The Basics of Typography



Typography is an immensely important factor in design, be it for the web or print. You can give a design a completely different personality just by changing the font of your body copy or headlines, for example. In today’s post, I will go over the basics of typography and explain some fundamental concepts and terms.

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Comparison of 12 WordPress Theme Frameworks



A theme framework is a set of building blocks that make theme development easier and dramatically speeds up development time by providing the core structure (or framework) needed by a theme. Frameworks typically provide all necessary layouts, template files, functions, and more, leaving little but the styling to the developer (or designer).

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How to Make a Graphical News Slider in jQuery



The graphical news slider: something used so often in so many places for so many different purposes. I had made one ages ago as one of my first jQuery projects. I figured I could write a tutorial to share that code with WebDesignFan’s readers, but was taken aback when I reviewed the code I had made so long ago. It was not bad formatting or compatibility or any such thing, as I would never allow such problems to be a part of my programs. However, it wasn’t very extensible as I feel all public code should be. It was merely designed to support the features I needed at the time. Having spent the last few days revising the code, namely to allow custom image dimensions, I am happy to share with you the revised code.

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Web Design Fan Club: Premium Content and Resources



Joining the Web Design Fan Club grants you access to all the incredible resources and knowledge you need to become an expert web designer. From Wordpress themes to premium icon sets and vectors, advanced tutorials to educational resources and files, the Web Design Fan Club delivers. And it doesn’t end there. You also gain access to interviews with some of the best web designers and developers working today.

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13 Innovative Home Decor Designs



Every once in a while, we like to take you out of the web design-focused world and bring you into new realms of creativity. This gives us perspective, perhaps a little inspiration, and if nothing else, some appreciation for other art forms. In today’s post, we are going to look at some of the coolest new furniture and other home decorations currently on the market. Check out the elements of design these pieces utilize and try to understand what makes them what they are. Doing this can help you in other areas of creativity and analysis – like in your web designs.

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Hiding Content for the Visually Impaired



If you subscribe to my design philosophy, then you’re very careful to create web sites that are friendly to people with disabilities of all kinds. As creators of content that is largely visual, we need to be particularly cognizant of the needs of our visually impaired friends. This means sticking to a few basic rules that will make it much easier for the user of a screen-reader to use the site.

In this article, we will be discussing using label tags for input elements.

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Understanding the Design Process



Design is about making choices. We must analyze why and have an informational basis about those decisions, especially when dealing with clients. Without knowing why we are designing something, it really has no purpose. In this article, I’m going to go over some starting points for beginners like me, to grasp the bigger picture when designing for the web.

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WordPress E-Commerce Solutions: A Review



E-commerce solutions for Wordpress are becoming more and more common, but what products out there are any good? Some can be incredibly frustrating to use (OK, almost all of them…), but most do deliver a workable result if you give it enough effort.

As someone with experience in e-commerce, I tend to shy away from using Wordpress for storefronts in general, but there are some cases where it can really be useful. Below you will find my thoughts on each of the products I have used and if I think they deserve your consideration.

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Effective Monochromatic Business Cards



In this day and age where visual design in any form can mean new business, an interesting and cleverly designed business card can move things along for you. When opting for a monochromatic style in an era where vivid and electrifying colors are the norm for business cards, it is best to remember that monochrome cards can still stand out.

Adding personal touches to an otherwise bland palette can make a world of difference. One can also choose to forgo the commonly used rectangular shaped cards and opt for a shape that represents their business. Before you begin your own design, however, take a look at the following effective monochromatic business cards and gather some excellent direction for your single color design.

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34 Amazing Chalk Drawings



Drawing on the sidewalk with chalk has long been a fun summertime activity for children. What used to be simple, erase-able fun for kids has elevated to an art form. Artists all over the world are using chalk to create masterpieces on pavement. Creative and innovative, there’s an amazing amount of artistry, skill, and technique involved in crafting landscapes, portraits and even 3D-style images. Here are 34 captivating examples of chalk drawings that showcase the diversity of this emerging form of street art.

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