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	<title>Vandelay Design Blog</title>
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	<description>Web Design and Development Blog</description>
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		<title>30 Unique Business Cards</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/30-unique-business-cards/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/30-unique-business-cards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:39:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Galleries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business card]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4108</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Unique business cards can help you to stand out to potential clients. Being more memorable will often result in being more likely to get hired. Fortunately, there are all kinds of possibilities to create unique business cards. In this post we'll showcase 30 examples for your own inspiration.

<p class="clear"><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/popup-business-cards">Popup Business Cards</a></strong></p>

<a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/popup-business-cards"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-11.jpg" alt="Popup Business Cards" width="500" height="301" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p>Unique business cards can help you to stand out to potential clients. Being more memorable will often result in being more likely to get hired. Fortunately, there are all kinds of possibilities to create unique business cards. In this post we&#8217;ll showcase 30 examples for your own inspiration.</p>
<p class="clear"><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/popup-business-cards">Popup Business Cards</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/popup-business-cards"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-11.jpg" alt="Popup Business Cards" width="500" height="301" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/qr-code-business-card">QR Code Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/qr-code-business-card"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-1.jpg" alt="QR Code Business Card" width="500" height="339" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/tie-shaped-business-card">Tie-Shaped Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/tie-shaped-business-card"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-2.jpg" alt="Tie-Shaped Business Card" width="500" height="476" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/drink-me-creative">Drink Me Creative</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/drink-me-creative"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-3.jpg" alt="Drink Me Creative" width="500" height="1176" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/optometrist-business-card">Optometrist Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/optometrist-business-card"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-4.jpg" alt="Optometrist Business Card" width="500" height="714" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/tam-cargo-design">TAM Cargo</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/tam-cargo-design"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-5.jpg" alt="TAM Cargo" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/paper-doll-design">Paper Doll Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/paper-doll-design"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-6.jpg" alt="Paper Doll Business Card" width="500" height="341" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/business-card-bird">Business Card Bird</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/business-card-bird"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-7.jpg" alt="Business Card Bird" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/3d-business-card">3D Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/3d-business-card"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-8.jpg" alt="3D Business Card" width="500" height="294" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/plexiglass-business-cards">Plexiglass Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/plexiglass-business-cards"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-9.jpg" alt="Plexiglass Business Card" width="500" height="396" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/dog-treat-cards">Dog Treat Business Cards</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/dog-treat-cards"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-10.jpg" alt="Dog Treat Business Cards" width="500" height="261" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/razors-edge-business-card">Razor&#8217;s Edge Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/razors-edge-business-card"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-12.jpg" alt="Razor's Edge Business Card" width="510" height="307" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/pirate-treasure-card">Pirate Treasure Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/pirate-treasure-card"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-13.jpg" alt="Pirate Treasure Card" width="430" height="317" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/money-business-card">Money Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/money-business-card"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-14.jpg" alt="Money Business Card" width="500" height="312" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/disguise_the_unworthy">Disguise the Unworthy</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/disguise_the_unworthy"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-15.jpg" alt="Disguise the Unworthy" width="500" height="370" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/marianne-lock">Marianne Lock</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/marianne-lock"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-16.jpg" alt="Marianne Lock" width="500" height="375" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/smiling_surface">Smiling Surface</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/smiling_surface"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-17.jpg" alt="Smiling Surface" width="500" height="362" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/macomix">Macomix</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/macomix"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-18.jpg" alt="Macomix" width="500" height="350" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/megan_harrigan">Megan Harrigan</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/megan_harrigan"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-19.jpg" alt="Megan Harrigan" width="500" height="557" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/katie_evans">Katie Evans</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/katie_evans"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-20.jpg" alt="Katie Evans" width="500" height="352" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/appware">AppWare</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/appware"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-21.jpg" alt="AppWare" width="500" height="332" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/laptop-business-card">Laptop Business Card</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cardobserver.com/gallery/laptop-business-card"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-22.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="323" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/dr_federico_alvarez">Dr. Federico Alvarez</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/dr_federico_alvarez"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-23.jpg" alt="Dr. Federico Alvarez" width="500" height="334" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/danielle_abisaab">Danielle Abisaab</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/danielle_abisaab"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-24.jpg" alt="Danielle Abisaab" width="500" height="633" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/credit_counselling_society">Credit Counselling Society</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/credit_counselling_society"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-25.jpg" alt="Credit Counselling Society" width="500" height="338" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/common">Common</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/common"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-26.jpg" alt="Common" width="500" height="667" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/wake_up_your_body">Wake Up Your Body</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/wake_up_your_body"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-27.jpg" alt="Wake Up Your Body" width="500" height="320" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/asterix">Asterix</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/asterix"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-28.jpg" alt="Asterix" width="500" height="341" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/dylan_dylanco">Dylan Dylanco</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/dylan_dylanco"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-29.jpg" alt="Dylan Dylanco" width="500" height="335" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/franco_caligiuri">Franco Caligiuri</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/franco_caligiuri"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/unique-card-30.jpg" alt="Franco Caligiuri" width="500" height="566" /></a></p>
<p>For more inspiration please see:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/marketing/die-cut-business-cards/">Die Cut Business Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/marketing/letterpress-business-cards/">Letterpress Business Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/marketing/double-sided-business-cards/">Double Sided Business Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/marketing/embossed-business-cards/">Embossed Business Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/marketing/business-card-templates/">Business Card Templates</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/premium-quality-design-resources/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/vp-300.jpg" alt="Royalty-Free Graphics" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Comment to Win a Free Item of Your Choice from MightyDeals!</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/site-news/mightydeals/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/site-news/mightydeals/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:17:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Site News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4118</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our friends at <a href="http://www.mightydeals.com/">MightyDeals</a> have offered to give a free item to 5 lucky readers of the Vandelay Design blog!

<a href="http://www.mightydeals.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/mightydeals1.jpg" alt="MightyDeals" width="600" height="359" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p>Our friends at <a href="http://www.mightydeals.com/">MightyDeals</a> have offered to give a free item to 5 lucky readers of the Vandelay Design blog!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mightydeals.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/mightydeals1.jpg" alt="MightyDeals" width="600" height="359" /></a></p>
<p>MightyDeals is great resource for designers and developers who like to save money (and who doesn&#8217;t?). They offer amazing limited time discounts on a wide range of popular products, and they even give <a href="http://www.mightydeals.com/free_stuff">freebies</a> from their site on occasion.</p>
<p>In addition to the several new deals that are released each week, MightyDeals also keeps some of the more popular deals on for a longer period of time. So at any point in time they probably have around 10 offers going on at once, most of which will have a savings from 25% &#8211; 80%.</p>
<p>Each time a new deal is released, which is almost every day, MightyDeals sends out a notification to their mailing list. So if you want to make sure you never miss a great deal, we recommend going to their site and subscribing.</p>
<h3>The Giveaway Details:</h3>
<p>Winners of this contest will get their choice of the <a href="http://www.mightydeals.com/all_deals">items currently offered at MightyDeals</a> at the time of this post. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post stating which item you would like if you were to win. On Tuesday, February 14th the winners will be selected at random. At that time this post will be updated to announce the winners, and the winners will be contacted by email.</p>
<p>The current deals are listed below.</p>
<p><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.mightydeals.com/external/embedAllDeals?refID=c705a6"></script>
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/premium-quality-design-resources/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/vp-300.jpg" alt="Royalty-Free Graphics" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>38</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>25 Websites with Awesome Backgrounds</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/awesome-backgrounds/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/awesome-backgrounds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:08:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Galleries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4062</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In recent years the use of large background photos and illustrations has become increasingly common in web design. In some cases the background image is the most distinct feature of the design. 

There are all kinds of different backgrounds that can be used, like nature photos, nature illustrations, and abstract designs. In this post we'll showcase 25 websites with impressive backgrounds that really make the sites stand out. If you're looking to make a website or a design memorable, a large background may be a good option.

<strong><a href="http://www.msichicago.org/">Museum of Science and Industry</a></strong>

<a href="http://www.msichicago.org/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-16.jpg" alt="Museum of Science and Industry" width="600" height="320" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p>In recent years the use of large background photos and illustrations has become increasingly common in web design. In some cases the background image is the most distinct feature of the design.</p>
<p>There are all kinds of different backgrounds that can be used, like nature photos, nature illustrations, and abstract designs. In this post we&#8217;ll showcase 25 websites with impressive backgrounds that really make the sites stand out. If you&#8217;re looking to make a website or a design memorable, a large background may be a good option.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.msichicago.org/">Museum of Science and Industry</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.msichicago.org/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-16.jpg" alt="Museum of Science and Industry" width="600" height="320" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.studio7designs.com/">Studio 7 Designs</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.studio7designs.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-1.jpg" alt="Studio 7 Designs" width="600" height="368" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://liftux.com/">Lift</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://liftux.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-2.jpg" alt="Lift" width="600" height="352" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://365daysofastronomy.org/">365 Days of Astronomy</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://365daysofastronomy.org/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-3.jpg" alt="365 Days of Astronomy" width="600" height="349" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://ecoki.com/iphone/">Ecoki iPhone Reader</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://ecoki.com/iphone/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-4.jpg" alt="Ecoki iPhone Reader" width="600" height="337" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://priid.com/">Priid</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://priid.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-5.jpg" alt="Priid" width="600" height="349" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.rays-lab.com/#!about">Ray&#8217;s Lab</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.rays-lab.com/#!about"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-6.jpg" alt="Ray's Lab" width="600" height="313" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://shipmentapp.com/">Shipment App</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://shipmentapp.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-7.jpg" alt="Shipment App" width="600" height="303" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.nandayjuandiego.com/">Nanda &amp; Juan Diego</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nandayjuandiego.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-8.jpg" alt="Nanda &amp; Juan Diego" width="600" height="349" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://smallstudio.com.au/">Small Studio</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://smallstudio.com.au/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-9.jpg" alt="Small Studio" width="600" height="325" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.wellsriley.com/">Wells Riley</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.wellsriley.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-10.jpg" alt="Wells Riley" width="600" height="344" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.thekennedys.nl/">The Kennedys</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.thekennedys.nl/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-11.jpg" alt="The Kennedys" width="600" height="352" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://yvanrodic.com/">Yvan Rodic</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://yvanrodic.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-12.jpg" alt="Yvan Rodic" width="600" height="302" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.moodsofnorway.com/">Moods of Norway</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.moodsofnorway.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-13.jpg" alt="Moods of Norway" width="600" height="329" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://inserviowebsolutions.co.uk/">Inservio Web Solutions</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://inserviowebsolutions.co.uk/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-14.jpg" alt="Inservio Web Solutions" width="600" height="348" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://esbueno.noahstokes.com/">Noah Stokes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://esbueno.noahstokes.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-15.jpg" alt="Noah Stokes" width="600" height="334" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.flemingsteele.com/">Fleming Steele</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flemingsteele.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-17.jpg" alt="Fleming Steele" width="600" height="334" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.digitalove.com.au/">Digital Love</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.digitalove.com.au/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-18.jpg" alt="Digital Love" width="600" height="329" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://centrogenesis.com/">Centro Genesis</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://centrogenesis.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-19.jpg" alt="Centro Genesis" width="600" height="307" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://stephan-siegrist.ch/de/home">Stephan Siegrist</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://stephan-siegrist.ch/de/home"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-20.jpg" alt="Stephan Siegrist" width="600" height="310" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/">Grand Canyon Skywalk</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-21.jpg" alt="Grand Canyon Skywalk" width="600" height="307" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.eastpoint.org/">Eastpoint Community Church</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.eastpoint.org/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-22.jpg" alt="Eastpoint Community Church" width="600" height="340" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://havanabar.co.nz/">Havana Bar</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://havanabar.co.nz/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-23.jpg" alt="Havana Bar" width="600" height="318" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.experiencewyndham.com.au/">Experience Wyndham</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.experiencewyndham.com.au/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-24.jpg" alt="Experience Wyndham" width="600" height="321" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://dc2009.drupalcon.org/">Drupalcon DC</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://dc2009.drupalcon.org/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/awesome-bgs-25.jpg" alt="Drupalcon DC" width="600" height="313" /></a></p>
<p>For more <a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/category/galleries/">design inspiration</a> please see:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/blog-design-showcase/">Blog Design Showcase</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/portfolios/">Portfolio Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/higher-education/">College and University Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/real-estate-websites/">Real Estate Websites</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/premium-quality-design-resources/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/vp-300.jpg" alt="Royalty-Free Graphics" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Pros and Cons of Outsourcing</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/business/pros-and-cons-of-outsourcing/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/business/pros-and-cons-of-outsourcing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:08:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4068</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Running a design business, either as a freelancer or a small agency, is a big challenge. Getting the most efficiency out of your time is essential, but it's also very difficult for those who wear many different hats, like freelancers. One of the most common ways of dealing with this challenge for efficiency is to outsource work to others. It could be anything from design work, front-end development, back-end development, marketing, to anything else that needs to be done.

There are some very strong reasons for outsourcing, and likewise the are some equally strong reasons against outsourcing. In this article we'll look at those pros and cons, which will hopefully prove to be helpful to those who are trying to decide on whether or not to outsource.
<h3>Pros of Outsourcing</h3>
<h4>1. Leverage Your Efforts</h4>
Whether you are a part-time freelancer, full-time freelancer, or you run a design agency, the business aspect of your work is just as critical to your success as is your ability to design and/or code. One of the principles that is key to growing a business is that you need to be able to leverage your time and efforts. As a one-man operation you will only be able to earn money for the services that you can provide to clients yourself. But by expanding your business, in this case through outsourcing, you can leverage your efforts and make money based on the work of other people as well.

This makes an assumption that one of your priorities is to maximize income and profits, which may not be the case with all designers. Some designers prefer working on every aspect of client projects rather than outsourcing or hiring employees, even if it means reduced potential for business growth.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p>Running a design business, either as a freelancer or a small agency, is a big challenge. Getting the most efficiency out of your time is essential, but it&#8217;s also very difficult for those who wear many different hats, like freelancers. One of the most common ways of dealing with this challenge for efficiency is to outsource work to others. It could be anything from design work, front-end development, back-end development, marketing, to anything else that needs to be done.</p>
<p>There are some very strong reasons for outsourcing, and likewise the are some equally strong reasons against outsourcing. In this article we&#8217;ll look at those pros and cons, which will hopefully prove to be helpful to those who are trying to decide on whether or not to outsource.</p>
<h3>Pros of Outsourcing</h3>
<h4>1. Leverage Your Efforts</h4>
<p>Whether you are a part-time freelancer, full-time freelancer, or you run a design agency, the business aspect of your work is just as critical to your success as is your ability to design and/or code. One of the principles that is key to growing a business is that you need to be able to leverage your time and efforts. As a one-man operation you will only be able to earn money for the services that you can provide to clients yourself. But by expanding your business, in this case through outsourcing, you can leverage your efforts and make money based on the work of other people as well.</p>
<p>This makes an assumption that one of your priorities is to maximize income and profits, which may not be the case with all designers. Some designers prefer working on every aspect of client projects rather than outsourcing or hiring employees, even if it means reduced potential for business growth.</p>
<h4>2. Potential for Higher Income</h4>
<p>By leveraging your efforts through outsourcing you are able to increase the potential income of your business. If you outsource projects, or portions of projects, efficiently you will be able to take on more projects or larger-scale projects. Also, your income potential can be increased if the cost of outsourcing the work to someone else is lower than what it would cost you (in terms of the value of your time) to do the work yourself.</p>
<p>While outsourcing work to others may increase your expenses, it also frees up more time for you to do other things, which should allow you to increase your income. Maybe the time that you save can be used to work on marketing your services, other client projects, developing new products and services, or administrative work related to running the business.</p>
<h4>3. Increased Efficiency</h4>
<p>Like any business owner, you will never have the time to do everything that you want or need for your business. However, outsourcing some work can help to free up time that will allow you to focus on the things that you determine are most important. The increase in efficiency comes when you are able to spend a little bit of money (comparatively) that will free you up to do work that will help you to make a lot of money (comparatively).</p>
<p>In addition to freeing up time for other work, you can also choose to work fewer hours and use that time that you gain from increased efficiency for time away from work. Most freelancers and self-employed designers work long hours, sometimes by choice and sometimes not by choice. If you&#8217;re looking at ways to reduce your hours and spend more time with family and friends, outsourcing is a possibility.</p>
<h4>4. Allows You to Focus on Your Strengths</h4>
<p>One of the downsides to being a freelancer is that you have to do everything for your business, whether it is an area of personal strength or weakness. By outsourcing some work that is not in your strongest areas you can free up more time to work on the things that you love, and in areas that you excel. Some freelancers choose to hire virtual assistants to handle as much of the administrative work as possible, freeing them up for more creative work. Some designers may not be as adept at coding and may choose to outsource development services while focusing on the visual design instead.</p>
<p>Even if outsourcing doesn&#8217;t increase your income, if it helps to make your work more enjoyable by eliminating or reducing some of the things you dislike, it may be worth doing.</p>
<h4>5. Turn Away Fewer Clients</h4>
<p>Many freelancers and small design agencies wind up turning away a lot of potential clients for any number of reasons. It could be a lack of time to work with all the potential clients, lack of experience or skill in a particular area, lack of desire to work on a certain type of project, or a client whose budget is too small. All of these issues can possibly be addressed by outsourcing, meaning that you could provide a solution to more clients, even if you are not doing all of the work yourself.</p>
<p>Turning away fewer clients also means that you&#8217;ll have more paying clients. If you can manage to outsource projects efficiently and effectively, it can result in a higher income, even if it is from projects that you wouldn&#8217;t want to accept without the possibility of outsourcing the work.</p>
<h4>6. Segmenting Projects is Possible</h4>
<p>Outsourcing work doesn&#8217;t mean that you have to outsource the entire project. Especially when it comes to web design, there are opportunities and possibilities for outsourcing a particular segment of the project. An example that many freelancers do is outsourcing of coding work. There are countless <a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/psd-to-html-services/">PSD to HTML</a> service providers who are able and willing to take your designs and turn them into working, coded pages. The price varies from one provider to the next, but in many cases you could get the coding work done for much less than if you did the work yourself (in terms of the value of your time). It&#8217;s not ideal for all situations, but many designers find it to increase their efficiency. In this case you would still be dealing with the client directly and you would be doing most of the work on the project yourself, you would simply outsource one aspect of the project.</p>
<h4>7. Transition from Freelance to Agency</h4>
<p>If you are currently freelancing and you would like to run a design agency with employees at some point in the future, outsourcing can help with the transition. Very few freelancers or independent designers have the financial capability to take on an employee with a set salary and benefits without funding, but outsourcing work is much more feasible. While outsourcing you can get a feel for who you might like to hire as an employee when the time comes, and you can work to increase revenues and build the business to a point where you could hire an employee.</p>
<h3>Cons of Outsourcing</h3>
<h4>1. Your Reputation Depends on the Quality of Others&#8217; Work</h4>
<p>When you are outsourcing part or all of a client project, the client may or may not be aware of it. Either way, your reputation is at stake. One of the most significant reasons that designers choose not to outsource is because of concerns over the quality. There are plenty of people that you could outsource to who would do a great job for you and your clients, but there are also others that wouldn&#8217;t live up to your expected level of quality. Finding the right people to work with is not always easy.</p>
<p>If you outsource work and the project doesn&#8217;t meet the deadline or doesn&#8217;t turn out as the client had expected, your reputation can take a hit. This is especially true in situations where the client doesn&#8217;t know that you are actually outsourcing, because they will think it is your own work that is lacking. Even if the client does know that you are outsourcing, they are trusting you to manage and oversee the project, in which case you are still responsible for the results.</p>
<h4>2. More Administration and Oversight Work</h4>
<p>While outsourcing can help to free up some of your time, it also means that you&#8217;ll have more administrative and oversight responsibilities. This includes paying invoices and added financial record keeping, finding and interviewing the right people, communication, and in some cases supervising progress. Ideally you can find people who need very little supervision whom you can trust to do quality work, but those relationships usually take some time to develop.</p>
<h4>3. Can Make You a Middleman in Communication with the Client</h4>
<p>In most cases, when you are outsourcing work you will still want to be in direct communication with the client, which means that you will be a middleman of sorts. Communication becomes more challenging when layers are added, so it becomes even more critical in this situation. You may be gathering feedback from a client and passing it on to whoever is doing the work, which increases the possibility for miscommunication or misunderstanding. Additionally, it means that you&#8217;ll still be dedicating time and effort to the communication rather than being able to pass it off to someone else.</p>
<p>In some cases you may be able to have the client and the service provider communicate directly, but this is not always possible or practical.</p>
<h4>4. Reduced Control Over Meeting Deadlines</h4>
<p>Being able to meet deadlines is a critical to keeping your clients happy. As you outsource parts of the project, or the whole thing, you will have less control over when the work is complete, as you will be relying on the person that you have hired. This is just one of the reasons why you need to be very careful about hiring the right person. Also, it&#8217;s a good idea to build in some time for unexpected delays by setting a deadline for the service provider that is at least a few days prior to the real deadline of the client. That gives you time to review the work and to deal with any setbacks.</p>
<h4>5. It Takes Time and Effort to Find the Right People</h4>
<p>Outsourcing is, of course, most effective when you are working with the right people. Ideally, you&#8217;ll have qualified service providers that you can work with on an on-going basis rather than needing to find someone specifically for each project. Outsourcing becomes a lot more practical, efficient, and profitable when you already have the right person for the job.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, finding the right person (or people) can be a real challenge, and you may go through some bad experiences along the way. During this time it means that you&#8217;ll be dedicating extra time for finding the right people and evaluating their work. At this stage you may find that outsourcing actually takes just as much time as doing the work yourself. The upside, of course, is that once you&#8217;ve found the right people it takes much less of your own time and becomes more profitable.</p>
<h4>6. Potential Instability of Your Team</h4>
<p>The challenge doesn&#8217;t stop with just finding the right people. You&#8217;ll also have to keep them as a part of your team once you have found them. With outsourcing, you may be working with different people all the time. When you&#8217;ve found someone that is good to work with, they may move on to a different path in their career and you may have to find a replacement. There is often less stability and more turnover than you would have if you were hiring an employee.</p>
<h4>7. Clients May Not Be On Board</h4>
<p>Some of your clients may have chosen to hire you because they are familiar with your work and they really felt that you would be great for their project. In situations like this, the client will want to work with you, not with someone to whom you are outsourcing the work. Of course, there may be parts of the project that you could outsource without having any real impact on the client, and they may not even know about it, but it&#8217;s still something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>As a general rule, if you build your brand around your personal skills, expertise, and experience, outsourcing work may seem deceptive to clients. This will also depend on what parts of the project you are outsourcing. As a designer, you will be hired for your creative abilities, so outsourcing the visual design would more be more likely to cause conflict than outsourcing coding.</p>
<h3>You Must Decide for Yourself</h3>
<p>As with just about anything in life, the pros and cons mean that there is no absolute right or wrong decision when it comes to outsourcing. You&#8217;ll need to weight the pros and cons and see how they fit with your goals, your process, and your way of doing business. If you have words of wisdom from your own experience, please feel free to share in the comments.
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/premium-quality-design-resources/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/vp-300.jpg" alt="Royalty-Free Graphics" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>15 Amazing Twitter Tools for Increased Productivity</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/social-media/twitter-tools/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/social-media/twitter-tools/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:07:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4054</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Twitter provides designers (and other service providers) with the ability to communicate and network in a way that can be really productive for business. However, spending too much time or not having a specific purpose with social media can become a major drain on your time. There are plenty of tools and resources available that can help you to get more out of Twitter in less time. In this post we'll profile 15 of those efficiency tools for Twitter users.

<em>Connect with us on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/vandelaydesign">@vandelaydesign</a>.</em>

<strong><a href="http://hootsuite.com/">HootSuite</a></strong>
HootSuite allows you to manage multiple social media profiles from one dashboard. It integrates with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare and more. You can schedule tweets to be sent at a specific time in the future, monitor mentions, send and read direct messages, see how many people click on links in your tweets, and more. The features mentioned above are all available on the free plan. A premium plan is also available for $5.99 per month that ads features for teams and provides Google Analytics integration.

<a href="http://hootsuite.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-1.jpg" alt="HootSuite" width="600" height="300" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p>Twitter provides designers (and other service providers) with the ability to communicate and network in a way that can be really productive for business. However, spending too much time or not having a specific purpose with social media can become a major drain on your time. There are plenty of tools and resources available that can help you to get more out of Twitter in less time. In this post we&#8217;ll profile 15 of those efficiency tools for Twitter users.</p>
<p><em>Connect with us on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/vandelaydesign">@vandelaydesign</a>.</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://hootsuite.com/">HootSuite</a></strong><br />
HootSuite allows you to manage multiple social media profiles from one dashboard. It integrates with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare and more. You can schedule tweets to be sent at a specific time in the future, monitor mentions, send and read direct messages, see how many people click on links in your tweets, and more. The features mentioned above are all available on the free plan. A premium plan is also available for $5.99 per month that ads features for teams and provides Google Analytics integration.</p>
<p><a href="http://hootsuite.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-1.jpg" alt="HootSuite" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/">TweetDeck</a></strong><br />
TweetDeck is a popular web app and desktop app. It provides you with customizable columns to view what&#8217;s most important to you, and filters to see the exact content that you need.  Tweets can be scheduled for the future to get the most exposure. You can manage unlimited accounts with this free app.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-2.jpg" alt="TweetDeck" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://bufferapp.com/">Buffer</a></strong><br />
Buffer allows you to add tweets and Facebook posts to your buffer and it will automatically schedule them to be sent out throughout the day. So rather than being on Twitter, of Facebook, all day, you can simply fill up your buffer and let it do the work throughout the day.</p>
<p><a href="http://bufferapp.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-3.jpg" alt="Buffer" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.tweriod.com/">Tweriod</a></strong><br />
Tweriod is a simple, but helpful, tool. It analyzes your tweets and your followers tweets to find the time of day that will give your tweets the most exposure. Knowing this info will allow you to schedule your most important tweets when they will be seen by the most people.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tweriod.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-4.jpg" alt="Tweriod" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://tweepsmap.com/">TweetsMap</a></strong><br />
If you&#8217;re curious about where you Twitter followers are from, TweetsMap will quickly gather and display that data for you.</p>
<p><a href="http://tweepsmap.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-5.jpg" alt="TweetsMap" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://manageflitter.com/">ManageFlitter</a></strong><br />
ManageFlitter is a helpful free tool that will allow you to clean up your Twitter account by finding inactive people that you follow and find users that aren&#8217;t following you back. You can also search within your Twitter stream and link Google+ to your Twitter account.</p>
<p><a href="http://manageflitter.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-6.jpg" alt="ManageFlitter" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://commun.it/">Commun.it</a></strong><br />
Commun.it is an advanced tool that focuses on helping you to manage your community more efficiently. You can see a feed from top influencers and top supports that have engaged with you recently, view all of your engagements with a user in one thread, discover new leads that have shared links to your site, and more.</p>
<p><a href="http://commun.it/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-8.jpg" alt="Commun.it" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://tweepi.com/">Tweepi</a></strong><br />
Tweepi allows you to flush those who haven&#8217;t followed you, reciprocate to those who are following you, unfollow inactive users, and helps you to discover new people. Pricing starts at $7.49 per month with a limited free plan available.</p>
<p><a href="http://tweepi.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-9.jpg" alt="Tweepi" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://marketmesuite.com/">MarketMeSuite</a></strong><br />
MarketMeSuite is a free social media dashboard that includes many features for Twitter users, including managing conversations, managing multiple accounts, schedule tweets, using geo-targeting to find local connections, and much more.</p>
<p><a href="http://marketmesuite.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-10.jpg" alt="MarketMeSuite" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.twilert.com/">Twilert</a></strong><br />
Twilert sends you alerts by email when someone&#8217;s tweet contains your brand name, product name, or any word/phrase that you setup (similar to Google Alerts, but for tweets).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twilert.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-11.jpg" alt="Twilert" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://birdherd.com/">BirdHerd</a></strong><br />
BirdHerd is a Twitter app created specifically for groups and teams. Multiple people can update a single Twitter account with BirdHerd. You can also use whatever Twitter client you want for updating the group account.</p>
<p><a href="http://birdherd.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-12.jpg" alt="BirdHerd" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.grouptweet.com/">GroupTweet</a></strong><br />
GroupTweet is another app for groups and teams. Optionally, tweets can be moderated before being posted if you want to retain full control over the group&#8217;s posts. Like BirdHerd, you can also use any Twitter client with GroupTweet.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.grouptweet.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-13.jpg" alt="GroupTweet" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.twhirl.org/">Twhirl</a></strong><br />
Twhirl is a desktop client that will display notifications  for new messages and tweets. You can use your choice of several URL shorteners, find tweets that mention you, and more.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.twhirl.org/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-14.jpg" alt="Twhirl" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://twtpoll.com/">Twtpoll</a></strong><br />
Twtpoll helps with engaging your followers by allowing you to create polls and surveys.</p>
<p><a href="http://twtpoll.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-15.jpg" alt="Twtpoll" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://dlvr.it/">dlvr.it</a></strong><br />
dlvr.it automatically delivers your blog content to Twitter. You can set up specific times for it to check your blog for new content to share.</p>
<p><a href="http://dlvr.it/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/twitter-tools-16.jpg" alt="dlvr.it" width="600" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>For more social media-related resources and content, please see:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/social-media/facebook-pages/">21 Resources for Effective Facebook Fan Pages</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/social-media/icons/">40 Sets of Free Social Media Icons</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/social-media/stronger-social-media-presence/">5 Steps to a Stronger Social Media Presence</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/premium-quality-design-resources/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/vp-300.jpg" alt="Royalty-Free Graphics" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Design Inspiration: Blog Design Showcase</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/blog-design-showcase/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/blog-design-showcase/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:20:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Galleries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4021</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Creating a quality blog design can be a significant challenge, because the design should add to the usability of the blog and should not overpower the content. Browsing through examples of beautiful blog designs can provide inspiration that can be put to good use in your own design work. In this post we're showcasing 25 outstanding blog designs from various designers for your inspiration.

<strong><a href="http://www.cookiesound.com/blog/">Cookiesound</a></strong>

<a href="http://www.cookiesound.com/blog/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-8.jpg" alt="Cookiesound" width="600" height="369" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p>Creating a quality blog design can be a significant challenge, because the design should add to the usability of the blog and should not overpower the content. Browsing through examples of beautiful blog designs can provide inspiration that can be put to good use in your own design work. In this post we&#8217;re showcasing 25 outstanding blog designs from various designers for your inspiration.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.cookiesound.com/blog/">Cookiesound</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cookiesound.com/blog/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-8.jpg" alt="Cookiesound" width="600" height="369" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.artofattention.com/writings/">Art of Attention</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.artofattention.com/writings/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-10.jpg" alt="Art of Attention" width="600" height="357" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.otherfocus.com/">Other Focus</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.otherfocus.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-1.jpg" alt="Other Focus" width="600" height="357" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.developerdrive.com/">Developer Drive</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.developerdrive.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-2.jpg" alt="Developer Drive" width="600" height="330" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://sachagreif.com/"><strong>Sacha Greif</strong> </a></p>
<p><a href="http://sachagreif.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-3.jpg" alt="Sacha Greif" width="600" height="342" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.inmybubble.org/">In My Bubble</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.inmybubble.org/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-4.jpg" alt="In My Bubble" width="600" height="349" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://discoverpaper.com/">Discover Paper</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://discoverpaper.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-5.jpg" alt="Discover Paper" width="600" height="352" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.ajayu.net/">Ajayu</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.ajayu.net/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-6.jpg" alt="Ajayu" width="600" height="356" /></a></p>
<p><!-- WSA: rules for context 'incontent' did not apply --></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.shopify.com/blog">Shopify</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.shopify.com/blog"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-7.jpg" alt="Shopify" width="600" height="362" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://illustratorslounge.com/">Illustrator&#8217;s Lounge</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://illustratorslounge.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-9.jpg" alt="Illustrator's Lounge" width="600" height="356" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.geekvictoria.com/">Geek Victoria</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.geekvictoria.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-11.jpg" alt="Geek Victoria" width="600" height="345" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://simplebits.com/">SimpleBits</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://simplebits.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-12.jpg" alt="SimpleBits" width="600" height="339" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://be.tomfortmuller.com/">Beyond Emmaus</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://be.tomfortmuller.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-13.jpg" alt="Beyond Emmaus" width="600" height="357" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.missthestars.com/">Miss the Stars</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.missthestars.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-14.jpg" alt="Miss the Stars" width="600" height="338" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.theprettyblog.com/">The Pretty Blog</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.theprettyblog.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-15.jpg" alt="The Pretty Blog" width="600" height="352" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://tf.dtbaker.com.au/template/mommy_blog/index.html">Mommy Blog</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://tf.dtbaker.com.au/template/mommy_blog/index.html"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-16.jpg" alt="Mommy Blog" width="600" height="364" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://bymarina.com.br/">By Marina</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://bymarina.com.br/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-17.jpg" alt="By Marina" width="600" height="357" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://webislove.com/">Web is Love</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://webislove.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-18.jpg" alt="Web is Love" width="600" height="369" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.jannahagan.com/">Janna Hagan</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.jannahagan.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-19.jpg" alt="Janna Hagan" width="600" height="358" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.wouterdebruycker.be/blog/">Wouter De Bruycker</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.wouterdebruycker.be/blog/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-20.jpg" alt="Wouter De Bruycker" width="600" height="363" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.sadieshihtzu.com/">Sadie the Shih Tzu</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sadieshihtzu.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-21.jpg" alt="Sadie the Shih Tzu" width="600" height="371" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://jaymestone.com/">Jayme Stone</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://jaymestone.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-22.jpg" alt="Jayme Stone" width="600" height="349" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.noupe.com/">Noupe</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.noupe.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-23.jpg" alt="Noupe" width="600" height="323" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.fishrestaurantcharleston.com/blog/">Innovative Cuisine</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.fishrestaurantcharleston.com/blog/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-24.jpg" alt="Innovative Cuisine" width="600" height="337" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://beautifultype.net/">Beautiful Type</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://beautifultype.net/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-design-25.jpg" alt="Beautiful Type" width="600" height="352" /></a></p>
<p>For more <a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/category/galleries/">design inspiration</a> please see:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/corporate/">25 Corporate Websites for Design Inspiration</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/beautiful-ecommerce-websites/">25 Beautiful Ecommerce Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/javascript-sliders/">30 Websites Using JavaScript Sliders</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/travel-sites/">30 Outstanding Travel Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/design-agency-websites/">40 Impressive Design Agency Websites</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/premium-quality-design-resources/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/vp-300.jpg" alt="Royalty-Free Graphics" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>20 of the Best jQuery Slideshow Plugins</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/web-development/jquery-slideshow/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/web-development/jquery-slideshow/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:11:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Web Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jquery]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4034</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/web-development/jquery-image-galleries/">jQuery sliders</a>, slideshows, and galleries are extremely common on a variety of different types of websites. Portfolio sites, blogs, e-commerce sites, and about any type of site can make use of a jQuery slideshow. Fortunately, there are a number of great plugins already coded that make it easy to add a slideshow in a matter of minutes. Each one offers different features and has it's own style. In this post we'll showcase 20 jQuery plugins that you may want to use for adding a slideshow in your own projects.

<strong><a href="http://slidesjs.com/">Slides</a></strong>
Slides is a jQuery slideshow plugin built for simplicity.Features include captions, multiple slideshows, and more.

<a href="http://slidesjs.com/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-3.jpg" alt="Slides" width="575" height="284" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/web-development/jquery-image-galleries/">jQuery sliders</a>, slideshows, and galleries are extremely common on a variety of different types of websites. Portfolio sites, blogs, e-commerce sites, and about any type of site can make use of a jQuery slideshow. Fortunately, there are a number of great plugins already coded that make it easy to add a slideshow in a matter of minutes. Each one offers different features and has it&#8217;s own style. In this post we&#8217;ll showcase 20 jQuery plugins that you may want to use for adding a slideshow in your own projects.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://slidesjs.com/">Slides</a></strong><br />
Slides is a jQuery slideshow plugin built for simplicity.Features include captions, multiple slideshows, and more.</p>
<p><a href="http://slidesjs.com/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-3.jpg" alt="Slides" width="575" height="284" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://dev.herr-schuessler.de/jquery/popeye/demo.html">jQuery.popeye</a></strong><br />
jQuery.popeye is an inline lightbox alternative with slideshow. Unlike lightbox plugins, jQuery.popeye doesn&#8217;t use modal windows to display images.</p>
<p><a href="http://dev.herr-schuessler.de/jquery/popeye/demo.html"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-7.jpg" alt="jQuery.popeye" width="575" height="463" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://jquery.malsup.com/cycle/">jQuery Cycle Plugin</a></strong><br />
jQuery Cycle offers several different types of transition effects to choose from, including shuffle, zoom, fade, and more.  It supports pause-on-hover, auto-stop, auto-fit, before/after callbacks, click triggers and much more.</p>
<p><a href="http://jquery.malsup.com/cycle/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-1.jpg" alt="jQuery Cycle Plugin" width="575" height="377" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://nivo.dev7studios.com/">Nivo Slider</a></strong><br />
One of the most popular options for jQuery sliders/slideshows, Nivo Slider includes 16 different transition effects, customizable settings, keyboard navigation, and it is released under the MIT license. It&#8217;s also available as a WordPress plugin (for purchase).</p>
<p><a href="http://nivo.dev7studios.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-2.jpg" alt="Nivo Slider" width="575" height="296" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.tn3gallery.com/">TN3 Gallery</a></strong><br />
TN3 Gallery is a feature-rich slideshow plugin. It is a premium plugin ($37 for a single-site license) that also offers a free Lite version. The Lite version includes features like transition effects, fullscreen options, and optional captions, but it does not include other features from the Pro version including fullscreen keyboard navigation, multiple galleries on the same page, mousewheel navigation, dynamic image sizing, and more.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tn3gallery.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-4.jpg" alt="TN3 Gallery" width="575" height="268" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.pikachoose.com/">Pikachoose</a></strong><br />
Pikachoose is a lightweight jQuery slideshow plugin with features like tooltips and fancybox support. Four premium themes are available for purchase.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pikachoose.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-5.jpg" alt="Pikachoose" width="575" height="255" /></a></p>
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<p><strong><a href="http://workshop.rs/projects/coin-slider/">Coin Slider</a></strong><br />
Coin Slider is released under the MIT license and includes features like unique transition effects, flexible configuration, Android and iPhone compatibility, and more.</p>
<p><a href="http://workshop.rs/projects/coin-slider/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-6.jpg" alt="Coin Slider" width="575" height="313" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://galleria.io/">Galleria</a></strong><br />
Galleria and its classic theme are released under the MIT license. It includes features like scaling images, touch screen support, and optional premium themes to improve the look of your slideshow.</p>
<p><a href="http://galleria.io/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-8.jpg" alt="Galleria" width="575" height="238" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.zurb.com/playground/jquery_image_slider_plugin">Orbit</a></strong><br />
Orbit is a lightweight slideshow plugin from Zurb.  It features simple implementation, optional captions and links, optional bullet navigation, and more.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.zurb.com/playground/jquery_image_slider_plugin"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-9.jpg" alt="Orbit" width="575" height="297" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.buildinternet.com/project/supersized/">Supersized</a></strong><br />
Supersized is a full screen background slideshow plugin. It&#8217;s ideal for photography portfolios and other sites that rely on large images and photos.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.buildinternet.com/project/supersized/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-10.jpg" alt="Supersized" width="575" height="287" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.gcmingati.net/wordpress/wp-content/lab/jquery/imagestrip/imageslide-plugin.html">slideViewer</a></strong><br />
slideViewer is a lightweight jQuery plugin that allows you to implement a slideshow with a simple unordered list.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gcmingati.net/wordpress/wp-content/lab/jquery/imagestrip/imageslide-plugin.html"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-11.jpg" alt="slideViewer" width="575" height="337" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.marcofolio.net/webdesign/advanced_jquery_background_image_slideshow.html">Advanced jQuery Background Image Slideshow</a></strong><br />
Originally a tutorial on Marcofolio, this was later converted to a plugin.  It allows you to use a full-screen slideshow as the back for a website.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.marcofolio.net/webdesign/advanced_jquery_background_image_slideshow.html"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-12.jpg" alt="Advanced jQuery Background Image Slideshow" width="575" height="372" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex4/simplegallery.htm">Simple Controls Gallery v1.4</a></strong><br />
Simple Controls Gallery allows you to display images as an automatic or manually-controlled slideshow.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex4/simplegallery.htm"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-13.jpg" alt="Simple Controls Gallery v1.4" width="416" height="281" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.serie3.info/s3slider/">s3Slider jQuery Plugin</a></strong><br />
s3Slider allows you to implement a simple slideshow with image captions.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.serie3.info/s3slider/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-14.jpg" alt="s3Slider jQuery Plugin" width="575" height="246" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://cssglobe.com/post/5780/easy-slider-17-numeric-navigation-jquery-slider">Easy Slider</a></strong><br />
Easy Slider, from CSS Globe, is a versatile plugin that allows options like manual controls, vertical sliding, continuous sliding, and more.</p>
<p><a href="http://cssglobe.com/post/5780/easy-slider-17-numeric-navigation-jquery-slider"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-15.jpg" alt="Easy Slider" width="575" height="285" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://jacklmoore.com/colorbox/">ColorBox</a></strong><br />
ColorBox is a lightweight, customizable lightbox and slideshow plugin.</p>
<p><a href="http://jacklmoore.com/colorbox/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-16.jpg" alt="ColorBox" width="575" height="384" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.simplesli.de/">simpleSli.de</a></strong><br />
simpleSli.de is lightweight slideshow plugin that comes in two versions, Big Boy (15KB) and Mini (6KB).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.simplesli.de/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-17.jpg" alt="simpleSli.de" width="575" height="325" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thiagosf.net/projects/jquery/skitter/">Skitter</a></strong><br />
Skitter allows you to implement a slideshow with a simple unordered list.  It includes several animation types, navigation options, and more.</p>
<p><a href="http://thiagosf.net/projects/jquery/skitter/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-18.jpg" alt="Skitter" width="575" height="249" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://responsive-slides.viljamis.com/">ResponsiveSlides.js</a></strong><br />
ResponsiveSlides.js is a lightweight responsive slideshow plugin. You can use it to create a slideshow that automatically fades from one photo to the next, or you can include manual controls.</p>
<p><a href="http://responsive-slides.viljamis.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-19.jpg" alt="ResponsiveSlides.js" width="575" height="297" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://manos.malihu.gr/sideways-jquery-fullscreen-image-gallery">Sideways</a></strong><br />
Sideways is a simple, elegant full-screen image gallery plugin.</p>
<p><a href="http://manos.malihu.gr/sideways-jquery-fullscreen-image-gallery"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/slideshow-20.jpg" alt="Sideways" width="575" height="286" /></a></p>
<p>For more resources please see:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/tools/jquery-tooltip-scripts/">25 Useful jQuery Tooltip Scripts</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/web-development/jquery-animation-tutorials/">35 jQuery Animation Tutorials</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/web-development/jquery-drop-down-menus/">25 jQuery Drop Down Menu Scripts</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/web-development/jquery-sliders/">25 Excellent jQuery Slider Plugins and Tutorials</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/web-development/jquery-one-page-portfolios/">jQuery Resources for One-Page Portfolios</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/premium-quality-design-resources/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/vp-300.jpg" alt="Royalty-Free Graphics" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How to Create a Set of Highlighter Brushes for Illustrator</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/highlighter-brushes-for-illustrator/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/highlighter-brushes-for-illustrator/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:35:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=3977</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few months ago at Vandelay Premier we recently released a set of <a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/brushes/highlighter-brushes-for-illustrator/">highlighter brushes</a> for Adobe Illustrator,and in this tutorial we'll show how you can accomplish the same thing on your own. We'll scan some lines made by a highlighter and that will give us a nice brush for using whenever highlighter or marker effects are needed.

<a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/brushes/highlighter-brushes-for-illustrator/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-22.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="358" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p>A few months ago at Vandelay Premier we recently released a set of <a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/brushes/highlighter-brushes-for-illustrator/">highlighter brushes</a> for Adobe Illustrator,and in this tutorial we&#8217;ll show how you can accomplish the same thing on your own. We&#8217;ll scan some lines made by a highlighter and that will give us a nice brush for using whenever highlighter or marker effects are needed.</p>
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/brushes/highlighter-brushes-for-illustrator/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-22.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="358" /></a></p>
<p>What you will need to complete this tutorial:</p>
<ul>
<li>Highlighter</li>
<li>Paper</li>
<li>Scanner</li>
<li>Adobe Illustrator</li>
</ul>
<h3>Step 1: Draw Strokes with a Highlighter</h3>
<p>Take your highlighter and paper and create some lines or strokes.</p>
<h3>Step 2: Scan It</h3>
<p>After you have some strokes on paper you are ready to scan them. This is what my scan looks like.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-1.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="575" height="438" /></p>
<h3>Step 3: Live Trace in Illustrator</h3>
<p>We&#8217;ll be working with just one of the strokes for this tutorial.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-2.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="124" /></p>
<p>Select the image and click on the arrow next to the Live Trace button.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-3.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="236" /></p>
<p>This will open a drop down menu. Click on &#8220;Tracing Options&#8221; at the bottom of the list. You will then see a window that looks like this:</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-4.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="390" /></p>
<p>Now we&#8217;ll change some of the settings. You may need to experiment here, as your own scan will not be the same as the one we&#8217;re using for this tutorial. For this example we&#8217;ll change the threshold to 200. Threshold control how light or dark a color must be to be picked up by the trace. In this case our green highlighter is fairly light, so we&#8217;ll increase the threshold. If your scan is darker you may be able to leave this at the default setting.</p>
<p>We&#8217;ll also change the path fitting to 1, minimum area to 5, the corner angle to 10, and most importantly we&#8217;ll check the box for &#8220;ignore white&#8221;. By doing this, and white areas in the scan will be transparent instead of white.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-5.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="392" /></p>
<p>If you plan to use the same setting for several different scans (which is likely if you are creating a set of brushes with the same style), click on &#8220;save preset&#8221; so you can run the same scan again without making the changes.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-6.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="392" /></p>
<p>When you&#8217;re ready to run the trace, click the &#8220;Trace&#8221; button. After the trace is run it should look something like this:</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-7.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="132" /></p>
<p>Then you&#8217;ll need to click on the &#8220;Expand&#8221; button to complete the process of converting the image into a usable vector.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-8.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="180" /></p>
<h3>Step 4: Turn it into a Brush</h3>
<p>Next, use the selection tool to select the highlighter stroke and tilt it so that the stroke is as straight as possible. If your scan is already straight, you can skip this.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-9.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="109" /></p>
<p>Click on the brushes icon.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-10.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="250" /></p>
<p>Click on the down arrow.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-11.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="250" /></p>
<p>Then select &#8220;New Brush&#8221; and &#8220;Art Brush&#8221;. That will open up the Art Brush Options.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-12.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="535" height="581" /></p>
<p>Give your brush a name, select &#8220;Scale Proportionately&#8221;, and change the colorization method to &#8220;Tints&#8221;. (Changing the colorization method to &#8220;tints&#8221; allows you to use the brush in any color).</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-13.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="535" height="581" /></p>
<p>After you&#8217;re done, click &#8220;Ok&#8221;. Your brush is now ready!</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-14.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="250" /></p>
<p>You can now try using the brush. Select the brush tool, select your new brush, and create a stroke.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-15.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="241" /></p>
<p>You can change the color by selecting the path and changing the color of the stroke.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-16.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="209" /></p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-17.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="221" /></p>
<h3>Step 5: Creating the Brush Set</h3>
<p>If you want to continue and create a set of brushes you can repeat the process with the other strokes that you created. In this example we have a set of 3 brushes:</p>
<p><a href="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-18.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-18.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="284" /></a></p>
<p>Then, save the file that includes all of your custom brushes as a .ai file. When you want to use your custom brushes on another file, click on the down arrow:</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-19.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="550" height="190" /></p>
<p>Then select &#8220;Open Brush Library&#8221; and &#8220;Other Library&#8221;.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-20.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="514" height="335" /></p>
<p>Then browse to find the file on your computer. When you open the brushes file your see a window that allows you to select any of the brushes in that set.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/highlighter-21.jpg" alt="Highlighter Brushes" width="514" height="335" /></p>
<p>You now have a set of custom highlighter brushes that you can use at any time.</p>
<p>For more tutorials please see:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/create-illustrator-brush/">How to Create an Adobe Illustrator Brush</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/splatter-vector/">Create a Fun Ink Splatter Vector</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/create-spray-paint-vector/">Create a Drippy Spray Paint Vector</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://vandelaypremier.com/premium-quality-design-resources/"><img src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/vp-300.jpg" alt="Royalty-Free Graphics" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ultimate Roundup of Photoshop Custom Shapes</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/custom-shapes/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/custom-shapes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:11:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photoshop]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4029</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Photoshop presets like brushes and patterns get more attention, but custom shapes can be equally useful. Because custom shapes are vectors, they can be scaled to larger sizes with no decrease in quality. 

In this post we'll link to some of the best custom shapes sets that can be downloaded for free. As always when working with freebies, be sure to read the terms of use or license details to make sure that you are using it in accordance with the designer's guidelines.

<strong><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/45-Photoshop-Web-Shapes-238886365">Web Shapes</a></strong>

<a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/45-Photoshop-Web-Shapes-238886365"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-35.jpg" alt="Web Shapes" width="550" height="556" /></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/weekly-newsletter/"><em>Get a <strong>free</strong> icon and vector bundle (worth $54) just for subscribing to our weekly newsletter!</em></a></p>
<p>Photoshop presets like brushes and patterns get more attention, but custom shapes can be equally useful. Because custom shapes are vectors, they can be scaled to larger sizes with no decrease in quality.</p>
<p>In this post we&#8217;ll link to some of the best custom shapes sets that can be downloaded for free. As always when working with freebies, be sure to read the terms of use or license details to make sure that you are using it in accordance with the designer&#8217;s guidelines.</p>
<p>You may also be interested in:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/free-photoshop-patterns/">Ultimate Roundup of Free Photoshop Patterns</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/free-photoshop-patterns/">Ultimate Collection of Free Photoshop Styles</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/free-photoshop-brushes/">100 Sets of Free Photoshop Brushes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/photoshop-gradients/">5,000 Free Photoshop Gradients for Designers</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/free-photoshop-brushes/">45 Amazing and Free Photoshop Actions</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/45-Photoshop-Web-Shapes-238886365">Web Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/45-Photoshop-Web-Shapes-238886365"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-35.jpg" alt="Web Shapes" width="550" height="556" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/70-Hand-Drawn-Arrows-PS-Shapes-238866917">Hand-Drawn Arrows</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/70-Hand-Drawn-Arrows-PS-Shapes-238866917"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-36.jpg" alt="Hand-Drawn Arrows" width="550" height="495" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/12-Chat-PS-Custom-Shapes-210927344">Chat Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/12-Chat-PS-Custom-Shapes-210927344"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-38.jpg" alt="Chat Shapes" width="550" height="474" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshopdownloads/ss/shapes1_9.htm">Speech Balloon Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshopdownloads/ss/shapes1_9.htm"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-40.jpg" alt="Speech Balloon Shapes" width="342" height="382" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://dezignus.com/silhouettes-megaset/">People Silhouettes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://dezignus.com/silhouettes-megaset/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-1.jpg" alt="People Silhouettes" width="550" height="583" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://dezignus.com/costums-shapes/">Costumes and Characters</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://dezignus.com/costums-shapes/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-2.jpg" alt="Costumes and Characters" width="550" height="363" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://dezignus.com/silhouettes-of-people/">Silhouettes of People</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://dezignus.com/silhouettes-of-people/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-3.jpg" alt="Silhouettes of People" width="550" height="299" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://zoomanchoo.deviantart.com/art/People-Shadow-Set-Vol-1-99427523">People Shadow Set</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://zoomanchoo.deviantart.com/art/People-Shadow-Set-Vol-1-99427523"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-21.jpg" alt="People Shadow Set" width="550" height="550" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://dezignus.com/sexy-fashion-models/">Fashion Girl&#8217;s Silhouettes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://dezignus.com/sexy-fashion-models/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-4.jpg" alt="Fashion Girl's Silhouettes" width="550" height="200" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://hurleyrocks.deviantart.com/art/Dancer-Shapes-196020276">Dancer Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://hurleyrocks.deviantart.com/art/Dancer-Shapes-196020276"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-33.jpg" alt="Dancer Shapes" width="481" height="488" /></a></p>
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<p><strong><a href="http://dezignus.com/vector-floral-shapes/">Floral Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://dezignus.com/vector-floral-shapes/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-5.jpg" alt="Floral Shapes" width="550" height="307" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/25-Flowers-Shapes-216644268">Flower Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/25-Flowers-Shapes-216644268"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-30.jpg" alt="Flower Shapes" width="550" height="552" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://dezignus.com/vector-trees-silhouettes/">Tree Silhouettes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://dezignus.com/vector-trees-silhouettes/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-6.jpg" alt="Tree Silhouettes" width="550" height="306" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Dead-Trees-36004240">Dead Trees</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Dead-Trees-36004240"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-13.jpg" alt="Dead Trees" width="550" height="423" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Live-Trees-37471587">Live Trees</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Live-Trees-37471587"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-17.jpg" alt="Live Trees" width="550" height="204" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Plan-Trees-41007367">Plan View Trees</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Plan-Trees-41007367"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-25.jpg" alt="Plan View Trees" width="550" height="353" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://snaphook.deviantart.com/art/Hoops-31072664">Hoops</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://snaphook.deviantart.com/art/Hoops-31072664"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-7.jpg" alt="Hoops" width="400" height="400" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://lavakillu.deviantart.com/art/Lavas-Custom-Shapes-Set-One-56010775">People Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://lavakillu.deviantart.com/art/Lavas-Custom-Shapes-Set-One-56010775"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-8.jpg" alt="People Shapes" width="550" height="344" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Shapes-Birds-29650405">Birds</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Shapes-Birds-29650405"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-9.jpg" alt="Birds" width="550" height="551" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://unidentifystudios.deviantart.com/art/20-Animal-Shapes-for-Photoshop-22124931">Animal Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://unidentifystudios.deviantart.com/art/20-Animal-Shapes-for-Photoshop-22124931"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-14.jpg" alt="Animal Shapes" width="550" height="615" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Sea-Creatures-69320158">Sea Creatures</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Sea-Creatures-69320158"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-26.jpg" alt="Sea Creatures" width="550" height="201" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/Photoshop-Shapes-World-Map-22233322">World Maps</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/Photoshop-Shapes-World-Map-22233322"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-10.jpg" alt="World Maps" width="550" height="789" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://egoform.deviantart.com/art/United-States-142498258">United States</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://egoform.deviantart.com/art/United-States-142498258"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-31.jpg" alt="United States" width="447" height="511" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Shapes-Guns-Updated-19065883">Guns</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Shapes-Guns-Updated-19065883"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-11.jpg" alt="Guns" width="550" height="792" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Ray-Guns-and-Laser-Blasters-40577451">Ray Guns &amp; Laser Blasters</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Ray-Guns-and-Laser-Blasters-40577451"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-27.jpg" alt="Ray Guns &amp; Laser Blasters" width="550" height="275" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Shapes-Maritime-43139041">Maritime</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/Custom-Shapes-Maritime-43139041"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-39.jpg" alt="Maritime" width="550" height="667" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/7-Paperclip-Photoshop-Shapes-212673388">Paperclips</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/7-Paperclip-Photoshop-Shapes-212673388"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-37.jpg" alt="Paperclips" width="550" height="394" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://hikaridrops.deviantart.com/art/Kiddy-Stuffs-59984219">Kiddy Stuffs</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://hikaridrops.deviantart.com/art/Kiddy-Stuffs-59984219"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-12.jpg" alt="Kiddy Stuffs" width="550" height="356" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://camxso.deviantart.com/art/Summer-Time-Shapes-124203534">Summer Time Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://camxso.deviantart.com/art/Summer-Time-Shapes-124203534"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-18.jpg" alt="Summer Time Shapes" width="550" height="440" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://unidentifystudios.deviantart.com/art/Circle-Shapes-I-for-Photoshop-19396358">Circle Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://unidentifystudios.deviantart.com/art/Circle-Shapes-I-for-Photoshop-19396358"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-15.jpg" alt="Circle Shapes" width="550" height="543" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://kekaba.deviantart.com/art/wavy-lines-137104119">Wavy Lines</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://kekaba.deviantart.com/art/wavy-lines-137104119"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-28.jpg" alt="Wavy Lines" width="550" height="550" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://retoucher07030.deviantart.com/art/Batman-Vector-Shapes-80202134">Batman Vector Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://retoucher07030.deviantart.com/art/Batman-Vector-Shapes-80202134"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-16.jpg" alt="Batman Vector Shapes" width="550" height="376" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://richardperkins.deviantart.com/art/50s-Custom-Shapes-Pack-91474971">50s Custom Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://richardperkins.deviantart.com/art/50s-Custom-Shapes-Pack-91474971"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-20.jpg" alt="50s Custom Shapes" width="550" height="393" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Photoshop-Custom-Shapes-Bugs-47718273">Bugs</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Photoshop-Custom-Shapes-Bugs-47718273"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-19.jpg" alt="Bugs" width="550" height="359" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Weathered-Flying-Bugs-69305352">Flying Bugs</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thesuper.deviantart.com/art/Weathered-Flying-Bugs-69305352"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-22.jpg" alt="Flying Bugs" width="550" height="260" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://hurleyrocks.deviantart.com/art/Media-Shapes-196020006">Media Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://hurleyrocks.deviantart.com/art/Media-Shapes-196020006"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-23.jpg" alt="Media Shapes" width="550" height="309" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://transitio.deviantart.com/art/Different-speaker-shapes-125882234">Different Speaker Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://transitio.deviantart.com/art/Different-speaker-shapes-125882234"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-29.jpg" alt="Different Speaker Shapes" width="334" height="370" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/RSS-Feed-PS-Custom-Shapes-212664084">RSS Feed Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/RSS-Feed-PS-Custom-Shapes-212664084"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-32.jpg" alt="RSS Feed Shapes" width="550" height="559" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/25-CD-PS-Custom-Shapes-216384450">CDs</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://shapes4free.deviantart.com/art/25-CD-PS-Custom-Shapes-216384450"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-34.jpg" alt="CDs" width="550" height="552" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://starsunflowerstudio.blogspot.com/2011/04/free-photoshop-custom-shapes-tags-2.html">Tag Custom Shapes</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://starsunflowerstudio.blogspot.com/2011/04/free-photoshop-custom-shapes-tags-2.html"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/custom-shapes-24.jpg" alt="Tag Custom Shapes" width="550" height="550" /></a>
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		<title>Showcase of Outstanding Portfolio Websites</title>
		<link>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/portfolios/</link>
		<comments>http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/portfolios/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:13:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vandelay Website Design</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Galleries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[portfolios]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/?p=4013</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Portfolio websites are a major marketing tool for most designers and design agencies. The portfolio site allows you to showcase your work, provide information about your services, and receive inquiries from those who are interested in your services. Portfolio sites are often examples of quality design work, as every designer wants to make a positive impression through the design and usability of the portfolio site.

In this post we'll showcase 30 fresh examples of well-designed portfolio sites for your inspiration.

<strong><a href="http://aylis.com/">Aylis</a></strong>

<a href="http://aylis.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-1.jpg" alt="Aylis" width="575" height="341" /></a>]]></description>
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<p>Portfolio websites are a major marketing tool for most designers and design agencies. The portfolio site allows you to showcase your work, provide information about your services, and receive inquiries from those who are interested in your services. Portfolio sites are often examples of quality design work, as every designer wants to make a positive impression through the design and usability of the portfolio site.</p>
<p>In this post we&#8217;ll showcase 30 fresh examples of well-designed portfolio sites for your inspiration.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://aylis.com/">Aylis</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://aylis.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-1.jpg" alt="Aylis" width="575" height="341" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.sisumedia.com/">Sisu</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sisumedia.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-2.jpg" alt="Sisu" width="575" height="337" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.albionwestcoast.com/">Albion West Coast</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.albionwestcoast.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-3.jpg" alt="Albion West Coast" width="575" height="354" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://camstech.com/">CAMS</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://camstech.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-4.jpg" alt="CAMS" width="575" height="352" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.alphadiv.com/">Alpha Div</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.alphadiv.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-5.jpg" alt="Alpha Div" width="575" height="318" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://joshuaturner.com/">Joshua Turner</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://joshuaturner.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-6.jpg" alt="Joshua Turner" width="575" height="345" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://kantt.dk/">Kantt</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://kantt.dk/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-7.jpg" alt="Kantt" width="575" height="332" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://harryford.co.uk/">Harry Ford</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://harryford.co.uk/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-8.jpg" alt="Harry Ford" width="575" height="349" /></a></p>
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<p><strong><a href="http://www.cginspired.com/">CG Inspired</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cginspired.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-9.jpg" alt="CG Inspired" width="575" height="323" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.hellostudios.com.au/">Hello Studios</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.hellostudios.com.au/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-10.jpg" alt="Hello Studios" width="575" height="322" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.enixel.com/">Enixel</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.enixel.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-11.jpg" alt="Enixel" width="575" height="352" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.elevate.co/">Elevate</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.elevate.co/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-12.jpg" alt="Elevate" width="575" height="375" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://moresoda.co.uk/">Moresoda</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://moresoda.co.uk/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-13.jpg" alt="Moresoda" width="575" height="363" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://weareatelier.com/">Atelier</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://weareatelier.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-14.jpg" alt="Atelier" width="575" height="350" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.pixelbrands.com/">Pixel Brands</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.pixelbrands.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-15.jpg" alt="Pixel Brands" width="575" height="349" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.iconinc.com.au/">Icon.Inc</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.iconinc.com.au/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-16.jpg" alt="Icon.Inc" width="575" height="351" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.jasonbmurphy.com/">Jason Murphy</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.jasonbmurphy.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-17.jpg" alt="Jason Murphy" width="575" height="351" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.dylanjones.com.au/">Dylan Jones</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.dylanjones.com.au/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-18.jpg" alt="Dylan Jones" width="575" height="371" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.filamentlab.com/">Filament</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.filamentlab.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-19.jpg" alt="Filament" width="575" height="359" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.wearepapertiger.com/">Paper Tiger</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.wearepapertiger.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-20.jpg" alt="Paper Tiger" width="575" height="343" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.besupercharged.com/">Supercharged</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.besupercharged.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-21.jpg" alt="Supercharged" width="575" height="379" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://collectedhere.com/">Collected</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://collectedhere.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-22.jpg" alt="Collected" width="575" height="374" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://kylesteed.com/">Kyle Steed</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://kylesteed.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-23.jpg" alt="Kyle Steed" width="575" height="357" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.lindadong.com/">Linda Dong</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.lindadong.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-24.jpg" alt="Linda Dong" width="575" height="343" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.brandify.co.uk/">Brandify</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.brandify.co.uk/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-25.jpg" alt="Brandify" width="575" height="355" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.kitchensinkstudios.com/">Kitchen Sink Studios</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.kitchensinkstudios.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-26.jpg" alt="Kitchen Sink Studios" width="575" height="358" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://tafol.la/">Chad Tafolla</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://tafol.la/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-27.jpg" alt="Chad Tafolla" width="575" height="367" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.johnkarlsson.se/">John Karlsson</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.johnkarlsson.se/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-28.jpg" alt="John Karlsson" width="575" height="378" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://hovercraftstudio.com/">Hovercraft</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://hovercraftstudio.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-29.jpg" alt="Hovercraft" width="575" height="356" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.bertrandbruandet.com/">Bertrand Bruandet</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bertrandbruandet.com/"><img class="alignnone" src="http://vanimg.s3.amazonaws.com/portfolio-sites-30.jpg" alt="Bertrand Bruandet" width="575" height="358" /></a></p>
<p>For more <a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/category/galleries/">design inspiration</a> please see:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/design-portfolio-websites/">25 Impressive Design Portfolio Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/design-agency-websites/">40 Impressive Design Agency Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/freelance-portfolios/">25 Beautiful Freelancer Portfolio Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/best-photographer-websites/">25 of the Best Photographer Portfolio Websites</a></li>
</ul>
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