My top 5 go-to design sites
There are a lot of great websites out there for designers. Here are my top 5 go to sites (in no particular order):
Psdtuts+
Psdtuts+ is a great site for... you guessed it... Photoshop tutorials.
Psdtuts+
Smashing Magazine
Smashing Magazine is the site I go to to read up on current trends in the industry for design, coding, and all things websites.
Smashing Magazine
Stock.xchng
Stock.xchng is a superb site for royalty free photography. Whether you need the cheesy picture of two businessmen shaking hands, the lady representing a way too happy call center rep, or a picture of a daisy; this should be your first stop.
Stock.xchng
Creattica
Creattica is a great site for design inspiration. So, when I get stuck on a design element, I check this site out to hopefully get me out of that rut.
Creattica
Best Web Gallery
Best Web Gallery is another site I go to for design inspiration.
Best Web Gallery
So you got a new Mac for Christmas?
Good for you. Welcome to the cult. Make sure you download a few important things:
- VLC Player (This is a great open source media player. It plays DVDs, CDs, and just about any digital media format. However a good alternative to this would be to download Perian which will extend Quicktime's usefulness if you'd rather use QT.)
- Google Chrome (This is the newest kid on the block in the world of web browsers. If you've already given your life over to Google, this is a logical step. It's a very slim browser - it's probably the most basic browsing experience today.)
- Open Office (This is an excellent alternative to Microsoft Office. It's free and since it's open source, it's constantly under development. Therefore, it's constantly being improved on. If you'd rather go with Apple's option, take a look at iLife.)
- Quicksilver (This is a great application switcher. This is waaaayyy beyond [Command] + [Tab]. If you're into keyboard shortcuts, you can setup Quicksilver to do any number of things; compose an email, read your email, control iTunes, open files and programs... the list goes on. I've even setup a shortcut with an Apple script to lock my desktop to keep my kids from breaking something.)
- Onyx (Onyx is essential because it gives you the ability to change a ton of things in the root programming of OS X. For example, you don't like the default wallpaper on your user sign on page? You can change that. If you don't like the genie or suck effects when programs minimize to the dock, you can disable those animations altogether. There are loads of things you can do with this program. So, if you're comfortable with a bit of "customizing", this program is for you.)
Let’s take a minute to talk about HTML5
HTML5 has been the buzz on the interwebs for a few months now. HTML5 will be the savior to a world of bland websites, lame markup, and Flash animation. The last part is what really excites me. Sure, Flash is sexy as hell when it's used right, but it's not so good for SEO. There are work arounds and hacks, but why would you want to do that when your code can natively support animation?
The bummer is that the web isn't ready for HTML5. Actually, Internet Explorer isn't ready for it. As web developers we all know that Microsoft makes their own rules with Internet Explorer. We're having to hack our code so that it works in that damn browser all the while Firefox 3, Safari 4, and Opera 10 all support web standards set up by W3C, including our wonderful CSS (oh, and CSS3 is in the pipeline, too!). So, if you want to use HTML5 code, you have to hack it with JavaScript so that your CSS can be read. If you're interested in reading about that hack, checkout this article at sitepoint.com.
With all that said, I am excited about HTML5 because it provides logical structure to your code. For example, the tag for your physical header will be <header>. You can have multiple headers on your page. So you can have a header for your sidebar for example. The sidebar will be called <aside> and your navigation area will be <nav>. It all makes perfect logical sense and to a type A person such as myself, it brings much happiness to my world.
So, what does HTML5 look like? Take a look at Google Wave. They're starting to implement the tech. Say what you will about Google, but at least they are helping advance the industry. Want a chance to play with it now? Take a look at this page: http://htmlfive.appspot.com/. Finally, if you want to see the HTML5 demo that totally blew my mind the first time I saw it, check this out: http://9elements.com/io/projects/html5/canvas/. Sure, it may not be sexy like Flash right now, but give it some time to mature. The beauty of that last demo is that everything; the animation, the music, the mouse interaction is all with HTML. No JavaScript, Flash, or any other crappy antiquated animation tools.
So while the naysayers don't like HTML5, I say that it's the future of the web and frankly, I can't wait for it.
Other reading: Smashing Magazine write up and PDF of the markup.
5 WordPress Plugins you can’t live without
There's a number of great WordPress plugins out there. Of course, some are better than others. I've compiled a short list of five great plugins that you need on your next WordPress site.
Sexy Bookmarks.
I love this plugin. I mean look at it! It uses some great looking icons, is animated with Ajax, and you don't have to code a damn thing. It's super easy to use and install. It helps with your back-linking, so it's building up your SEO. It's a win all around.
NextGEN Gallery
NextGEN Gallery is a beautiful gallery plugin that supports Flash. However, if you do want to use the Flash option, you will need to install some of the components for Longtail Video. Even with that, installation is a breeze and creating galleries are a sinch. If you're doing a WordPress blog that requires showcasing images, I definitely recommend this plugin.
WPtouch iPhone Theme
Make no bones about it; the iPhone has changed the way we browse the internet on the go. You don't want your blog to be passed by just because it's not formatted for the iPhone.
All in One SEO Pack
This is one of the first plugins that i install on any WordPress site that I setup. You have the options to setup meta tags and keywords for the site as a whole. In addition, you can also configure the SEO settings for each individual post. This one is a must have; you don't have to edit the PHP files manually, you just use the plugin and shazaam! it's done.
Advertising Manager
Do you use Google Adwords or some other form of advertising? Then this plugin is for you. I have to admit that I haven't used this plugin. Actually, I don't like ads to begin with. So, unfortunately I don't have any experience with this plugin. However, it has nearly 4 stars from 44 reviews, so it can't be all bad.
10 Great Social Networking Icon Packs
I was looking through the interwebs for some social networking icons for one of my clients. There's a ton of sites out there with a "best of" list. Normally, though, those lists consist of any where between 30 and a bazillion entries. I decided to restrict mine to 10. So, here you go (in no particular order):
Circular Social Media Icons
by Arbenting
Handycons2
by Janko
Bookmarks and Social icons
by Studiom6 (deviantart)
Socioal 2 Duo
by IconBlock (deviantart)
Social Icons
by cheth studios
Extended set of social icons
by Tydlinka
Set of social icons #2
by Tydlinka
Social Network Icon Pack
by Komodo Media
Old Icons
by Outlaw Design
Set of social icons #4
by Tydlinka
