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Creativity vs. Functionality in Design: Which Reigns Supreme?
Listen, we wouldn’t be web designers if we didn’t want to be a little creative, right? Naturally, we want our layouts to be appealing, eye-catching, and aesthetically pleasing with added functionality. That being said, there has come the point when I have noticed some designs—looking at you, fancy restaurants—try to put too much emphasis on the look of their pages, when in reality…they’re barely functional. The moral of the story is don’t be that designer. A Website Without Functionality Is Useless The bottom line when designing a landing page, about section, or especially checkout page—you really should put the creativity below the functionality of the webpage itself. Sure, you want…
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Why Texture Is So Important on (Most) Websites
Let’s be honest, you don’t have to be a website developer genius to know what looks good and what doesn’t, what is appealing and what you hate. We have all been around the internet long enough to determine when a website…just doesn’t have it. For some, it’s—rightfully—functionality. If it doesn’t work, I don’t want to deal with it. And I can’t blame them. But for me? If your website looks, well, boring? I’m out. I should preface this with the fact that, yes it has to work, and I am not looking for insane amounts of flash. But I AM looking for some texture to keep my attention. And YES…
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Should You Show Off Your Incomplete Web Design Pages? Absolutely.
If you’re anything like me, you’re the kind of person with a million web design projects going on at once. Most of them get completed, but some sit forever in “draft” mode, just waiting to have those final touches added. This becomes a problem when looking for work or building your design brand. Do you show off websites that aren’t complete? Full of Lorem Ipsum? In draft mode? In my opinion, I say yes, go for it! And here is why you shouldn’t be afraid to add them to your portfolio. Incomplete Work Shows off Your Web Design Internal Process Any good employer, especially one in the creative field, will…
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How to Be the Best Creator You Can Be
So you’re a creator – neat! So am I, nice to meet you. Somedays, I understand that being in this field can be, for lack of a better term, brutal. Stress, deadlines, edits. All of it compiled into one massive mess of anxiety and self-doubt. Trust me, I have been there. That being said, there are ways to fight it, and be the best creator you can possibly be. Know You’re Going to Fail—and be Okay With That If you’re going into the creative field thinking that you’re never going to make a mistake, or that everything you do will be perfect—this field may not be for you. In fact,…
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When to Use Manual Settings, and When to Trust Your Camera
Well, it’s nearly the holidays. So instead of fighting over politics, the news, or drama—let’s change up the narrative and argue over something else, shall we? The age-old question; when should I use manual settings on my camera, and when should I just trust my camera to do its job? If I told you there weren’t a million thoughts on this topic, I would be lying right to your face and eye. And I would also be inaccurate if I told you one side was “more right” than the other. Because, to be honest, they both have their points—and it all boils down to knowing what you want, and what…
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How Important is the UX of Your Website? Very.
A million times, if not trillions, it has probably been said that UX is essential to all websites. Every. Single. One. No matter how big your page, how small, how useful, or how basic it is. If you don’t have the tenets of UX incorporated into your website, you’re failing. So it always confuses me deeply when I see websites for such high-ranking companies have horrendous sites. Even sites from well-established web designers. So why is UX so essential? Users Will Have an Instant Reaction We have all been to websites that are—for lack of a better term—a mess. Websites that just straight-up look bad the moment you land on…
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Why You Shouldn’t be Afraid of Photoshop
Trust me when I say this. When I first got into web design, and in-turn photography—I wanted to avoid Photoshop at all costs. It was terrifying, I thought it would be the most confusing, mind-bending experience imaginable. For years I had seen what people could do with it and it became this tool I thought I could never wield. So much so, I convinced myself “I don’t need it, my work is good without it.” Don’t do that. It’s really not a program you need to be afraid of, and you can pick it up quickly—especially today. Here’s why you shouldn’t be afraid of Photoshop You Already Know What You…
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The Benefits of Having A Portfolio
I will be the first to admit, when I first started getting into design – and I mean REALLY getting into design, I was terrible at keeping a portfolio. Heck, a quality resume for that matter. I always thought that the work would speak for itself. If I just put enough out there, then of course people would love it and love what I do and BAM – work. Turns out, that’s not entirely true. It also turns out, that a portfolio can show off things you didn’t even THINK you could show off. Which didn’t dawn on me until I went through a recent class where a full-fledged portfolio…
