Different Methods for Choosing Color Schemes in Web Design

One of the most challenging aspects of design for many web designers is color selection. The color scheme of a site can have a huge impact on the overall look of the site, and it will have an impact on visitors as well. There are a number of different methods that can be used for finding the right color scheme for a particular project, and in this post we will look at several of those methods. Throughout the post you will find links to helpful resources that you may appreciate.

Win 1,000 Free Business Cards from PrintRunner

PrintRunner has offered to give 1,000 business cards each to 5 readers of Vandelay Design! PrintRunner offers a wide variety of printing services including business cards, brochures, flyers, posters.

Best of September 2009 from Our Network of Sites

Since we have a number of different websites that publish on web design-related topics, I thought it would be beneficial to do a monthly roundup to showcase the best of the month. In this post you’ll find links to a few posts from Vandelay Design and from DesignM.ag, as well as a selection of some of the best items that were published in September at our gallery sites.

From DesignM.ag in September:

There have been 15 posts published at DesignM.ag in September. Here are four of the most popular.

15 Tips for Breaking in as a Part-Time Freelancer

Approaches to Showcasing Work in Your Portfolio Site

The examples in the post show a variety of different ways to show off your best work. Many are using JavaScript, jQuery sliders are especially popular right now. Others will make use of Flash, and some will use only CSS and HTML.

Electricurrent

Electricurrent’s portfolio includes a list of clients. Click on one of them and you will see some images from the project, along with a brief description and a link to the live site. The list of clients remains so you can quickly move through several clients without going back and forth.

Envato Marketplaces Get Re-Designed, Plus Envato Credit Giveaway

The popular Envato marketplaces (ThemeForest, GraphicRiver, FlashDen, AudioJungle, VideoHive) just got a fresh re-design, and to celebrate Envato has offered to give away $20 in free credits to five readers of Vandelay Design.

25 of the Best Websites of Bands and Musicians

Websites from various types of entertainment-related industries can often be a source of design inspiration. Bands and musicians need to have a website that is attractive to visitors and provides all of the necessary information that fans will want to find. In this post we’ll feature 25 websites for your design inspiration. Also, please see 35 Inspirational Websites Designs from the Music Industry.

Chris Cornell

45 Tutorials for Learning Pixelmator

Pixelmator is a popular image editor for Mac OS X. While Photoshop is the industry standard, Pixelmator has a lot to offer for Mac users. In this post we’ll feature 45 tutorials for using Pixelmator, including a number of video tutorials. Some of the tutorials are rather basic and will help you to get familiar with the interface and tools, and others teach specific techniques. You may notice that some of these tutorials are re-makes of popular Photoshop tutorials, except this time showing how to create the same end result in Pixelmator.

80’s Style Text Effect in Pixelmator

27 New and Fresh Illustrator Tutorials

If you’re interested in learning some new tricks and improving your skills in Adobe Illustrator, there are plenty of great tutorials out there that will lead you through the process. In this post we’ll feature some of the best Illustrator tutorials that have been published within the past few months. For more Illustrator tutorials, see the following posts from our archives:

• 30 Text Effect Tutorials for Adobe Illustrator
• 40 Tutorials for Working with Shapes in Illustrator
• 25 Tutorials for Using Illustrator and Photoshop Together for Outstanding Results

Create a Character Mascot with Adobe Illustrator CS4

60+ Helpful Resources for Portfolio Design

One of the most important things a designer can do for his or her business is to create an attractive portfolio site that communicates effectively with visitors and draws in potential clients. In this post we will look at various resources and articles that can help you to create the right portfolio site for you. We will look at several sources of portfolio design inspiration, tutorials that will lead you through the process of designing a portfolio, scripts that can be used, helpful articles and tips for portfolio design, and WordPress themes and HTML/CSS templates.

1. Inspiration for Portfolio Design:

Checking out examples of creative, effective portfolio sites from other designers can help to give you some ideas that you may be able to use in the design of your own portfolio. While many web design/CSS galleries include a lot of portfolio sites, there are some galleries that are focused exclusively on showcasing well-designed portfolios.

Folio Focus

Practical Tips for Taking Design Inspiration without Copying

Designers of all kinds rely on inspiration for their work in order to achieve their best results. Inspiration can come from just about anywhere, but for web designers who are online virtually all day it frequently comes from gallery sites, design blogs, or just websites that you come across in other ways. The amount of inspiration of this kind that is available can be a huge help when you are struggling with a project of your own, but one challenge that designers face is how to put that inspiration into practice while still creating something unique and of quality.

There are ways to take advantage of the inspirational work that is available from other designers and use it to create something of your own, and in this article we’ll look at the subject in detail.