Resources for Designers and Site Owners

Some Useful Links

From time to time we come across sites that offer interesting perspectives and/or resources about the internet, web design and web development. We share these links here, or if they are more closely related to Lewis Media and the work we do, we may Blog about them. Take your time and browse through both.

If you have something you'd like to add or have us comment on, feel free to contact us.

*50 Ways to Become a Better Designer

This is a really enjoyable article - long, but a good read. The original site is here http://www.gosquared.com/liquidicity/archives/114
If it doesn't work, here is a mirror: http://duggmirror.com/design/50_Ways_to_Become_the_Best_Designer_Ever/

Great Story on Identity Theft - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7174760.stm

"Contrary to what I said at the time, we must go after the idiots who lost the discs and stick cocktail sticks in their eyes until they beg for mercy"

Life and Times of Cool Web Design - an article from Fadtastic that provides a good year-in-review of design trends from the past year (2007) and where we might be heading in 2008.

http://fadtastic.net/2008/01/02/the-life-and-times-of-cool/

"What is "cool" in web design today is certainly not what was cool six months or a year ago, though the Web 2.0 swelling had begun to recede by the summer of 2007. Designers as a whole have grown tired of the gloss, reflections, and gradient-filled rounded corners. As a visual trend, Web 2.0 had a slightly immature look to it. But the decline of this style has helped the design world to mature and increase in depth."

Ron Scott, the author, talks about the end of the Web 2.0 design bubble, and the end of - as he puts it - somewhat childish design elements. Primarily the giant shiny buttons, primary colours, gradients, and rounded corners. He could be right. If you take a look at a lot of the design sites out there now, it seems that the whitespace and simplicity of Web 2.0 design trends are holding true and the overused cliche elements are dying out. Here are some examples

http://dailyslurp.com/
http://www.cssremix.com/
http://webcreme.com/
http://www.designmeltdown.com/

Web Design Flow - the word of the day is 'Flow'.

"The notion of flow, or optimal experience, is described in eloquent detail in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's book "Flow". The experience of flow is most pronounced in creative activities, like writing code or participating in sports, but in a much smaller sense, flow is achievable in almost anything. In a more abstract and functional definition than Mihaly's, I think of flow in a design as the movement of a person from their desire to their satisfaction, in as natural and easy a way as possible. A good developer, designer, or creator of anything strives to allow users to experience this kind of flow."

Here are some links and examples discussing flow that you might find insightful!

http://designmeltdown.com/chapters/Flow/
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/designingforflow
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/2/
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms993280.aspx
http://www.scottberkun.com/essays/13-the-role-of-flow-in-web-design

New Study - 95% Spam - Read it here: http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9831556-16.html?tag=nefd.blgs

"There was a time--2004 to be precise--when spam "only" consumed 70 percent of all e-mail. Those were the good old days. Today, as Barracuda Networks' annual spam report shows, upwards of 95 percent of all e-mail is spam. In 2001, the number was 5 percent."

How to disarm 10 difficult client observations/requests - http://www.ideasonideas.com/2007/10/disarm-10-difficult-requests/

Unveiling a solution is arguably the most harrowing aspect of the creative process. In our last post we talked about how we can work to better service our clients. In this one, I'll share some of the best responses we have to questions that can often derail an otherwise effective solution. Very useful article!

Blog Action Day - For more information, visit http://blogactionday.org/

"On October 15/07, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone's mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future."

Automated Network Neutrality Proposed: An interesting article on Ars Technica today mentioned how PFIR proposes automated network neutrality enforcement system.

"People for Internet Responsibility (PFIR) co-founder Lauren Weinstein has issued a proposal for a global Internet traffic analysis system capable of automatically detecting prejudicial bandwidth manipulation. Weinstein believes that implementation of his proposal could put an end to the impasse that has stalled the network neutrality debate."

Considering the amount of press-time the debate has been receiving over the last few months, it'll be interesting to hear how the proposed "Global Internet Measurement Analysis Array" is received.

Facebook now work $15 billion?

"The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Facebook is negotiating with Microsoft to sell a stake in the hot social network at a valuation between $10 billion and $15 billion."