design tutorials – DesignWebKit https://designwebkit.com Design News Blog, Web Design Blog Mon, 10 Aug 2020 14:55:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.16 How Landscape Design Software Can Help Recreate Your Home https://designwebkit.com/design/landscape-design-software/ https://designwebkit.com/design/landscape-design-software/#respond Mon, 27 May 2019 10:51:15 +0000 https://designwebkit.com/?p=21499 Create extraordinary structures in the comfort of your own home with great landscape design software!

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If you’re a creative soul sometimes you get a sudden itch to recreate the space around you. You may find yourself repainting your house once a year or moving the furniture around to make a different look just to scratch that itch. When you want to completely recreate your home inside and out, then most importantly you want to be the one to create a design with the help of a landscape design software.

Being creative has its advantages. While not all artists are architects, that doesn’t mean you aren’t able to customize your home and bring your renovation ideas to life. Here are some tips and tools to do it.

Landscape Design Software Tools

Have you ever seen technical drawings from an architect? Blueprints, drawing desks, and the proper drawing tools are simply not part of the regular art supply. So why not use 3D landscape design software? These digital tools will help you can design beautiful structures with a few clicks to start making your dream home designs a reality.

What Features Do These Landscape Design Software Have?

Landscape Design software tools

Digital Design Libraries

Most landscape designing tools have an easy to use digital library that gives you access to a variety of design ideas and templates for indoor accessories such as furniture and fixtures. For outdoor designs, you can select trees, pool placements and lapa structures.

The digital library has a content browser so you can find your favorite accessories by keyword, making everything quick and easy. Once you’ve found your favorite structures simply click and drag the items onto your design board. With the content browser, you can explore new designs and features as they’re added.

You’re also able to save your favorite structures and accessories into categories for easy accessibility.

Landscape Software Design Templates

Using your digital library you can create templates. Templates are particularly useful if you’re designing landscapes for clients. You need a program that will allow you to do more work in a short amount of time. Landscape templates allow you to get the job done faster and more efficiently.

Software design templates can either be created by you or you can download pre-designed boards according to your preference.

Easy Edits

apps to make video edits adobe premier pro

There’s bound to be edits that you’ll need to make when you’re designing your structures. Select design software that will allow you to make changes easily. Landscape software such as VizTerra detects changes that have been made and recalculates your design.

All you have to do is click and drag your structures to reposition them. The program will automatically update your landscape after every edit you make.

Designing Tools

In order to design professional structures, you need the correct tools for the job. Integrated digital tools aid in customizing your structures down to the last detail. You’re able to reshape and redraw items to suit your preferences. With easily accessible tools and creative design thinking you can do the following:

  • Change from 2D to 3D fast
  • Show topographic terrain
  • Reposition objects
  • Measure your landscape
  • Fit to scale
  • Customize items
  • Adjust the size of a structure

With today’s high tech features and computer screens providing clear images, you can get a true sense of what the final product will be like.

Change Landscape Resolution

You’ll need a precise view of the property you’re working on, so you should opt for design software that allows you to view landscapes in every angle at high resolutions. This will give you an accurate aerial view of the property you’re working on and will provide you with the following advantages:

  • Calculate per square foot
  • Measure the perimeter accurately
  • Assess every outdoor detail on the property
  • Redesign landscapes remotely without visiting the site
  • Detect potential risks on the property safely

Many mistakes and challenges can be avoided, saving you time and money in the long run.

How to Construct With Landscape Design Software

website design

You can use the tools and functions mentioned above to start constructing your landscape. In order to create safe landscapes, you’ll need proper data and some finalizations. With the following features, you’ll be able to construct your landscape effortlessly with minimum drawbacks.

Reveal Calculations Instantly

In order to build hardscapes, you need the proper calculations. Using digital design software that calculates your structures accurately will save you a lot of time. You’re able to access the measurements of every design instantly.

Programs that calculate structures accurately will shorten the time of construction as you’ll have all the data you need at your fingertips.

Analyze Complicated Measurements

Landscape software can measure the most complicated structures and save the data instantly. The information is saved digitally and can be viewed whenever there are adjustments to be made.

This allows you to calculate the material needed for hardscape structures such as concrete placements and dirt displacements.

Print Site Plans and Blueprints

The most crucial parts of any construction are blueprints and site plans. Without these plans, you can’t get construction companies to execute your designs effectively. Blueprints provide construction companies with the exact landscape details they need to start building.

Your software should always have an option to print out your site plans quickly and easily. You can present your printed site plans for your construction company for approval.

Additional Beneficial Landscape Design Software Features

Landscape software should have as many features as possible to make your life easier as a designer. Some landscape design programs are basic and can’t provide you with a lot of detail. If you select software with the below features the program can be highly beneficial to you.

Export to Other Programs

Not everyone uses the same software as you but your software can be compatible with other programs. The most popular design tool is AutoCAD as it’s used by many architects and engineering firms.

Select a program that’s compatible with other software tools such as AutoCAD so you can share your designs easily with other teams.

Video Presentations

creative approach

After you’ve done a full digital construction you can see how your landscape looks in a video presentation. The video presentation will bring your design to life showing you full 3D rendering of what your property will look like after construction is complete.

For professional presentations for clients, you can integrate digital effects. These effects include showing what it looks like during different times of the day.

Day time features are important as some clients want rooms to be constructed where there will be the most sun exposure. You can feature daytime mode in your video presentation.

Irrigation Lines

Software that can map out the exact position of the property’s irrigation lines can be extremely effective. With an accurate presentation of irrigation mapping, you can integrate sprinkler systems and water piping systems effectively.

Social Media Compatibility

Sometimes clients or even construction companies prefer to use other means of communication. You’ll need a program that will allow you to share plans, videos and images of your designs via social media.

The most popular social media platform is Facebook or you can use LinkedIn for a professional modern approach in design industry. Be sure to send your designs via a private message on the preferred platform for privacy purposes.

Free Software Trials

Some landscape software tools offer free trials. The free trial gives you the opportunity to test the program before buying it. When selecting a landscape program make sure the software has the following features:

  • Easy design library access
  • Intuitive tools that are easy to find and use
  • Effortless installation process
  • Multiple design functions
  • Video features
  • 2D and 3D design
  • Photo modes
  • Device compatibility

Designs you Can Create with a Landscape Design Software

Landscape Design Software

Software programs are designed to help you find and select the structures you want simply by clicking and dragging them onto digital drawing boards or layouts. Some programs allow you to scan your property from the inside and outside using a camera so you can adjust the structure digitally.

Construct Outdoor Designs

If you’ve always dreamed of designing a unique patio area where you can sit and read a book or drink a cup of coffee, landscape software can help you make it real. In fact, you should take a look at all the outdoor constructions you can create with landscape software.

Swimming Pools

You can design the shape and size of the pool you want. You can even measure the amount of water the pool will need based on the size. Use the day time feature to see where the property gets the most sun during the day so you can plan the swimming pool in this area.

Fire Pits

Having a fire pit in the backyard is the perfect outdoor feature to have for night time outdoor events. You’re able to construct an outdoor fire pit that’s safe and big enough to build a bonfire. Design the shape and perhaps include seating arrangements around the pit for comfort.

Outdoor Entertainment Area

Construct a safe area to have barbeques for family and friends. You can construct an open spot with an integrated bar and perhaps a gaming area. You can either place a cover over the area or have a completely open-air construction. Use your design tool to change and edit the area according to your preference.

Plan the placement of your outdoor structures digitally to see how they will look. Once you’re satisfied you can start physically constructing your outdoor designs.

Indoor Decor Using Landscape
Design Software

change colors

Change Color Schemes

Repainting your house may make you hesitant as you’re not entirely sure the colors of the paint will complement the décor. Before repainting you can simply change the color of your walls digitally to see how it will look.

Reconstruct Walls

If you’re bored with how plain the walls are in your house, perhaps integrating edged frames or making the walls high might suit the room better. Higher walls with longer windows create elegance and allow more light into the area.

You can also change the shape of the walls and use different materials to build them. Stone walls are popular around fireplaces as stone is safe to contain the fire. Stone walls also add a rustic look to areas of your house particularly if you’re going for earth tones and winter-themed décor.

Retile Kitchens and Bathrooms

Re-tiling a bathroom or a kitchen can either make or break the atmosphere in these areas. With your landscape design tool, select the color and material that may suit your bathroom and kitchen area. Lighter tiles are usually used for bathrooms as it represents cleanliness and purity.

Multi toned tiles that are systematically placed to create patterns are perfect for kitchen areas. You’re able to design these features digitally to see how it looks before you retile.

Final Thoughts – No Construction Commitments

The premise of landscape design software is to see how the designs will look before you physically change structures. If you’re not happy with the design you can simply start over.

Now anyone can be an architect with landscape design software. You can create unique structures with a click of a button. Why not try your hand at digital landscape designs? You could create extraordinary structures in the comfort of your own home.

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Creative Design Thinking As A Cure to All Design Problems https://designwebkit.com/design/creative-design-thinking/ https://designwebkit.com/design/creative-design-thinking/#respond Fri, 10 May 2019 07:37:53 +0000 https://designwebkit.com/?p=21350 To avoid burnout, designers have multiple creative design thinking tools. Let’s take a look at some of them, accompanied by great examples!

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We live in an era where design is just about as important as the functionality of a product. Let’s just take Apple as an example. Its products are great from a purely technical standpoint, but so are many others. What makes them stand out is their sleek and attractive design that further accentuates their technical abilities. To an outsider, being a designer might seem like an incredibly satisfying and stress-free job. Only the first part is true. Design is a field where there are plenty of stress and challenges to be found. Despite the fact that it largely revolves around one’s creative design thinking.

For instance, a lot of them have trouble with time management. When it comes to clients acknowledging how many hours of work it took to complete a single design. And when it comes to meeting deadlines. It is a problem because sometimes you just can’t force creativity. There is so much competition out there. So, designers are also struggling to find full-time employment, which is why 25% of them are self-employed.

Designer Pressure

As much as 60.8% of marketers will point out that design and visuals are integral to successful marketing.  However, designers will often get frustrated with their clients. Especially if they are non-creatives since at times they feel like they have to defend their designs. Due to all of the issues above, designers are under a lot of pressure. It inevitably leads to creative burnout, especially if they have been in the business for a long time. All of a sudden, a blank canvas is no longer an opportunity, but an obstacle. Moreover, it is preventing them from doing something more interesting.

To avoid experiencing burnout, or rather to overcome it, designers have plenty of creative thinking tools at their disposal. They have been fuelling design and innovation since the beginning. Let’s take a look at some of them, along with some great examples.

How to Overcome Design Problems with Creative Design Thinking

creative design thinking

Creative thinking is always confused with artistic professions, such as writing, painting, photography, music, and yes, even design. While all of those require a person to be creative, not all creative thinkers are artists.

According to Nathan Patterson, who works as a designer for Assignment Holic, being able to think creatively is simply being able to look at something in a new way. Some would also call this “thinking outside the box” or “lateral thinking”. In both design and innovation, creative thinking is sometimes the only way to come up with new ideas and concepts.

Creative Design Thinking Tools

With that in mind, here are some of the most common creative thinking tools and examples which demonstrate their effectiveness.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is one of the most well-known methods for solving problems and coming up with fresh new ideas. Especially when it comes to creative design thinking. As you probably already know, it involves getting a group of people together in one room. Then they can make suggestions in a free-thinking environment which encourages everyone to draw associations and connections between different ideas.

Hopefully, the resulting brainstorming session will help them discover a new direction or a solution. Brainstorming can quickly turn into a mess if there aren’t any constraints. It is really so, according to Helen Stevens, one of the managers for Essaygeeks, whose company practices weekly brainstorming sessions.

Facilitating Creative Sessions

To facilitate the creative design thinking process and make your brainstorming sessions constructive, you need to do several things:

  • Limit your sessions. Keep them under 60 minutes long. It should give you enough time to come up with something new, without it turning chaotic
  • Present a target problem – begin by showing everyone involved the problem in question so that they stay on topic
  • Allow just one person to speak at a time. While brainstorming is definitely a collaborative method, you don’t want people speaking over each other. Instead, you want to them have a dialogue and build on each other’s ideas
  • Don’t be dismissive. Allow everyone to present their ideas, no matter how weird, crazy, or expensive they might seem. They may point you in the direction of something more feasible
  • Quantity over quality. The goal is to get many creative design thinking ideas, and hope that that quantity will breed quality

Examples of Brainstorming

creative thinking

Let’s take a look at one the examples brainstorming was used as one of the creative design tools. Located in Manhattan, STORY is a 2,000-square feet store, and a brick-and-mortar one at that. It does things in real life most stores only do online. Their concept store incorporates all of the best elements of magazines, galleries, and online stores.

You may think that their store is just well-designed and nothing else. So, you would be surprised to find out that they get together to brainstorm ideas. Then they change the look and design of the store itself every four to eight weeks. They also change their merchandise, and all of the accompanying store elements to give it an entirely new look and feel.

It includes all of the best practices of creative design thinking. It also merges marketing, commerce, and customer experience, which can give large online stores a run for their money. All of that in a world where people are obsessed with online shopping. Ironically, their success has led to them being bought by Macy’s last year.

Surfing the Web

None of this brainstorming stuff will work much if you are working alone. Seeing as many designers work, they need to look into other ways for creative design thinking and ideas. Thanks to Google, designers have a vast ocean of resources, both in terms of tools and ideas.

However, discovering new tools and ideas online is easier said than done. As there are plenty of great resources which you may never reach. Whether it’s because they haven’t done their SEO or because their webpages aren’t responsive. As a result, Google buries them on the 50th page of search results, where nobody will ever find them.

Google provides you with the I’m Feeling Lucky button. You would be surprised at where it can take you. The downside is that it can take a long time for you to find something relevant to you as a designer.

What you need is something that is a bit more focused, but which is still random enough. Unfortunately, the best tool for that exact thing was StumbleUpon, which was shut down in 2018. Mostly because it failed to catch up with the responsive design trend.

Mix Vs. Google

creative design thinking mix

Fortunately, there are still alternatives, such as Mix. If you are a StumbleUpon user, Mix will allow you to import all of your interests from the old platform. Mix also features a much better interface and has a user dashboard which is made up of your favorite links. However, unlike StumbleUpon, loading the entire page, Mix only shows the title of the page, a summary, and its featured image. In that aspect, it is somewhat similar to Pinterest, which is another great platform where designers can find inspiration.

Mind Mapping

Mind maps are hugely popular among designers, due to their visual nature. Presenting your ideas in a visual manner is certainly convenient, that is not the only advantage of using mind maps. They also allow you to develop one central idea. From it, other, more specific ideas will branch out in a nonlinear manner. That makes everything more easily digestible for our brains.

Now, mind maps can be used to break down complex concepts. They can explain a hierarchy inside a company as well. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on their use for creative design thinking.

Making the Most of Mind Maps

creative design thinking mind map

In order to make the most out your mind maps, you should do the following:

  • Use words, short phrases, and images only. Putting down simple words instead of sentences will make things simpler. It will also enable you to write down your ideas faster and come up with more of them
  • There are no bad ideas – as in the case of brainstorming, all ideas should be considered. Regardless of how strange or unoriginal your initial ideas may be, the goal is to flush them out. And to allow your brain to produce more, which may end up being more useful and relevant.
  • Aim for multiple idea levels – you should have at least five different ideas stemming for your main topic. Also, when you have completed each of those, you want to have at least 4 levels of ideas. It will provide a tour with more breadth and diversity of ideas. If you stick just to your main topic, you will never past the stuff you already know
  • Use a large surface. Whether you are using an actual physical board or a digital one inside an application, make sure that the space for your ideas is sufficient so that you don’t end up being restricted.
  • There are plenty of mind map examples out there. They demonstrate how mapping should for creative design thinking be done. We will focus on the one below, which as a mind map on how mind maps are made. Although this particular mind map uses the same color for all of the branches. Preferably, the color should be different for each one. The author has used a different background color for each of the word groups, which helps with orientation.

Storytelling

Storytelling is usually something we associate with books, short stories, or movies, not design. However, there is a visual element to storytelling, regardless of the medium. When you are reading a thriller novel, your brain is creating a series of images which are helping those words written on the page come to life. In other words, you are imagining the stuff you are reading, which means that this type of storytelling is not without visuals.

And when it comes to movies, the cinematography is one of the most important elements of storytelling, especially when it comes to genres where visuals play a huge role, such as historic epics, horror movies, or sci-fi extravaganzas.

As far as the online world is concerned, infographics are probably the best example of a harmonious marriage between design and storytelling. In addition to being very entertaining, they are also very useful when it comes to presenting a large amount of statistical data, which would seem pretty dry and boring if presented in the form of an article or blog post.

Examples of Infographic

While we are on the subject of design, movies, and infographic, let’s a look at the interactive infographic designer for Inception, which is a movie directed by Christopher Nolan. Nolan, who has directed such movies as Memento, Insomnia, his Batman trilogy, as well as Interstellar, is known for making movies with complex plots, and Inception is no exception, it features a “dream inside a dream” concept, which can become a bit much once you get past the second level, and the movie itself has left many movies goers scratching their heads.

This infographic, however, guides you through the entire plot, and the simple, yet sleek visuals, only helps make the story clearer. Apart from the ending, which will make you question if it’s a dream or a reality, which was the filmmaker’s intent.

Collaboration

We are not just talking about collaborating with your colleagues, because that should be a given. We are talking about getting together with other designers, as well as other creative professionals, such as writers, filmmakers, musicians, or actors.

Not only will you be able to kick your creative design thinking into high gear by tossing ideas around with other creatives, but you will also expand your horizons and get a glimpse into the creative processes of others, which may help you come up with a fresh perspective on one of your future projects.

No Fear of Collaboration

zooey deshanel

And you shouldn’t be afraid to collaborate with people which seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum. Music is full of such examples. Remember when Run DMC and Aerosmith did a re-recording of Aerosmith’s old hit “Walk This Way”? The single was a huge hit yet again, and not only did it help make Run DMC a household name, but it also helped Aerosmith revitalize their career and get some new fans. Also, their fusion of rock and rap would be a precursor to nu-metal, which ruled the charts in the early 2000s.

This just goes to show how some collaborations should not be dismissed, even if they don’t look good on paper. Another example of that is a collaboration between Zooey Deschanel and Tommy Hilfiger. Zooey Deschanel is known for her quirky and unusual style, which served as an inspiration for Tommy Hilfiger. This resulted in a chic, nautical-themed collection which had both the critics and the customers raving since they are also affordable. And while the red, navy and white color palette is 100% Hilfiger, pattern and materials immediately evoke Deschanel’s usual style. In this case, both parties got a chance to feature their own identities, but in the process, they created something that exceeded their own usual scope.

Sketching

Have you ever found yourself stuck inside yet another mind-numbing meeting? Now, we are willing to bet that nine times out of 10, you are probably doodling something on a piece of paper to pass the time. While this may have saved you for boredom, sketching is actually one of the most effective ways to come up with new design ideas. Also, you can use those sketches to create entertaining visual elements that will impress both your colleagues and your clients.

If you are not yet comfortable doing this, work on your sketches for a while. Limit the number of elements you are using, but focus on making them as good as possible. You can even save your sketches and doodles from before, and get back to them once your drawing skills are up to snuff in order to breathe some new life into them.

Examples of Successful Sketching

creative video

Before we get onto how design and sketches can help you with creative design thinking, let’s talk a bit about Sir Ken Robinson. Robinson, who is a world-renowned professor, author, speaker, and advisor on education, became popular after one of his TED talks. Apart from offering valuable advice, Sir Ken Robinson was an absolute riot, and he has the audience in stitches more than a dozen time during his relatively short speech. However, we are more interested in another one of his speeches, which has been turned into an animation.

In this speech, he gets a bit more technical, but through a series of brilliantly drawn sketches, the authors have managed to bring the subject closer to the viewer, which they might have dismissed otherwise, due to its complexity and breadth of data. One of the images that stand out is the humorous representation of smart people, which are shown as university professors, and non-smart people, which are shown as two guys carrying a heavy piano up the stairs, wishing they had listened more in school.

Reading Books

One of the consequences of the fast-paced lives is a chronic lack of time for just about anything. Especially, for reading books. We are always short on time and in a rush. So, we opt for shorter and less in-depth forms, such as blogs and articles. Or we avoid reading altogether and focus on watching videos and listening to podcasts. While there is value in each of those forms, there is no substitute for reading books. Especially those which will get your brain to start firing on all cylinders. That is why all those literary classic is so important.

But, seeing as you are designer, you should also make time to read some of the best books written on the subject of design. While you may feel like you have soaked up enough knowledge by looking at tutorials on YouTube, taking online courses, going to school, and working with diverse clients, there is always more to learn, and only books can provide you with the kind of solid foundation and detailed analysis of everything you have ever wanted to know on design.

The Must-Read List

One of the books you should definitely read is Eric Gill’s An Essay on Typography. Nowadays, typography is not just used to make the text more readable but is also a design element in itself. A lot of companies opt to design a logo which only features their name written in a custom font. As well as colors which reflect their existing visual identity. In this book, you will not just see a ton of examples inspiring to create some of your own fonts. You will also learn about the history of typography and understand why it is so valuable now.

Conclusion – Creative Design Thinking Tips

Getting stuck in a rut is something we all experience as designers. These examples show us that there are plenty of ways and tools we can rely on at all times, which will help us tap into your creative potential and get us to think outside the box. That way, we will almost never run out of ideas or ways to tap into them. Start implementing these creative design thinking tips today and take your design process to a whole new level, as well as your entire career. Good luck!

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Screen Recording Software – How to Capture Screen Recording Videos https://designwebkit.com/web-and-trends/screen-recording-software/ https://designwebkit.com/web-and-trends/screen-recording-software/#respond Fri, 12 Apr 2019 12:14:42 +0000 https://designwebkit.com/?p=21271 You can capture high-quality screen recording videos if you use good screen recording software. How to choose one? The answer is in this article!

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In most cases, you can immediately tell when a screen recording video has been created by a professional. It has a certain quality and polish that most amateur videos don’t have. Basically, it just looks a whole lot more impressive. Contrary to popular belief however, it doesn’t require special equipment to record videos that look that way. Instead, the main difference between screen recording videos that look professionally produced and those that don’t is the approach. In other words, if you tweak your approach. You can capture screen recording videos that look professionally produced if you use good screen recording software.

Record at a High Resolution

video record

Just as with any video, a good place to start improving the quality of screen recording videos is by making sure you record at a high resolution.

However, that is a little more difficult than you might think. That’s because the resolution of the video will be the resolution of the frame that you’re capturing. In other words, if you planned to capture a small part of your screen with screen recording software, the video resolution will be low.

On top of that the maximum resolution that you can record will be the resolution of your display.

Suffice to say your goal should be to record in the largest frame possible. So the resolution is as high as it can be. In some cases, you may be able to maximize the window or run apps in full screen to allow them to be recorded at a higher resolution.

Be Sure to Use the Right Aspect Ratio

While you’re trying to record at a higher resolution with screen recording software, be sure the aspect ratio of the frame is right. It should be based on the aspect ratio that the video will eventually be viewed in.

If the aspect ratio is wrong, the video will appear in a ‘letterbox’ or ‘pillarbox’ when played, or will be stretched to fit. Neither looks very professional, which is why it is important to avoid it.

Some of the more common aspect ratios that you may want to use include 16:9 (HD widescreen), 1:1 (square), 9:16 (vertical), and 4:3 (broadcast TV).

Increase the Frame Rate

Another important setting in screen recording software if you want the screen recording videos that you capture to look professional is the frame rate.

Recording at a higher frame rate will make video that looks smoother. The frame rate should be at least 30 frames per second. Though you can increase it up to 60 if you want to really make your video look impressively fluid.

A higher frame rate will make a world of difference if your screen recording videos have a lot of fast-paced movement. Even the mouse cursor will appear clearer as it moves across the screen quickly.

Take Steps to Improve the Microphone Audio

video recorder

Although you won’t need to record audio from a microphone for all screen recording videos, in many cases you will. It is typically used in screen recording software to add an audio commentary or a voiceover.

The quality of the microphone audio that you record can have a big impact on your video. If the microphone audio sounds uneven, crackles, or isn’t clear – your video won’t appear very professional at all.

To start improving the audio that you record via a microphone, there are several steps that you can take:

  1. Get a good microphone that can record high-quality audio. It doesn’t have to be a professional studio microphone, and a mid-range model should do the trick.
  2. Keep the microphone still and use a stand to ensure it doesn’t move and pick up any noise.
  3. Use earphones or headphones while recording so that audio from the speakers isn’t picked up by the microphone.
  4. 4. Find a quiet location and try to minimize any background noise from electrical appliances, fans, and so on. It may help to record the audio separately in a quiet location and add it to the video later.
  5. Record several seconds of audio as a test and try to track down and eliminate any background noise.

Although these steps are just basic, they should let you record audio that is much more crisp and clear and sounds more professional.

Screen Recording Software: Monitor the System Performance

recording a video

Seeing as screen recording will capture anything that is on your screen. Screen recording software will also record any lag, stuttering, or other issues if your system performance is affected.

Keep in mind that recording videos from your screen will require system resources. That can directly affect your system’s performance and cause it to act up.

That is why you need to monitor it and take action if necessary. In fact there are a few steps that you can preemptively take to reduce the risk factor:

  1. Close any unnecessary apps that aren’t going to be part of the recording.
  2. Stop background processes that aren’t needed, especially if they take up lots of RAM.
  3. Check if any updates are scheduled and pause or disable them, or record after they’re done.
  4. Make sure no virus or system scan is scheduled and pause or disable it if need be.
  5. Update all your drivers to ensure any devices and hardware will be running optimally.

Keep the Area in the Frame Clean

One often overlooked aspect of recording professional-looking screen recording videos is the actual appearance of the elements on-screen. Many will be out of your control – but not all.

Essentially your focus should be on keeping the area in the frame as clean as possible and avoid any unnecessary clutter. That can be done by:

  • Closing any unnecessary apps that aren’t part of the recording.
  • Closing windows that aren’t needed.
  • Clearing unnecessary icons from the desktop.
  • Hiding icons in the system tray.
  • Reducing the number of icons of the taskbar.

It should be easy enough to determine whether any of the elements listed above will appear in the recording frame at any point. If they will you should try to take steps to make them look cleaner.

Decide What to Do About the Cursor

Before recording a video of your screen you should always ask yourself: Is the mouse cursor important?

In some types of screen recording videos the mouse cursor will be very important. For example in video tutorials the viewer will need to see the actions it is performing.

On the other hand in some types of videos it won’t be important at all, and there’ll actually be no need for it to appear.

Based on the video you intend to record, you should decide what to do about the cursor. If it is important you may want to make it more visible by increasing its size, changing its color, or highlighting it.

However if it is not important you could use a third-party tool to hide the cursor so that it doesn’t get in the way.

Record Short Takes

If it is possible you should try to create screen recording videos by recording short scenes and then joining them later.

Simply put fewer things are likely to go wrong when you record short scenes, and if something does go wrong you only need that one short scene. While it is true you could record a longer take and then replace parts that have issues in them in post-production – it rarely looks as smooth as if you planned and recorded short scenes in the first place.

For example if you’re recording a video tutorial, you could define each scene as one of the steps. That will let you break it up and record each step individually, and you can join the footage later on.

Add In Some Background Music

Background music can make your video look more polished and it is one of the key improvements that you should make during post-production.

That being said it is important that you choose the right background music – and place it at the correct points in your video.

If your video has a voiceover, you won’t want the background music to drown it out. Instead it should either play softly in the background, or should be inserted at a time when the voiceover isn’t present such as the start and end of the video (i.e. ‘bookends’).

On the other hand if there is no voiceover you’ll have a lot more freedom and can use the background music to drive the video’s message. In fact you could even use tracks that have vocals in them, if you feel it would be a good fit.

Just be sure that the background music you select fits the video – especially in terms of its overall mood and pace.

Plan the Video

Before you actually record your video, you should have planned it out – fully. Having a plan will help ensure that you’re able to record the video footage you need, and make it easier for you to execute the actions that need to be captured more smoothly.

A good place to start is by writing a script with details about your video. It should include both the voiceover as well as what will be shown on-screen.

From there you can proceed to make decisions about the areas listed above. The more thoroughly you plan each one, the better able you will be to record a professional-looking video.

Screen Recording Software: Conclusion

By this point you should know exactly what you need to do if you want to capture screen recording videos that look professionally-produced and this is not only about screen recording software.

Overall you should be able to see that it really does not require any special equipment at all. On top of that although there are lots of areas that you will need to look into, for the most part it is fairly straightforward.

The only thing that you will need if you want to record excellent videos from your screen is a good screen recording software. Be sure to find the best screen recorder based on your requirements, and for example, you may want to try Movavi Screen Recorder Studio.

Once you have your screen recorder, you should make it a point to try using the steps outlined above. The more practice you get, the more they’ll start to become second nature – and the easier you’ll find it to record professional-looking videos using your screen recorder.

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UX Design Books – 10 Must-Read Ones https://designwebkit.com/web-design/ux-design-books/ https://designwebkit.com/web-design/ux-design-books/#respond Wed, 30 Jan 2019 11:09:21 +0000 https://designwebkit.com/?p=20929 These UX design books are on the list of Top 10 for a reason. They have helped thousands of UX designers to create the most attractive designs for their audience. They will help you, too.

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For every trying or expert UX designer out there, as well as those who want to strive online, there’s a lot to learn before you master this process. Books are your biggest and fairest friend. So, if you want to improve your bad UX skills and stop making poor choices, you need the boost what experiences can give. And what better way to learn about experiences than from the written words of those who lived them? These are UX design books.

“UX design is an essential skill for any designer, and it doesn’t just serve in the goal of creating websites and apps. UX design is so much more. If you want your website or app to succeed, you can’t make it happen without it. People won’t choose, use or buy things they don’t enjoy or like.” – says Angel Pierce, writer at BrillAssignment.

To turn into a brand, you need the power of UX design books to help you. This can be intimidating, but reading through our list of best design thinking books should make a whole lot of a difference in your path toward becoming a great UX designer.

The Design of Everyday Things

ux design book

The first in our list of UX design books is the one you’ll probably find on any great designer’s bookshelf. It is the starting point and the boost for every aspiring designer, a guide that covers the basics, use, and understandings of the UX design.

Anyone who is attempting to design something that people will use must put their hands on this book. People say that it changes the perspective and helps designers interact with others better, as well as persevere the poor design and avoid bad choices.

The author of this book speaks of the ‘Norman door’. This door represents the specific moment when people pull a door instead of pushing it, usually resulting from poor design.

The book was first published under a different name, The Psychology of Everyday Things. Ever since it has been edited and republished several times, but Norman’s ideas and perception of human experience have remained of the highest value for those who read it.

In the book, Norman uses cognitive science to explore the psychology of people and objects. That makes it even more crucial for designers to use more user-centered approaches in their designs. Norman uses case studies which illustrate the difficulties of designing something perfectly. The importance of good design has on the success of its designer.

Even though it was published back in 1982, it remains one of the highest praised user experience books even today.

Solving Product Design Exercises: Questions and Answers

ux designer

The second in our list of user experience books is the masterpiece by Artiom Dashinsky. This is a more recent book, but already a trend among UX and UI designers. Its purpose is to prepare designers for interviews and their future design roles in digital, tech companies. It teaches the basics, as well as the tricks for mastering design, and the importance of doing it right.

Dashinsky’s book talks of popular companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, who look for focused designers that know more than just the visual. Their ideal candidates are the ones with the ability to use visuals, but also solve various business problems. It explores your preparedness for a take-home designing exercise or an unannounced whiteboarding session, which as you know already, are common with designers. On top of that, the book includes advice for any designer from some of the highly successful designers and leaders who worked in those huge companies.

This one is perhaps the most diverse in our list of best design thinking books. It captures many aspects and ideas found in the UX design world. The author who’s a former senior product designer at the company WeWork says that schools for design don’t teach people the mindset. The transparency in the top design businesses is too low for you to know what they actually need. He takes more of a holistic view for solving UX and UI design problems, such as health, equality, and sustainability.

UX Design Books: Usable Usability

ux design

Eric Reiss enjoys all the popularity one can get among fellow designers. He is a world-renowned expert in the area and the writer of ‘Usable Usability’. A book will help you get one huge step forward a great UX career.

In his book, Reiss explains usability and its importance, as well as provides tips on how to do this. The third one in our list of UX design books is divided into two: ‘Ease of Use’ and ‘Elegance and Clarity’. These two parts of the guide are full of real-life examples with an engaging and inspiring tone. It’s perfect for fresh and current designers in the UX field.

Reiss is an honored expert at FatDux, an UX design company in Copenhagen. Not so long ago, he took the role of a Professor of Usability and Design in the Master of Digital Marketing Program in Madrid. Right there in the introduction, the author talks about the knowledge he shared in this program.

The goal of the third of the user experience books in this list is to show two sides – the sides of the coin that is usability. The ‘Ease of Use’ is the side that does what people want it to do. The ‘Elegance and Clarity’ is the side that does what people expect it to do.

When you start reading a book, you’ll find yourself in its psychology. This is common psychology in all people, one where usability has both sides, even if one of them is more subconscious than the other.

Smashing UX Design

UX design books

The UX Directors from CX partners joined forces with the Smashing Magazine and published one of the top UX design books you can find – ”Smashing UX Design”. It’s a book specifically aimed at developers and web designers, and an authoritative masterpiece from experts in this field.

This book has four parts. The first one overviews the user experience. The second one researches and evaluates the user experience. The third one speaks of techniques and tools for the designing process. Lastly, the fourth one explains the design components of UX in detail.

It is a very detailed, diverse UX design manual that’s raised tremendous interest among designers. It has an understandable and concise style, making it a perfect read for everyone, including those with little experience in UX design.

If you wish to master the UX design, this is an ideal resource. It takes a high spot in our list of UX design books because of its sixteen UX design research techniques and tools readers can use for their projects. In the pages of the book, you will find some highly useful tips from experts who’ve worked in the UX industry for a collective 30 years. These tips come in the form of guides for using the techniques, testing, wireframing, information architecture, prototyping, sketching, etc.

The Smashing UX Design book also includes case studies from projects that explain the techniques and their usage, checklists to select the most effective techniques for a particular project.

UX Design Books: Process and Guidelines for Ensuring a Quality User Experience

ux store

The title of this book choice in our list of best design thinking books isn’t the only thing that is detailed. This book is as lengthy and detailed as it goes. However, it makes for a very effective read if you want to become a better UX designer. All of its many pages combine great technology and UX design knowledge. So you might want to spend the time to get to its very last page.

Regardless of your experience level, you should read this book by Harston and Pardha. Their approach to human-computer interaction theory and UX design is refreshing and quite broad, combined with many practical and effective techniques.

This lengthy read will surely boost your designing skills. It combines UX techniques for evaluations, design, and prototyping. Its authors guide readers through design creation and ideation, requirements extraction, and practical design production.

In 2013, the UX Book was the winner of the Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Association of Text and Academic Authors. It is known for its practical applications, as well as the breadth of actionable techniques with some grounding in HCI theory and concepts.

Choosing this piece from our UX design books list will give you access to guidelines for processes and principles of UX, as well as guidelines for devices and interaction. It also includes some inspiring real-world contributions and stories from expert UX designers.

Design for Real Life

ux design reading

The authors of ‘Design for Real Life’ have used a different approach – examples from services and sites that help designers improve their UX techniques. It is one of the best design thinking books for a reason. It gives you tricks you can instantly implement into your work and achieve results.

You’ll be surprised to see the realistic approach and honesty of Sara and Eric. They speak of UX designing as something that is not universal or accepted by all. They acknowledge that it is impossible to please everyone with a single design. However, they provide tips for making your design as likable as it can be.

The book is based on the harsh truth we all know but don’t talk about. You can’t look inside the minds of every user and create the perfect design for them. The honesty in it is refreshing. The authors speak of our inability to predict who will select our design and who will reject it. However, they also speak of designing with help of compassion and techniques to attract more users.

In addition to using their experience, Sara and Eric use examples from over a dozen services and sites into instant principles you can use right away. This is a great book for everyone who wants to learn more about UX design.

Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

New website design - main image

The next in our UX design books list is ‘Don’t Make Me Think’. First published back in 2000, this book has helped hundreds of thousands of designers and developers. They sell Krug’s guide on UX design in over 400,000 so far, and the number is growing.

Why wouldn’t it? This has proved to be the perfect book for all who want to learn more about information design and intuitive navigation, its principles, and techniques. Krug has published his third edition of the book with a fresh perspective that somewhat reexamines the principles of UX design. It is what made this book a classic and a bestseller among designers worldwide.

The book might be short, but it is enriched with a new mobile usability chapter and many new examples. Like the previous editions, it is well-illustrated and perfectly fun as well as informative to read.

When designers create for the web, they think of an ideal user, a user persona. This is a person who sits calmly in front of his screen and has all the time in the world. It is the ideal user. With that user in mind, designers simply expect that people will be instantly accepting and welcoming their design.

This book tells you the truth – nothing about UX design is simple.
It speaks of actual designing, no strings attached. Designing for real life requires getting rid of all those opinions of the ideal user and customers. The author shows designers how to examine these biases and better understand the target user.

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

New website design - main image

According to Weinschenk, UX is all about the people. The author of this book is a behavioral psychologist with tremendous experience in UX writing. More specifically, she’s been one in the 1980s. So that’s as much of a UX expert as you can get. Naturally, the book of this expert has gotten its place in our list of top user experience books.

This book speaks of 100 things, making it quite versatile and very informative. It shares tips about the font that people read, ideal line length, common errors people make, etc. Through the use of research and science, the author answers all the questions you might have had about UX design. They make it perfect for literally everyone, including those who are new to UX design.

After publishing this successful book, Weinschenk published a sequel ‘100 More Things’, and another one called ‘Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click’. However, these aren’t quite made to be read continuously, so you can start with one and see how you like it.

On every two or three pages, you’ll find a new chapter. All of this makes for an easy, yet highly helpful reading.

By reading this book, you will learn how people see and ‘recognize their environment. Then, you will learn how they read and what they prefer while doing so. Later follows how people think and process information, which should help you spread your information and create the design in the most accepted form.

And finally, there’s the matter of what motivates people, more specifically motivation by mastery, progress, and control.
Susan’s book is light reading, making it a must-have book for your list even if you have limited time. It might be short, but it is definitely full of gems. One hundred of them to be precise.

UX Design Books: Thinking, Fast and Slow

upgrade best web hosting for beginners

Well, this book in our UX design books list isn’t strictly a book for UX design, but it is definitely a smart read. Learning about how people think and make decisions, as well as behave in a given situation should tell you a lot about how you should attract the right audience.

The ideas in this book will certainly open up your mind to endless UX design possibilities. It’s no wonder – the book is written by a Nobel Prize winner. Daniel Kahneman won the economic science Nobel back in 2002. This was an unusual win due to the fact that the author of this book is actually a psychologist.

What you’ll read in this marvelous book is how irrational humans can be. ‘Thinking, fast and slow’ is profound and lucid, as well as extremely entertaining. In fact, it is so enlightening that David Brooks from New York Time declared that it ‘will be remembered hundreds of years from now’.
All that fame around this book makes this an obvious choice to read, doesn’t it?

Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience

web design in Microsoft Office Suite 2019

Finally, the last one on our UX design books list is the Lean UX book, one that helps you find the perfect strategy that will define your role within a given company. This book is different from the rest in the list in the sense that it explores user behaviors through testing and research. It also helps you base your decisions on the findings.

It is a great guide that will help you survive in the competitive business world. In it, Gothelf explains how you can do your projects in a collaborative manner, as well as solve the user problems without creating new ones. The reading might get quite chunky. So you might want to get rid of all distractions to get the best out of it.

Final Words – UX Design Books

10 Must-Read UX design books

User experience designers are surrounded by many buzzwords such as flat design, no UI, skeuomorphism, etc. Lean UX probably falls in the same category. However, the book by these two authors convinces you that such buzzwords can actually be very valuable to those who wish to understand the UX industry better.

The book tells the truth about the work of most UX designers – lean. We obviously understand how important moving towards is. But desperately we need a change in our design approaches. It’s what the book is all about – how to fix the faults and get the best out of UX design.

For this purpose, the greatest tool the book offers you is collaboration. They don’t just tell you to work with others but detail a lot of practical tricks and techniques for collaboration. Some case studies that demonstrate their effect in real-life situations.

Did you find what you’ve been looking for? These books are on the list for a reason. They have helped thousands of UX designers to fulfill their goals and learning to create the most attractive designs for their audience. Start from any book you like and move forward. As you come to the end of the list, you will be enriched with excellent techniques and knowledge. They will aid you in creating the most promising UX design you could have ever imagined.

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Rule of Thirds Web Design: Using Layout Secrets https://designwebkit.com/web-design/rule-of-thirds-web-design/ https://designwebkit.com/web-design/rule-of-thirds-web-design/#respond Fri, 09 Feb 2018 07:08:45 +0000 https://designwebkit.com/?p=18335 The proportions always yield eye-pleasing results. learn how to set them right and use the web design Rule of Thirds.

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What makes one layout easier to read and more pleasing to the eye than another? It’s not just the quality of the graphics, or even how cool the animation is. You could have all the great images and effects in the world, but if they’re not laid out in a way that the viewer can easily interact with, you won’t retain their interest. That’s where using layout techniques like the Rule of Thirds web design can really make a difference.

rule of thirds web design main image

What is the Rule of Thirds?

The Rule of Thirds web design technique is used for creating pleasing aesthetics and balance in images. It basically says that placing items of interest on the “thirds” of an image is more pleasing to the eye than centering or more other symmetrical approaches. These thirds are created by dividing an image (or working space) into nine equal parts, with two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines.

Like so:

rule of thirds grid image

Each line runs along a “third” of the image. Placing your most critical elements on these thirds (and especially where they intersect) will create a pleasing, balanced design. Though most often mentioned in photography (that is why the grid appears every time you use cropping tool in photo editors, like Photoshop or Luminar), the Rule of Thirds is used in everything from films and paintings to websites and posters—just about anything that desires a positive visual impact.

Using the Rule of Thirds Web Design

The Rule of Thirds web design principle is most often used to determine where the most important elements will sit on a page, where the negative space should be, and at what ratio your images should be set. If you’re already working with a grid design, so much the better. The Rule of Thirds will help you choose what dimensions each grid element should have. It can also be a factor in conversion optimization, as the more pleasing the experience for the viewer, the more likely they’ll stick around to actually read your calls to action.

Where to Place Important Elements

One of the first questions in a site layout is where to place your most important elements (i.e. site logo, calls to action, etc.). The answer is generally to place them where the viewer will look first. But where’s that? When using the Rule of Thirds web design, the answer’s pretty simple: on the intersections. Why? Well, the viewer’s eye path is not random—unless otherwise directed it travels a predictable route, starting at the upper left of an image (or website), moving down to the bottom left, moving onto the upper right and then ending at the bottom right. It just so happens that these “sweet spots” of a viewer’s gaze land right on the intersections of the lines in the Rule of Thirds grid. Here’s where the eyes land first:

rule of thirds web design eyescan image

This means that if you place your most important element on or near the upper-left grid point, you’ll be more likely to make sure your viewer sees it first.  Here’s an example:

rule of thirds web design image

Here, TechValidate chooses to put their important text close to the #1 spot, closely followed by a call to action near the #2 point. Remember, you don’t have to place things exactly on the points—just near them. This is especially true with responsive web design, as different mobile devices will change where things sit.

Determining Negative Space

If you’re opting for a clean, minimalist design, then the Rule of Thirds will not only help determine where to set your images, it can also help you decide where the negative space should be. Negative space is the space around and between the elements of a site, where there is no image, text, or distracting background. It’s a crucial design element for creating a high-readability factor and a pleasing user experience, allowing the mind to better put into context the images it sees.

In the image below, design firm Staak.co.uk chooses a sleek, minimalist design with plenty of negative space and a clear focus on its defining element:

rule of thirds web design staak example

Staak’s design ensures that the viewers’ eyes hit first and linger on their defining element. Remember, the eyes scan predictably when not otherwise directed. Here, they’ve been directed to the right-hand third of the screen. In the lower left-hand sweet spot, they have the link they want users to click on. Contrary, to popular “sweet spot” design, the upper left is negative space, but since Staak directs the eyes clearly to the right, it works just fine.

Here’s another from the Austin Children’s Shelter:

rule of thirds web design website example

Here, the negative space is in the middle, and the Rule of Thirds is used to guide the placement of the image on the right and the text on the left, with the call to action near the bottom left “sweet spot.”

Here’s another example from the French site UZIK. Notice how the negative space on the right-hand side really draws the eyes to the sweet spot on the left-hand side.

uzik rule of thirds image

Using the Rule of Thirds to Arrange Your Images

Another main use of the Rule of Thirds web design is determining how to space your images on the screen. Say you have a site that speaks predominantly through its images—how should you space them? Well, the Rule of Thirds would have you place them directly in thirds on the page. Build in Amsterdam, featured below, uses the Rule of Thirds both for their image placement and for their text:

rule of thirds web design product example

While you don’t need to take the rule quite so literally as this, following it even roughly will help you find the best place to set your images.

The Golden Ratio

While the Rule of Thirds has been around roughly two hundred years, it’s based off an even older design element: The Golden Ratio. The root of countless mysteries, the Golden Ratio is a geometric ratio that has been heralded as a timeless blueprint for beautiful and effective proportionality. Also known as the Golden Mean, the Divine Proportion, the Golden Section, and Phi, the golden ratio is the visual representation of a + b over a = a over b = 1.61803….

First defined by Euclid as a simple matter of geometry around 300 BCE, the golden ratio has had centuries of mathematicians, scientists, philosophers, architects, and even mystics pondering and debating over its ubiquity and appeal. Phi enthusiasts claim the golden ratio has been used in everything from the construction of the Egyptian pyramids to the Mona Lisa, and since the Renaissance many artists have proportioned their work in accordance with the golden ratio, particularly in the form of the “golden rectangle” (a rectangle with a length roughly one and a half times its width).

How does it work in web design? Well, the Golden Ratio applies most strongly to rectangles, and let’s face it—from computer screen to our mobile phones—we live in a world of rectangles. And while the Golden Ratio can be a bit problematic to apply in its entirety to a website (you can’t change the ratio, and therefore you can’t compress or expand it to “make it fit”), it can show you the best places to set your important elements. It can be particularly helpful if your site has a lot of information, providing a guide as to where to place the most important elements.

rule of thirds web design twitter ratio

Twitter and National Geographic are two of the bigger names that have used the Golden Ratio in their design.

Summing up Rule of Thirds Web Design Secrets

One thing note, is that you don’t have to use the entire formula of the Golden Ratio at any given point. You could just use sections of it. For example, if you’re wondering at what spacing to place two vertical columns, the Golden Ration has an easy template for that—the first two rectangles/squares.

rule of thirds golden ratio illustration

The result is somewhat subtler than using the Rule of Thirds and yet in most cases, more pleasing to the eye. That being said, if using this form seems challenging to you, you can always default to the Rule of Thirds. The proportions will still yield eye-pleasing results. Whichever you choose, both techniques will provide invaluable direction in where to place your design elements for the best user experience. And as we know, a better user experience equals longer staying time and more conversions.

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10 Web Designing Courses You Shouldn’t Miss Out https://designwebkit.com/tutorials/web-designing-courses/ https://designwebkit.com/tutorials/web-designing-courses/#comments Fri, 02 Feb 2018 08:39:02 +0000 https://designwebkit.com/?p=18303 Online web designing courses offer flexibility as well as affordability to working professionals and students. Let`s overview the best of them!

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In this digital age, you can’t underestimate the power of a website. That’s why there is an increasing demand for creative web designers. If you are interested in taking up new skills, learning UX or UI design is the right one for you. The good news is several online web designing courses are available for working professionals and students. You can learn this skill at your convenience from your home.

web designing courses main image

However, finding the most suitable web designing courses from this plethora of online information is a challenge. So, to help you begin your web hunt, we have made a list of 10 the most popular web design courses.

Web Designing Courses Overview

Design Lab

web designing courses trydesign image

Cost: $399 per course

Website: trydesignlab.com

Design Lab provides part-time web designing courses through interactive videos, Skype sessions, and hands-on projects. You also get to interact with a personal mentor. The mentor provides timely feedback on your progress. As the courses are self-paced, you have the liberty to complete the course at your own pace.

 Code School

Code School of web design image

Cost: Free and paid options available

Website: codeschool.com

Code school is well known for providing web designing courses at a reasonable price. The pocket-friendly courses cover several different topics such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Ruby. The free account gives you access to 15 introductory courses. However, for just $60 a year can get unlimited access to 71 courses and 256 screencasts. You also get access to the code school community which can help you resolve any designing related issues.

Code Academy

Code Academy image for web design learners

Cost: Free and paid options available

Website: codecademy.com

If you are looking for free and reliable web design courses, code school is your best choice. The Website claims to have over 45 million learners from all over the globe. The main attraction is the simple but engaging web designing tutorials in HTML, JavaScript, PHP, and Python. A free account is sufficient for beginners, as it covers all the basic course literature. For $19.99 per month, however, you can get access to extra practice material and technical support in any web design course.

Code Avengers

Code Avengers web design course image

Cost: 7 day free trial and $29 per month or $120 for six months

Website: codeavengers.com

If you are a novice in the world of web designing, you are in luck because code avengers create web designing courses primarily for beginners. In fact, the Website comprises courses specifically designed for children, adults, and school teachers. The focus is on HTML and CSS coding. You can also learn to incorporate special effects, interactive patterns, and layout techniques. During the seven day trial period you can try five lessons from each course.

Treehouse

treehouse web designing courses image

Cost: 7 days free trial and $25 per month onwards

Website: teamtreehouse.com

Treehouse offers a range of affordable web designing courses online. The tutorials are mostly video (more than 1000) based. If you want to learn to code in different programming languages, this is the right place to begin. You can also practice your coding skills using quizzes and interactive code challenges and earn badges to show off your talent.

ALISON Online Learning

ALISON Online Learning image

Cost: Free

Website: alison.com

Founded in Galway, Ireland, Alison online learning community has been around for a decade now. It is one of the largest providers of free online courses with 11 million learners and 1.5 million graduates. You can find 1000+ courses including web designing related ones across certificate and diploma level in ten different languages. The courses may require anywhere from 1-2 hours to 9–11 hours study. As there is no time limit, you can complete the course at your own pace. It primarily uses a mix of advertising and sponsored programs to provide free education for all.

Mozilla School of Web Craft

Mozilla School of Web Craft

Cost: Free

Website: courses.p2pu.org

Built on the Peer 2 Peer University platform, the Website is a rich source of free web designing courses contributed by open source advocates from all over the globe. Thus, you can connect with a global community of students and teachers with advanced coding skills. You can learn a variety of languages such as HTML, CSS, PHP and more at your own pace. This online portal is suitable for beginners to gain as much knowledge about the web designing basics as possible.

Career Foundry

Career Foundry web design courses image

Cost: $4000 for six months

Website: careerfoundry.com

Dedicated to educating the tech enthusiasts, Career Foundry offers self-paced online courses in web development, iOS development, UX design, and UI design. The perfect blend of online flexibility and mentor based guidance system provides an encouraging environment for learning. You can complete the desired course in four to twelve months. Mentors include experienced industry professionals as well as passionate students and graduates. The Website claims to have a 95% job placement rate for its students within 180 days of graduating.

Don’t Fear The Internet

Don’t Fear The Internet course image

Cost: Free

Website: dontfeartheinternet.com

I know the name sounds a bit comical, but this Website is a jackpot for non-technical individuals such as photographers and artists who want to learn a thing or two about web designing. The Website offers a series of nine simple, short, and funny videos that will help you understand the basics of web designing. The Website owners Jessica Hische and Russ Maschmeyer are successful web developers. They have managed to explain the process of web designing in a lucid language.

Bloc

web designing courses by Bloc

Cost: $9,800 (Payment plans available)

Website: bloc.io

Bloc offers both full-time and part-time online courses in web development and designing. You can get a dedicated mentor who will provide one-on-one instruction to clarify your concepts during the course duration. However, the course duration and fees will change depending on the number of weekly study hours and mentors. You can also work on three to six projects to build your professional portfolio. The course guarantees a job within six months after completion or you get your money back.

Wrapping Up

With the rise of digital media, the demand for creative web designers has gone up. Online web designing courses offer flexibility as well as affordability to working professionals and students. Ranging from free online courses to the paid ones, these 10 web designing courses will help become a skilled web designer in no time.

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10 Photoshop Tutorial Resources Every Designer Should Bookmark https://designwebkit.com/tutorials/photoshop-tutorials-resources/ Thu, 02 Jun 2016 14:17:58 +0000 http://templates.motocms.com/blog/?p=2441 Sometimes it can be a nightmare filtering out all the great tutorial sites out there that the world wide web has to offer, so we’ve done the hard work for you and given you the lowdown on the best places online to find photoshop tutorials. Lifehacker While Lifehacker may not be the traditional choice for

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Sometimes it can be a nightmare filtering out all the great tutorial sites out there that the world wide web has to offer, so we’ve done the hard work for you and given you the lowdown on the best places online to find photoshop tutorials.

Lifehacker

Lifehacker tutorials resource

While Lifehacker may not be the traditional choice for photoshop tutorials it is a great place for beginners to start learning the basics of photoshop’s features with Lifehacker Night School. It has a series of beginners tutorials which can even be downloaded as a pdf.

Sleeklens

Photoshop tutorial resources - Sleeklens

Sleeklens is a great source of new info for photographers, web and graphic designers. Their Photoshop actions may become a great addition to any of these professionals’ workflow as they make using Photoshop smooth and easy.

Photoshop Lady

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Photoshop Lady, the name says it all. This website includes only photoshop tutorials which can be searched for or you can browse according to the category you need. If you become a member you can even save your favourites for later.

Psd Tuts+

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Psd Tuts+ showcases some of the best Photoshop tutorials around. If you want to take your Photoshop learning further there is also Tuts+ Premium their education platform for digital creatives.

PSD Fan

photoshop-tutorial-resources-psdfan

This blog is focussed on design and Photoshop. PSD Fan gives its audience useful and detailed Photoshop tutorials, articles, inspiration, freebies and more.

Abduzeedo

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Abuzeedo is more of a general blog about design but you can also find useful tutorials here. They also feature a Tutorial of the Week to inspire designers.

PSD Learning

photoshop-tutorial-resources-psdlearning

PSD learning was started in 2008 by Ross Aitken a design student. Ross writes tutorials to share his knowledge of what he is studying with others who have an interest in Photoshop.

10Steps.SG

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10Steps.SG is a web and graphic design blog by Johnson Koh from Singapore. There you will find interesting experiments with Photoshop and massive collection of useful resources.

Creativefan

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CreativeFan posts daily articles, resource roundups, inspiration, freebies and wallpapers, in order to help and inspire creative professionals from around the world.

Luxa.org

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Luxa is a social learning site for Photoshop artists providing new tutorials and design articles, as voted and suggested by your fellow users.

Tutorialsphere

Tutorialsphere is another tutorial index website but they are trying to present the information that they offer in an easy and more natural way than other tutorial websites, without crowding the pages with ads and having a clean and easy to use interface

With all these great photoshop tutorials at your fingertips you should go from a photoshop no to a photoshop pro in no time.

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