Alright so it might be a little nerdy to dedicate an entire post to a pencil…but I’m doing it anyway. The Sharpie Liquid Pencil is no ordinary pencil: it’s more pencil/pen/sharpie transformer than your regular No. 2. While I haven’t been able to pick one up yet (I checked our Office Max this week but they didn’t have any), they are available on Amazon for $3.92 each or at Office Depot for $4.99 for a pack of two.

The idea is that the liquid graphite in the pencil can be erased like a normal pencil, but after a few days the ink becomes permanent. According to Sharpie, this new tool writes as smooth as a pen, eliminating troublesome broken pencil lead for good. This reviews are mixed so far, but I would give it a chance- especially for someone like my husband who uses a pencil often but would benefit from the longevity of a pen. Sharpie may have some kinks to work out, but it sounds like a great concept.

Check back soon for an update once I get my hands on one and give it a try!

While I do indeed have a few posts lined up to further your web design eduction and entertainment, dear readers, I thought I’d take a moment to ask what you want to read about.

Are you having trouble grasping the concept behind CSS? Does your website need an update, but you don’t know where to start? Would you like step-by-step instructions on a certain task, or a run down of my daily schedule? Now’s your chance to step right up and ask. Don’t be shy! Send me an email, leave me a comment, write on my wall, whatever your preferred method of communication may be. Just let me know if there are any topics you would like to learn more about, and I will do my best to accommodate your needs.

Stay tuned for a great new tool in tomorrow’s Friday Finds post. As always, thanks for reading!

This week I have a quick source of inspiration for you: The Inspiration Blog. Created by the designers at Circlebox Creative, it is a collection of design round-ups and showcases. The site features a variety of motivating artwork, including “all things visually pleasing and inspirational.” No matter what creative industry you’re in (or if you’re not a creative but are needing some visual stimulation anyway), the site features graphic design, illustration, photography, interior design, architecture and of course, web design related posts. It’s a great resource when you’re feeling stuck and need a quick jump-start to get going again at work.

Here are some other collections of inspiring work:

CSS Mania- Declared “the largest CSS showcase in the world,” this site features well-designed websites in all industries.

CSS Zen Garden- This site shows the incredible benefits of using CSS coding to create websites all over the creative spectrum.

Zurb Playground- “A showcase of creative experiments and new ideas,” this site offers tools for creating awesome designs.

Dribbble- “Show and tell for designers.” This is a site where designers can upload their latest and greatest work, for others to view and comment on.

What inspires you when you hit a road block? Feel free to share in the comments below. Check out some of these sites this weekend and get inspired for a great work week starting Monday!

The above image is the new GetCreative 404 page. The page includes a number of elements that should be included in an error page for the convenience of your viewers. Since not all web users are familiar with the ‘404′ terminology, it should be obvious right away that the page reached is an error page. In our case, the big ‘Whoops!’ says it all. An appropriate visual image or drawing can help to make light of the situation, while still acknowledging the inconvenience caused to your website users. Finally, it is important to address why a person has landed at this page and how to proceed. You should avoid placing blame on the user, and instead offer a few explanations for the error. If your site has a search bar it would be wise to include it on this page to help the user find what they’re looking for. Otherwise, direct viewers to use a navigation bar or sitemap to get back on track. It is important that visitors feel welcomed and encouraged to continue using your site, so that they do not take their browsing elsewhere.

You can be as intricate or as simple as you want in your 404 page design, just be sure that it is an accurate reflection of your site. For some creative examples, view this round up of custom 404 designs. No matter how great your error page is, though, eliminating errors that users may encounter while browsing your site should always be the priority. If you know of external links that are outdated and broken, be sure to contact the appropriate webmaster to have those links updated. Of course the same goes for your own site; if you change the name of a page or update a photo then links should be adjusted accordingly.

Once you complete your 404 page design, it is time to upload it to your server. Name your 404 page ‘notfound.html’. Then, access your hosting server and find the .htaccess file. If none exists, create one. (Be careful to name the file ‘.htaccess’, not htaccess.txt or htaccess.html.) The .htaccess file can be opened in a text editor or in Dreamweaver; once you have access to the file add the following line of code: ‘ErrorDocument 404 /notfound.html’. Save and upload your .htaccess file as well as the notfound.html page and you’re done! If you have trouble accessing the .htaccess file on your hosting account, this page has helpful information for further instruction.

As always, leave a comment or send an email with any questions and we are happy to help. Or, GetCreative can create a custom 404 page for you that integrates seamlessly into your site- just contact us to get started.

Web maintenance professionals are not the only one that this tool applies to: any business owner with a website will tell you that good things cannot happen when a website is down. So, before you make a panicked call to your web master at 11 pm, double and triple check your site against these sources to see if there is indeed a significant problem. Otherwise, make that alarming late-night call to your computer tech instead.

A positive effect of the temporary error was a reminder to check up on my server and hosting account to make sure everything was in order. It is a good idea, errors or no, to be aware of your bandwidth and data usage statistics to prevent real server issues before they occur.

So check your site(s) and then- relax, enjoy your weekend!

Traditional web icon’s are .ico format, though .jpg , .gif  and .png are widely accepted formats now as well. They are usually 16×16 and 32×32 pixels in size as well as 16- and 32-bit colors, and will be displayed accordingly depending on where they are used. One .ico file can contain multiple size and color formats of the same icon, in the same way a .gif can contain multiple frames.

To include an icon in your site you must first create the .ico file. There are various online applications available, such as Converticon, favicon.cc Generator, and FavIcon from Pics. If  your logo does not translate well to such a small image, it is best to create a simplified version or another basic symbol that represents your company. The icon should be named ‘favicon’, as this is the name recognized by most browsers. You should then add the following line of code to your website inside the <head></head> tag: <link rel=”shortcut icon” href=”favicon.ico”>. The final step is to upload both the icon file and your updated html page to your server. Refresh your browser page and your new icon will appear!

If your site doesn’t have an icon, what are you waiting for? If you have questions or would like help creating your icon, just send us and email.

Since I purchased my wide screen monitor last year, I have become especially appreciative of a good desktop wallpaper. What I’ve realized lately is that I have also become very picky about said wallpapers. As someone who spends almost the entire workday in front of my computer, it is important that everything be set up just right. This means that my icons are well placed on the desktop and there are not too many of them. Other than one or two temporary folders or files, everything else has its permanent place in the lineup.

I find that the photos I’m most attracted to as backgrounds are simple yet striking; something relevant and beautiful has the most meaning to me. A busy picture makes my desktop look cluttered, and that just won’t do. I find I have enough going on already with my 8+ open browser tabs and a minimum of 6 applications or folders in the task bar. So when I minimize it all to the desktop I want need a refreshing and visually pleasing image to greet me.

With that said, I have a collection of photos that I rotate in and out as my own computer backgrounds. I add to the folder on occasion, sometimes with my own photos and sometimes not. I have decided to share the love, in case any of you readers have similar desktop background issues. Or maybe you just like pretty pictures. Either way, today you can download a free collection of Summer desktop background images. I choose my backgrounds based on the season, and so that is how I have divided these pictures. I’ll post the next set of backgrounds in early Fall. There are three sizes available, so pick your resolution from the list below and enjoy!

The images in this post are the three included images, and here are the download links:

1024×768 : : 1280×1024 : : 1680×1050

In the Watch Movies section you can view featured videos by xtranormal, as well as the most recent and most popular user created videos. There is also a Desktop option to avoid the sometimes overwhelmed server issues. Xtranormal is a quick and fun distraction that could also be used as a business tool. Want to join the YouTube craze but are a little camera shy? This site is a great way to do so for cheap. Plus, you can avoid novice camera shaking and other less-than-desirable traits customary of new video producers. If you find yourself escaping the heat indoors this weekend, head over to xtranormal and try your hand at creating videos. Happy Friday!

A valuable aspect of your website is how well people respond to the site and remember it later. One of the best ways to distinguish how well your site accomplishes these important attributes and more is a critique. While it is great to have your mom, significant other and BFF take a look at your site and provide feedback, it is unlikely that any of your favorite people will be as honest and free with their critique as a total stranger. Not to mention, it is likely that those closest to you have inside knowledge about your company and/or website and will view the site with a well-intentioned but unavoidably biased eye. Lucky for us, there are a number of websites that offer solutions to this dilemma.

1. Please Critique Me

Pleasecritiqueme.com is a site run by a team of designers in North Carolina. They began critiquing sites via Twitter, but the 140 character limit soon became cumbersome and lead them to create this site. The designers have put together a careful list of critique guidelines, and each critique is made public on their blog. The critiques themselves are very well thought out and helpful; each one offers both positive feedback and constructive criticism, as well as any first impressions or general notes about the site. In addition to website critiques, Please Critique Me offers reviews of print designs as well.

2. Five Second Test

Fivesecondtest.com offers “simple usability tests that help you measure the effectiveness of your designs.” The concept is simple and effective; when you visit the site you can make either a memory test or a click test. In a memory test the subject will spend five seconds viewing a screenshot of your design and when time is up write down five things that they remember. With a click test the subject will have five seconds to click on different areas of the site and when time is up label each area that they clicked on. Non-paying visitors to the site can receive up to five responses to each test. There are varying payment options as well, which allow you to see more results from your test.

In addition to creating tests with your designs, you can also earn ‘karma points’ by taking others’ tests. Karma points allow you to view more results on your own tests. Want to see the site in action? Take our test here! There is also a sister site to fivesecondtest.com, Navflow. Navflow.com “helps you improve your conversion rates by analysing how people navigate around your websites and applications.” Both sites are great resources for designers and business owners who want to see how their sites are perceived by others.

*Note: According to Angry Monkeys, the creators of fivesecondtest.com and navflow.com, significant changes to the two sites will be occurring at the end of July. Check out their blog for more info.

3. Not Pixel Perfect Yet

Not pixel perfect yet is a group of web designers from Czechoslovakia who have created a Facebook page where they conduct public website reviews. You simply submit your site via email and if chosen, the team will review your design and post their critique on the Facebook page. The advantage to this method of critique is the presence of not only the Czech team of web designers, but any other Facebook users who frequent the page as well. Community discussion can be a valuable tool when seeking an accurate perception of your design.

*Note: An obvious limitation here for those of us not well-versed in Czech is the language barrier. However Google Translate or the Chrome web browser will quickly eliminate this issue.

Constructive criticism and feedback are vital aspects of creating a well received and easy to use design. In addition to receiving helpful advice, critiquing others is also a great way to learn how you can improve your own work. This article cites several elements of a successful critique, including what not to do when providing feedback. By navigating and understanding the work of others, you can learn to look at your own designs with more objectivity and obtain a better understanding of your viewers’ experience.

In addition to full-service web design, GetCreative also offers graphic and print design services. We offer these supplementary services in an effort to provide businesses with marketing materials that are consistent and effective. When your logo, your business card and your website are all coordinating in design it shows your clients that you are both reliable and dependable, creating feelings of trust and confidence in your abilities.

Below is a sampling of business cards created for our clients at GetCreative. Where applicable, click the company name to see how the business card and website coordinate.

Rose & Clay Café

People’s Blues of Richmond

PAC-Technologies

Quality Calibrations, Inc.

PBJ Resources

For more information about business cards or other print designs (flyers, brochures, stickers, etc.), please contact us.