This month’s featured free WordPress theme is Typebased by WooThemes.
Tag Archives: Design
Flavour Extended Icon Set
Jun 1, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Design One CommentSmashing Magazine has released a new icon set designed by Oliver Twardowski: Flavour Extended. The set includes 452 transparent PNG icons, along with their respective PSD source files.
The icons are 48×48 pixels in size, and easily shrinkable if you require a smaller size.
Overall I like the icons. The Twitter one looks okay, but it’s not my favorite. I like the folder ones a lot, and some of the Apple-themed ones look really nice.
The set has a truly massive number of icons. If you download the set, which is free with no restrictions, be careful you don’t lose any of the icons. 
Why Validation isn’t All That Important…
May 20, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Design No CommentsJeffrey Way (editor of Net.Tuts+) has a new article on his personal blog that brings up a topic that I think deserves some attention. He writes:
I woke up this morning to a rude email from a reader today. “Jeff,” he said, “I’m sorry, but I have no desire to read your articles when your own site’s CSS doesn’t validate. This only exemplifies the fact that you don’t know the correct way to create a website.”
I’d say most websites don’t validate all the way. This site’s stylesheet, like Jeff Way’s would valiate fine if not for a couple of proprietary style rules for Mozilla and Webkit browsers used to create rounded corners. (Oh, I also have a redundant cursor:hand statement for IE browsers that don’t understand the proper way of doing things…)
It doesn’t matter that it won’t pass the validation test. Are there any major CSS mistakes that will prevent either site from rendering properly in some browser? No.
The validator isn’t some sort of magic certification that separates good code from bad code. It’s a developer tool to help you find mistakes that actually could cause a problem.
ThemeForest Adds Multi-Project Licensing
May 18, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Design 4 CommentsEnvato’s ThemeForest marketplace has added multi-project licensing for their products.
Buy a 10 Project License for just 3 x the cost of a Single Use License.
A 10 project license means you can use the same file over and over – up to ten times – without having to buy it again and again.
They also offer a Web Service Licence, which costs 50x the cost of a Single Use License. The license could be used on a site such as WordPress.com, if Automattic had the inclination to purchase a theme from ThemeForest. A site where the design might be in use by multiple clients, but hosted by yourself.
There doesn’t seem to be a way to upgrade a license you already purchased, but you can simply buy another instance, as people have done in the past when they wanted to use a theme on another site.
Group Interview of Designers on Personal Projects
May 6, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Design No CommentsDesignM.ag recently interviewed eight designers in a fantastic group interview. Chris Coyier, Collis Ta’eed, Todd Garland, Jon Phillips, Chris Spooner, Adii Pienaar, Jacob Gube, and Adelle Charles gave their answers to a series of questions, most of them about personal projects.
Many designers and developers get the itch to work on their own projects in addition to doing client work or a full-time job. For some this is just a creative outlet without the restrictions that come with client work or being an employee, and for others it is a chance to make an additional income. Part-time projects can even turn into a full-time income in some cases.
I enjoyed the end result. It’s a very informative post, and the designers certainly had plenty to say in response to the questions. Plus, having read blog entries by many of the designers, talked with them on Twitter, and used some of their products, it was even more interesting.
Group Interview On Designers and the Pursuit of Personal Projects [DesignM.ag)
Quotable Books
Apr 26, 2009 by Matt | Posted in General No CommentsI recently built a fun little application for BookAdvice.net. It is called Quotable Books.
Showcase Of Well-Designed Tabbed Navigation
Apr 12, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Design No CommentsSmashing Magazine has done it again. Theit latest extensive design roundup is a Showcase Of Well-Designed Tabbed Navigation.
When you look at tabbed navigations, you will also notice many styling trends. First, many tabs will have rounded corners on buttons. This helps to create a clean look. Also helping to make a clean look is the use of separation between buttons. Most well use space to separate buttons, but a bevel, single line, or background color contrast will also look nicely.
A little bit of analysis and a lot of images, as is common on Smashing Magazine.
Tabs are a popuar way to style navigation as of late, and an effective one at that. The roundup has a lot of creative examples, and is certainly worth looking at if you do much in the way of design work.
Design Spotlight: Yoast
Apr 10, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Design 3 CommentsJoost De Valk recently redesigned his website, Yoast.com. The new design is very memorable, and certainly unique.
The Design Secrets of Collis Ta’eed
Apr 9, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Design, Featured 14 CommentsCollis Ta’eed, co-founder of Envato, is one of my favorite designers. His designs have a certain quality that you don’t see just anywhere. They’re simplistic, stylish, and unique.
WooTees: Design a T-Shirt for WooThemes
Mar 29, 2009 by Matt | Posted in Design No CommentsWooThemes is running a contest to design a T-Shirt for them to take to the Future of Web Design 2009 conference.
We’ll hopefully be taking some t-shirts to the event to giveaway and that’s where we need your help – in designing them. We are looking for a kickass design that people want to wear, not your typical promotional tees that get thrown into a cupboard never to be worn. Your design can be trendy, humourous or professional, or even all three – we open to suggestions.
The winner will recieve $500 in cash and a 6-month WooThemes developer license. The runner up will get $250 and a 3-month developer license. Third place will get a 6-month developer license, but no cash prize.
The rules are fairly simple. The format should be a PSD, or Fireworks or Illustrator format; no stock images; you must follow the design guidelines so print will work properly; submit through the Flickr pool before April 3rd, 2009.
It sounds like a fun opportunity, and I might enter if I can think of a suitable idea. Everyone likes a funny T-Shirt.
