DesignM.ag » Inspiration

In this roundup we have collected some mini icon sets to download. Enjoy!! If you like these icons you might want to check out our previous posts below.

35 Free Icon Sets

43 Free Social Media Icon Sets

25 of the Best Blogging and Social Media Icon Sets

Pixicus Icon Set: 106 Pixel Perfect Icons

Minimicons

Free Mini Vector App Icons

Mimi Glyphs free psd file

Mimi Glyphs

50 Crisp Web UI Icons

Vento Icon Set

160 Tiny Icons

16px Glyph Icons

Washing Machine Icons

Soft Media Icons Set Vol 1

Soft Media Icons Set Vol 2

Pirate Icons

128 16px Toolkit Icons

Shopping Icons

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28 Nice Landing Page Designs

Brant Wilson — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:44:39 +0000

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Today we have collected 28 landing page designs. If you like this post you might also enjoy our previous post below.

34 Best Landing Page Templates Design Inspiration

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40 Brilliant Photographs of Undersea Life

Jake Rocheleau — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:54:26 +0000

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Photographs have a way of naturally shifting our emotions. The ocean is a calming sentiment to humans since we’re so comfortable living on the land. But there is a whole ecosystem underneath the water that many of us are not even aware exists. The Earth is a beautiful place and it has been only recently that we’ve created the technology to capture these moments in time.

I’ve collected 40 stunning photos taken under the oceans all around the world. The lifestyle of animals can differ greatly based on how they live and behave amongst other animals. Photograph enthusiasts will love this showcase and surely gather some wonderful concepts about undersea life forms. Additionally please feel free to share your thoughts or questions below in the post discussion area.

Undersea Life Chatter

Clownfish

Tube Anemones

Underwater Seaweed Fish

Under the Sea

Jellyfish

Starfish under water

Snorkeling Fish

Tilefish in Bali

Fish in the Red Sea

Toby Fish

Colorful Marine Life

Pretty Fish in the Bahamas

Seahorse off Cape Town, South Africa

Great Barrier Reef

Under the Sea

Marine Turtle

Under Water Oman

Mimic Octopus

Goby Fish

Weedy Seadragon

Porcupine Fish

Weedy Seadragon Curled

Scuba Diving off Bay Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands Fish

Fishes in Coral

Bat Fish in Kuwait

Coral Marine Life

Feeding in the Pacific

Batfish, Maldive Islands

Close-Up Marine Life

Eastern Caribbean Coral Reef

Colorful Salt Water Fish

Elegant Firefish

Nautical Hawaiian Fish

Open Brain Coral

Okinawa, Japan Cardinalfish

Eel Swimming

School of Bony Fish

Scuba Diving in Guam

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31 New Inspirational iPhone & iPad Application Websites

Jake Rocheleau — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:29:14 +0000

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When you first launch a mobile app there is often a huge influx of downloads in the first few days. This is followed by a lull after your app drops out of the brand new section. The solution to keeping your downloads constant is building up a powerful branding and marketing presence. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is putting together an application website.

There are so many examples it can be hard to keep track of them all. But this should come as reassurance to let you know there is a powerful market just waiting to be flooded. Spend a bit of time checking out these inspirational layouts and which elements you can apply to your own project. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to creating an application website. Piece together some of the best aspects of different designs and you may come up with your own contemporary branding.

Iris App

Sipp Wine Lover’s App

Stylapps

Localhero

Sparrow for iPhone

Fontain

Procreate by Savage Interactive

Stocks Finance App

Easy Chef App

Cutest Paw

Barista App

Showcase App

The Hit List

Saver for iPhone

Whoovie

Know What App

Wedding Planner for iPad

Cherish App

inkFINDER App

Zootool for iPhone

Grades App

Notica

Blip.me Broadcast

LetterSchool

Let’s Talk App

Facecard iPhone App

Delibar iPhone App

Friends by Taptivate

Lighty Flashlight App

Newsprint App

Tourist by Tapmonkeys

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What to Do When You Get Sick

laura — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:26:41 +0000

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Getting sick is no fun for anyone. For a freelance designer (and other freelancers), getting sick (or injured) might spell financial disaster. That’s because freelance designers who don’t work don’t get paid. There’s also the risk of losing a client.

In this post, I examine some of the uncomfortable decisions freelancers must face when they become ill. If you enjoyed this post, you might also like Freelancing During an Illness.

Three Choices for Sick Freelance Designers

As freelancer, you basically have three choices:

Work full-time while sick
Cut back on work
Stop working

Let’s examine each choice carefully.

Choice #1: Working Full-time While Sick

Sometimes you just have to work on a project even if you feel lousy. You might not have enough money saved to take a break. Your client might not be willing to give you a break. Or, you might be so close to completing your project that it doesn’t make sense to change the schedule or bring in someone new.

As long as your doctor hasn’t prohibited you from working, you’re probably okay if you stick to your normal work schedule during a minor illness.

After all, if you work from home you won’t be spreading your germs to anyone. Plus, as a home-based worker you don’t have to worry about the daily commute (and the consequences of driving while taking medication). If you need to lie down during the day, your bed is not too far away.

Still, you should take some precautions if you decide to work through an illness. Here are some of them:

Double-check your work and then check it again. If you don’t feel well, you’re much more likely to make mistakes.
Don’t burn your candle at both ends. If you’ve decided to work through your illness, understand that you may need to cut back on personal commitments until you feel better./li>
Take a nap if you have to. One of the perks of working from home and freelancing is that no one is looking over your shoulder. Short naps during the day can help you get more done.

Of course, you don’t have to work full-time if you’re sick. There are other options.

Choice #2 Cutting Back on Work

You may benefit from cutting back on your workload while you are sick. A reduced schedule can help you heal more quickly and ensure the quality of the work that you do.

Here are some ways to temporarily reduce your work schedule:

Cut out administrative tasks like marketing and social media. Freelance designers are constantly marketing, of course, but a temporary hiatus for a short time shouldn’t hurt.
Delay the start of new projects. If you know you’ve got a project starting in the next few days, your client may be willing to relax their schedule.
Have the family help. Unless you live alone, you may able to get others in your household to take over some of your non-freelancing tasks until you are well.
Hire a subcontractor to do some of your most taxing projects. If you have a colleague who is willing, you may be able to hire them to complete some of your projects.

Now that we’ve examined cutting back on work, it’s time to look at the consequences of not working.

Choice #3 Not Working At All

The final choice that a freelancer has when they get sick or injured is to not work at all. In fact, depending on the extent of your illness, you may not even be able to work.

Not working can be the right choice when:

The illness is extremely short-term and missing a day won’t hurt anything. Most freelancers have natural gaps in their schedules anyway. If that’s you and you’re sick, don’t worry about not working for a day or two.
The illness is long-term and requires a long convalescence. If your illness (or injury) requires a substantial recovery period, such as several months, you may have no choice except to put your freelancing business on hold for a while by not accepting work.

Of course, not working has financial consequences. I hope that you have an emergency fund saved to help you through this rough period.

Your Turn

What do you do when you get sick? What choices for dealing with illness as a freelancer have you made in the past and how did they work out?

Share your answers in the comments.

Image by RLHyde

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33 Wonderful Scenic Ocean Landscapes

Jake Rocheleau — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:00:45 +0000

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The ocean can be an extremely calming experience to help soothe your troubles. This may be why vacation spots are so popular on the coastline and in islands around the world. But unfortunately we can’t all take beach vacations every week – but photographs can bring back a similar feeling.

The bundle I’ve put together is a fantastic collection of new ocean photographs. I find the beach to be very inspiring and leaves me with a sense of serenity in the day. Let us know your thoughts and if you have taken similar photos feel free to share in the discussion area below.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Oyster Pond

Sunset York Beach

South Coast Oregon

Terekhol beach

Winchelsea Bird Watch

Miami Beach

Kechria and Ligharies Beach

Beach Alhoceima

Hollywood In Hawaii

Putsborough Beach

La Jolla Landscape

Landscape near Rambla de Castro

Great Ocean Road

Beach & Castle Walls

Sunset on Fourni Beach

Palm Shadow

Pez Maya beach

Aphrodite’s Rock

Ocean Beach

Copacabana Beach

Beach & Pilos

Persian Gulf, Iran

Olgas Landscape

Honduras Bay Islands

Rainbow’s End

English Channel Seaside

New South Whales, Australia

Los Roques, Venezuela

Aerial View above Solomon Islands

Machias, Maine

Landscape behind Harbor Inn

Moon and the Tides

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40 Examples of HDR Photography at Night

Jake Rocheleau — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:51:37 +0000

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Some photo concepts behave very strange under different lenses and filters. HDR uses high-definition and can really pull out effects from light sources. Photographers have learned that using HDR at nighttime can render even more interesting results.

I’ve put together a wonderful showcase of photographs using HDR camera effects. These are all taken during the evening when the sky is dark or even pitch-black. Most of the light effects stream in through houses and street lights. It creates an intense atmosphere and a very striking photographic posture.