Articles by Vandelay Design from May 2016

Although print is still a popular means of content consumption, theres a lot of digital design work involved in the printing process. Print books all need great covers and those covers are always...Cl...

Having made an entry into the realm of eCommerce not so long ago (in 2008), in its brief stint of less than 7 years, Magento has already made a mark for itself and is now owned by eBay. With a proven....

A mobile phone is an intensely personal device and possession. We use them to make calls, send messages and share content that we like, all very intimate actions that are also highly user-centric....C...

Are you thinking about quitting your job to become a freelance web designer? Freelancers are in the news a lot lately. It's tempting to think that freelancing is an easy way to make money. However,......

When it comes to displaying observational data, there is no better way than to employ infographic. Being a time-proven visual tool, it easily handles all the bulks of numbers by breaking them into...C...

Designers of all kinds rely on inspiration for their work in order to achieve their best results. Inspiration can come from just about anywhere, but for web designers who are online virtually all day....

Web designers, especially freelancers, face the challenge of effectively managing their time while juggling many responsibilities. There are a number of online apps and tools that can help you take......

If you've been a web designer for over five years, it's probably time for some of your early web design clients to upgrade their websites. Or you may be contacted by a prospect who already has a...Cli...

Typography is a major aspect of web and graphic design. With text art, typography and text effects can be used in unique, creative ways to design. In this post we'll showcase some beautiful examples.....

If your website-building projects vary from one pagers, to blogs, to ecommerce sites, and anything in between, you might be tempted to purchase an assortment of specialty WP themes to cover all the......

For those who love browsing through online photo galleries, HDR (High Dynamic Range) photographs are often some of the most intriguing. HDR photography involves taking several shots of the same...Clic...

Some of the most interesting photos are those that show the world from a different point of view. Aerial photography can take certain subjects that we're used to seeing in a certain way and present......

Most people who are looking to buy real estate will do research online before anything else. For this reason having an effective web presence is essential for real estate agents and brokers. Several.....

We thought we would take a moment to showcase some of our favorite UI kits and badges from our Shop. These packs are right on trend, so be sure to check them out and get 'em while they're...Click thr...

While full-size background images in web design have been increasing in popularity for several years now, another variation of this trend is the blurred background image. Recently it seems that there....

If you're not familiar with the Elance-oDesk lovechild known as Upwork, it's a marketplace where you can hire freelancers or get freelance jobs online. Unfortunately it has become cesspool of...Click ...

User interface design has to do with both the outer layer of a design and the placement of elements in the design, whether it be a website or an app. In simple terms, UI design refers to everything......

Digital designers spend a lot of time at their computers. One of the most used tools for design is the mouse, and while you dont need flashy features you do need a mouse thats ergonomic and...Click th...

Asking the question, "Is responsive design still king in today's mobile age?" requires some explanation. The first bit of information necessary for this question to make sense is the fact that mobile....

Those of use that read and visit tons of blogs everyday have grown to expect certain designs and styles. In many cases blog design tends to be less attractive and less innovative than website design.....

It's no myth that programmers are a highly sought after group in companies all over the globe. In her Forbes article on the Top Jobs for 2014, Jacquelin Smith analyzes an EMSI job study, which found....

Today we have a free PSD file available for download. It includes a few creative dashboard elements that can be used in your own designs. The PSD file is layered to allow for easy editing and...Click ...

In the past we have showcased examples of landscape photography, which includes photos of mountains, valleys, plains, lakes, coast lines, and a variety of other types of landscapes. Deserts may not......

And you just won...nothing. That, right there, is the first truth that you need to know about design contests. Not everyone who enters a design contest will win.Yet, it seems like contests are...Click...

Oh no!How did you miss it? The client's name is misspelled on the design you turned in. How embarrassing.You spend a lot of time your designs. As a result, your designs look great. And your...Click th...

Since the dawn of web development, an epic battle has been raging between efficiency and originality.On the one hand, designers and developers have a finite amount of time and resources. Using a...Cli...

The internet has become a very interactive environment for users. Websites need to be specifically built in a way that captures the attention of visitors and keeps them coming back, or they will...Cli...

In our economy there are a lot of designers and developers looking for work, whether it is full-time employment, contract work, or freelance opportunities. Fortunately, there are a number of great...C...

Are you considering selling your website and want to know how much you may be able to get for it when you sell?Perhaps someone has made an offer for your website, or you have just lost passion for...C...

Recognizable brands seem to come out of nowhere. One minute theyre completely unknown, the next theyre one of the biggest brands on the planet. This happened with Tesla and Snapchat, and its...Click t...

There are a growing number of excellent Photoshop tutorials out there teaching how to create your own icons. It can be tough to find exactly what you're looking for and Googling around can take a lot....

There are dozens of ways to build interface wireframes ranging from pencil & paper to a handful of digital tools. But no matter what means you use to create wireframes, your process should...Clic...

Having your website go down is not only frustrating to you, it can also be an inconvenience for your visitors and customers. Most of us aren't on our sites all day long in order to know when it is...C...

Unless youve been in a social media black hole for the past few years, youll be familiar with Pinterest. The love child of photo-sharing site Flickr and scrapbooking site Tumblr, Pinterest is your...C...

If you've done much design or development work for clients you know that getting effective feedback from the client is critical to the success of the project. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be a......

For bloggers and website owners building a strong network is crucial. In order to be a great networker, you need to make yourself valuable to others. Fortunately, there are many ways to do so, even......

Email layouts have always been finicky and difficult to work with. But email frameworks like Foundation for Emails can make a world of difference in regards to browser rendering, responsive grids,...C...

Businesses that are building a new website or redesigning an existing one should allocate the proper time and resources into planning. By just jumping into the project without the necessary planning,....

When your home is your office it can feel like you're caught up in the same activity day-after-day. Weekends can blur with weekdays. Family life and work life can also become fuzzy.There's no doubt......

Freelancers are always looking for new ways to attract clients and to land new projects. There are any number of ways to find new work, but the ideal situation involves not dedicating a lot of time......

Communication skills are absolutely critical to designers, and really to any type of client work. Regardless of how skilled you are as a designer you will need to be able to communicate effectively......

If you're looking for inspiration for your own work with text effects and typography, there are plenty of amazing examples available. Gallery sites like Typography Served, Behance, and deviantART are....

Adobe Lightroom has been popular with photographers for several years, and in the past couple of years it has also increased in popularity with designers and hobbyist photographers. While Photoshop......

The use of textures can be an easy way to add character to a design. Wood textures are particularly common in web design, and in this post we'll featuring 45 free wood textures. If you're looking for....

Modern designers hear a lot of titles thrown around, most of which are moving away from the general "web designer" into specialists like UX designers and interaction designers.Job requirements vary......

There are many techniques to transform your business sites success. A simplest strategy is to create a schedule for news releases and adding new and fresh material to a site. Updated content...Click t...

Regardless of what type of website you're developing (a blog, a portfolio site, an e-commerce site, etc.), the success of the site will hinge on being able to communicate effectively with visitors...C...

The key to any good blog, regardless of the topic or industry, is content that interests readers and keeps them coming back for more. Although content is the number one priority, part of providing a.....

Teamwork is about sharing ideas, finding better solutions, and having more productive work. Collaboration tools for designers are essential to improve their work with other team members and clients......

Starting a new project with a client can be a daunting task. You want to deliver quality work and create something they love, but you don't want to be micromanaged. This is where the value of a...Clic...

Custom animation adds a certain vivacity into website layouts. Web animation gives off the illusion of motion, and brings a page to life with dynamic moving parts.I set out to create...Click through t...

It's not always easy to find a WordPress template that you love, but WPZOOM makes it easier to find a sleek and professionally designed theme to fit your website perfectly. Be sure to take advantage.....

The concept of a hero image isn't new to web design, although the term was coined somewhat recently. These hero images are basically banners often placed in the background of a header behind some...Cl...

In the past, I conducted a group interview with some top web designers. One of the questions that was asked to each participant was "What do you feel are the most important skills for a designer to......

Clutter follows us everywhere: on the streets, at home and even in the digital world. Whether it is vast expanses of Internet or a small apparatus, called an iPhone, I bet you stumble upon stuff that....

As WordPress has improved and evolved over the past several years it has become a more viable option as a CMS for corporate websites. It's no longer just an option for bloggers, as it is capable of......

If you are selling any type of product or service that involves online payments, one of the biggest barriers you will have to overcome is gaining the trust of potential buyers. Here are 13 things you....

If you're looking to build any top of business online, growing a mailing list should be a priority. However, with so much spam and unwanted email in most inboxes it can be a challenge to convince...Cl...

Humans love stories. Weve been using them to share and receive information for thousands of years; in fact, according to anthropologists, stories are one of the few things common to every culture....C...

As a web designer you may be faced with the challenge of getting your work and your abilities in front of others. If this is the case, here is a list of 13 different things you can do to get...Click t...

Most web designers work with clients from all over the country or even all around the world. While it certainly allows the designer to expand his or her marketplace, there are sometimes competitive......

How do you get more clients? Build a strong online presence, of course.If clients and prospects see you online, they are more likely to contact you about web design projects. An easy and...Click throu...

Coding can be difficult to learn by yourself. Whether you're just starting the basics of frontend development or want to pickup Node, Laravel, or Rails, it takes time.The process of learning how to......

Jonathan Phillips wrote a blog post called: Getting A-Listers to Notice Your Blog vs. Social Networking. In the article Jon asks his readers which source they would prefer to send them traffic. He...C...

Concrete textures can be extremely useful and versatile for web and graphic designers. They can be used to create grungy and urban backgrounds, or they can be used subtly to create a soft texture...Cl...

Every great landing page or guided web experience has some call to action element. This could be a button, signup form, settings menu, or anything that gets the user moving through a predetermined...C...

What makes a landing page appealing? It needs to be aesthetically pleasing, sure, but it also needs to be easy to navigate and show off the sites content in a way that the visitor can quickly...Click ...

You have the web design skills. You have the knowledge. You have the experience. Yet, you could still be missing a critical element that is crucial to your success in running a freelance web design......

Most marketing services try to sell you traffic. They will tell you that if you let them do certain things, you will receive a truckload of traffic. But, what they may not tell you is that just...Clic...

When it comes to advertising design, sometimes it needs to be creative in order to catch someone's attention or to make an impact. An ad that mixes creativity a strong, clear message and good design.....

Who says games can't be educational? Though I'll admit when I hear the concept of a design-centric game I rarely assume it'll be fun. But after scouring the Internet for web games I'm surprised how......

A few years back I launched what was called Vandelay Premier to test my ability to sell premium stock graphics. While I would only consider it a moderate success, one main thing I quickly...Click thro...

A few years back I launched what was called Vandelay Premier to test my ability to sell premium stock graphics. While I would only consider it a moderate success, one main thing I quickly...Click thro...

Facebook first introduced open graph in 2010 and since that time it has been used to define digital objects all over the Internet. Websites, movies, and even locations can become "rich objects" in...C...

When clients seek a website redesign, they dont always know what they want. They know they want a different look, new structure or revised copy, but they may have trouble pinpointing their specific......

There's a lot to learn by studying the logo evolution of major brands and well-known products. Trends change all the time and they can lead to radical design changes across societies and...Click throu...