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The Biggest Endpoint Security and Deception Software Trends

Technological advances in interconnected devices are pushing companies to operate more efficiently and are making global cyber threats increasingly prevalent. As technology advances, companies should ensure they have a complete suite of cybersecurity products that includes proper honeypot security, endpoint security, malware prevention technology, and more. Here are some cybersecurity trends that will help enterprises better protect their systems in the months and years to come.

Vendor Reduction

On average, it takes over 250 days to identify and stop a network breach. The average cost of security breaches in the United States was $8.19 million in 2019 and this cost increases each year. In 2021, it’s estimated that cybercrime will globally cost enterprises at least $6 trillion in damages.

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How the Shift to Remote Work Has Affected Data Protection Needs

According to a recent report from McKinsey, in April alone, an estimated 62% of those employed in the United States had started working from home due to the pandemic. In comparison, that percentage was just 25% before COVID-19 became a seismic event in all our lives. 

While there are very real benefits to remote work—beginning with companies being able to keep the lights on during the pandemic—one major drawback is ensuring company data is protected.

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5 Reasons to Hire eCommerce Developers

In 2019, eCommerce sales surpassed $360 billion in the United States alone. With all the global developments and challenges, humanity has to adapt to today, the eCommerce industry is growing ever so rapidly and so does the number of SaaS eCommerce platforms—all with their own advantages and drawbacks in capabilities, compatibilities, and customization. And while most small and steady businesses are doing just fine with basic online stores built on platforms such as BigCommerce, Shopify, and Squarespace, companies with a plan to effective growth and a strong desire to establish a recognizable brand require a lot more than the basic functionality you can set up yourself. 

To build a successful, future-proof online store, they rely on the vast experience and tech skills of professional eCommerce developers. And here are the main reasons why.

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How to Convert a Date String into a Human-Readable Format

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m writing this article, in part, because it’s something I look up often and want to be able to find it next time. Formatting a date string that you get from an API in JavaScript can take many shapes — anything from loading all of Moment.js to have very finite control, or just using a couple of lines to update it. This article is not meant to be comprehensive, but aims to show the most common path of human legibility.

ISO 8601 is an extremely common date format. The “Z” at the end means the time in ISO 8601 format is using the UTC standard, i.e. no timezone. Here’s an example: 2020-05-25T04:00:00Z. When I bring data in from an API, it’s typically in ISO 8601 format.

If I wanted to format the above string in a more readable format, say May 25, 2020, I would do this:

const dateString = '2020-05-14T04:00:00Z'

const formatDate = (dateString) => {
  const options = { year: "numeric", month: "long", day: "numeric" }
  return new Date(dateString).toLocaleDateString(undefined, options)
}

Here’s what I’m doing…

First, I’m passing in options for how I want the output to be formatted. There are many, many other options we could pass in there to format the date in different ways. I’m just showing a fairly common example.

const options = { year: "numeric", month: "long", day: "numeric" }

Next, I’m creating a new Date instance that represents a single moment in time in a platform-independent format.

return new Date(dateString)

Finally, I’m using the .toLocaleDateString() method to apply the formatting options.

return new Date(dateString).toLocaleDateString(undefined, options)

Note that I passed in undefined. Not defining the value in this case means the time will be represented by whatever the default locale is. You can also set it to be a certain area/language. Or, for apps and sites that are internationalized, you can pass in what the user has selected (e.g. 'en-US' for the United States, 'de-DE' for Germany, and so forth). There’s a nice npm package that includes list of more locales and their codes.

Hope that helps you get started! And high fives to future Sarah for not having to look this up again in multiple places. 🤚

The post How to Convert a Date String into a Human-Readable Format appeared first on CSS-Tricks.

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Embrace The Possibilities (March 2020 Wallpapers)

Embrace The Possibilities (March 2020 Wallpapers)

Embrace The Possibilities (March 2020 Wallpapers)

Cosima Mielke

March is here! With the days getting noticeably longer in the northern hemisphere, the sun coming out, and the flowers blooming, we are fueled with fresh energy. And even if spring is far away in your part of the world, you might feel that 2020 has gained full speed by now — the perfect opportunity to bring all those plans you made and ideas you’re carrying around to life!

To cater for some extra inspiration this March, artists and designers from across the globe once again challenged their creative skills and designed wallpapers for your desktop and mobile screens. They come in versions with and without a calendar for March 2020 and can be downloaded for free.

We embarked on this monthly wallpapers journey more than nine years ago and we’re very thankful for everyone who submits their artworks to it each month anew. To shine a light on some of the beautiful, unique, but almost forgotten designs from the past, we also compiled some timeless March favorites at the end of this post. Maybe one of your favorites is in there, too? Enjoy!

Please note that:

  • All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
  • 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

Did you know that you could get featured in one of our upcoming wallpapers posts, too? We are always looking for creative talent, so if you have an idea for a wallpaper design, please don’t hesitate to submit it. Join in! →

International Earth Day

“There’s never been a more important time to take the time to appreciate the planet we live on. We only have one home and we need to take care of it. Celebrate it on the 22nd of March.” — Designed by Ever Increasing Circles from the United Kingdom.

International Earth Day

Hello March

“My inspiration for the month of March was the celebration of Saint Patrick. I tried to create a clean wallpaper with relaxing colors to not disturb the eyes of those who use this wallpaper. The predominance of green, yellow and blue tones beyond Saint Patrick’s Day can also be associated with the beginning of spring.” — Designed by Gonçalo Mota from Portugal.

Hello March

Floating March

“In the month of March the weather starts to improve and landscapes become more beautiful so I decided to represent this with a beautiful floating island.” — Designed by Simão Cerqueira from Portugal.

Floating March

Ages Ahead On Mars

“Some years later this can happen. You might be able to celebrate your honeymoon on Mars.” — Designed by Themesvillage from London.

Ages Ahead On Mars

Be Different. Be Kind. Be Cool.

“March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day, so to bring awareness I chose to make a WDSD calendar wallpaper. World Down Syndrome Day is March 21st because in number form, it is 3/21. People are typically born with a pair of each chromosome; Down syndrome occurs when a person is born with three copies of the 21st chromosome. The acceptance of Down syndrome has come such a long way in a short period of time and I am keeping the trend going. There are socks on March 21st because WDSD is celebrated in one way by wearing colorful, crazy, mismatched, whatever socks that draw attention. This is a way of celebrating because socks kind of resemble chromosomes and the underlying message is that it is okay to be different! It is acceptable to be different. People with Down syndrome have different abilities, not disabilities.” — Designed by Tiffany McGinnis from Florida, USA.

Be Different. Be Kind. Be Cool.

Glass Ceiling

“International Women’s Day stands for more than colorful bouquets and shiny jewelry. It’s a force of change, the movement that calls for equality in rights and possibilities for all women worldwide. That’s why we mark this day by evoking the infamous ‘glass ceiling’ — a metaphor that represents an invisible barrier from advancing toward the top, especially in the workforce. Let’s work towards breaking the glass together.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Glass Ceiling

Never Leave Home Without Your Umbrella

“I thought it would be cute to feature holographic umbrellas in a rain-like pattern. I love patterned wallpapers, but I wanted to do something a little fun and fresh with a pattern that reminded me of rain and light bouncing off an umbrella!” — Designed by Bailey Zaputil from the United States.

Never Leave Home Without Your Umbrella

Spring Fast Food

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Spring Fast Food

Abstract Light Composition

“I was simply inspired by the illuminated skyline of the city of Frankfurt and created this abstract light compisition. The cold blue color represents the possibility that the weather in March can still get very cold.” — Designed by Boris Mayer from Germany.

Abstract Light Composition

Women Earth

“These are two important pillars of the month of March that we should give more value to: women and the planet.” — Designed by Joana Vicente from Portugal.

Women Earth

Oldies But Goodies

Be it St. Patrick’s Day, a favorite song, or a quote — looking back, a lot of things have inspired the community to design a wallpaper for March in the past few years. Here are some almost forgotten favorites. Enjoy! (Please note that these designs don’t come with a calendar.)

Bunny O’Hare

“When I think of March, I immediately think of St. Patrick’s Day and my Irish heritage… and then my head fills with pub music! I had fun putting a twist on this month’s calendar starring my pet rabbit. Erin go Braugh.” — Designed by Heather Ozee from the United States.

Bunny O’Hare

Queen Bee

“Spring is coming! Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, bees are flying… Enjoy this month!” — Designed by Melissa Bogemans from Belgium.

Queen Bee

Let’s Get Outside!

Designed by Lívia Lénárt from Hungary.

Let’s Get Outside!

Ballet

“A day, even a whole month, isn’t enough to show how much a woman should be appreciated. Dear ladies, any day or month are yours if you decide so.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

Ballet

Starman

“We wanted to pay homage to Starman who entered the Earth’s orbit. We truly hope to see it on Mars some day, so we made this graphic to visualize what it would be like up there.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Starman

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

“March the 2nd marks the birthday of the most creative and extraordinary author ever, Dr. Seuss! I have included an inspirational quote about learning to encourage everyone to continue learning new things every day.” — Designed by Safia Begum from the United Kingdom.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Supremacy

Designed by Elise Vanoorbeek from Belgium.

Supremacy

Spring Is Coming!

“Spring is the best part of the year! Nature breaking free and spring awakening is symbolic of our awakening.” — Designed by Silvia Bukovac from Croatia.

Spring Is Coming!

Waters Of March

“When I think about March, a rhythm starts in my mind… sounds like a bossa nova song… Oh yes! it’s ‘Águas de Março’ by Antônio Carlos Jobim. My design for this month is dedicated to this beautiful song and, of course, the 22nd of March is the International Day of Water.” — Designed by Mavi Zanirato from Italy.

Waters Of March

Questions

“Doodles are slowly becoming my trademark, so I just had to use them to express this phrase I’m fond of recently. A bit enigmatic, philosophical. Inspiring, isn’t it?” — Designed by Marta Paderewska from Poland.

Questions

Fresh Lemons

Designed by Nathalie Ouederni from France.

Fresh lemons

Chinese Girl

Designed by Hushlenko Antonina from Ukraine.

Chinese Girl

Time To Wake Up

“Rays of sunlight had cracked into the bear’s cave. He slowly opened one eye and caught a glimpse of nature in blossom. Is it spring already? Oh, but he is so sleepy. He doesn’t want to wake up, not just yet. So he continues dreaming about those sweet sluggish days while everything around him is blooming.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Time To Wake Up

Lego Land

“Inspired by the Lego Movie!” — Designed by Marcus White from the United States.

Lego Land

Waiting For Spring

“As days are getting longer again and the first few flowers start to bloom, we are all waiting for Spring to finally arrive.” — Designed by Naioo from Germany.

Smashing Wallpaper - march 12

Keep Running Up That Hill

“Keep working towards that new year’s resolution! Be it getting a promotion, learning a skill, or getting fit, whatever it is — keep running!” — Designed by Andy Patrick from Canada.

Smashing Wallpaper - march 12

Tender Birds

“I live in a small town with big ironworks and I wanted to create something fresh and tender, colorful and light, to feel a little bit happier.” — Designed by Jane Lane from Russia.

Tender Birds

Join In Next Month!

Thank you to all designers for their participation. Join in next month!

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Canada, LOL, and Randie

Every so often, I enjoy taking things into a different perspective. In this article, I want to talk about some experiences which have caused me to think about how I am communicating with others — not only in IT, but in my daily life.

But...I Am Not IN Canada!

About every six weeks, I place an online order for a container of liquid iron for my toddler son to take on a daily basis. From my home in the Midwest portion of the United States, I open up a browser, navigate to the website, and start my shopping experience. Where things get a little off track is when I start looking at the pricing — especially during the check-out phase of my online order experience.

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29 Days Of February (2020 Wallpapers Edition)

29 Days Of February (2020 Wallpapers Edition)

29 Days Of February (2020 Wallpapers Edition)

Cosima Mielke

What will you make of the extra day that February has in store for us this year? Visit an old friend, explore a new place, or use it to get stuff done you have put off for so long? Whatever you might have planned this month, our new collection of wallpapers is bound to cater for a little inspiration spark along the way.

Created by artists and designers from all across the globe, the wallpapers come in versions with and without a calendar for February 2020 and can be downloaded for free — a Smashing tradition that has been going on for more than nine years already. A big thank-you to everyone who challenged their creative skills and shared their artworks with us this time around!

As a little bonus goodie, we also added some February favorites from our archives to the end of this post. Because, well, some things are just too good to be forgotten, right? Enjoy!

Please note that:

  • All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
  • 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

Do you have an idea for a March wallpaper design? We are always looking for creative talent to be featured in our wallpapers posts. Don’t be shy, join in! →

It’s A Cupcake Kind Of Day!

“Sprinkles are fun, festive and filled with love… especially when topped on a cupcake! Everyone is creative in their own unique way, so why not try baking some cupcakes and decorating them for your sweetie this month? Something homemade, like a cupcake or DIY craft is always a sweet gesture.” — Designed by Artsy Cupcake from the United States.

It’s A Cupcake Kind Of Day!

Well It’s Groundhog Day… Again!

“‘It’s always Groundhog Day and there’s nothing I can do about it.’ as the inimitable Bill Murray said in the timeless Groundhog Day movie. We used a photo manipulation technique to come up with this sense of being caught in a time loop. When the Groundhog emerges from his den on this Groundhog day, will it forecast an early Spring or six more weeks of winter? Find out on February 2nd!” — Designed by Alistair Dodds from the United Kingdom.

Well It’s Groundhog Day… Again!

Love Is in the Air

— Designed by MasterBundles from the United States.

Love Is in the Air

National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day

“If ‘don’t cry over spilled milk’ hasn’t yet been your mantra, it should definitely become now. The English proverb, whose national day is celebrated on February 11th, stands as a reminder not to worry over things of the past that cannot be undone, but to think positive, and keep our spirits high. Life is too short to let the trifling issues bother us.” — Designed by Pop Art Studio from Serbia.

National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day

The Rainbow Is Here!

“In February the weather is crazy. One day it is sunny and the next it is snowing. And that is its charm…” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

The Rainbow Is Here!

Freedom

“On the 24th of February, far north in Europe, the tiny nation of Estonia celebrates its 102nd Independence Day. Cheers to the cleanest, greenest nation on earth! Happy Independence Day Estonia! Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm — My fatherland, my joy and happiness.” — Designed by Shishir Keluskar from Tallinn.

Freedom

Rock & Roll

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Rock & Roll

Celebrate Love

“February brings the season of love, and what could be better than celebrating it with Taj Mahal - the iconic monument and symbol of love.” — Designed by Farhat Asif from India.

Celebrate Love

Oldies But Goodies

Do you know those moments when you rediscover a treasured item you almost forgot about? Below you’ll find some February wallpaper goodies from our archives. Maybe one of your favorites from the past is in there, too? (Please note that these wallpapers don’t come with a calendar.)

Savannah Stroll

“February is a month focused on romance and as a southerner, I can’t think of a more romantic way to spend a day than strolling the historic moss-draped streets of Savannah, GA. Spending time sitting on a bench on one of the many beautiful squares, holding hands and people watching as you sip a cappuccino.” — Designed by Heather Ozee Designs from the United States.

Savannah Stroll

Principles Of Good Design

“The simplicity seen in the work of Dieter Rams which has ensured his designs from the 50s and 60s still hold a strong appeal.” — — Designed by Vinu Chaitanya from India.

Principles of Good Design- Dieter Rams

Dark Temptation

“A dark romantic feel, walking through the city on a dark and rainy night.” — Designed by Matthew Talebi from the United States.

Dark Temptation

Cold And Frost

“Frosts in Russia are very severe. Walking through the Park, I found these branches at the top and decided to capture the moment.” — Designed by Nikolay Belikov from Russia.

Cold And Frost

Love Is Worth Fighting For

— Designed by Maria Keller from Mexico.

Love Is Worth Fighting For

Share The Same Orbit!

“I prepared a simple and chill layout design for February called ‘Share The Same Orbit!’ which suggests to share the love orbit.” — Designed by Valentin Keleti from Romania.

Share The Same Orbit!

Charlie Chaplin

“I love street art, so I took a shot of this great graffiti of Charlie Chaplin with his inspirational quote that is even more true for this age: ‘Sometimes we think too much and feel to little’. He also said: ‘More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.” — Designed by Marija Zaric from Belgrade, Serbia.

Charlie Chaplin

Plucking At The Heart Strings

“Choose to embrace Valentine's as a day to appreciate those who are special to you. The base of this wallpaper is ‘Plucking at the Heart Strings’, an original painting by Hayden Gigner.” — Designed by Adam Mezzatesta from the United Kingdom.

Plucking At The Heart Strings

February Ferns

— Designed by Nathalie Ouederni from France.

February Ferns

French Fries

— Designed by Doreen Bethge from Germany.

French Fries

Snowy Sunset

— Designed by Nathalie Croze from France.

Snowy Sunset

Balloons

— Designed by Xenia Latii from Germany.

Balloons

February’s Gift

“A leap year means we have one more day to cherish! Maybe use it to visit an old friend, or go somewhere new, but use it well! And the most important: have some fun!” — — Designed by Printsome.com from the United Kingdom.

February’s Gift

Made In Japan

“See the beautiful colors, precision, and the nature of Japan in one picture.” — — Designed by Fatih Yilmaz from the Netherlands.

Made In Japan

February Flowers

“A little bit of romance, a little bit of vintage: Happy Valentine’s Day this month!” — Designed by Kari Andresen from the United States.

Smashing Wallpaper - february 13

Love Angel Vader

“Valentine’s Day is coming? Noooooooooooo!” — — Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Love Angel Vader

Febrewery

“I live in Madison, WI USA, which is famous for its breweries. Wisconsin even named their baseball team ‘The Brewers.’ If you like beer, brats, and lots of cheese, it’s the place for you!” — — Designed by Danny Gugger from the United States.

Febrewery

Free Your Mind

“People should have the right to believe and think what they want. They should be free in choosing their opinion. The wallpaper (especially the birds) reminds me of the great freedom we have in many countries of the world.” — — Designed by Daniela Faltz from Germany.

Free Your Mind

Frozen Worlds

“A view of 2 frozen planets, lots of blue tints.” — Designed by Rutger Berghmans from Belgium.

Smashing Wallpaper - february 13

Join In Next Month!

Thank you to all designers for their participation. Join in next month!

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PSA: It’s That Time to Update the Copyright Year on Your Site

Every year about this time I see articles going around reminding people how to update the copyright on their websites. Usually somewhere in the footer. You know, a line like:

© Copyright 2007-2019 CSS-Tricks

I am very absolutely not a lawyer, but this is how I understand it:

  • You don't actually need that if your goal is copyrighting blog posts. Blog posts are copyrighted (in the United States) the second you publish them, with or without a copyright notice. You just can't sue anybody over infringement unless you register the copyright.
  • People say it may "defer" infringements (but I don't buy it).
  • People say it may win you greater settlements should you sue and win (but I wouldn't even know where to begin fact-checking that).

Personally, I usually don't bother with it, but don't take that as legal advice. I feel like it's usually included for a bit of swagger like, "lookie how long we've been around." In that same tune, if you're doing it, it makes a lot of sense to keep it up to date because having the incorrect or an outdated date definitely makes your site look stale.

So, sure, rock your <?php echo date("Y"); ?> or whatever you need to do to keep it up to date. Just be careful: I just saw a site going around that recommended an inline JavaScript document.write() technique. That's probably not the worst thing in the world since it's just injecting a string, but it's usually something to avoid for various reasons, and I'd way rather see you do it server-side or pre-rendered.

The post PSA: It’s That Time to Update the Copyright Year on Your Site appeared first on CSS-Tricks.

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Beating The End Of The Year Rush (December 2019 Wallpapers Edition)

Beating The End Of The Year Rush (December 2019 Wallpapers Edition)

Beating The End Of The Year Rush (December 2019 Wallpapers Edition)

Cosima Mielke

As the year is coming to a close, many of us feel rushed, trying to meet deadlines, finishing off projects, and preparing for the holidays. Do you remember what December felt like when you were little? It was a time of wonder and expectation, a time to slow down and enjoy the small things: watching the first snowflakes fall, drinking hot chocolate, and admiring the Christmas decorations in your neighborhood, for example.

This month’s wallpapers post is a little reminder to treat yourself to some quiet moments like these in the midst of this end of the year rush. To refuel your batteries and gather some fresh inspiration. The wallpapers in this collection might be a good start.

As every month since more than nine years already, the wallpapers were designed by artists and designers from across the globe, and each one of them is available with and without a calendar for December 2019. For some extra variety, we also added a selection of wallpaper favorites from past editions at the end of this post. We wish you happy holidays and a lovely, and hopefully not too stressful, December!

Please note that:

  • All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
  • 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

Do you have an idea for a wallpaper to welcome 2020? We are always looking for creative talent to be featured in our wallpapers posts. Don’t be shy, join in! →

Dear Moon, Merry Christmas

“Please visit Vladstudio website if you like my works!” — Designed by Vlad Gerasimov from Russia.

Dear Moon, Merry Christmas

Christmas Mood

Designed by MasterBundles from the United States.

Christmas Mood

The Month of Winter Songs

“Here comes the finale of a dazzling year. The month of snow with a tinge of warmth from the carols in the wind. All made merrier with the mistletoe, cakes and gifts. Let’s welcome the winter of our lives as spring is not far away now.” — Designed by Odoo Apps from India.

The Month of Winter Songs

The Camels Wish You A Merry Christmas!

“The year is coming to an end and we say good-bye with a very christmassy animal, the camel. We wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

The Camels Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Hanukkah Candles

“Hanukkah is a joyous celebration of all that is important in life; family, freedom, and light. So we wanted to make a calendar that celebrated this Jewish holiday and what better way than by featuring the beautiful Hanukkiyah. Happy Hanukkah everyone!” — Designed by Ever Increasing Circles from the United Kingdom.

Hanukkah Candles

Happy Holidays!

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Happy Holidays!

Reindeers Go Rah-Rah!

“Reindeers go rah-rah when the season of snow is on the way. Let’s get excited as our beloved Santa comes with gifts for the tiny tots and fill the air with nothing but cheer! It’s Christmas time, y’all!” — Designed by Riddlebook from London.

Reindeers Go Rah-Rah!

Oldies But Goodies

Since the beginning of our monthly challenge, December and the holiday season have inspired so many designers to create a wallpaper. Below we collected some favorites from our archives that are just too good to be forgotten. Enjoy! (Please note that these designs don’t come with a calendar.)

Silver Winter

Designed by Violeta Dabija from Moldova.

Smashing Wallpaper - January 2011

Cardinals In Snowfall

“During Christmas season, in the cold, colorless days of winter, Cardinal birds are seen as symbols of faith and warmth! In the part of America I live in, there is snowfall every December. While the snow is falling, I can see gorgeous Cardinals flying in and out of my patio. The intriguing color palette of the bright red of the Cardinals, the white of the flurries and the brown/black of dry twigs and fallen leaves on the snow-laden ground, fascinates me a lot, and inspired me to create this quaint and sweet, hand-illustrated surface pattern design as I wait for the snowfall in my town!” — Designed by Gyaneshwari Dave from the United States.

Cardinals In Snowfall

Sweet Snowy Tenderness

“You know that warm feeling when you get to spend cold winter days in a snug, homey, relaxed atmosphere? Oh, yes, we love it too! It is the sentiment we set our hearts on for the holiday season, and this sweet snowy tenderness is for all of us who adore watching the snowfall from our windows. Isn’t it romantic?” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Sweet Snowy Tenderness

’Tis The Season Of Snow

“The tiny flakes of snow have just begun to shower and we know it’s the start of the merry hour! Someone is all set to cram his sleigh with boxes of love as kids wait for their dear Santa to show up! Rightly said, ’tis the season of snow, surprise and lots and lots of fun! Merry Christmas!” — Designed by Sweans Technologies from London.

’Tis The Season Of Snow

Abstract Winter

“Winter is cold and dark up here in the north.” Designed by Terese Brännström from Sweden.

Abstract winter

All That Belongs To The Past

“Sometimes new beginnings make us revisit our favorite places or people from the past. We don’t visit them often because they remind us of the past but enjoy the brief reunion. Cheers to new beginnings in the new year!” Designed by Dorvan Davoudi from Canada.

All That Belongs To The Past

All Of Them Lights

“I created this design in honor of the 9th of December, the day of lights.” — Designed by Mathias Geerts from Belgium.

All Of Them Lights

Tongue Stuck On Lamppost

Designed by Josh Cleland from the United States.

Smashing Wallpaper - december 11

Christmas Wreath

“Everyone is in the mood for Christmas when December starts. Therefore I made this Christmas wreath inspired wallpaper. Enjoy December and Merry Christmas to all!” — Designed by Melissa Bogemans from Belgium.

Christmas Wreath

Winter Garphee

“Garphee’s flufiness glowing in the snow.” Designed by Razvan Garofeanu from Romania.

Smashing Wallpaper - December 2012

Ice Flowers

“I took some photos during a very frosty and cold week before Christmas.” Designed by Anca Varsandan from Romania.

Smashing Wallpaper - january 10

Winter Morning

“Early walks in the fields when the owls still sit on the fences and stare funny at you.” — Designed by Bo Dockx from Belgium.

Winter Morning

Celebration Galore Is Here Again

“Christmas bells are swinging above the snow fields, we hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago… It’s time to count your blessings, sing your Christmas carols, open your gifts, and make a wish under the Christmas tree!” — Designed by Norjimm Pvt Ltd from India.

Celebration Galore Is Here Again

Surprise

“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” — Designed by PlusCharts from India.

Surprise

Enchanted Blizzard

“A seemingly forgotten world under the shade of winter glaze hides a moment where architecture meets fashion and change encounters steadiness.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

Enchanted Blizzard

Expectation

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” — Designed by StarAdmin from India.

Expectation

Winter

“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory. (Gary Zukav)” — Designed by Dipanjan Karmakar from India.

Winter

Merry Christmas

Designed by Delphine Pagès from France.

Christmas Wallpaper — Merry Christmas

Season Of Joy

Designed by Antun Hirsman from Croatia.

Season Of Joy

Christmas Fail

Designed by Doud - Elise Vanoorbeek from Belgium.

Christmas Wallpaper — Christmas Fail

The Matterhorn

“Christmas is always such a magical time of year so we created this wallpaper to blend the majestry of the mountains with a little bit of magic.” — Designed by Dominic Leonard from the United Kingdom.

Christmas Wallpaper — The Matterhorn

Season’s Greetings From Australia!

Designed by Tazi Designs from Australia.

Christmas Wallpaper — Season’s Greetings From Australia!

December Deer

“I love the simplicity of the deer head silhouette trend with just a touch of hand-drawn detail. Happy December my dears!” — Designed by Jordan Thoma from the United States.

December deer

Father Frost

Designed by Cheloveche.ru from Russia.

Smashing Wallpaper - december 11

Winter Solstice

“In December there’s a winter solstice; which means that the longest night of the year falls in December. I wanted to create the feeling of solitude of the long night into this wallpaper.” — Designed by Alex Hermans from Belgium.

Winter Solstice

Have A Minimal Christmas

“My brother-in-law has been on a design buzzword kick where he calls everything minimal, to the point where he wishes people, “Have a minimal day!” I made this graphic as a poster for him.” — Designed by Danny Gugger from Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Have a Minimal Christmas

Delicate Frost

“Don’t let Jack Frost nip too much at your nose but do let him decorate your windows!” Designed by Tirelessweaver from Canada.

Smashing Desktop Wallpapers - January 2012

The Deer In My Garden

“Every year at the onset of winter, a deer appears in my garden looking for food. I usually catch it early in the morning and we’ll be exchanging glances through the patio doors.” — Designed by Andrea Ludszeweit from Germany.

The deer in my garden

Don’t Stop

“It’s been such an incredible year for space; I wanted to celebrate that with a simple wallpaper to keep everyone inspired this month. The year isn’t over yet — don’t stop pushing yourself!” — Designed by Shawna Armstrong from the United States.

Don’t Stop

The Twelve Days Of Christmas

“This wallpaper celebrates the classic carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. Each day is represented with a cheerful illustration representing gifts.” — Designed by Daphne Firos from Cleveland.

The 12 Days of Christmas

It’s In The Little Things

Designed by Thaïs Lenglez from Belgium.

It's in the little things

Decemberist

“‘December is plowing yet. When the smoke-clouds break, high in the sky shines a field as wide as the world. There he toils for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake. Ah, he is taller than clouds of the little earth. Only the congress of planets is over him, and the arching path where new sweet stars have birth. Wearing his peasant dress, his head bent low, December, that angel of Peace, is plowing yet; Forward, across the field, his horses go.’ (Based on Chinese Nightingale, 1917).” Designed by Dynomite from Germany.

Smashing Wallpaper - December 2012

Best Friends

“Best friends posing for a photo.” Designed by Nenad S. Lazich from Serbia.

Smashing Wallpaper - December 2012

Catch Your Perfect Snowflake

“This time of year people tend to dream big and expect miracles. Let your dreams come true!” Designed by Igor Izhik from Canada.

Catch Your Perfect Snowflake

Cool Winter

“Wanted to showcase the cool, crisp colors and give an overall feeling of winter. Designed by Matt Noa from the United States.

Cool Winter

Robin Bird

“I have chosen this little bird in honor of my grandfather, who passed away. He was fascinated by nature, especially birds. Because of him, I also have a fascination with birds. When I think of winter, I think of the birds, flying around searching for food. And why a robin? Because it is a cute little bird, who is also very recognizable.” — Designed by Engin Seline from Belgium.

Robin Bird

Join In Next Month!

Thank you to all designers for their participation. Join in next month!

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Why I Am Thankful for DevOps

Here are some reasons to be grateful for DevOps.

In the United States, the end of the month of November is when time is taken to perform a retrospective-like event called Thanksgiving. What started out as a dedication to give thanks for the blessing of harvest and the preceding year has transformed into a time to simply be thankful for one's blessings.

Since Thanksgiving is recognized on the fourth Thursday in the month of November, I thought I would introduce a five-part technical twist with the following Thanksgiving-focused articles:

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Beneath The Autumn Leaves (October 2019 Wallpapers Edition)

Beneath The Autumn Leaves (October 2019 Wallpapers Edition)

Beneath The Autumn Leaves (October 2019 Wallpapers Edition)

Cosima Mielke

Misty mornings, pumpkins, leaves shining in bright red, yellow, and orange hues — these are just some of the things about October that inspired artists and designers to participate in this month’s wallpapers challenge.

The monthly challenge has been going on for more than nine years already, and each time anew, creatives from all across the globe submit their designs to it to cater for some variety on your desktop and mobile screens — and for a bit of fresh inspiration, of course.

In this collection, you’ll find their wallpaper designs for October 2019. They come in versions with and without a calendar so that you can continue to use your favorite even after the month has ended. Speaking of favorites: As a little extra goodie, we compiled some favorites from past wallpapers editions at the end of this post. A big thank-you to everyone who shared their designs with us this time around. Happy October!

Please note that:

  • All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
  • 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

We are always looking for designers and artists to be featured in our wallpapers posts. So if you’re feeling creative, please don’t hesitate to submit your design. We’d love to see what you’ll come up with for November. Join in! →

First Scarf And The Beach

“When I was little my parents always took me and my sister for a walk at the beach in Nieuwpoort, we didn’t really do those beach walks in the summer but always when the sky started to turn grey and the days became colder. My sister and I always took out our warmest scarfs and played in the sand while my parents walked behind us. I really loved those Saturday or Sunday mornings where we were all together. I think October (when it’s not raining) is the perfect month to go to the beach for ‘uitwaaien’ (to blow out), to walk in the wind and take a break and clear your head, relieve the stress or forget one’s problems.” — Designed by Gwen Bogaert from Belgium.

First Scarf And The Beach

Rain And Acorns

“Waiting at the bus stop when it’s raining in October can be a sad and wet experience. The bus is late, the dry spot is taken by other people and you’re just standing there in the rain with your hands in your pockets with nowhere to go. Acorns must have a hard time like that too! Waiting in the rain for the squirrels to come and pick them up.” — Designed by Casey Dulst from Belgium.

Rain And Acorns

Transitions

“To me, October is a transitional month. We gradually slide from summer to autumn. That’s why I chose to use a lot of gradients. I also wanted to work with simple shapes, because I think of October as the ‘back to nature/back to basics month’.” — Designed by Jelle Denturck from Belgium.

Transitions

Autumn Is In The Air

“October reminds me of autumn, the season where you see fall leaves, squirrels, the weather that’s changing. Ever walked into the woods when it’s autumn? You can hear the magical sound of the wind blowing away the leaves. The woods are the most beautiful at fall, everything starts to color into yellow, orange, and brown. And you can meet some nice squirrels at the corner of a tree.” — Designed by Delphine Wylin from Belgium.

Autumn Is In The Air

The Return

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

The Return

Sleepy Hedgehog

“Hedgehogs usually start to hibernate around October. This little hedgehog is celebrating Halloween on his own terms, while he is asleep.” — Designed by Aaron Harinck from Belgium.

Sleepy Hedgehog

The Month Of Tricks And Treats

“The fiery pumpkins blaze in the dark. The bonfires, the songs, the dancing around and the sumptuous feast. There is so much to look forward to this month.” — Designed by Mobile App Development from India.

The Month Of Tricks And Treats

Turtles In Space

“Finished September, with October comes the month of routines. This year we share it with turtles that explore space.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

Turtles In Space

Halloween House Call

“Halloween brings a nighttime of fun for all the family. With trick-or-treating round the neighborhood, it’s a pastime families love to take part in nationwide. We wanted to celebrate this event by coming up with a design concept that would pay homage to the most iconic Halloween fruit of them all, the mighty Pumpkin! What better way to look forward to this spooktacular night than with a geometric art pumpkin calendar. Enjoy your night, whatever you have planned!” — Designed by Ever Increasing Circles from the United Kingdom.

Halloween House Call

Create More

“The colors of the sun inspired me.” — Designed by Hitesh Puri from India.

Create More

Sober October

“Every year when October begins, my family and I light up the fireplace for the first time. This time of the year the leaves start falling and it starts to become cold outside which makes it even cosier.” — Designed by Jasper Vermeulen from Belgium.

Sober October

Brexit

“October 2019 will always be remembered as Brexit-month so I wanted to create a wallpaper that’s inspired by Brexit. At the same time I wanted to stay away from the classic Brexit/Europe colours. I came up with a pop-up window to imply that maybe, before really exiting the EU, the UK should reconsider what they are doing. ‘Is it ok to take this huge decision while people are screaming for another referendum’ is only one of the questions I want the British government to ask themselves.” — Designed by Nand Rogge from Belgium.

Brexit

Month Of Gratitude

“As autumn advances, the leaves descend in great gratitude, they return to Earth to rise again. Under the shedding tree the students and teachers learn, for a teacher sheds her years so that the students can grow.” — Designed by Mindster from India.

Month Of Gratitude

Disarmament Week

“According to research, 44 million Americans own firearms. The last week of October is Disarmament Week, so we are inspired by states like Liechtenstein, who abolished army and don’t use weapons. This monthly calendar is dedicated to all those who follow this trend. If the whole world was like Liechtenstein, we would be happier and cheerful. So, let’s all stand together against guns and bombs and establish a world without ammunition.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Disarmament Week

Apples

“Apples are known all throughout the world yet barely anyone knows about Apple Day. For this reason I decided to put Apple Day in an extra spotlight and create a calendar about it. I hope others may enjoy apples as much as I do.” — Designed by Miguel De Pelsmaeker from Belgium.

Apples

Wandering In Woods

“The icy mountains keeping the body frozen, yet the mind wandering over the expansive woods.” — Designed by Sweans Technologies from London.

Wandering In Woods

Oktoberfest

“When I think about October, I immediately say ‘Oktoberfest’, partly for the obvious October part, but mostly for the ‘fest’ one. As we all know, Oktoberfest is a German traditional celebration dedicated to beer, that annually gathers friends from everywhere around the world, all having in common the passion for good beer (in large quantities), traditional food and the fun factor. And what can be more entertaining than having fun with your friends while drinking beer in an authentic German scenario?” — Designed by Loredana Codau (@loricacucrizanteme on Instagram) from Romania.

Oktoberfest

Oldies But Goodies

Hidden in our wallpapers archives, we rediscovered some nearly-forgotten treasures from past editions. May we present… (Please note that these designs don’t come with a calendar.)

Shades Of Gold

“We are about to experience the magical imagery of nature, with all the yellows, ochers, oranges, and reds coming our way this fall. With all the subtle sunrises and the burning sunsets before us, we feel so joyful that we are going to shout it out to the world from the top of the mountains.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Shades Of Gold

Flying Home For Halloween

“You can only fully master the sky wearing an aviator hat and goggles. Like this little bat, flying home to celebrate Halloween with his family and friends.” — Designed by Franke Margrete from the Netherlands.

Flying Home For Halloween

Hanlu

“The term ‘Hanlu’ literally translates as ‘Cold Dew.’ The cold dew brings brisk mornings and evenings. Eventually the briskness will turn cold, as winter is coming soon. And chrysanthemum is the iconic flower of Cold Dew.” — Designed by Hong, ZI-Qing from Taiwan.

Hanlu

Strange October Journey

“October makes the leaves fall to cover the land with lovely auburn colors and brings out all types of weird with them.” — Designed by Mi Ni Studio from Serbia.

Strange October Journey

Fallen Woods

Designed by Dan Ioanitescu from Canada.

Desktop Wallpaper - October 2012

Autumn Gate

“The days are colder, but the colors are warmer, and with every step we go further, new earthly architecture reveals itself, making the best of winters’ dawn.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

Autumn Gate

Discovering The Universe!

“Autumn is the best moment for discovering the universe. I am looking for a new galaxy or maybe… a UFO!” — Designed by Verónica Valenzuela from Spain.

Discovering The Universe!

All The Things

“During our recent rebrand, everyone in our team got their very own icon, each one has been custom illustrated by a lovely man called Paul, who wears glasses. The icons have all been chosen to represent something personal to each individual as well as all the other usual suspects you’d expect from an iconset.” — Designed by Engage Interactive from the United Kingdom.

All the things

Exploration

“In my travels to Selinsgrove, PA this past month, I had another opportunity to appreciate the beauty that surrounded me: trees, mountains, streams, rivers and fauna. This exploration was the inspiration for this piece encouraging others to explore new places and cherish the experience of being outdoors.” — Designed by Gabrielle Gorney from the United States.

Exploration

Dreaming

“The moment when you just walk and your imagination fills up your mind with thoughts.” — Designed by Gal Shir from Israel.

Dreaming

Say “Bye” To Summer

“And hello to Autumn! The Summer heat and high season is over. It’s time to pack our backpacks and head for the mountains — there are many treasures waiting to be discovered!” Designed by Agnes Sobon from Poland.

Desktop Wallpaper - October 2012

Haunted House

Designed by Mad Fish Digital from the United States.

Trick Or Treat

Mushrooms

“Autumn is the mushroom season. Be vigilant. Do not abuse.” Designed by Cheloveche.ru from Russia.

Free Desktop Wallpaper - October 2011

Save Water, Drink Rain

Designed by Marika Smirnova from Russia.

Smashing Wallpaper - october 11

Autumn Colors

“I love the autumn colors and making pictures, this is a collage of bits and pieces of various autumn photos from previous seasons. Enjoy!” — Designed by Agnes Swart from the Netherlands.

Autumn colors

A Time For Reflection

“‘We’re all equal before a wave.’ (Laird Hamilton)” — Designed by Shawna Armstrong from the United States.

A Time for Reflection

Join In Next Month!

Thank you to all designers for their participation. Join in next month!

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The Joys Of July (2019 Wallpapers Edition)

The Joys Of July (2019 Wallpapers Edition)

The Joys Of July (2019 Wallpapers Edition)

Cosima Mielke

A scoop of their favorite ice cream, a bike ride in the summer rain, or listening to the frog concert by the nearby lake — a lot of little things and precious moments have inspired the design community to create a wallpaper this July.

This monthly wallpapers challenge has been going on for more than nine years now, and each time anew, artists and designers from across the globe take it as an occasion to tickle their creativity and cater for beautiful, unique, and thought-provoking wallpaper designs. Wallpapers that are bound to get your ideas sparking, too.

The wallpapers in this collection all come in versions with and without a calendar for July 2019 and can be downloaded for free. A big thank-you to everyone who submitted their designs! At the end of this post, we also compiled some July favorites from past years’ editions that are just too good to be forgotten. Enjoy!

Please note that:

  • All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
  • You can feature your work in our magazine, too. So if you have an idea for an August wallpaper design, please don’t hesitate to submit it. We’d love to see what you’ll come up with.

Further Reading on SmashingMag:

Hello, Strawberry Sundae!

“Is there anything more refreshing (and more delicious!) than a strawberry sundae on a hot summer day? Well, we don’t think so. And did you know that strawberry celebration is on its way in the U.S. Oh, yes! July 7th is the National Strawberry Sundae Day, and we predict that it’s going to be sweet and yummy. So, make your favorite dessert and start preparing yourself for the festive July days.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Hello, Strawberry Sundae!

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.

Riding In The Drizzle

We All Scream For Ice Cream

“There are two things that come to mind when I think about July: ice cream and the Fourth of July!” — Designed by Alyssa Merkel from the United States.

We All Scream For Ice Cream

My July

Designed by Cátia Pereira from Portugal.

My July

Alentejo Plain

“Based on the Alentejo region, south of Portugal, where there are large plains used for growing wheat. It thus represents the extensions of the fields of cultivation and their simplicity. Contrast of the plain with the few trees in the fields. Storks that at this time of year predominate in this region, being part of the Alentejo landscape and mentioned in the singing of Alentejo.” — Designed by José Guerra from Portugal.

Alentejo Plain

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.

Frogs In The Night

July Rocks!

Designed by Joana Moreira from Portugal.

July Rocks!

Plastic Bag Free Day

“The objective of this date is to draw attention to the production and over-consumption of plastic bags worldwide, presenting alternatives to solve this serious environmental problem. It is urgent to change the behavior of all human beings regarding the use of plastic bags. For the preservation of the environment, we should use the same plastic bag for shopping, recycling or use paper bags. In this wallpaper I drew a plastic bag with a turtle inside it, as if it was imprisoned by its own bag, as if the ocean was reduced to a plastic bag, emphasizing the seriousness of this environmental problem, which has tortured both turtles and many others marine species.” — Designed by Carolina Santos from Portugal.

Plastic Bag Free Day

Save The Tigers

“Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on July 29. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit. The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.” — Designed by Athulya from Calicut.

Save The Tigers

Palms

“I was inspired by Hawaii type of scenarios with some reference to surf.” — Designed by Sónia Fernandes from Portugal.

Palms

Friendship Day

“The lower part of the image is represented in a more realistic and detailed form and represents the basis of the friendship, conveying a strong connection both in the simplicity and strength of the gestures, hands and medals that both children wear around their necks are symbols of this union. In terms of color I chose to use the ash scale, referring to the old photograph, implying the idea of a long duration of the relations of friendships and the memories we keep of our childhood friends, the illustration represented portrays a memory of mine, which makes it very personal. At the top of the wallpaper, the identity of the two characters appears pixelated, suggesting an idea of building deconstruction, through colored squares that come together and move away, as a symbol of connections and the sharing of emotions, which build and strengthen bonds of friendship.” — Designed by Carolina Santos from Portugal.

Friendship Day

Yellow Lemon Tree

“Summer is here, enjoy it and cool and stay hydrated!” — Designed by Melissa Bogemans from Belgium.

Yellow Lemon Tree

Summer Energy

Designed by IQUADART from Belarus.

Summer Energy

Heat Wave

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Heat Wave

Season Of Wind

“Summer is the season of wind. I like to stand on top of the mountains, hearing the song of the wind flying through the meadow.” — Designed by Anh Nguyet Tran from Vietnam.

Season Of Wind

Oldies But Goodies

Let’s go an a journey back in time: Down in our wallpaper archives, we rediscovered some July classics that are just too good to gather dust. May we present… (Please note that these designs don’t come with a calendar.)

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.

Fire Camp

Heated Mountains

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

Heated Mountains

Tutti Frutti

“July is National Ice Cream Month and who needs an invitation for a scoop or two, or three! Lacking the real thing, our Tutti Frutti wallpaper can satisfy until your next creamy indulgence.” — Designed by Karen Frolo from the United States.

Tutti Frutti

Memories In July

“Words are few, thoughts are deep, memories of you we’ll always keep.” — Designed by Suman Sil from India.

Memories In July

Cactus Hug

Designed by Ilaria Bagnasco from Italy.

Cactus Hug

Keep Moving Forward

“Snails can be inspiring! If you keep heading towards your goal, even if it is just tiny steps, enjoy the journey and hopefully it will be worth the effort.” — Designed by Glynnis Owen from Australia.

Keep Moving Forward

Sand And Waves

“What do you do in summer? You go to the beach. Even if you can’t go — feel the waves and sand and sun through this funny wallpaper.” — Designed by Olga Lepaeva from Russia.

Sand And Waves

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.

Island River

Ice Cream vs. Hot Dog

“It’s both ‘National Ice Cream Month’ and ‘National Hot Dog Month’ over in the US, which got me thinking — which is better? With this as your wallpaper, you can ponder the question all month!” — Designed by James Mitchell from the UK.

Ice Cream vs. Hot Dog

Summer Heat

Designed by Xenia Latii from Berlin, Germany.

Summer Heat

Peaceful Memories

“July is one of the most beautiful months of the year. Enjoy every day, every hour, which gives us this month!” — Designed by Nikolay Belikov from Russia.

Peaceful Memories

Floral Thing

“The wallpaper which I created consists of my personal sketches of Polish herbs and flowers and custom typography. I wanted it to be light and simple with a hint of romantic feeling. I hope you’ll enjoy it!” — Designed by Beata Kurek from Poland.

Smashing Desktop Wallpapers - July 2012

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.

An Intrusion Of Cockroaches

Celebrate Freedom

“This wallpaper encourages you to appreciate and celebrate the country’s freedom as well as your own!” — Designed by Marina Zhukov from the USA.

Desktop Wallpaper

Hot Air Balloon

Designed by Studcréa from France

Hot Air Balloon

Only One

Designed by Elise Vanoorbeek from Belgium

Only one

Cool Summer

“Even though it is not summer in my country, I made a summer theme. A cool approach to summer themes, tough, very fresh and ‘twilighty’.” — Designed by Marcos Sandrini from Brazil.

Smashing Desktop Wallpapers - July 2012

Birdie Nam Nam

“I have created a pattern that has a summer feeling. For me July and summer is bright color, joy and lots of different flowers and birds. So naturally I incorporated all these elements in a crazy pattern.” — Designed by Lina Karlsson, Idadesign Ab from Sweden.

Smashing Desktop Wallpapers - July 2012

Sun In July

”…enjoy the sun in July!” — Designed by Marco Palma from Italy/Germany.

Smashing Desktop Wallpapers - July 2012

Join In Next Month!

Please note that 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 throughout 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.

Thank you to all designers for their participation. Join in next month!

Smashing Editorial (il)
Posted on

PayPal vs. Stripe For Ecommerce

As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, building a website takes lots of hard work. This is even more so the case for those of you who are creating an ecommerce site.

In addition to your website design, architecture, and all of the standard website elements, you also need to figure out how you’re going to accept payments online.

If you’ve never done this before and you’re just starting some preliminary research, there’s a good chance that you’ll come across two names; PayPal and Stripe. These are both industry leaders in the online payment processing industry.

Both platforms will essentially let your customers buy products or services from your ecommerce shop, but the way that these services are provided are different from platform to platform.

So what’s the difference between PayPal and Stripe? Is PayPal or Stripe better for accepting payments online? These are questions that I hear all of the time when I’m consulting with ecommerce companies.

Truthfully, you probably can’t go wrong with either one. But with that said, I want to give you as much information as possible about each platform so you can decide which one is right for your ecommerce business.

Basics of payment gateways

Before we continue, I want to make sure you understand exactly how PayPal and Stripe work. There are two terms you need to know:

  • Payment gateway
  • Payment service provider

Payment gateways give ecommerce sites the capability to accept payments online. These gateways are like a middleman between a business payment processor and credit card network. PayPal and Stripe both have payment gateways, which you’ll need if you’re planning to authorize online payments.

A payment service provider (or PSP for short) on the other hand is a bit more involved. PayPal and Stripe are both PSPs as well. They link businesses with merchant accounts by providing the technology required to process online payments, as well as other forms of payment.

PayPal and Stripe group all of their merchants into one account, as opposed to each business having a dedicated account.

Basically, both of these platforms have everything you need to authorize payments as an ecommerce website.

PayPal for ecommerce

Paypal for Ecommerce

Even if you have no prior experience with running an ecommerce website, PayPal is definitely a name that you’ve heard before.

The company has always been known for payment processing. They have the reputation for being a safe and secure way for PayPal users to buy from merchants using a PayPal balance as well as a debit or credit account linked to their PayPal profile.

But PayPal offers much more features and services to accommodate ecommerce shops. So the days of PayPal only being suitable for things like eBay or other P2P payment situations are long behind us. Now they have a variety of plans for launching a business, whether you want to sell online, in person, or both.

You’ll be able to accept payments from credit cards, debit cards, PayPal credits, PayPal accounts, and Venmo as well.

With PayPal, you can design your own shopping cart. They have customizable solutions that are fully scalable for growing businesses.

PayPal offers three main plans for you to choose from. I’ll cover each one in greater detail below.

PayPal Checkout

Paypal Checkout

For those of you who already have an existing payment processor that you’re using to accept credit cards on your ecommerce site, PayPal Checkout might be a good option for you to consider.

Basically, you can just add the PayPal button to your current payments page with this supplemental plan. It’s easy to integrate with your existing ecommerce platform. Once the button is added, your customers will be able to use PayPal, PayPal credits, or Venmo to buy from your online store.

Conversion rates are up to 82% higher when PayPal Checkout is added to ecommerce sites. That’s because shoppers can complete the purchase in just a click or two, if they have PayPal on their phones or if they’re already logged into PayPal on their computers.

There is no setup fee or monthly fee for this plan. PayPal charges merchants 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction in the United States.

PayPal Payments Standard

The PayPal Payments Standard plan is made for merchants who don’t have an existing payment processor or want to switch providers.

In addition to the PayPal payment options, you’ll also be able to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards. Adding the button to your website is as simple as copying and pasting some code. The checkout pages will be hosted by PayPal.

This plan will cost you 2.9% + $0.30 per US transaction. There are no monthly fees or setup fees for the Payments Standard plan.

PayPal Payments Pro

Payments Pro is the top-tier plan offered by PayPal. It allows you to create a fully customizable checkout experience on your ecommerce site.

Unlike the Payments Standard plan, website visitors won’t have to leave your site to complete the checkout process. It also has a mobile-optimized checkout process and easy shopping cart integration. Payments Pro gives you a virtual terminal, which makes it possible to accept payments over the phone as well.

With the added features, this plan costs $30 per month, plus the standard 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

Stripe for ecommerce

Stripe for Ecommerce

Unlike PayPal, Stripe doesn’t have their services segmented into tiered plans. Stripe’s payment processing will be the same, regardless of what features you’re taking advantage of.

With that said, depending on which tools you want to use, it will cost more. But the nice part about this is that you’re only going to be charged for the features that you actually want, as opposed to paying for a plan that includes tools you don’t need.

You can easily add Stripe to your ecommerce site with just one simple integration.

Once that happens, the platform makes it easy for you to accept payments, process them, settle, and reconcile. You’ll be able to process credit cards and ACH transfers both online and via mobile app payments. In fact, big mobile app brands like Lyft are already using Stripe.

Stripe lets you build a checkout process from scratch, or select one of their pre-built templates.

The platform has features for invoicing and setting up recurring payments for subscriptions as well. Let’s take a look at some of those add-on features I was talking about earlier.

Connect

Stripe Connect is made so that marketplaces and platforms can accept money and pay it out to third parties. It supports ecommerce sites, crowdfunding, on-demand businesses, and travel or event platforms.

Take advantage of Stripe’s UI components that are pre-built, or use their tools to create and customize everything on your own.

Sigma

Sigma helps businesses analyze data from stripe using SQL. It can help improve the efficiency of business operations, finance departments, data teams, and product management.

It’s a great way for you to get to know your business better with data. Then you can make necessary adjustments based on your findings. Pricing for Stripe Sigma varies based on the volume of monthly charges.

Atlas

Stripe Atlas is made for those of you who are starting an online business from scratch. The startup toolkit guides you through the process of forming a company, establishing IP ownership, filling out the right documents, and getting a tax ID number from the IRS.

Stripe Atlas

Atlas also sets you up with a new bank account and debit card for your business.

There is a $500 one-time fee for using this service. Services like bank account maintenance, tax filing, and registered agents are not included in the setup fee. These are all billed individually at an annual rate.

Radar

Radar is Stripe’s fraud detection, prevention, and management tool. It’s designed to analyze your data and stop potential fraud cases before they are processed.

They take data from your checkout flows, payments, and financial partners to determine irregularities. Stripe’s partnership with major credit card companies and banks make it possible for them to identify fraudulent charges before you need to make a dispute.

Issuing

Stripe Issuing is made for ecommerce businesses that want to create, distribute, and manage both physical and virtual cards for in-house purposes.

You can use these cards for things like employee expense accounts. It’s supported by Google Pay and Apple Pay as well. It’s also worth noting that Stripe Issuing is a beta program that’s only being offered in the United States.

Terminal

For years, Stripe was better known for its online payment processing. But now they offer Stripe Terminal, which is a POS system for in-person payments.

This is a great option for those of you who have physical store locations in addition to your ecommerce shop. You can get everything you need both online and in-store from the same provider.

PayPal and Stripe compared

As you can see from everything that we’ve covered so far, these two payment service providers are very different from each other. But with that said, they have some things in common as well.

Deciding between PayPal and Stripe will mostly come down to personal preference and exactly what you’re looking for. Let’s take a look at some specific features to see how each platform stacks up against the other.

Price

The pricing for PayPal is very straightforward. Only the Payments Pro plan has a monthly fee, while all three plans charge 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

Stripe also charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. But they do have custom pricing packages for things like volume discounts and multi-product discounts, which can be useful for those of you who want to take advantage of the products we looked at earlier.

According to research Value Penguin, Stripe is more expensive than PayPal.

Stripe vs Paypal cost

It can be argued that Stripe has more to offer, which might justify that higher amount. But when you compare the cost per transaction rates head to head, both services are even.

Support

Both PayPal and Stripe offer excellent customer service and technical support options. They each have their own variation of a help center, with different tools, guides, FAQ, and resources needed to troubleshoot on your own.

You can also get help using:

  • Email
  • Live chat
  • Phone
  • Social media

Based on all of this, I don’t think that I can definitively say that one platform has better support than the other, so this category is a tie.

Ease of use

Stripe and PayPal are both easy to use. But with that said, Stripe is definitely more developer-friendly, meaning it could present more of a challenge to ecommerce store owners who don’t have that type of technical knowledge.

PayPal is as simple as copying and pasting some code to get set up, which is about as straightforward as it gets. So I’d say PayPal is better for beginners, while Stripe has more customizable options for developers.

Contracts

Both PayPal and Stripe offer pay as you go contracts. So you won’t get locked into anything long term and can cancel at any time. You also won’t be charged a cancellation fee by either service if you decide to do so.

This category is another tie.

Reputation

PayPal always had a reputation for its P2P payments through third-party platforms like eBay. Although now they’re taking aim at providing more services for ecommerce sites. Stripe has always been known for ecommerce solutions, but not offers POS solutions as well.

Both of these companies have the tools, services, and resources you need to run an ecommerce shop. They both have exceptional online reviews as well.

PayPal is the most popular digital wallet in the United States and is the most popular mobile payment method in North America. There are more than 277 million PayPal users worldwide.

Based on these numbers, I’d have to give the edge to PayPal in terms of reputation. But by no means am I saying that Stripe doesn’t have an excellent reputation as well.

Conclusion

If you have an ecommerce shop and you’re trying to figure out the best payment service provider, both PayPal and Stripe are top options to consider.

At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to personal preference. Based on the information I gave you above, you can decide which plan meets your needs the most.

I can’t definitively give an edge to one platform over the other. I’d strongly recommend both options.

For those of you who still aren’t sold on PayPal or Stripe, you can review my guide on the best payment methods for your ecommerce site to find some alternative solutions.