*when HiFi is just not an option

Here are nine ways to improve the SEO strength of every website you design.

Think of all the different uses of typography on the web and you’ll soon realize that not only is it a crucial part of a web design, but that it’s a pure combination of art and science. We’ve come a long way since the start of the internet, but the use of typography is as important today as it was back in the day.

Take a look at some of the biggest sites out there today that are showcasing top-notch designs. It’s very likely they’ve used a grid of some sort. Grids enable stability and structure in a web layout, giving the designer a logical template to build the site on.

These ten approaches to per-project earnings could help you boost total revenue and profits.

Colors are powerful tools and an important thing all designers should understand when creating websites.

Texture is obviously a common design element that is being used on a lot of modern websites. However, texture doesn’t always have to be a part of the design that stands out immediately to visitors. Light textures can also be used to subtly improve the design of the site. In this post we’ll feature 25 sites that use texture without it dominating the design.

Odosketch

Transparency is being used in an increasing number of websites. In some cases transparency subtly adds to the quality and character of the design, and in other cases it can be a major design element. In this post we’ll feature 35 websites that are making excellent use of transparency.

2am

On the surface, saving images for the web can be a pretty straightforward process. However, if you dig deeper there’s a wealth of information and techniques you might be missing out on. This article focuses on the diverse features of Photoshop’s “Save for Web & Devices” command and best practices for saving images that are optimized for web use.

Horizontal websites have been increasing in popularity over the past year or two. Although the approach isn’t a good fit for every project, a horizontal layout can provide designers with an opportunity to showcase some creativity and to break out of the box. As you may notice from the sites showcased here, portfolio sites of designers and photographers are probably the most likely type of site to use a horizontal layout right now. Here is a look at 30 sites for your own inspiration.

Aubrey Edwards

Rebuilding a site is a great feeling; it means out with the old and in with a new. A clean slate. But there are also a number of critical questions to ask when you’re thinking about redesigning your website. If you follow these three golden rules to redesigning a website, you’ll be just fine.

Here are some common misconceptions about being a web designer that just aren’t true.

We’ve all come across websites with amazing designs only to be frustrated because it was hard to find things or confusing to use. As a developer, how do you know if this is happening to your website? There are several tools that can help. Using them will lead to a more effective design, improvements in usability, and ultimately, a better website.

Designing an informational/content-centered website (such as a portfolio or a blog) is much easier than designing a website where we have to deal with registered users.

In today’s marketplace, every company needs an effective website. Of course, the purposes and needs of each company’s site will be unique, but every company should have a site that presents a professional image to visitors. That image should also be an accurate representation of the company and should work with other branding efforts to present consistent messages to customers. In this post we’ll feature 40 well-designed corporate websites.

Blackberry

Button design is usually a subtle element to a web design, but it can have a significant impact on the overall look and usability of the site. In this post we’ll showcase a variety of types and styles of buttons. Hopefully this showcase can provide you with some inspiration and ideas for your own work.

Epic Event

In this article, we examine some fundamental tips and tricks to help you work with developers and ensure your designs are pixel perfect.

As a final post for 2009, let’s take a look back at the best tutorials for creating website layouts in Photoshop. There were a number of great tutorials of this kind throughout the year, many more than in years past, making it a great year for anyone who wants to improve their design skills. Here is a look at 25 of the best.

Create a Company/Business Web Layout Using Photoshop

Showcases of excellent minimalist web design have always been a favorite of readers of this blog, and today we’re happy to publish the seventh edition in the series. Here you’ll find 40 websites that avoid clutter and use minimalism effectively. If you love this style of design, check out our gallery site Minimal Exhibit.

Cubedroute

Web designers have the opportunity to increase their income and to help brand their business by taking advantage of private label (or white label) options that are available. A private label means that you will be able to brand it as your own. For example, you can use a re-branded CMS that appears to clients as though it is your own system, rather than displaying the name and branding of the CMS.

In this post we’ll look at some of the leading private label options for web designers and agencies in a few different categories. We’ll look at content management systems, shopping cart/ecommerce systems, hosting, and email marketing.

Private Label Content Management Systems:

Most clients today want to be able to manage their content without paying a designer every time changes need to be made. There are a number of content management systems that offer private label options. A private label CMS could be a cornerstone for your business that includes residual income each month. Here are some of the leading options.

LightCMS
LightCMS is Element Fusion’s CMS that is created especially for designers (the same CMS is available to businesses through WaterCMS). LightCMS aims to provide designers with a CMS that will provide clients with everything they need while not limiting the design, and also providing designers the opportunity to earn a residual income from monthly hosting fees. There is no cost for designers to become resellers, and you can determine the prices that your customers pay. Earlier this year we published a tutorial for setting up your first site with LightCMS.

Site search functionality is extremely important for ecommerce websites, especially larger ones. In order for the site to make sales, visitors must be able to find what they are looking for as effectively as possible. While many shoppers will prefer to use the standard navigation on the site, searches are very common from visitors who aren’t able to quickly find what they want.

In this article we’ll take an in-depth look at the trends in site searches of ecommerce websites, and plenty of examples will be included for each point. Of course, not all of these points are going to be relevant to every ecommerce site, but it should help to serve as a guide to those who are designing and developing ecommerce sites.

1. Located at the Top of the Page

The most common location for a site search on ecommerce sites is at the top of the page, and generally on the right side. Many ecommerce sites have a site search, user login, and shopping cart info all located in the same general area. Keeping the site search in a location that is pretty common will help it to be easier to find for some of your visitors who are accustomed to this trend.

Chicos

This article covers the brief history of the different eras of web design, including a handful of examples of each type of design.

Getting feedback and making use of it is essential to a successful design project. However, the communication process with clients and with team members can become quite cumbersome to manage with the amount of emails that are sent back and forth and the various revisions and versions of the project. Fortunately, there are some very helpful resources out there that can improve efficiency and organization with feedback.

In this post we’ll look at 21 useful resources. They are categorized by purpose.

Feedback from Clients:

Of course, every successful project needs to involve communication and feedback between the designer and the client. These four resources can help in this area.

ProofHQ
ProofHQ simplifies the design review, feedback and approval process for you and your clients. Clients can provide feedback conveniently through ProofHQ and you can benefit from better organization through the process. Prices range from $17 – $499 per month, with a free trial available.

This article is both a showcase of retro-colored themes in existing web designs, as well as a tutorial on how to achieve retro colors using Adobe Photoshop (you’ll learn about five different techniques).

While user experience is important on all types of websites, it is especially critical for ecommerce websites where visitors will be making purchases. A poor user experience will result in visitors having difficulty finding what they want, frustration during shopping, and many lost sales. In this post we will showcase the design of 35 e-commerce websites for your own UI design inspiration. The sites that are showcased in this post have also been featured at CartFrenzy, our gallery of the best ecommerce web design.

Free People

Navigation menus are, of course, important for usability purposes and creating a user-friendly website, but they also provide opportunities to add some visual appeal to the design. In this post we’ll showcase 40 examples of attractive navigation menus, including a variety of different types and styles.

For more on navigation menus please see:

• 50+ Gorgeous Navigation Menus
• 50 Gorgeous Navigation Menus – Part II

Utah Travel

Color is as free for us to use as the air we breathe… or is it? The color palette is shrinking. It could affect the foundation of design for everything from websites to fashion. The fate of businesses and billions of dollars ride on choosing the right one.

Color schemes have a huge impact on the end result of a design. In this post we’ll feature 25 websites that use bright and vibrant color schemes very effectively. This is the fifth post that has been published in this series. You can see the previous four here.

• 25 Beautifully Colorful Websites
• 25 Beautifully Colorful Websites – Part II
• 25 Beautifully Colorful Websites – Part III
• 25 Beautifully Colorful Websites – Part IV

Gary’s Real Life

Pricing pages are very common for sites of web apps, web hosting and other types of services. These pages are critical to the success of the company because they will have a significant influence on the visitors who are trying to make a buying decision. Pricing pages typically give the necessary details regarding the various plans and options, and they encourage visitors to take action.

In this post we’ll look at a number of trends in pricing page design, along with several examples for each.

Emphasis on One Option:

Most of the pricing pages that we are looking at in this post include some sort of table or chart that shows the various options that are available for purchase. Obviously, this is helpful for buyers to be able to compare their options and determine which is the best choice for them. However, sometimes having too many possible choices can actually make things more difficult. Some pricing pages are using an emphasis on one option to help it stand out to visitors. In some cases it is listed as the most popular or best value, and in other cases it is simply emphasized in some way.

Aside from attempting to make the decision easier for visitors, emphasis also gives the designer the ability to control which of the options will get the most attention from visitors. In some cases it is used on the most expensive option, but in many cases it is not. Let’s look at some examples.

Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg emphasizes their basic plan (the lowest-priced option) by using a green background color compared the the gray background of the other plans, plus the column background is also a little bit larger.

PSD to HTML conversion is a critical step in the web design and development process. Whether you are coding your own design or outsourcing it, the quality of the final project will be significantly influenced by the work that is done at this stage. In this post you’ll find 75 resources, including PSD to HTML providers, PSD to WordPress providers, sites for reading reviews of the service providers, automated resources, and PSD to HTML tutorials.

PSD to HTML Tutorials:

If you’re interested in learning more about doing the PSD to HTML coding yourself, these tutorials will be very helpful.

From PSD to HTML, Building a Set of Website Designs Step-by-Step

PSD to HTML conversion is a critical step in the web design and development process. Whether you are coding your own design or outsourcing it, the quality of the final project will be significantly influenced by the work that is done at this stage. In this post you’ll find 75 resources, including PSD to HTML providers, PSD to WordPress providers, sites for reading reviews of the service providers, automated resources, and PSD to HTML tutorials.

PSD to HTML Tutorials:

If you’re interested in learning more about doing the PSD to HTML coding yourself, these tutorials will be very helpful.

From PSD to HTML, Building a Set of Website Designs Step-by-Step