DesignM.ag

I think that, like me, a lot of people out there actually learn most of what they know about Photoshop by teaching themselves. Even if you do take a class, it will likely focus on the basics, and just won’t have the scope to dig into all of the finer details of the application. There’s certainly nothing wrong with this, and I think that the best way to learn anything is to get your hands dirty and dig into it yourself.

Recently, however, I was at a Photoshop seminar in which the instructor, Dave Cross, was discussing this very thing. He said that there is one significant problem with being a self-taught Photoshop user, and that that problem was the teacher. The comment was perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and intended to draw a chuckle from us, but there’s definitely some truth to it.

To take another of Cross’ lines: would you trust a “self-taught” surgeon?

Anyhow, this idea became apparent to me just over a year ago, during a discussion with a friend with whom I regularly share tips and suggestions for using Photoshop. Though I cannot recall his exact phrasing, he basically asked me what I thought of the Clone Stamp tool, and whether it was something worth using.

Wordpress 3.0 was released to the public June 17th with a mountain of changes to it’s previous version. I have compiled my personal favorites below. For those of you not fully aware of the recent changes to Wordpress, check out my favorites below:

1. Custom Menu Management:

This allows the creation of custom menus combining posts, pages, categories, tags, and links for use in theme menus or widgets.

Designing Email templates has proven to be a tricky thing. Between the many possible variables with different email clients and an effective message that communicates with the end user, email has basic elements that must be followed for success. Below I have outlined the difference and strategies of design and functionality. Enjoy!

Design:

I always encourage simplicity with design. You must consider how your template is going to be given to your end user. Chances are these days that your end user will be quickly reading their emails on their phones while in the car, in the middle of working, or while there are screaming kids in the background. Because of this, you must make your design sell in a matter of seconds.

Below are great and effective examples of email templates:

Although I go by the title of developer’ I actually have a background in design. I went to college several years ago to get my degree in traditional print design, but I just didn’t enjoy designing for clients as much as I did coding.

That being said, I’m still a fan of beautifully designed pieces of work, and it’s disheartening to see so many terrible designs out there today. While the community has definitely gotten better in terms of quality, we all still have a long way to go.

If you’re new to the web design world, or if you have no formal education in design, it can seem a daunting task to get started. After all, its one of the hardest things in the world to please both a client and yourself design-wise.

There are several common mistakes I see designers do that can really hamper their design quality.

Designing for trends

We’ve all seen the recent backlash against the horrid “Web 2.0″ type of design. During the past few years, gradients, shiny buttons and rounded corners became a trend on almost every site. Instead of designing for the client’s audience, these designers were designing for trends instead.

The problem with designing for trends is that by the time you’ve done yours, the trend is already overused and outdated. Instead of trying to keep up with the trends, you should instead be focusing on balanced, meaningful designs – and perhaps your work will eventually become the trend!

Copying other designs