Articles by Smashing Magazine from March 2012

I don’t think anyone can deny that the Web has changed the way people teach, learn, and do research. Of course, this doesn’t mean that everything we read online is true and accuratefar fro...

   I don’t think anyone can deny that the Web has changed the way people teach, learn, and do research. Of course, this doesn’t mean that everything we read online...

There’s a realization that every freelance designer must go through at some point: client work isn’t enough to ensure your long-term financial security. What if you get sick? What if you c...

   There’s a realization that every freelance designer must go through at some point: client work isn’t enough to ensure your long-term financial security. What if...

   What is it that makes us loyal fans of the websites and apps we love? When we sat down to answer this question for ourselves, we found that the websites and apps we truly l...

What is it that makes us loyal fans of the websites and apps we love? When we sat down to answer this question for ourselves, we found that the websites and apps we truly love have one thing in common...

We are very happy to present a sample chapter from the SOLD OUT printed Smashing Book #3, written by Aarron Walter. In this chapter, Aarron explains how sharing our personalities can help us create la...

   We are very happy to present a sample chapter from the upcoming printed Smashing Book #3, written by Aarron Walter. In this chapter, Aarron explains how sharing our persona...

When users land on your website, they typically read the content available. Then, the next thing that they will do is to try and familiarize themselves with your website. Most of the time this involve...

   When users land on your website, they typically read the content available. Then, the next thing that they will do is to try and familiarize themselves with your website. M...

   If you’re looking for some great ways to improve your WordPress workflow, read on for a massive collection of free themes, plugins, tools and tutorials. These resourc...

   This is a different take on Responsive Web design. This article discusses how we can better embrace what the Web is about by ignoring the big elephant in the room; that is,...

If you’re looking for some great ways to improve your WordPress workflow, read on for a massive collection of free themes, plugins, tools and tutorials. These resources were all linked via the S...

This is a different take on Responsive Web design. This article discusses how we can better embrace what the Web is about by ignoring the big elephant in the room; that is, how we can rely on media qu...

First a question (or perhaps a Freudian jab at your subconscious): What does this shape represent?Could it be a trowel, a duck, an ornamental motif, or a seed-pod? I know, Aladdin’s Lamp! What i...

   First a question (or perhaps a Freudian jab at your subconscious): What does this shape represent?Could it be a trowel, a duck, an ornamental motif, or a seed-pod? I know, ...

   When users look for information, they have a goal and are on a mission. Even before you started to read this article, chances are you did because you either had the implici...

When users look for information, they have a goal and are on a mission. Even before you started to read this article, chances are you did because you either had the implicit goal of checking what&rsqu...

   This article is the fifth in our new series that introduces the latest, useful and freely available tools and techniques, developed and released by active members of the We...

This article is the fifth in our new series that introduces the latest, useful and freely available tools and techniques, developed and released by active members of the Web design community. The firs...

A few months ago I went to collect a friend from hospital. Arriving early, I entered the waiting room and noticed in-house magazines stacked by the door. I picked one up, grabbed a coffee and took a s...

   A few months ago I went to collect a friend from hospital. Arriving early, I entered the waiting room and noticed in-house magazines stacked by the door. I picked one up, g...

   Since Elliot Jay Stocks so poignantly told us to destroy the Web 2.0 look, weve witnessed a de-shinification of the Web, with fewer glass buttons, beveled edges, reflection...

The admin area is the heart of any WordPress-powered website. Its where everything is controlled and where admin, editors, authors and contributors publish content to posts, pages and other custom pos...

Since Elliot Jay Stocks so poignantly told us to destroy the Web 2.0 look, weve witnessed a de-shinification of the Web, with fewer glass buttons, beveled edges, reflections, special-offer badges, vul...

Good typography shouldnt have to rely on ornamental crutches to stand tall. Yet despite all the tools and knowledge available to us, we readily embrace a flourishing, decorative typography, with cheap...

   Good typography shouldnt have to rely on ornamental crutches to stand tall. Yet despite all the tools and knowledge available to us, we readily embrace a flourishing, decor...

Designing and developing emails can be challenging, especially if you start doing it after years of designing and developing websites. Unlike most Web browsers, email clients have not yet united in su...

   I spend a lot of time buying and testing iPad apps for kids. To be more specific, I lovingly do this for a certain two-year-old girl who is currently on a very successful #...

I spend a lot of time buying and testing iPad apps for kids. To be more specific, I lovingly do this for a certain two-year-old girl who is currently on a very successful #OccupyiPad mission in my hou...

Around the end of October last year, Vitaly Friedman of Smashing Magazine asked me if I would be interested in contributing to the new Smashing Book #3. There were a few options as to how I could cont...

The creative process is not a linear one. As artists and designers, we often set off in one direction only to decide that the proper solution lies somewhere else completely. Unfortunately, many of the...

   Around the end of October last year, Vitaly Friedman of Smashing Magazine asked me if I would be interested in contributing to the new Smashing Book #3. There were a few op...

   The creative process is not a linear one. As artists and designers, we often set off in one direction only to decide that the proper solution lies somewhere else completely...

In 2011 we saw the rise in popularity of two relatively new trends: responsive Web design and the use of HTMLs canvas. While some websites had experimented with both, in the last 12 months weve seen t...

Recently, we discussed How Commercial Plugin Developers Are Using The WordPress Repository. This article provided a solid explanation of the plugin repository, how to use it, how not to abuse it, and ...

   In 2011 we saw the rise in popularity of two relatively new trends: responsive Web design and the use of HTMLs canvas. While some websites had experimented with both, in th...

   Finally, some good news from the media industry: digital subscriptions are growing. Were seeing positive reports from newspapers such as the New York Times and magazine pub...

   When my WordPress plugin had only three users, it didnt matter much if I broke it. By the time I reached 100,000 downloads, every new update made my palms sweat.My first go...

Finally, some good news from the media industry: digital subscriptions are growing. Were seeing positive reports from newspapers such as the New York Times and magazine publishers such as Conde Nast: ...

When my WordPress plugin had only three users, it didnt matter much if I broke it. By the time I reached 100,000 downloads, every new update made my palms sweat.My first goal for the WordPress Editori...

   Two years ago, we launched the Smashing Email Newsletter. Today, we’d like to reflect on some of the greatest newsletter articles of the past year and celebrate this ...

As a Japanese person living in Europe, I’m sometimes asked: Japanese is a difficult language, isnt it? Those asking are often surprised when my answer is a simple: No, actually, it’s not. ...

   As a Japanese person living in Europe, I’m sometimes asked: Japanese is a difficult language, isnt it?  Those asking are often surprised when my answer is a simp...

   The WordPress Admin Bar, first introduced in version 3.1, debuted to mixed reactions. A Google search for wordpress admin bar  returns multiple articles about how to d...

   A lot of community extensions (or modules) are available for the feature-rich open-source e-commerce solution Magento, but what if they dont quite work as you want them to?...

The WordPress Admin Bar, first introduced in version 3.1, debuted to mixed reactions. A Google search for wordpress admin bar returns multiple articles about how to disable or remove it. Version 3.2 o...

A lot of community extensions (or modules) are available for the feature-rich open-source e-commerce solution Magento, but what if they don’t quite work as you want them to? What if you could un...

We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a mat...

   We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sour...