-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
From Blog Writer to Content Creator—and Why You Should Do It
As a blog writer, it’s easy to get lost in the deep and thick weeks of developing a piece. Planning it out, actually writing, and then editing can all eat up nearly all of your time. So much so, that it can be challenging to think of yourself as anything but a writer. However, in the world of content creation, it’s becoming increasingly essential to be a “jack of all trades.” From photography to graphics, to video editing—you should probably know it all. Why? Well, I am glad you asked. It Will Save You Time, and a Lot of Money You may be thinking, how can adding more to my…
-
How to Stay Creative in an Ever-Distracting World
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely stumbled here from a not-too-far-off place, searching online about creative works, people, or just web design in general. Heck, you may have Googled “Paul Laux,” and found yourself here. What do I know? That being said, you may think this is a strange title for a blog about being creative – and ways to advance. But it really isn’t. Because as I have noticed over the past year or so, it can be weirdly difficult to keep the brain juices moving in a world where there are so many ways to make things. It almost seems as if there are too many ways. Canva,…
