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Stunning Storm Photography by Franz Schumacher

Waheed Akhtar — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:40:23 PDT

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Photography is a subject which is always full of stories and emotions. Perseverance and obstinacy is behind many good pictures. Being at right place and at the right time, pulling the trigger can get you best photos. Franz Schumacher is a professional photographer from Germany who's interest is painting, drawing and photography. In this post we showcased few stunning storm photos from his portfolio. He uses mostly the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and various lenses from Canon to take the photos. His inspiration is more from landscape and nature. We hope you will like his storm pictures below. Enjoy! If you like this article, you might be interested in other articles on Storm Photography and Dazzling Lightning Strikes.

Lightning and Storm Photography

Web Design and Photography Blog

33 Creative Website Designs: Getting Out of the Box

Waheed Akhtar — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:12:44 PDT

Boost Inspiration - Web Design - Graphic Design - Photography Inspiration Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Pinterest

One of the most important thing to make a website successful is the user attention and attraction. Sometimes user is not happy with the website logo, pictures used in the website or products you have on display. The solution is get your creativity out by implementing cool illustrations and colors to get the user attention your website deserve. In this post we selected 33 examples of creative website designs for your inspiration. We hope you'll not only like these designs but also share with your friends. Have a look and tell us what you think in the comments below. Enjoy! If you like this article, you might be interested in other article on 32 Amazing Polygonal Art in Web Design.

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2DNN Portfolio

2DNN Portfolio

WebSoco Layout Design

WebSoco Layout Design

Web Design and Photography Blog

Typography Design Inspiration #17

Waheed Akhtar — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:14:57 PDT

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Here's the seventeenth part of typography designs for your inspiration. We select the typography artworks based on quality, and every image is linked to the original source. We do not take credit for any of the work mentioned below, however we do take credit for hunting the Internet. We hope following creative typography collection serve as a great source of inspiration. We always like to hear from you guys. If you got some typography designs and like to share with us, do it comments below or write us from the contact us page. We review all design entries and possibly showcase them in our upcoming posts. If you like this article, you might be interested in other previous articles on typography design inspiration.

Gold Leaf

Gold Leaf

Moscow

Moscow

Hand Crafted

Hand Crafted

Typography

Typography

The Devil is in the Detail

The Devil is in the Detail

The Sicilian

The Sicilian

Nick

Nick

A+ Magazine

A+ Magazine

Esquire Magazine – Grooming

Esquire Magazine – Grooming

Basingstoke

Basingstoke

Web Design and Photography Blog

Nature Photography Inspiration – #1

Waheed Akhtar — Sun, 12 May 2013 05:15:39 PDT

Boost Inspiration - Web Design - Graphic Design - Photography Inspiration Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Pinterest

Nature photography refers to a wide range of photography taken outdoors and dedicated to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. We are starting another series related to nature photography inspiration and if you are a nature lover, you will definitely like this. We always love to hear from our readers. If you have beautiful and amazing photos to share, kindly do it in the comments below. We will go through each picture and might consider to showcase it (after review) in our upcoming posts. Enjoy!

Wonderful Nature

Wonderful Nature

Last Winter

Last Winter

Devvetashka Cave in Bulgaria

Devvetashka Cave in Bulgaria

Stormclouds - The-Pyrenees - Spain

Stormclouds - The-Pyrenees - Spain

The Muir Woods

The Muir Woods

Spring in Brudour - Alpes France

Spring in Brudour - Alpes France

Uluru Waterfalls - Australia

Uluru Waterfalls - Australia

Waterfall Castle Poland

Waterfall Castle Poland

Three Story Tree House - British Columbia Canada

Three Story Tree House - British Columbia Canada

Jacaranda City

Jacaranda City

Web Design and Photography Blog

10 Brilliant Tips to Hack a Great Name for Your Design Company

Waheed Akhtar — Sat, 11 May 2013 02:07:34 PDT

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So, you really want to start your own business. I guess you have some stellar ideas that will launch your new startup to new heights and bring you close to the six-figures that everyone keeps telling us we should already have before we hit 30. You have a grand plan and these ideas are just stewing in your head waiting for the right time to be put into motion. But first you have to solve a fundamental problem that millions before you have encountered as well. And that is choosing the name for your new design company. As we all can agree, it's never just a name because that name will be your face, your badge, the only thing that people will know you by and it is one of the most important aspects of your company. Yes there is a saying that goes "Nothing in a name, but every man's name is what he makes of it" which means the person, or in this case the company, decides what becomes of that name through actions. The Name is a Business Let's take for example Google, everybody knows Google for reasons I need not mention, but let's go back to the 80's and tell someone that we want to name our company Google. They will most likely give you a face or a raised brow at least. The name doesn't mean anything. Though, it was meant as a misspelling to the number "googol" which is the name for the number 10¹⁰⁰ to convey that they aim to provide large quantities of data. The funny thing is that you didn't even know that, nobody does care at all, and it doesn't really sound all that good. The reason that it sounds fine to us is because of its familiarity, brand recognition, in short the company’s background. A dive into Naming Your Endeavor Now that we established how important a name is, let's get down on helping you come up with yours. Here is a short yet helpful list to get you on the right track of hacking together an awesome name for your startup. You might have heard about some of them before as people have probably thought about this stuff long before our grandparents even met. It's not exactly quantum physics where a lot of stuffs have not been discovered yet. Just make sure not to tarnish that nice name by going bankrupt in the first year like thousands of startups out there. Sometimes a name just magically comes in our dreams and we know that would be it. But for most people, we have to get in the groove before we come up with the right name.

1. Recruit the right people

This is a business process, people, and it really speaks for itself. Just do it, you know why. But a little advise from me, have some people who get a lot of small ideas. Small ideas might not be much but a lot of them can compound. Also, never be without critics who usually voice against a lot of ideas, they can be a handful and may lower some people's morale but if you control them right they will be a great balancer.

2. Loosen up with some games

I mean word play. Do some exercises with some ideas and throw them around for a bit of discussion and some jesting to get that part over with. After which, when everyone is in high spirits, you can start with the serious stuff and stronger ideas.

3. Generate ideas inconsistently

Again, this is self-explanatory. Get your idea factories churning out those small yet frequent ideas, and get those critics of yours to start swatting them as they get out. Lots of ideas being thrown around and criticized will lead to better ones, just make sure to control the situation before it gets hostile so set some ground rules. No swearing and no insults.

4. Pick the best one that everybody agrees with.

At the end of the brainstorming session, you will be able to come up with a few brilliant ideas and then discuss them thoroughly. Weigh the pros and cons and make the best choice. If you do these things right, there is no reason for you to be stuck with a name like Foo Fighters; it sounds too much like Pooh (I spelled it with an 'h' but you know what I mean). Now here are a few guidelines as to what kind of names you should come up with as ideas

5. The company name needs to sound good when said aloud

So make sure to have your people keep saying those names that you like. If they really stick and sound nice, then you might just have a winner.

6. Choose names that convey what your company is all about

For example there is no way for you to know that Hell's Angels is a motorcycle gang if you have never heard of them before. It sounds more like an air squadron, which coincidentally is also the name of one, so in their case the name is spot on.

7. Avoid 1337 speak (LEET, geeky, or hacker jargon)

Words like w1f1, e553nt1al5 and hax0rz are not pretty to look at and they are absolutely horrible to spell. That name would never take off in the web and your clients will have a very hard time looking you up online. People will have a hard time naming you, period.

8. Check the Availability of the domains

This is also an important tip in order to come up with a brilliant name for your business. You need to check whether the name is available for domain registration. For a strong online presence you will need to create a website for your business. After all, this is what will help your brand get a solid recognition in the web.

9. Initials are so 30 years ago

IBM, 3M, BP, UPS, UBS and any other combination of capital letters might be famous but they are not good for people to remember and you will have a lot of companies with the same initials. They work for the above companies because they have been in the business for decades and came from a time when those names were hip. So forget that one, allow people to name your initials but don't make it your official name.

10. If the name can be trademarked, then better

It would be nice if you can have exclusivity with your brand name. A lot of companies have been ahead of you and most combinations will have been taken already. But if you can find one that isn't then that would be perfect. It's a good point to consider but not your top priority. Well there you have it. I hope this little article helps you on your way to your dreams. If you ever hit it big, don't forget about me and how I helped you with your now famous name. Wait, did I just call this article little?

Images Source:

Web Design and Photography Blog

6 Reasons Why Your Portfolio Doesn’t Convert into Clients

Waheed Akhtar — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:10:15 PDT

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A portfolio is one of the most important things a freelancer needs in order to attract clients. With a portfolio on the go, you can attach samples of your creative work that best define your business. It is a great way to stand out from thousands of freelancers who are hunting for the same job. As a matter of fact, just building a portfolio isn't a guarantee of great conversion rates, it requires meeting the key elements that somehow can influence a client to decide whether you are worth a hire or not. If your portfolio hasn't yielded any results for your business, there are great chances you are making these common mistakes that cost a whole lot of money.

1. Picking a Bad Domain Name

Before getting deep into the structure and layout, you should make sure your portfolio has a really trustable domain name. From just the domain name a client can easily describe your professionalism. Picking the right domain extension is really important. The .com and .net extensions hold a strong reliability thus, are highly recommended. However, a having yourname.com or yourcompanyname.com can be more ideal for branding purposes. On the other corner, a bad domain name cluttered with hyphens and obscure terms can harm your business. Moreover, it is more likely to draw a wrong description of what your freelance business is about.

2. Slow Loading Time

The time your portfolio site takes to load is very important for a user experience as well. When a client decides to have a look at your portfolio you just have a few seconds to make a great first impression. If your portfolio takes more than 8 seconds to load, then get ready to always find prospective clients clicking the X button before even looking at samples of your work. Clients hate waiting; therefore you should focus on designing a great portfolio without sacrificing the loading time of your page.

3. Neglecting Social Proof

Social proof is a key element that determines the conversion rate of your portfolio visitors into loyal clients. When people are in doubt of how to behave, they are more likely to follow the behavior of a large group. This is the basic fundament of social proof. If prospective clients are unsure whether to hire you or not, they will look for other people’s behavior assuming being the most correct. And the only way to take that to your advantage is by attaching testimonials that endorse your services. Testimonials are great tools you can use to prove that customers were satisfied with your work and that can help you land your next project. Therefore, you should consider attaching them on your portfolio to improve your conversion rate.

4. Lacking of Contact Information

I have noticed many freelancers making this common mistake. Some of the portfolios may have all the contact information disposed but they fail at putting in places that can be easily found. You should always provide the clients with your contact information like your e-mail, phone number or Skype account and place them strategically. Contact diversification should be always considered because there are certain clients who are more comfortable at phone calling rather than exchanging e-mails. If your portfolio lacks organization and contact details there are great chance these mistakes are killing your business.

5. Showcasing your Average Work

A portfolio is meant for showcasing creative work. By displaying samples of an average work will not help you land any clients at all. There are thousands of freelancers who can deliver average services, how will you stand out from the crowd by focusing on average? No way. Compile samples of your most creative and best work, if you don’t have any, spend some time on creating such. Then, you can display on your portfolio. Remember that the first impression counts a lot.

6. Lacking of Simplicity

Simplicity in designing a portfolio can be connected with two branches: design and message. However, if you really want to leverage your business you have to focus on both. A portfolio should be simple in lay-out and structure to impress a prospect. Make it navigable by removing all the clutter on it. Your message as well should always be persuasive and simple. It should clearly state what your business is about, so that prospects can have a clear understanding of what you can do for them. Building a portfolio is one thing. And, building a portfolio that converts is another. You may think you've done everything needed in order to attract clients, however, if you are still making these common mistakes, then focusing on your portfolio is a huge waste time. Find some time to re-evaluate it, make some improvements and test updates to find what works the best for your business portfolio.

Images Credit:

Web Design and Photography Blog

4 Skills and Resources for Web Designers to Build a Successful Freelance Business

Waheed Akhtar — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:01:47 PDT

Boost Inspiration - Web Design - Graphic Design - Photography Inspiration Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Pinterest

The odds are great that you've stumbled upon and read tons of books and articles on how to improve your craft. Ranging from the basics of CSS and HTML to the latest guides of JavaScript coding techniques, you've probably digested all the content until there is nothing left. Sounds familiar, right? Even if it doesn't, you should realize that being a successful web designer is a lot more than knowing how to code programming languages. There are many essential skills that are not conventionally related to any web designing role, however you should learn them in order to build a successful freelance business:

1. Copywriting

Image Source Most designers ignore the fact that copywriting is essential for their freelance careers. They tend to give much focus on designing impressive pages and forgetting that a great copy will influence the final product of the project. Readers don’t solely see the design of a page; they look at the site as a whole with a compelling content to digest. And, if you don’t want to put your great design work at stake, then you should consider learning how to craft a compelling copy. Copywriting is very essential, not only will you be able to convey more value to your pages but you will be able to expand your freelance business as well. Instead of hiring someone else to create content for their projects, clients may decide to assign you. Here are some resources to learn copywriting from scratch.

2. Blogging

Image Source Blogging is also a skill that all designers should possess if they want to leverage their businesses. With a tight competition stifling most freelancers to land projects and deals, blogging can be a great trump to save your business sanity. This skill will allow you create a great blog to use as your portfolio for your freelance business. With an impressive portfolio, you are more likely to draw attention of high paying clients, build a great online exposure for your personal brand and eventually stand out from the crowd of thousands freelancers out there. Therefore, you shouldn't neglect the benefits that blogging can bring to your business. With great blogging skills, you can draw a lot of traffic to your blog portfolio and convert strange readers into loyal customers for your business. Moreover, you can create a profitable blog as your alternative source of income. Here are some blogging resources:

3. Negotiation

Image Source Knowing how to negotiate is as important as knowing how to craft a masterpiece of design. By combing theses skills you are able to negotiate with clients the right way so that you get paid for what you deserve. I've seen a quite number of designers who can't take their business off the ground simply because they lack negotiation skills. These designers are more likely to accept projects that pay pittance. This one of the things every freelancer should avoid at low costs. If not, accepting low paying assignments will harm your business and eventually kill your career as a designer. Thus, it is highly recommended to acquire negotiation skills. Nobody has mastered the art of negotiating; however these resources will surely help you become a great negotiator for your freelance business.

4. Online Marketing

Image Source Blogging plays an important role on getting clients so does online marketing. These two skills go in hand and hand, they are like each side of the coin. Online marketing involves exposing your brand to thousands of people, harnessing the power of testimonials and building networks everywhere. Lacking these skills you will hardly get your blog portfolio noticed to prospects. And, if you can’t market your services properly then blogging will be a huge waste of time. Not only can online marketing skills help you build exposure for your personal brand but it also can help you pull in new high-paying projects that most designers are craving for.

All the skills above come in handy for your business success. A successful web designer needs to combine them all in order to cater to all needs and demands of clients. The resources will help you take a leap into some fields that are not directly related to web designing but can help you become a better designer.

Web Design and Photography Blog

Boost InspirationBoost Inspiration

Stunning Storm Photography by Franz Schumacher

Lightning and Storm Photography

33 Creative Website Designs: Getting Out of the Box

Space Tune In

Fire Water - Responsive Layout

Adidas Week 1 Experience

Talkin Hotsite

Stamford Global

World Rest Hotel

HD Brows

Carlson Hotels Web Sites

Swanson Design

KRO Glossy

Steenstrup Stordrange

Fx Network Movie Detail

MediCenter WordPress Website

ServiceBench Website Layout

Reda Italian Wool Fabrics Corporate Website

Early Birds

Mimic Homepage

Photography Portfolio Site

Meet Zamzee

Fiat India

Candy Shop

Cesky Rozhlas

Xbox360 Hunters

Imoseguro Website

Bearing SL

Samsung Design Concept

Chefparade Warehouse

Image Salon

Gescjwisterkung

Buy Private Proxy

2DNN Portfolio

WebSoco Layout Design

Typography Design Inspiration #17

Gold Leaf

Moscow

Hand Crafted

Typography

The Devil is in the Detail

The Sicilian

Nick

A+ Magazine

Esquire Magazine – Grooming

Basingstoke

Nature Photography Inspiration – #1

Wonderful Nature

Last Winter

Devvetashka Cave in Bulgaria

Stormclouds - The-Pyrenees - Spain

The Muir Woods

Spring in Brudour - Alpes France

Uluru Waterfalls - Australia

Waterfall Castle Poland

Three Story Tree House - British Columbia Canada

Jacaranda City

10 Brilliant Tips to Hack a Great Name for Your Design Company

1. Recruit the right people

2. Loosen up with some games

3. Generate ideas inconsistently

4. Pick the best one that everybody agrees with.

5. The company name needs to sound good when said aloud

6. Choose names that convey what your company is all about

7. Avoid 1337 speak (LEET, geeky, or hacker jargon)

8. Check the Availability of the domains

9. Initials are so 30 years ago

10. If the name can be trademarked, then better

Images Source:

6 Reasons Why Your Portfolio Doesn’t Convert into Clients

1. Picking a Bad Domain Name

2. Slow Loading Time

3. Neglecting Social Proof

4. Lacking of Contact Information

5. Showcasing your Average Work

6. Lacking of Simplicity

Images Credit:

4 Skills and Resources for Web Designers to Build a Successful Freelance Business

1. Copywriting