• Eight

    The JPG Rule of Eight

    April 04, 2012

    Did you know that the JPG algorithm breaks images into blocks of 8 pixels, an 8 x 8 grid? Find out why this creates a sound argument for basing your grids for electronic page design on units of 8 pixels ... more

  • Pause

    JQuery Carousels That Give Pause

    July 11, 2011

    Isn’t it an annoyance viewing a rotating carousel of a homepage that won’t stop rotating? You’re in the middle of reading some ad or introduction to a feature article, about to click the Read More button and it changes. Then you have to navigate back if there is navigation or wait until it cycles around again ... more

  • Guitar

    The Typographic Guitar

    July 5, 2011

    In this tutorial from PSDTOP Blog, you can make a typographic image from a photo using Photoshop techniques. The effect looks best on images with good contrast and light backgrounds, but you can easily adjust the contrast and background using Photoshop. I used these techniques to modify an image of my guitar below ... more

  • Presentation

    Present It Like You Mean It

    June 29, 2011

    Being able to present your own work is a core design skill. If you’re working somewhere that won’t let you present your own work, get out of there ... more

  • Sketch

    Photoshop: Make a photo a sketch in 3 easy steps.

    June 27, 2011

    In working with architects and the St. Louis Landmarks Association, I have often ran across a need to render a building or represent a landmark as an architect’s conceptual sketch. With Photoshop’s “Find Edges” filter, you can make almost any photo look like a pencil sketch in just 3 easy steps ... more

  • Aprilpalooza

    Pimp Your Logo with JQuery

    June 25, 2011

    We have all seen the popular rotating carousels that change between marketing and promotional images on a company’s website homepage. What would happen if you created a rotating carousel like these with a fading effect with the exact same image in different colors? ... more

  • Blocks

    Don’t Force It

    June 24, 2011

    An architect built a cluster of office buildings around a central green. When construction was completed, the landscape crew asked him where he wanted the sidewalks. “Just plant the grass solidly between the buildings,” was his reply. By late summer the new lawn was laced with paths of trodden grass ... more

  • Beyond The Bar Chart

    Beyond The Bar Chart

    June 22, 2011

    Anyone can find research online and flow it into a bar or pie chart. It takes thoughtful craftsmanship to review data and compile a design with a distinct look and point of view ... more

  • Think Like a Kid

    Think Like a Kid

    June 18, 2011

    A high school teacher drew a dot on the blackboard and asked the class what it was. “A dot on the blackboard,” was the only response. “I’m surprised at you,” the teacher said ... more

  • Unique

    Graphic Standards and Style Guides: Friend or Foe?

    June 15, 2011

    Have you ever worked for a client that sees graphic standards and style guidelines as laws that must be strictly adhered to? Or adhered to them so literally that you question the value you bring to a project? ... more

  • Mustang Pinto

    Is your website a Mustang or a Pinto?

    June 10, 2011

    Form over function or function over form? Every entrepreneur should think as hard about the look of their website as much as the services they provide ... more

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