Design

Psychology of Color

Posted by AMac on February 01, 2010

One of the more important decisions to be made when designing your website is choosing color. Color plays in integral role in the impact your site has on visitors. To be sure to make a positive impact, consider learning a bit about the psychology of color.

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Isolating a Logo Using Layer Masks

Posted by AMac on January 03, 2010

Not all site designs are easy; some, you have to work for. And by some, I mean all of them.

Recently, I had to work out a problem with a site showcasing logos on a black background. The problem was the logo files I had were JPEGs of each on a white background. Laying out these white rectangle logos on the black background just wasn't working for me—not a good look. So I came up with a Photoshop method to cut the logos away from their white backgrounds, thus making them usable on any color background. I assure you this method works better and more often than other traditional isolation techniques, magic wand included.

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Inspiration

Posted by AMac on November 30, 2009

I used to think "inspiration" was for people with no "imagination." I thought people who were inspired all the time were just too cool for school; you know the type—talking on a bluetooth headset while jogging to Jamba Juice at 5 a.m. So, I would say, let them have their inspiration, and I'll stick to going it alone, just me and my imagination.

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Putting Some Heart Back Into the Web

Posted by Kathryn on August 26, 2009

Boerne Wild West Day is hands-down my new favorite website. The thing that really set this project apart for all of us was the high amount of creative freedom we were granted and the strong level of enthusiasm that followed. For "creatives," hearing the words "do whatever you want" is like unwrapping that amazing gift you really wanted but didn't think you'd get on Christmas morning. I imagine it's how a hair stylist must feel when a client goes in and tells them they have no idea what kind of hair cut they want, but that they trust them, and to "go to town" on their hair. Sometimes you just need to trust your stylist.

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Fresh Crap! What I've Learned About Print

Posted by AMac on August 26, 2009

This week's newsletter is about going "Back to School," so I'll start with a short bit about school.

It wasn't long ago that I was in school. It's interesting to me that I've spent two-thirds of my life in school, the majority of my time up to this point. But a person twice my age has spent two-thirds of his life out of school, his time defined by what he's done since. It's a funny thing to think about—school becomes less relevant as you get older, to the point that school has almost no relevance to a person in their 90s. Crazy.

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Bock Lighting: Product Placement Gone Right

Posted by Kathryn on June 24, 2009

Image removed.When you work in the internet business, it's critical to stay on top of current design trends and development best practices.

In the same way writers improve their writing abilities by reading other great authors, graphic designers and programmers can seriously expand their repertoire by surfing the web for inspiration, reading design blogs, and keeping a watchful eye out for methods that might help get the job done better and faster.

With so many tools available online, you might think "those internet people have it easy." Sure, there's plenty of resources online to help us get better and keep our sites looking fresh and hip, but there's really nothing more vital to a web professional than people skills (a.k.a., the ability to relate to a client in such a way that their needs are fully understood and fulfilled).

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Diagnosing (and Treating) Bad Design

Posted by AMac on April 27, 2009

There is something very obvious about an ugly website. It doesn't take a web professional to spot a site that took a dive off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

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