Graphics - Page 3

Procreate Brushes / 15 Mar 2023

Procreate vs. Photoshop: Should You Make the Switch?

Designers are in love with Procreate. The app built for creative professionals makes designing on an iPad easier and more efficient in a completely new way. But can a $9.99 app be a realistic Photoshop competitor?

For some, the answer is a definite yes.

Here are five reasons Procreate could become your go-to design app (and five reasons why it might not). Plus, an introduction to what Procreate is, and why it might be the perfect app for you.

Graphics / 14 Mar 2023

How + Why to Use a Website Wireframe Template

Wireframing is one of those design processes that happens organically and intentionally. How many times have you sketched an idea during a meeting? How many times have you created a presentable wireframe for a client meeting?

Both types of wireframes are equally important parts of the design and iteration process.

The latter takes a little more effort to create, and that’s where a wireframe template comes in. Here’s everything you need to know about using them effectively, and how they can help to save you time, improve the quality of your wireframes, and help you get your ideas down in a physical format.

Graphics / 14 Mar 2023

15+ Awesome Places to Download Free Vector Art

Despite what many would think, the term web designer does not always imply an artist. There are many very capable web developers and designers that are lucky to pull off a quality stick figure on most days. For those that are able to create complicated artwork, there are plenty of times when you’re up against a deadline need something generic.

For either of these situations, you can’t beat free vectors. Though the quality varies dramatically depending on the source, there’s no shortage of great work out there that you can download and use in your projects immediately. Below we’ll take a look at a collection of websites offering free vectors of various types.

Graphics / 13 Mar 2023

Pixel Art & Pixel Fonts: How to Work With This Timeless Design Trend

You may have noticed a lot of pixelation on the web lately. And it is by design.

Pixel art and pixel fonts – a design element that’s not necessarily new – are making a trending comeback. Pixel art and fonts often refer to some of the same elements – designs sometimes contain pixel type or design elements with non-pixel elements. The overall look has a “beginning of the web” feel.

Here’s a look at this website, font, and graphic design trend and how to use it in your projects.

How to Design a Logo / 13 Jan 2023

5 Logos We’d Love to See Redesigned in 2024 (And Why)

Sometimes a logo just doesn’t work. It happens to everyone from startups to major brands. (You’ll definitely know when you see these logos.) Maybe it’s too complex. Maybe it’s too generic and similar to other logos. Or maybe it’s just not dating in a timeless way.

So, we collected five logos from established brands that we think are in need of a redesign this year!

See if you agree with our takes on these marks. Logos are famously subjective—you might have a completely different opinion!

Business / 27 Sep 2022

How Often Do You Need to Redesign Your Website? (7 Ways to Know It Is Time)

Does it seem like as soon as you finally get your website design right, it’s time for a change?

You are not alone. With the speed at which technology – and design trends – are changing, that’s a common feeling. But how often do you really need a redesign? When do you know that it is time?

It’s a balancing act. You don’t want to waste resources on an unnecessary redesign, but equally you don’t want to fall behind and risk a dated online presence.

Let’s walk through the answers to those questions with some website template examples from Envato Elements to help jumpstart your design thinking.

Graphics / 29 Jul 2022

Border Design: 8 Tips & Modern Examples

Graphic designers have been using borders for as long as they have been designing things. And they’re a fun element to play with. We’re taking a look at eight border design concepts (most of them you can actually download as project starters), along with tips for usage and some examples that you can try in projects.

Sometimes a great border can help separate your design for other elements, such as around the perimeter of an ad. Other times, a border can serve as an element to help break up different parts of a design, or frame messaging or content.

While borders are most frequently thought about in terms of print design, they can be a valuable digital design tool as well. A good border defines a space so that users know where a design begins and ends. (Pretty simple, right?)

Graphics / 20 Jun 2022

The Website Redesign Checklist: 10 Key Considerations

It’s something most brands or companies have to do every three to five years: tackle a website redesign.

The speed of technology is constantly changing, design trends evolve, and overall functionality requirements make a semi-regular redesign a must to ensure your presence online is modern and usable. It’s a big project, but with the right planning, it can go smoothly.

Here, we’ll outline 10 key considerations to think about when you undertake the next website redesign project.

You can use this list as a checklist to help manage your project.

PowerPoint Templates / 17 Jun 2022

How to Design a Professional PowerPoint Presentation

Our series of tips on presentation design outlined some generic rules and ideas that you can live by to create better, more professional presentations. Today we want to follow that up by taking you through the actual process of designing a presentation from start to finish.

We’ll break down every step of the design process, from choosing colors and images to using whitespace properly. After reading through this you should be all set to design your own beautiful presentation slides that will put your coworkers to shame.

Using a pre-built PowerPoint template can be a good starting point for many people (we collected some of the best PowerPoint templates for you!). But if you’re wanting to design your own from start-to-finish, you’re in the right place!

Graphics / 23 May 2022

Brutalism: A New Trend in Web Design

Some designs aren’t polished and clean. They are rough, jarring and ragged. Yet they still work and communicate effectively. This class of websites makes up the raw trend called brutalism.

While it is somewhat new to web concepts, it’s been around for decades as a popular technique for posters and art in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Today’s brutalism is starkly different from what you are used to seeing … and that’s why it’s likely to catch your attention. Let’s take a look at what it is (and I’ll share why I’m already over it!)

Business / 18 Apr 2022

How to Design an Awesome Presentation (Even if You’re Not a Designer)

There’s nothing worse than sitting through a presentation filled with poor visuals. This is especially true when you are pitching to a client. If your presentation looks bad, how will your design look?

The problem with presentation design is often more about time than actual design. But you must take time in crafting stellar presentations. This might include building a template that you use for presentations or honing in your public speaking skills. Here, we’ll walk through a few ways to design a great presentation that will engage your audience. (While most of these tips are structured around creating a digital presentation, using software such as PowerPoint, the concepts can also be applied to posterboard style presentations as well.)

Want to jumpstart your presentations? All of the examples here are templates that you can download and use.

Lightroom Presets / 15 Apr 2022

How to Install & Apply a Lightroom Preset

Whether you are a photographer or designer with a need to edit photos, Adobe Lightroom can be a great tool. Designed for photo editing, it allows batch work that can be cumbersome in programs such as Photoshop.

One of the most popular elements of Lightroom are the number of presets available. These tools within the tool are super filters that allow you to enhance photos, add creative effects and add functionality to your design workflow. If you’ve used any Adobe product, the feel of Lightroom is familiar and easy to learn. Get started by installing and using a few cool presets. Here’s how to do it.