W.O.R.D.

WORD - 10 Steps to an Engaging Interactive User Experience

2011-12-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

So what can you do to make your user experience a pleasant one for your audience when creating interactive media? You definitely need to keep your user in mind when designing your masterpiece. Get others involved in critiquing your work. Get feedback from all sorts of people and see what they have to say about your project. Check out this great article on 10 Steps to an Engaging Interactive User Experience.

WORD - 10 Steps to an Engaging Interactive User Experience

2011-12-16T10:35:00.001-08:00

WORD - 12 Design Features Web Designs Should Avoid

2011-12-15T10:35:00.000-08:00

I constantly send out links to articles showcasing proper design techniques. Today, let’s take a look at what you should avoid doing. Check out this link to 12 Design Features Web Designs Should Avoid.

WORD - Twitter

2011-12-14T07:18:00.001-08:00

Have you set up a Twitter account yet? If not, you’re missing out on the power of social media! Many people don’t really know how Twitter can really benefit them because they don’t understand how to tweet properly. Check out this link to Twitter Tips: Everything You Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask.

WORD - 25+ Helpful Photoshop to HTML/CSS Tutorials

2011-12-13T07:44:00.001-08:00

Web designers often start creating their designs in Photoshop, then convert them over to layouts that are optimized for web browsers. Check out this link to 25+ Helpful Photoshop to HTML/CSS Tutorials.

WORD - Wordpress, Joomla, & Drupal: What Makes These CMS Different?

2011-12-12T07:15:00.001-08:00

Have you tried installing a content management system (CMS) yet? Wordpress, Joomla, and Drupal are all content management systems for the web. They offer a template-like starting point for creating dynamic websites with lots of interactive features. I encourage you all to set up a CMS site and use it as a blog or an outlet for creativity. Check out this interesting article on Wordpress, Joomla, and Drupal: What Makes These CMS Different?

WORD - Popular Web Design Trends in 2011: Over 50 Inspiring Examples

2011-12-09T11:03:00.001-08:00

As a designer, you should always be aware of current trends. Check out this cool link to Popular Web Design Trends in 2011: Over 50 Inspiring Examples.

WORD - 10+ Beautiful Textured Website Layout Photoshop Tutorials

2011-12-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

Adding textures usually adds appeal to an overall design. Make sure to add subtle textures to your projects to enhance the aesthetics of the designs you create. Check out this link to 10+ Beautiful Textured Website Layout Photoshop Tutorials.

WORD - Tips on Designing Layouts Focused Around Content

2011-12-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

Did you know that designing layouts for a web site involves much more than just adding cool graphics and trying to be unique with your artwork? You should always consider designing your layouts around the content you’re showcasing for your target audience. Check out this link to Tips on Designing Layouts Focused Around Content.

WORD - Infographic: Google It

2011-12-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

How many times have you heard the phrase, “just Google it!”? Google often responds with thousands of possible answers every time we use it, but how do we filter out the junk from the gems online? Most people don’t have the slightest clue of how to conduct research on Google. Many times, we just put in keywords that we think will lead us to the webpages and answers we need. There are many other ways to find content through Google with the right shortcuts and tricks. Check out this interesting infographic: Google It.

WORD - 20 Fabulous Free Christmas E-Greeting

2011-12-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried creating a holiday e-greeting for your family or friends? As designers and developers, you should all try to create an e-greeting that would put a smile onto someone’s face. It’s not very difficult to do. Check out this link to 20 Fabulous Free Christmas E-Greetings to get some inspiration! I challenge you all to create a unique e-greeting for the holidays!

WORD - jQuery & CSS3

2011-12-02T06:25:00.001-08:00

If you’ve been reading through the latest WORD emails, you’ve noticed that I’ve been showcasing lots of links to jQuery and CSS3 tutorials. These are definitely trending topics in the world of web design. If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, I welcome you to check out the following resources. First, check out the Mouthwatering Collection of jQuery Plugins and CSS Tricks article where you will see some exciting examples of how these techniques are incorporated into websites. Next, check out this article about Adding a Beautiful CSS-jQuery Mega Menu on your Blog. The more you can implement new technology into your portfolio sites, the more noticed you will get as a designer and developer.

WORD - Web Redesign - Tips and Techniques To Do So

2011-12-01T07:36:00.001-08:00

How many times have you been asked to redesign a website? What should you make sure that you focus on in your redesign? People always want their websites to remain fresh with the latest trends on the internet, but there are many other factors that you must consider when working on such a project. Check out Web Redesign – Tips and Techniques To Do So.

WORD - 23 Websites with Full-Screen Photo Backgrounds

2011-11-30T07:02:00.001-08:00

Always push boundaries when developing content for the web. Create websites with unique backgrounds that complement the site (and not distract the audience from the content its presenting). One effective style developers like using includes full-screen photo backgrounds. Check out this link to 23 Websites with Full-Screen Photo Backgrounds. Take the time to seek great designs to gain better insight of what techniques work well. If you’re not sure how sites like this are created, “right-click” the web page and “view source” to see the code that makes it all happen.

WORD - Adobe Muse

2011-11-29T06:31:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of Adobe Muse? Muse is currently still in its beta stage, but you can download it for free to play around with and learn about how websites can be constructed with minimal use of code. Muse uses design features similar to those in InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. It’s meant to be an easy way to layout webpages and add content meant to be displayed on browsers. I personally think that you should still spend time learning HTML and CSS code (because you’ll have more freedom in what you can create), but Muse offers non coders an easy and visual way to create sites for the web. Check out this article called, Under the Hood: Three Websites Built with Muse.

WORD - Fundamentals of Object-Oriented Programming

2011-11-28T06:31:00.000-08:00

ActionScript 3.0 is an object-oriented programming language, but do you really know what that means? There are many other programming languages that are object-oriented. If you familiarize yourself with what object-oriented programming languages are, then you’ll easily be able to understand other OOP languages like JavaScript as well. Check out the great resources that Michelle Yaiser (Sr. Content & Community Lead at Adobe) provides for explaining the fundamentals of object-oriented programming.

WORD - Using CSS3 for Mobile Web Design

2011-11-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

With smartphones like the Iphone and Android devices so popular now, you’ll definitely want your websites to be presented well when viewed on a mobile device. CSS3 offers media queries that can help you quickly adjust your designs for mobile. Check out this article called, Use CSS3 Media Queries To Create Mobile Version of Website.

WORD - 45 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed

2011-11-21T07:25:00.001-08:00

Want to catch up on the latest Digital Media buzz? Check out 45 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed! This is a link to a bunch of trending articles from Mashable.com. There’s plenty of useful information to read on that site while you’re enjoying your holiday break.

WORD - HTML5 Cheat Sheets

2011-11-18T07:25:00.000-08:00

There are so many new features with HTML5 coming out, that it’s tough to keep track of them all. Check out this link to a bunch of random HTML5 Cheat Sheets that you can reference when building a HTML5 website.

WORD - Creative Google+ Business Pages

2011-11-17T07:34:00.001-08:00

Have you jumped on the bandwagon and created a Google+ account yet? The business pages are a completely new feature on Google+. The sooner you start experimenting with them, the soon you’ll know how to make Google+ business pages work for your company. Check out how a few companies are already getting creative with Google+ Business pages.

WORD - Affiliate Marketing

2011-11-16T07:35:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of affiliate marketing? Did you know that you can make money on the web by helping sell products that you never have to own, stock, or ship? Read up on how affiliate marketing can help you generate some cash! You’ll definitely need to have a website with all sorts of traffic coming to it for you to make some money, but why not try it out? Check out the following two links to learn more about this lucrative opportunity:

http://www.affiliatetips.com/
http://www.cj.com/

WORD - Fancy Drop Down CSS3 Menus

2011-11-15T10:51:00.001-08:00

Have you been learning web design and CSS lately? Do you constantly go online to see what’s new and what’s changed with the coding languages? If not, you should! Web languages are always evolving. Do your best to keep up with the rapid changes of the web. Check out this cool link to fancy drop down CSS3 menus. There are many awesome resources out on the web that can help you learn and stay ahead of the curve.

WORD - Survey Your Audience

2011-11-14T14:42:00.001-08:00

How often do you survey your target audience when working on a project? You should always keep your audience in mind when working on anything that’s for a specific market. Use tools like Survey Monkey or Poll Daddy to help you get some valuable data that can help drive the effectiveness of your projects/designs.

Check out this poll: http://mikerosik.polldaddy.com/s/w-o-r-d-survey

WORD - Flash Preloader Museum

2011-11-04T07:43:00.001-07:00

When working on a Flash project, you should always consider adding preloaders to your files so that your project’s content will load completely before your audience starts clicking around through your creation. People often add a visual progress bar with a percentage before displaying the entire project. Try to go above and beyond and create a preloader that has more of an aesthetic appeal that works with your project’s overall theme. Check out http://prettyloaded.com! It’s a website that serves as a preloader museum curated by Big Spaceship (Ad Agency). It will give you lots of inspirational ideas for creating custom preloaders.

WORD - Social Media Saftey Infographic

2011-11-02T06:44:00.001-07:00

Social media has grown exponentially over the past few years. Many people are jumping on the bandwagon while not realizing the security risk that they’re facing when they publicly post information. Make sure that you don’t publicly post information that can be harmful to yourselves. Check out this infographic, Does Social Media Use Compromise the Security of Your Home?