I recently wrote a post about point-and-shoot product photography – a task many web designers will perform again and again. Taking photos is one thing. Getting them ready for the web is another. 1) Original files and retouching. Always duplicate your original image before you begin adding details and correcting flaws, and work with the highest quality files available....
As much as we may be afraid to admit it, it’s that time of year again: holiday shopping time. In some posts later this season, I’ll share some fun gift ideas for the design-savvy people in your life, but let’s first focus on a different gifting dilemma. What (if anything) do you give your clients for the holidays, and...
In Part 1 of this post, I shared some setup and placement tips. Today, we’ll talk cameras and Photoshop. 5) Make the most of your camera. Even dinky point-and-shoots like mine have variable settings. First off, ditch the flash; you don’t want ugly bright spots or harsh shadows in your shot, do you? Next, learn to use your white...
Let me begin with this caveat: I am not a photographer, and I have a feeling that some pros will be appalled by my suggestions! Graphic designers are often asked to do a little photography work. Small website clients especially like to make such requests because “real” photo work simply isn’t feasible given their budgets. For several years, I...
Some time ago, I wrote about Communication Arts—an ultra-professional graphic design magazine that’s a great source of inspiration. Computer Arts, the topic of today’s post, is often confused with Communication Arts, probably because the two magazines have very similar names. Computer Arts is however something very different, though no less inspiring. UK-based Computer Arts produces several monthly magazines: Computer...
Just recently, I was thinking about Netscape and how huge it was years ago. It was once one of the most popular browsers, and web designers everywhere made sure their sites were compatible with it. Today, Netscape is barely a blip on the radar. Can the release of Navigator 9 change that? Let’s find out. Will this familiar icon...
Those of you who enjoy photography and who browse photo-sharing sites like Flickr have probably come across the word “Holga.” I noticed that a lot of interesting photos are tagged with the term, so I poked around to see what it meant. I discovered that a Holga is a type of film camera originally produced in China during the...
Yesterday, I gave you some advice on making your site more accessible. Today, I’m going to help you wrap things up. Do the easy things first. Review your highlighted list, and perform the simplest tasks that don’t affect your design. Don’t worry about priority levels just yet. Many of the most basic modifications–like replacing your deprecated HTML tags with...
Web designers are often told that their pages should be made “accessible”, but to many, that just means testing on a few extra browsers and ensuring that the type is readable. These are, without a doubt, important concerns, but accessibility is about much more than that. It’s about opening up your site to all users, including those with vision...
Okay, I need a show of hands; how many of you still design your web layouts with tables? Not because you don’t know any better, but because it’s just plain easier. (I’m sheepishly raising my hand.) We do it because it’s almost second nature, and because we assume that learning CSS positioning is hard. But in the back of...
