses their phone for just about everything. Even if they aren’t dependant on their phones, they use them at least a few times a day. The way the web is evolving means that more and more people will be using their phones for tasks that used to be impossible using mobile web browsers. It should be a crime to not at least think about mobile users when designing a website.

Each year, the amount of mobile users goes up by a healthy amount. In fact, as of the start of 2019, over 63% of internet users are on mobile devices. Pretty soon, mobile users might make up most, if not all of your visitors. With that in mind, it’s absolutely worth spending some time to avoid this design fail, and making your website mobile friendly.

Sidebars

As helpful as sidebars used to be, and arguably still are, they’re just not good looking. Most of the time, the sidebar takes up a good portion of your main interface, and it gets quite distracting. Call it a trend if you want, but major websites like Amazon and Ebay have ditched the sidebar for a more streamlined look.

The idea is to have your visitors interact with your website. As easy as it would be to just throw up a sidebar and have all the navigation options users might need right in front of them, it takes away from the experience.

Passive-aggressive CTAs

Listen, I love conversions as much as the next guy, but being passive-aggressive about a CTA is a very quick way to turn a potential customer away completely. It might seem like a good idea, but using a CTA like, “No thanks, I don’t want to grow my traffic” actually comes off as desperate on your part, not the potential customer.

I think the overall theme of this article, aside from design fails, is to stop and think before you act. Think about how you would react in your visitors’ shoes. If you can honestly say that you wouldn’t like it, then odds are that your visitors won’t, either. A passive-aggressive CTA is a great example of this analogy, but being passive-aggressive in general works here, too. Stop, and try a different approach.

Trying to keep up with all the trends

Trends are important in any type of design. In fact, keeping up with trends should be the main objective of any designer, whether it’s web, interior, clothing, or anything else. So why, you may ask, is it such a bad thing to keep up with many trends at once? The short answer is that it takes the focus off of the content of the website.

Yes, using a color gradient is cool, and encouraged. Maybe even a few custom doodles to bring your website to life and give it a unique look. What’s not encouraged is pumping your website full of so many trends that it looks like the front cover of The Cosmopolitan. You’ll end up misdirecting your visitors. Keep it simple, and focus on the content. If the content of your website is quality, then the rest of your site will follow suit with little to no effort from you.

The conclusion

When you really take a look, design fails are everywhere, and they always will be. To be fair, there is a place for design fails on the internet. They give us opportunities to learn, and in a way, they make good design stand out more.

Of course, this is just a small list of design fails to avoid. There are many more out there that you should try your best to avoid. And, as important as it is to stay up-to-date with web design trends, perhaps the worst mistake any of us could make is using too many. Web design is all about balance. You find that balance, and you, my friend, have found the keys to success.

January 31, 2019

20 Great Websites to Find Free Stock Photos

We are all tired of fake stock pictures where people shake hands in perfect suits. The era of perfectly scented stock photos is gone. Now people want to see real-life pictures on their websites, banners, and flyers.

The number of sites you can download high-quality free stock photos increase day by day. Just in case, you can’t find a photo you need on one site, you can use another one.

In this showcase, we put together 20 great websites to find beautiful stock photos. Most of images featured there fall under Creative Common Licence, so you can use them without author credit. Just scroll down and choose the site to pick a stunning photo.

unsplash

Pexels

freephotos

Foodies Feed

IM Free

Foter

Pixabay

StockSnap

Death to The Stock Photo

Picjumbo

The Pattern Library

Gratisography

Big Stock</h3>

Life of Pix

Free Refe Real Stock Photos

Magdeleine

Jay Mantri

My Stock Photos

Public Domain Archive

Picography

January 30, 2019

The Best UI Design Trends of 2019

User interaction, or UI, is arguably the single most important aspect of anyone’s technological experience. However, people change, their needs change, and technology changes to go along with it. Every year, there are always new trends that everyone should integrate to their designs. Because it’s important to keep up with the times, we’ve compiled a list of the best UI design trends of 2019.

Seamless Interfaces

Nobody likes to have to navigate a website by clicking on an unnecessary amount of links. Loveforiceland.com executes this perfectly, so let’s use it as an example.

All of the information is located on the main page, so the user never have to leave the home page. This avoids loading times and ridiculous transitions.

Big Typography

Big fonts are in! Adding a simple, or even an interactive font to your home page can really set the mood for any user. It’s a great way to advertise and get people familiar with your brand. Weareacademy.com is a very great example of how to pull this off in a trendy way.

Gradient Transitions

We all need a splash of color. One color can be a little boring, but add too many, and you’ll confuse your users. Gradient transitions are not just one of the best UI design trends of 2018, but possibly of all time.

It has made quite the comeback this year and is spreading like wildfire. As your eyes move from one side of the screen to the other, they’ll be greeted with a fresh, new treat every inch of the way.

Custom Illustrations

What better way to give people a custom experience then to throw in some custom illustrations? If you have a unique logo or font, throw it in there! People really get the sense of uniqueness and genuine care when they see something other than copy and paste style UI.

These are just a few of the best UI design trends of 2018. There are many trends out there to be discovered, and even more to be created. Put on your thinking hat, gather the troops, and start getting creative. Who knows, maybe one day, someone will be writing an article about a trend you set.

January 30, 2019

What does “pretentious customer” mean for a web design agency?

Spoiler: This article is for difficult customers and the specialists who work with them

In every field, but especially in the creative ones, there have been, and surely there will always be difficult customers. If you find yourself in a position to call on such services… this article is for you. If you are a web design magician on the other side of the barricade, your situation is as familiar as possible.

From the outset, we need to clarify a small aspect: the purpose of the article is to explain to you, the client we always want to see satisfied with the outcome, which are the peritubular factors we often face. At the same time, we want you, a member of an agency that offers web design services, to feel that you are not the only one in this situation.

So … let’s get started!

Our dear customer,

You have probably already experienced various collaborations with web designers or freelancers. And at least once it happened to not be satisfied with the final product. Undoubtedly, your immediate conclusion was to criticize the work of the design team. If you find yourself in this description, we have less pleasant news: the problem in such situations can be caused by your requirements.

Let’s examine together some types of attitudes that can lead to poor collaboration and how we can improve them.

13 features of a pretentious customer

You want the web designer to fulfill more desires than you paid for;
You expect every requirement of yours to be fulfilled on the spot;
You want your last-minute needs to be resolved “yesterday”;
Your preferences are vague;
You insist that your website imitates the model of another site;
You copy the images you want to appear on the website;
You expect the web designer to solve problems that do not fall within his job;
For any dissatisfaction, you let the designer know that you will give up on his services in favor of cheaper services;
You plan to pay less than your initial understanding;
Do not trust the design services of an authorized person in the field;
You make major design changes after approval of the initial variation;
You communicate incomplete requirements and specifications to the web design team;
You despise the web designer’s advice.

How can you be the ideal customer?

We are convinced that you also want to benefit from the much-wanted result, and we always aim to offer you the best web design services. We enjoy every time we see a happy customer. That’s why, anytime, a little help on your part contributes to a successful collaboration.

5 features of the ideal customer

Clarifies all site-related concerns and respects the final design, as well as honoring its cost;
Read and make sure they understand all the terms and conditions of the collaboration;
Provides at least 5 sites that he/she likes and lists the reasons;
Make sure he/she sends the design team all the logos, photos, and content they need and…
He/she has effective communication skills.

At the end of the day, the responsibility of a perfect website also depends on us designers who want to offer you web design services to the highest standards. So if you need a refresh of the site, ask for the help of a team of specialists that is always ready to meet your web design wishes!

January 28, 2019

30 Examples Of Stunning Brand Identity

We have catalogued 30 stunning examples of Brand Identity for your inspiration!

Check them out below.

Brand identity is of paramount importance when it comes to starting a new business and promoting your products or services. Yes, it may seem difficult to come up with a creative brand identity which accurately reflects your taste and your values. Still, it all boils down to a few essentials:

Name
Logo
Tone
Tagline
Typeface

Today we will be mostly touching on the logo. The logo should be properly displayed on everything from corporate products to ads and signs posted in and around the office.

We have collected 30 amazingly creative examples of brand identity designs from all over the web. These will surely help you get your creative juices flowing when coming up with yours:

Lui Store by Gustaw Dmowski and Dmowski & Co

Tim & Tammy’s – Brand Packaging by BR/ BAUEN

Translation company branding by Peter Culkin

Máxico by Daniel Barba and Monotypo Studio

F R O N T R O W London by Sebastian Bednarek

Volven Field Manchester by Sebastian Bednarek

Salmoura by Manoela Silva

Thurso by David Moncado

All Legal by Sergey Dergachenko by

Design The Restaurant Experience by Atipus Barcelona

WYLDE by Max Crame

Bluebirds&Co. by Zdunkiewicz

Rocky Mtn Chocolate Rebrand, Packaging and Store Design by Wedge & Lever

GlowMode Skin Clinic by Quim Marin

Vaishnavi Associate // Branding Identity by Vadivel G

Futudoc — Medical App by Mike Samovarov

Clinique Vestimentaire | Branding by vivien bertin

Dogueiros // Branding by João Francisco Hack

Renewing Bacoa by Folch

Billy Jhin – Branding by Fernando H. Nobre

NICHE Tea by IWANT design

Polú Poké Packaging by Caterina Bianchini

Flour “Ryazanochka” rebranding by Ohmybrand studio and 2SHARP

L A E – L A E by Fabian De Lange

Identity Domsurfe by Devenup Media

make&take – your signature pizza by FourPlus Studio

Gallery & Co. — Branding by Foreign Policy

Dig Inn by High Tide

DELTA by Shift –

Sparks Branding by Ivan Nikolic

Which design resonates most with your values and vision? Share and subscribe for more daily snippets of creative designs!

January 23, 2019

10 Fonts For the Super Fancy Designs

Minimalism is the new fad that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. It’s easy to read and you can get many cool and unique fonts from it. However, some designs call for a fancy design. Sometimes you just need to raise your pinky and feel fancy. For that reason, here are 10 fancy fonts for the super fancy designs.

10. Kelium

Kelium is a great example of a fancy, cursive style typeface in brush font. It’s unique, extravagant, but still easy to read. Perfect for something like wedding invitations!

9. Leviafan

Leviafan is perfect for just about any occasion that needs the fancy meter bumped up a little bit. Use it in logos, business cards, or even a casual invitation.

8. Taahira

Taahira is a handmade font that really grabs your attention. It really brings the warmth of a handwritten note. This would be perfect for a multitude of creative projects.

7. Bhatoshine

Bhatoshine is a fancy and formal typeface. You can use this one anywhere and bring a very upscale feel to your design.

6. Ulyssa

Ulyssa font uses a loopy, handwritten form to get the point across. It gives a very bohemian feel, but still stays fancy.

5. Aaminah

Aaminah borders the line of minimalist and fancy. It maintains straight and uniform lines, but it adds a fancy flare with the unique curls.

4. Adora Bouton

Adora looks like the type of font you would use in a love letter. It’s big, dramatic, and makes any project it’s used in look infinitely more fancy.

3. Alayna

Alayna was designed with heart shapes in mind. The ends of a few letters give that warm charm that a hand-drawn heart would.

2. Aejeong

Aejeong is a fresh and clean typeface that gives that handwritten flare. The font itself is in all caps, and can be used in multiple occasions.

1. Love Hurts

The love hurts font is perfect for all of your fancy needs. It’s fancy, but not over-the-top fancy. It can be used for anything from wedding invitations, to elegant company logos.

Whether it’s a business card or the face of your business, there will always be a need to that fancy flare. Bring out your inner monocle wearing, champaign drinking, “Driver, please take me to the penthouse” self.

Which one was your favorite? Let use know in the comments below, and don’t forget, pinky up!

January 19, 2019January 23, 2019

The Best Website Designs of 2018

2018 seemed to go by so quickly! But, that doesn’t mean that there’s any shortage of great website designs out there. With more and more websites joining the web every day, it’s actually really hard to find one that stands out. So, for your viewing pleasure, we put together a quick list of the best website designs that stood out to us in 2018. Some of these you may already know, but a few of them might be a surprise.

Epicurence

Anywhere you go on Epicurence is simply a visual delight. The site is packed with fun animations and unique transitions. Not to mention the beautiful colors and eye catching images. It’s hard to pick one single part of Epiccurence that’s better than the other. Well done!

Eleven Plants For Dum-Dums

Now, I know what you’re thinking, and no, this isn’t some super hipster design studio. Eleven plants For Dum-Dums is literally just a website that lists 11 different kinds of plants. What makes it stand out is the use of animation and the color green. It’s a really fun website to visit, and they make each section about each plant so unique, that it’s impossible to look away.

Hello Monday

As much as we all probably dislike Monday, Hello Monday the website is a welcome site. On the main page, the way they transition from story to story is super clean. The transitions are also timed really well. They give you enough time to glimpse the story and click if you want, but they don’t stay up too long and make you feel like you’re staring at a wall.

Feed Music

Feed Music’s main page captures your attention instantly. So much so, that you almost don’t want to click on anything else. The animation is smooth and the colors are beautifully balanced. To top it all off, if you scroll down through the content in the middle of the main page, you feel like you’re watching to intro to a Star Wars movie.

The Sum

Just in case you haven’t read anything else on our blog, we love custom graphics. The Sum takes a very minimalistic approach, but wow are the visuals amazing. Combine that with a sense of humor, and a fast functioning website, and you have yourself a winner.

Zillow

Let’s take a dip into more familiar territory, shall we? Zillow is a pretty common name to hear nowadays, especially if you’re in the real estate business. It’s safe to say that they’re really good at what they do. Another thing that they really nailed is the design of their website. The best website designs are the ones that serve their purpose and look good doing it. Zillow is not only visually appealing, it functions like a champ, and it’s easy to use. What more could you want?

Toggl

Here’s another big name you hear about a lot. What makes Toggl so mind blowing is their weirdly entertaining animations on almost all their pages. Each page provides soft and relaxing colors, and the oever website has such a friendly and helpful tone to it that it’s impossible not to feel at home.

Distance to Mars

Distance to Mars was designed to educate people in a clever way. The website is dedicated to one purpose, showing viewers the distance to mars. Along the way, they’ll provide some scientific facts that are quite entertaining. If you have a few extra seconds, it’s definitely worth checking out.

World of SWISS

World of SWISS is a website dedicated to SWISS airlines. The website i beautiful and clean, but most of all, it perfectly tells a their story. On the main page, you’ll find no shortage of articles and videos describing what it’s like to fly with them. The website’s function is smooth and the visuals are crisp and perfect for the brand. This is a great example of how simplicity and functionality can go a long way.

Juliana Bicycles

As a bicycle site just for women, Juliana Bicycles delivers clean and vibrant images, and outstanding functionality. They take advantage of responsive interactions, and it really works well for the site. It’s colorful, clean, and really really cool.

Guillaume Tomasi

Guillaume Tomasi is a photographer in Montreal that has built a portfolio that’s quite impressive. Both according to its contents and the beautiful manner at which he pulled it off. The website is simply beautiful and is a great example of both how to design a website and portfolio. The interactions are simple but fun, and definitely get the job done. Never once will you feel inconvenienced by the way the website works. It’s simple, but it’s different for sure.

Crypton

Crypton is a robot accountant that helps you buy and sell cryptocurrency. The site uses the best of the best AI to help you predict changes in values for all kinds of cryptocurrencies. Since its creation, it’s been given quite a few awards for its design and development, and you can see why from the moment you click on it.

JOHOs

If you want a website with superb images, nice interactions, quick functionality, and delicate story telling, then look no further than JOHOs. The website tells the story of the brand’s coffee beans. You get to travel along with them from the growing process all the way to the brew. It’s like a mini movie and it’s so mesmerizing to watch.

Apple

We’ll end this list with Apple, a company that has been notorious throughout its existence for creating sleek and functional products, and their website is no different. It’s packed to the brim with high quality imagery and super modern style. The iPhones displayed on the main page all but jump out at you.

Conclusion

The best website designs are not good at any one particular thing. But rather, they’re great at many different things. Each website on this list of best website designs of 2018 showcase many strong advantages that they have over other websites.

Some of the names in this list you may have already been familiar with, and some are probably new to you. Regardless of whether is new news or old news, these websites are simply stunning, and the design teams behind each one have something to be extremely proud of. Go ahead and click on the links are check them out for yourself!

January 17, 2019

Slack Changes Their Logo and Designers Disapprove

Is it just me or are there other people who taught for a second that they accidentally downloaded a new game on their phones? Slack decided to evolve, but is it really an evolution? Let’s find out.

Over the past few years, Slack has gone through a few, very minor logo changes. All of them, however, had their iconic hashtag icon as its centerpiece. As of January 16, 2019, slack has announced another logo change, but this one is a little more drastic.

Why did it change?

As I said earlier, the Slack logo was well known among the digital community. It was easily recognizable. Slack starts their announcement by stating that they loved the old logo, but explained that they’ve, “Decided to evolve.”

The reason behind the change seems quite sincere. In the announcement, they explained that the logo was just hard to get right. With the large variety of colors, the logo had to be placed carefully, as any color background except white would absorb some of the colors in the logo.

They went on to explain that they tried to develop many different varieties of their famous logo, but that meant that they had many different app logos, and that simply didn’t sit well. Each logo looked great by itself, but when compared to each other, they almost looked as if they each represented a different company.

The backlash

Since Slack has a very, and I mean very large user base, it makes sense that there would be a response from them, and well, it’s not great. The logo went from a colorful, perfectly designed masterpiece that made so much sense for the app, to a standard, run-of-the-mill logo that can easily get lost in a sea of apps.

The team at Pentagram that helped design it had this to say:

“After exploring a wide range of possibilities, the designers decided to retain the equity of the hashtag, or octothorpe, rebuilding it with two basic geometric shapes, a speech bubble and lozenge, that can be extracted and used as graphic elements.”

There was a lot of thought that went into this new logo. There are many elements that make sense. Even the speech bubbles were a clever idea. But the reality is, it’s nothing but a fancy Google logo, and they thought of it first, thus the criticism.

Quite many publications wrote about the new logo and, oh man, it’s bad. Here are some:

digg.com writes: “It’s… well, it’s not great! The jaunty angle is gone. The colors are still there, but suddenly it would be hard to pick out Slack in a sea of same-y startup logos.”

thenextweb.com says: “It went from a unique, quirky logo to something that looks like it belongs at your local pharmacy. Or maybe a Web 2.0 law firm or bank. Perhaps a summer arts program at the local middle school?”

Erin Scott Johnson went viral on Twitter with an eye-opening tweet: “The negative space in the new Slack logo makes it look like a whimsical swastika. Thank you for coming to my TED talk about how the internet has ruined my brain forever.”

And from there, the new Slack logo that was supposed to be a symbol of the tool’s evolution becomes a meme.

HisReptilianMajesty‏ tweets: “#Slack has a new logo that I’m pretty sure is actually four ducks sewn together in an uroboros human/duck centipede. You add eyes and you can’t miss it.”

What do you think about the new logo? Let us know in the comment section below.

January 15, 2019

Best Photoshop Alternatives to Ease Your Work

Photoshop has been out on the market for a long time and there isn’t a designer who hasn’t heard about it. That’s a fact. Professionals use it to edit everything, from photos, movies, to anything graphic design related. Undoubtedly, Photoshop is a leader among the editing tools, and rightly so. The multitude of features and options it comes with make it a software for the advanced. Unfortunately, its complexity can be an impossible labyrinth for some, an unpenetrable mystery. For this very reason, we decided to make all your lives easier by putting together a handy list of the best Photoshop alternatives.

We know the hassle that Photoshop comes with, and we know the price. Not only does it need hundreds of hours of practice until you get familiarized with it, but it can also be quite costly for designers at the beginning of their career. Our goal on Webdesignledger is to make designers’ work as enjoyable as possible through accessible resources. Today’s blog post is for those who have been looking for Photoshop alternatives that are easier to use and more affordable. Check these out and choose your favorite:

1. Krita

The reasons we love this tool are quite numerous. We’ll start with our favorite: it’s free. Don’t we all like free quality products? Krita is Photoshop’s younger sister, they look and feel very similar. It’s feature-rich and highly recommended by the people online. We recommend you all to use Krita as a Photoshop alternative because:

it has a ton of cool effects
it offers a multitude of templates on different subjects
you can use it on tablets

Unfortunately, Krita doesn’t keep the history of your edits, nor does it have a camera RAW filter. But these little negatives don’t matter so much when all the other features complement each other so well.

2. Sumopaint

One of the downsides of Photoshop is that you need room for it. You may have to delete stuff on your computer in order to install it. This is where Sumpaint comes into action. This amazing alternative is an online tool which means you can keep everything on your laptop in place. Sumopaint is on our list today because:

it’s super easy to use
it has plenty of features
it offers support for layers and blending modes

3. Multi-Layer (Android)

Edit on the go with your tablet or smartphone with this amazing Photoshop alternative. Multi Layer beats all the other phone tools with its richness of features. Believe it or not, the app offers grit support and even support for blending and layers. Being a free tool, they have to financially support the app through ads which will pop up at times. But even so, we love it for:

its simple utilization
its curve editing feature
its multitude of options

4. GIMP

Unlike Krita which doesn’t feature a history toolbar, GIMP does! It is also free and that always makes us happy. Plus, what if I told you that it’s able to do almost everything that Photoshop can, sometimes even better? No wonder people recommend it so much online as a Photoshop alternative. It’s easy to work with and we wouldn’t trade it for Photoshop as:

it offers layers support and blending modes
it features a history toolbar
it supports image slicing and Rulers and Guides

5. Affinity Photo

We dare to say that Affinity Photo is better than Photoshop. First, let’s start with the price. Compared to Photoshop, Affinity Photo is so much cheaper! With a one-off payment, you are good to go. Its creators openly affirmed that the aspects Photoshop lacks in, they’ve got it covered. Affinity Photo is among the best on the market, and this is why:

it’s much faster than Photoshop
crashes less than Photoshop
features unlimited undos

6. Sketch

This list could not exist without Sketch. The tool is as feature rich as flexible. Although it is a paid software, you get a ton for the price. And that’s due to the numerous community-created plugins you can access anytime to extend its functionality. The only downside to Sketch is its limited platform availability. Unless you are a Mac user you can’t enjoy this amazing tool. But even so, we applaud it for:

its infinite zooming
the ability to build a new graphic with the vector and pencil tool
including color picker, layers, gradients, and style presets

7. Pixlr

This app is for free. You’ll want to know this little detail when I tell you that it comes with more than 600 effects. Pixlr is that app that you must have on downloaded on your phone for quick edits that actually look good. Crop, resize, whiten teeth if needed, it’s all possible with Pixlr. We added the app to our list due to:

its simplicity
its availability on iOS and Android
the 600 effects, overlays, and borders

8. Aviary

Aviary specializes in basic editing and it does it in style. It’s a super tool for editing images into memes and not only. It’s easy to use, yet full of features. You can edit small details such as blemishes, add stickers, and change the depth of focus. Aviary can be accessed both online and on phones. We mostly like that:

it’s free and the online editor is add free
it comes with a wide range of tools
it’s easy to use

Which Photoshop alternative do you use? We would love to know your recommended tools and what makes them special in the comment section below. Also, stay up to date with the latest news and trends in design by visiting us daily. We strive to bring the best and most useful content and would appreciate if you liked, shared, and subscribe to our blog.

January 11, 2019

Where to Find Graphic Design Freebies

The design industry is a tough place to start a career. The consecrate designers worked diligently to make their names known, and now they are enjoying all the benefits that come with that. But we have to admit that without help of any sort, success is almost impossible to achieve on our own. Because we understand what’s like to be a designer, especially at the beginning of your career, we’ve created a handy list of places where you can find all sorts of graphic design freebies. So let’s get started!

The main idea of this list is for you to save you some money AND time. Sometimes when you work on a big project, you don’t have any minute to spare for researching resources and tools. So we did the job for you. Scroll down and you will find a list of websites that provide you with a multitude of graphic design freebies. Just click the link in each headline and it will take you directly to the source. We hope that you’ll find it helpful and worth of sharing with other fellow beginner graphic designers.

1. The Noun Project | Icons for everything

2. Dribbble | Show and Tell for Designers

3. Behance | Show and Discover Creative Works

4. Reddit | Free Graphic & Web Design Resources

5. Free Minimal Logos | Logos For Your Personal or Commercial Projects

6. FlyPixel | 828 Design Freebies and Counting

7. Hey Design | Design Freebies

8. Logo Dust | Logo Designs for Your Startup

9. Epic Pxls | Free and Premium Resources For Your Next Project

10. FreeDesignResources | Daily Freebies for Creatives

11. MediaLoot | Graphic Design Resources for Everyone

12. Sketch App Sources | Free Design Resources

13. Design Cuts | Design Freebies Archive

14. PSD Repo | Free quality PSDs Available For Download

15. DesignerMill | Collection of Best Free Design Resources

16. Fribiesbug | Free Web Design Resources

17. Vera Block | Level-Up Your Design Workflow Right Now

18. DBF | Dribbble & Behance Best Design Freebies

January 7, 2019

Five Reasons Why A Strong Brand Identity For Your Pet Business Is Vital to Success

Sniff Design Studio® is an award-winning web and graphic design studio that specializes in catering to national and international pet business professionals since 2003. We work to inspire brands while crafting identities with meaningful, purpose-filled and eye-catching designs. After all, good design is key to gaining and maintaining important customer response to a product or idea. At Sniff Design Studio®, we believe that presentation is everything – no bones about it.

In a world built on abundance, where clients have their unlimited choices—with numerous competitors offering similar products and services—becoming noticed is becoming more and more difficult. Now more than ever, it is important for a petrepreneur to have an effective brand and marketing strategy to consistently attract ideal clients.

So, what is the key to standing out from the pack? Having a BRAND WITH BITE.

1 – BRANDING BUILDS TRUST

Your brand is the first experience most clients have with your company. It’s the persona of your business—the voice, feeling, design, and strategy that calls your audience to action and compels them to stay. A solid pet business brand helps is also a visual reminder of who you are, what you stand for, and the problems you solve, so it is important to remain consistent and cohesive.

Before you jump straight to the design portion of your brand image, think about the adjectives you want people to think of when they think of your brand. Does your brand reflect those adjectives? If it is not, then your customers will wind up confused and your messaging will be muddied—not exactly the ideal situation if you want to attract your ideal client.

For example, the brand image below was created for a new pet business located in Texas. This business wanted to create a design that read as upscale and soothing while still projecting a modern minimalism. The softened blue palette gives their brand that soothing, trusting feeling and the thin, long fonts give off a dainty, upscale feeling.

Image Source: Poochies Austine Groomers & Pet Lounge

2 – BRANDING MAKES YOU RECOGNIZABLE

Having a custom and cohesive guide for your brand visuals helps you create a memorable and recognizable image for your company. A simple logo alone does not make for a strong brand identity to start. Simply put, your pet businesses brand needs to be a series of thoughtful and professionally designed elements specifically created to help you be:

Distinct – stand out from the pack

Memorable – strong visual impact and therefore, easily recognizable

Cohesive – various print + digital assets that compliment each other while establishing a consistent message

Authentic – tells a story that is uniquely you

Iconic – allows your brand to be timeless while still being able to evolve

This pet business brand was designed to be distinguished and easily recognizable by utilizing bold and striking shapes to make their logo. To add a personal touch, it also showcases the client’s love of Boston Terriers. A set of patterns was also used to help further this brand’s all natural look and feel; since their treats are truly all-natural. After the launch of their new brand, their online and offline sales have nearly doubled. With a strong brand, your customers will have no problem remembering you for their future needs.

Image source: Spoiled Dog

3 – BRANDING SETS YOU APART

With the pet industry consistently growing and not showing any signs of slowing down, it is more important than ever to set yourself apart from your competition. A strong brand identity leads to increased engagement, conversion, and growth. After all, first impressions matter and you’ll never get a second chance to make that first impression (you WILL be judged on how your brand or lack thereof, is initially perceived). Clients often make assessments on service or product quality based on how polished (or unpolished) a brand looks. So, if your brand image is less than stellar, you could be leaving sales on the table. A professionally-designed brand matters when it comes to everything you do and it adds value. Ultimately, it will give you a major competitive advantage because branding is a visual, tangible, and controllable area that will set you apart from your competition. Make your audience’s experience with your unique and tail wagging-ly exciting.

This pet business re-brand for Catnip Takeout is truly unique. Not only is it for a feline pet business, but also was designed and developed to only use two colors. This was then carried throughout the entire company branding. A custom typeface that uses a strong pattern was created to emphasize that this toy maker is known for their use of bold and beautiful patterns for their cat toys.

Image Source: Catnip Takeout

4 – BRANDING GIVES YOU CLARITY AND DIRECTION

There is no point in having a great pet product or service if your visual communication fails to connect your audience with your messaging. If your visual identity isn’t consistent and appealing then your audience may not take you seriously. Worse yet, your client or customer may choose your competitors instead of you – just because your competitors looked and felt more professional.

Branding is the key tool for meticulously connecting and presenting all of your communications in a way that provides clarity on your company differentiators and product offerings. Setting the brand standards for your company’s voice and visuals provides focus and guidance—no more aimless wanderings. With brand standards, you’ll be able to create content with intent.

An example of brand clarity and direction is seen here in The Tell-Tail Paw, LLC. This pet business’ brand was created and developed around the client’s formal background in gourmet baking and her love of literary classics. This brand was designed to exude a look of sophistication and class by using a bright, yet elegant color palette combined with a classy and upscaled pattern and iconography to match.

Image Source: The Tell-Tail Paw, LLC

5 – BRANDING CONNECTS EMOTIONALLY

As mentioned previously, creating a consistent, cohesive brand will help to build brand trust and emotional connections with your target audience and since most consumers purchase based on emotion, it’s important to have this established from the beginning.

This company knowing their audience well, had a sweet, bright and sophisticated brand look created that would instantly connect with her upscale clientele. In addition, the brand also included her two moms’ favorite colors: feminine pink and chocolate brown. To top things off, custom illustrations were created to further and solidify her brand. This logo has been around for years and yet still connects with customers today.

Image Source: Barkers Lane Pet Spa + Boutique

——

When it comes to your pet business we know all your time, skill, effort, and energy is poured into it. Having a professionally-designed brand identity will help solidify your worth and place within this highly-competitive industry. Since great design is the first thing your audience will notice both online and offline, you can not afford to cut corners. Know you’re worth it and be willing to invest so you can show this to the rest of the world.

Now go make your MARK and SPARK!

December 28, 2018

How to Collaborate Effectively if Your Team is Remote

There are many great benefits to working in a remote team. As long as everyone is on the same page, it seems like all the team members are working in the same office, one right next to the other. Ideally, this is how you want your team to function. Everyone’s workflow should be synchronized, even if they all work a little differently.

However, if you work in a remote team, you’ve probably had your fair share of hiccups along the way, too. Let’s be real, there are tons of obstacles that get in our way, and they’re not always easy to overcome. Perhaps the most overwhelming issue is the lack of effective collaboration. In a remote team, you can’t simply walk down the hall and hold a quick meeting. You have to schedule these things in advance and they usually take place online. With that in mind, here are a few tips and tools to make your life a little bit easier.

File Sharing

File sharing is an important part of working in a remote team. Emails just aren’t cutting it anymore. Sure, you can send an email with an attachment, but if you’re working with multiple people or need to send lots of files, then it gets complicated. In order to tackle this file sharing obstacle properly, you’ll need a tool capable of doing the job.

Dropbox is the perfect tool for this, as it’s speeds and service are unmatched. They offer plenty of features to help you get through your day without any hiccups.

Communication

Communication is the single most important aspect of remote collaboration. It is vital that you and your team are communicating regularly whether it be email, video chat, phone calls, or messaging.

It’s equally as important to know what channels to communicate with. No matter what size your team is, you should all have a go-to method of communicating with one another. If someone needs to communicate with another person, they should have a guaranteed way of getting into contact with that person.

Using your communication methods, take the time to get to know everyone on the team. Understandably, this can be hard in the larger teams, but it’s still really important to have that connection outside of work. Find out common interests and birthdays. The more you’re all familiar with each other, the more smooth collaboration will be. We do, however, have to keep in mind that we’re after effective collaboration. As important as it is to know your team, you don’t want to be standing around chatting all day. Find the appropriate time to have friendly talks.

Manage your time correctly

It goes without saying that if you’re in a remote team, it’s up to you to manage your time yourself. Undoubtedly, this can be a little hairy. For this, Toggl is a great tool. Toggl is an online time tracker that makes keeping up with work hours easy. This is especially important for anyone working hourly.

The best benefit to using a time tracker in a remote team is that everyone feels like they manage their own schedule, and for the most part, they are. As they’re able to keep track of their own time, they’ll be able to pinpoint weaknesses in their performance and fix them as needed.

Remote team building

Team building exercises can help your team function much more effectively. Although it can be harder to accomplish in a remote team, there are definitely some options out there:

Facts about yourself

This is probably the most basic game anyone can play, but it does involve getting to know one another a little more. It doesn’t have to be extensive, or even all at once, but get everyone on the team to give a few words about themselves.

Common things

Divide your team into small groups and have them write down and submit some things that they have in common. The team with the most in common wins.

Office tour

An office tour can both tell you a lot about a fellow team member and give them the opportunity to express themselves.

Create a chat channel for funny images

Create a Slack channel dedicated to funny GIFs and images. This is another great way for people to express themselves.

Virtual coffee break

If you’re remote, you don’t have the opportunity to get coffee like normal colleagues do. In this case, you can always have a video chat coffee break. Start up a general conversation, and treat it like you’re all in the same coffee shop.

There are lots, I repeat lots of ways you can get your team involved in activities together. You can go as wild as you want, all that really matters is that everyone is getting to know each other better. Once you learn about how people function outside of the workplace, you can better understand how they function within a work environment.

Summary

Remote work is difficult, there’s no getting around it. There are obstacles and challenges that come along with the job that most average office employees would never have to face. However, there are plenty of tools out there that allow remote teams to collaborate effectively, even though they don’t see each other every day.

This is a sponsored post for Dropbox. All opinions are my own. Dropbox is not affiliated with nor endorses any other products or services mentioned.

December 27, 2018

7 Tips for Building a Highly Effective Agency Content Collaboration & Productivity

Whether you’re new to your industry, or a hardened veteran, you’ll probably admit that your job isn’t always a walk in the park. There might be ways that you wish you can improve your workflow, even if it’s just a little. For that reason, we’ve put together a simple list of 7 tips for building a highly effective agency. Some of them might seem a little obvious, but there’s always room for improvement. Without further ado, let’s get this party started:

1. File Share And Access Permissions

Sharing information regarding a project is essential for progression. Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on emails and face-to-face interactions anymore. Now, we have helpful tools like Dropbox for file permissions and shared links which are available to Dropbox Professional and Business customers.

Dropbox allows everyone on your team to share and receive information faster than you can blink. The tool offers tons of online features to make sure your information is safe, and that it gets to where it needs to go quickly. Dropbox destroys the competition with their speed and service.

2. Track your time

If you aren’t already time tracking, you should stop what you’re doing now and look into it. There are a few reasons why time tracking is so important for everyone on your team:

For team members paid hourly, it ensures an accurate paycheck
It helps you better calculate time estimates for future clients
It helps you organize your day by keeping track of how long daily tasks take to complete

Keeping track of your time ensures that you’re not wasting time, therefore being as productive as possible.

3. Communicate

You know what they say, communication is the key to any relationship. The same can be said for team collaboration and productivity. You and your team should be communicating regularly and keeping each other in the loop. It can be so easy to lose track of a project if everyone isn’t caught up to speed.

From the start, your team should know exactly how to get into contact with each other. You should establish what channels everyone should use, and give them a specific purpose. You might have one line of communication open for quick comments, and another for emergencies only.

4. Know your team

Whether you’re remote or in a physical office, it’s important that you know exactly who you’re working with. You should take the time to get to know each and every one of your colleagues as best as you can. Learn their preferences, how they organize their desk, what their favorite sports teams are, and their birthdays. Being familiar with each other helps productivity levels simply because you’re not just working with a stranger anymore.

Because the methods for knowing your team vary wildly depending on whether you’re remote or on-site, we’ll split them up accordingly. Let’s start with remote team building ideas:

Video chat coffee break You don’t have to meet in person to enjoy a nice coffee and a friendly chat. Pull up a chair, and pretend that you’re both in the same coffee shop.
Virtual office tour A virtual office tour helps people understand how you organize your work day. It may not seem like much, and you may feel obliged to clean a little before the grand tour, but recording a quick little 5 minute walk around of your office is a very easy way for your colleagues to feel connected.

Now, let’s name off a few ideas that can help on-site teams get to know each other a little more:

Organize office birthday parties Throwing a simple birthday party for a colleague is an easy way to get everyone chatting. It’s a great excuse to order pizza, too.
Facts about yourself Listing some facts about yourself, interesting or not, is a great way for both remote teams and on-site teams to connect and learn a lot about each other.

The great thing about team building is that you can be as simple or creative as you want. There are tons of great team building exercises out there to try. The real idea is to get your colleagues familiar with the way they all function.

5. Make sure you hire the right people for the job

Let’s be honest, the market can be flooded with candidates for a job you’re trying to fill. The best tip anyone can give you as far as this topic goes is to take your time. It may seem like it’s taking forever to find the right fit, but I can assure you that the time spent finding the perfect employee will be more than made up for if they do their job correctly.

6. Encourage feedback

Nobody will learn anything if problems are ignored. You and your team should be open to giving and receiving feedback on everything. You have to remember that you have a specifically assembled team of experts in front of you, their opinions should matter just as much as yours.

7. Be ready for change

Ask anyone in any industry and they’ll tell you that plans change… a lot. You should welcome change by embracing it, not running from it. As much as you’d like to be perfect, the reality is that there will be some times where you aren’t, and that’s okay. The best thing to do is to prepare yourself in advance. Take some time to look for faults in your plan and adjust it accordingly.

Change should never be avoided. If a project is going in a certain direction, you should be capable enough to handle it. Just take a breather, and charge full steam ahead.

The end, or is it?

There are essentially a limitless amount of tips anyone can give you to help you build your agency effectively. What works for some might not work for others. Do your research and find the perfect fit for you and your team. It might involve a little trial and error, but you’ll get it in the end, and you’ll be so much better off for it.

This is a sponsored post for Dropbox. All opinions are my own. Dropbox is not affiliated with nor endorses any other products or services mentioned.

December 15, 2018

7 Tips for a Productive Morning Routine as a Designer

Let’s face it, sleep is sweeter in the morning. When you work as an independent designer, you have to be your own project manager. It comes naturally to be less strict with ourselves than we would be as someone else’s manager. It can take up to hours to actually start working on a project after you woke up. This is not the habit of a productive person. But even when you work in an office within an agency, everybody needs a motivation to start working on that project. If you are here, it means that you want to improve your productivity in the morning, by changing your routine. We are glad to share with you some of the best methods that would help you do so.

Before we get started, it is important to understand a few aspects of this journey you are starting off on. It takes 30 days for a person to stick to a new routine, 30 days in which you will struggle, it will be painful, but the result is totally worthy. The tips given below can be adapted to your routine, you don’t have to try to implement them all at once. Choose what suits you the best, and make sure you let us know in 30 days what it has been like. Off we go!

1. Set your mind on the change

At the beginning of any journey, you have to map out your way to the destination. In our case today, a productive morning routine. As a first step, write down the changes you want to make to your current morning routine. Consider these obstacles that prevent you from getting when you desire. Have you had enough of missed deadlines, angry clients, and unslept nights? These are all results of an inefficient morning routine. Decide that you want to end all these negative parts of your job, by setting your mind on the change. You might be very motivated now, but make sure you stay that way. Set reminders, write notes all over your home that you know would make you stay focused.

2. Wake up early

You wake up. You don’t look at the clock. You take a shower, get some breakfast, read the mail, and when you are about to start working on a project you realize: it is 4:30 pm. Does it sound familiar? Unless you are a night owl, you start panicking at the thought that you won’t be able to finish work in time. It has been proven that people are much more productive in the morning than in any other part of the day. So why don’t take that fact and transform it into your morning routine? Set your alarm for 7 am the lastest. It will be hard at the beginning, but it will only take a couple of days until you are aware of the change. You’ll feel fresh, determined to finish work, and you will have a lot more spare time.

Source: Pexels

3. Plan out your day

It only takes a few minutes to write down your schedule and the important activities of the day. Follow the example below:

Morning hygiene routine
A 30 minutes run
Healthy breakfast
A 60 minutes read
Check mail for any new projects
Start working on the current project
Take a 10 minutes break every hour
Enjoy the rest of the day off work
Go to bed relatively early

If you have a map of your day like the one above, it will make it much easier for you to actually do as you planned. A visual stimulus is much stronger than a mental one.

4. Sleep

Not during your work program, of course. Sleep is vital for people who want to accomplish important things every day. It’s been estimated that an adult needs a 6 to 8 hours a sleep every night in order to function properly. The sooner you plan to wake up, the sooner you have to go to bed. The lack of sleep will lead to irritable moods, frustration, and incompetence to focus on your projects. As designers, our creativity can suffer majorly if we don’t rest enough for our brain to start over every morning. If you feel like you can’t fall asleep earlier than midnight, just put your phone down. The light of the screen will trick your brain into believing that it’s still daytime.

5. Help yourself by using technology

We are not robots, we can’t just switch a button and become productive in the morning. But we can for sure, use technology to our own benefit. Here are some devices/software created by talented designers.

Ruggie – a very smart alarm clock that won’t turn off until you stand up.

Propeller – this device is perfect for those who love the snooze button too much. When your alarm goes off, a propeller bounces in the air around the room. The sound doesn’t stop until you catch the propeller and place it back in its base. By the time you manage to that, you won’t be sleepy anymore.

6. Drink water

When you become more used to waking up early in the morning, you will notice that you don’t need to drink coffee anymore. In fact, when drinking coffee, you eliminate calcium, magnesium, and potassium which are vital for your energy. Drink water instead. Always have a glass of water next to you that you can sip from every now and then. Don’t keep it boring, but add some natural flavors to it. Get a water bottle like to one below, and have fun drinking water.

7. Don’t

Ensure the success of your productive morning routine process by not doing the following things:

don’t tell about your decision to change your morning routine to everybody; you can share it with one person that already have a productive morning routine for encouragement, but stay away from negative opinions of the people who tried the same thing but failed.
don’t set unrealistic goals; wake up 30 minutes earlier, after 30 days of waking at 8, if you wish, but don’t try to wake up tomorrow at 5 o’clock. It won’t happen.
don’t give up when you fail; change means time, so don’t try to rush things.

We hope that these tips will work for you and that you will be willing to tell us how the change improved your productivity. Also, share with us other tips and ideas of how you managed to adopt a productive morning routine.

December 14, 2018

8 Tools Every Designer Needs in 2019

Online tools are designed to help us with our jobs. Whether you’re an accountant or a designer, there are plenty of tools out there to help you. But, there lies the problem. There are often so many choices, that it can be hard to decide which one suits you. Sure, you could sign up for free trials, but that could still take ages to sort out which one you prefer. It might sound daunting, but rest assured that this article has you covered. It might not be the longest list of helpful tools, but it’s certainly got the best of the best. Let’s jump right into it. Here are 8 tools every designer needs to know about:

1. Teamweek’s budget calculator

As a designer, it’s pretty common to have very busy times and times that, well, aren’t so busy. For that reason, it’s insanely important to keep up with your budgets. The online project management software called Teamweek offers quite a few helpful features, but for this, we’re going to focus on the budget calculator feature.

It’s really no secret that it’s important to keep up with your budget. After all, we have to make money somehow. The Teamweek budget calculator is a powerful and simple tool that makes it easy to calculate and estimate your budget for your next big project, and it’s a great tool to have in your arsenal.

2. Photoshop

You can’t really talk about tools every designer needs without mentioning Photoshop think everyone, regardless of their career choice, has used or seen Photoshop at some point. Photoshop is one of those tools that everyone just knows about. As a designer, it’s pretty mandatory to have editing software, and Photoshop is definitely one of the best. The only drawback to Photoshop is the amount of time it takes to learn how to use it. Yes, it’s a powerful tool, but it is packed full of every feature and shortcut you can imagine. My advice would be to take a few online courses and set time aside each day to make sure you know every little secret that Photoshop has to offer. It’ll be worth it in the end.

3. Dropbox

As a designer, I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of files to send and receive. It helps to have a tool dedicated to making sure you get those files to where they need to be on time. Dropbox is the perfect solution for you file sharing needs. They offer a few different packages with varying amounts of storage, but what really sells it is the speed and security. Your files are safe, and they’re shared with lightning fast speeds.

4. Keynote

Presentations are powerful visual tools to help you sell your services to clients. Keynote has been praised by its users for years. Although it’s only available for iOS, it’s a very comprehensive tool that takes your presentations to the next level. Whether you customize your own, or use a template provided for you, Keynote is the fastest and most useful tool for creating engaging presentations to bring your work to life.

5. Flipsnack

In the design field, there will always be a need to make brochures, ebooks, online magazines, and things related to them. There’s something about flipping the pages of a book, whether is digital or physical that will always bring a smile to people’s’ face. Flipsnack is a simple and powerful tool that allows you to bring the familiarity of a book to the digital word. You can use it for anything really, but you’ll be able to create interactive brochures and flyers for your customers to enjoy.

6. Skitch

When you’re with someone, standing right next to each other, it’s fairly simple to point something out. All you really have to do is point and speak. However, online, it’s a little more complicated. Skitch allows you to highlight the important parts of any online publication, but it doesn’t stop there. You can use Skitch to markup a PDF file, snap a screenshot, add annotations to a photo, or even draw up something completely new. Skitch is one of those tools that you don’t realize you need until you’ve actually used it.

7. Pexels

If you’re ever in the need for stock photos, then look no further than Pexels. You can shop (for free btw) for literally thousands of photos. Visuals are super important in any project, and Pexels makes it easy to find the image that you’ve been looking for. They’re all completely free, and all it takes is a quick search at the top of the page to browse images based on your keywords.

8. Coolors

Have you ever had a hard time with deciding the color scheme of a project? Not anymore. Coolors was designed specifically with designers in mind. It’s a super quick color scheme generator that has saved tons of time for designers across the world. There are an infinite amount of color schemes that you could get, and it’s all based on your preferences. Once you’ve found the right colors, you can export them and save them to your profile easily.

We could go on and on for days about these tools every designer needs, but you’ll never really find out exactly how great they are until you use them for yourself. So, with that said, go and take advantage of those free trials, and let us know what you think!

December 11, 2018

Christmas Gift Ideas for Hipster Designers

Do not panic. Breath. You still have about 13 days to get that Christmas gift for your hipster designer friend. If a stuffed polar bear isn’t your type of gift, you should check the polar fox in the list below. JK. We have listed cool gifts, cuz your friend is not a regular friend, he/she is a cool friend. Granted, not all designers are hipsters, but we needed a catchy title. But even so, these gifts are perfect for any type of designers. Don’t believe me? Just check the list below.

This article is for two categories of people:

friends of designers
designers without friends

If you are part of the first group, welcome on WDL. We hope you have a good stay among us. Don’t despair, we’ll make sure you find a great gift for your creative friend. We know, designers can be quite picky when it comes to… everything. Especially when it comes to things they are “forced” to accept to hang on their walls just because it’s Christmas. Please don’t get them an ornament, for God’s sake. Even your granny would accept it out of politeness. The good news is that you don’t need to starve for a week in order to afford a gift for a designer. They are affordable, practical, and will make any designer feel like Charlie Bucket receiving the golden ticket.

If you are part of the second group, we feel ya. We know what’s like sitting in front of a computer for most of the day and then in front of a good book for the remaining part of the day. This summarizes the life of a designer. Of course, there will probably be designers commenting that this is not true. If you are one of those, your best friend is also reading this article right now, trying to figure out what to get you for Christmas. So just pretend that you are surprised, please. But if you know that your focus on work decreased the number of friends (1), there’s nothing wrong with being your own Santa Claus or Willy Wonka. Just don’t act surprised on Christmas morning. That’s just… wrong.

So designers and friends of designers, get on sleight and let’s slide through these festively packed, cinnamon flavored Christmas gifts.

1. Wake-Up Light with Sun Rise Simulation

Some designers wake up early, others don’t, but they all need this light that imitates the sun to shine in their faces to wake them up in the morning. What’s better than waking up early on a summer day, seeing a beautiful simulation of rays shine? This gift will increase the productivity of any designer, giving them more time to spend with friends. Or to make friends. Buy it, it’s cool.

2. Teamweek Budget Calculator

Online gifts seem to be the go-to choice for many people nowadays, simply because they are comfortable, fast, and don’t need wrapping paper. Teamweek in itself is a great tool and it would help your friend to get organized. You know designers, they can be messy. Teamweek Budget Calculator is a new feature that allows you to calculate the costs and incomes of any project, lessening the expenses and maximizing the paycheck. Show your designer friends that you care about their finances, and buy them a subscription on Teamweek.

3. Touch Screen Gloves

Who doesn’t love skiing and texting? Don’t answer that, please. Anyway, there are parts on the globe where winter is a bit chillier than in Florida. These Touch Screen Gloves are an amazing gift for designers. Besides, who doesn’t know at least an Eskimo designer? They will love this gift!

4. Pantone Colour Book

If you know the color of 2019 put your hand up. I see some hands in the back. This Pantone Color Book is essential for every designer who likes keeping up with the trends. It is also useful when clients want a shade of purple that resembles the sunset, but green. Save your designer friend’s life, buy them the Pantone Color Book. Wrap it nicely.

5. The Ultimate Guide to Logo Design eBook

Books, as well as e-books, are my ultimate favorite gifts. Every designer who loves to stay informed, evolve into better selves and sharpen their designer’s eye would love this Ultimate Guide to Logo Design eBook. Logos can be tricky and require knowledge. Books equal knowledge. Christmas equals an opportunity to make knowledge a gift.

6. CMYK Designer Socks

Socks are always a decent gift. Designer Socks are a GREAT gift. Click on the link and get these amazing socks for your BDF (best designer friend).

7. Dot Grid Sketchbook

Whether your designer friend is a novice or experienced, they all need this dot grid integrated pattern book. It is great for logo designs and UI work.

8. Online Fonts, Brushes, Patterns, Vectors, Icons

As mentioned previously, online gifts are amazing. There are plenty of websites that offer paid supplies for designers, but one of our favorites is Creative Market. You can get really creative on there and buy the perfect gift from a designer for a designer.

9. Online Courses from Udemy

The gift of education is a gift for life. Udemy offers thousands of courses and tutorials that any designer would love to get their hands on.

10. Designer T-Shirt

Design is closely related to fashion. It’s hard for me to imagine a designer that can’t dress fashionably. Make sure your friend gets to wear at least one of these amazing designer T-shirts.

What do you plan on giving your designer friend this Christmas? Share your ideas in the comment section below. Merry Christmas!

December 10, 2018

10 Typography Trends for 2019

Can you hear that? That’s the sweet sound of jingle bells followed by the explosion of fireworks. The combination of these two sounds can only mean one thing: 2019 is right around the corner. That might sound a little scary, but I can assure you that this article contains nothing but good vibes and happy thoughts.

As a designer, you’re probably pretty aware that you should be keeping up with trends, right? I certainly hope so. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t put a little personal flare on those trends. For the purpose of this article, and because the title already says typography trends for 2019, we’re going to discuss… you guessed it: typography trends for 2019. This list is in no particular order. It will contain new trends and a few classics that you totally need to stick with. Fasten your seatbelts, explorers, we’re diving straight in.

Handwritten fonts

We’re going to start this list off with a style of font that will most likely be a trend for many years to come. Handwritten fonts are great because they allow you to put your own touch on your brand, and they bring with them a sense of detail that other fonts can’t. Granted, a handwritten font may not look so great on the side of a corporate office building, but they certainly are a great way to reach out to your audience on a more personal level.

Vintage fonts

Vintage fonts are also a timeless classic that deserves a spot of any typography trends lists ever. The reason people are so drawn to vintage fonts is very similar to the reason they’re so drawn to handwritten fonts. The difference here is that the audience is most likely already familiar with the font, as it is vintage. Instead of making new connections using a handwritten touch, you renew old connections by going vintage.

Watercolor fonts

Watercolor fonts have risen in popularity almost side-by-side with handwritten fonts because they go so well together. Watercolors have recently existed mainly in the background of a few web pages. But now, people are starting to use them in the spotlight. Watercolor fonts are a great way to portray calm, cool, and collected vibes. They take away from the seriousness of business and add to the homely feel.

Serif fonts

Serifs again are nothing new. In fact, they’re probably one of the oldest typography trends we can dig up. They are, however, a trend that’s making a comeback. Serifs can vary depending on how extra you want to be, but they’re another great way to put a little more flare on your work.

Big and small font types… together?

Yes, it’s true. A lot of people are instantly attracted to things that match or at least are the same size. The idea behind using both big and small fonts together isn’t exactly a new thing, but it has made great headway over the years. Because the letters in the font don’t match up, it can grab someone’s attention quicker than a buy-one-get-one sale at Old Navy. plus, it’s a creative way to put emphasis on a particular part of your brand or logo.

Variable fonts

In addition to the variation in size, the mix-match of different font types has become a design phenomenon. I mean, why stick to just one font if you’ve found a few that you like? If done correctly, you’ll be able to mix a number of different fonts together and create your own personal masterpiece. Just try not to be too overwhelming.

Color fonts

For too long black and white fonts have haunted our screens! Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but sometimes we just need a little color. Color fonts have been popular on and off for forever, and they’re starting to make a massive comeback. Color fonts allow us to be that much more creative with our projects. They can say as little or as much as you want them to about the letters that they’re highlighting. They’re the perfect way to snag someone’s attention in a crowd full of black and white.

Cutouts and overlays

Everyone wants to add layers to their designs, and it’s for good reason. People don’t want to sit and stare at a flat-looking, boring, underwhelming webpage. They want to be wowed and wanting more. Cutouts and overlays are a great way to give that 3-dimensional effect without having to wear the glasses that hurt your eyes after 30 minutes. They give you yet another layer to be creative with, and thus attracting more attention.

Geometric fonts

While handwritten fonts and different sized lettering are cool, perfectly straight lines and rounded corners will always be one of the typography trends, too. Don’t get me wrong, though, geometric fonts leave plenty of room to be creative. Geometric fonts have grown exponentially over the past year or two, and I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon.

Customize everything

If you have the extra cash to shell out, customizing your brand is a great way to set your own trends. I’m not talking about just logotypes here, I literally mean customize everything. What better way to give people a new experience than to create one custom for your brand? You’re a designer, challenge yourself!

Bring in the New Year right

Again, these typography trends aren’t in any particular order, but they are all super duper sweet. Trends are made every day. While some of us choose to follow those trends, others create their own path for us to follow in the future. The #1 rule of design is to be yourself and create your best work. Design something that you’re proud of, and show it off to the word.

Read More at 10 Typography Trends for 2019