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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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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 Self-Publication Changed the Media and Art-Landscape
If you look around, there is no doubt that art and media change a little more every day. Styles change, techniques become more advanced, and floods of content from artists and designers fill out feeds. And in just over a few years, self-publication of work has gained immense momentum, with new ways to push out your own projects all on your own. So how has self-publication changed the media landscape? No More Dealing With Content and Media Gatekeepers If you’re an artist, designer, or anyone who needs content pushed out—there is nothing more ideal than to be able to do it on your own, with no gatekeepers in the industry.…
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How to Get the Best Content Out of Your iPhone Camera
We’ve all been there. You’re working on a great website, content page, or project. Suddenly, you find yourself in the perfect place to take some photos to fill out our work…but you don’t have your camera! Only your iPhone. Is this good enough? Are there ways to edit? Should I even try? LONG story short…yes! It’s worth it, and photos you take on your phone can come out just as great as a professional camera! To show you how, I will be launching this series on how to get the most out of your iPhone camera. But first, a few tips before we get into all of that. Know the…
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Never Give Up On Old Work
It’s winter here in the Midwest – so naturally, some of my work on the photography side has taken the backseat. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love taking shots of snow – but I don’t like being outside THAT much. Because of the indoor nature of the season, I also usually use this time to revisit old web projects and tests that either didn’t work out, or just need some polishing. So I set aside a weekend, actually two, and just reworked and reenvisioned some old projects – and from it, I learned a lot. For one, it was very interesting – and even hilarious – to see…
