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Myriad Pro vs Helvetica

I was recently forced to choose between the popular fonts Helvetica and Myriad Pro. Both are great fonts, so it’s hard to choose between the two. Helvetica is used by just about everyone, which is almost a reason in of itself not to use it However, Myriad Pro is also widely used, and Apple uses Myriad; Myriad is the same as Myriad Pro like Helvetica Neue is to Helvetica.

Not wanting to choose one over the other for any reason other than my own, I decided to investigate. Continue reading…

The One Day Web Design Experiment

Good Morning World! As I promised, this morning I am beginning The One Day Web Experiment!

About the One Day Web Design Experiment

Today I am devoting my entire day to re-designing my blog, er, this site. I woke up ‘early,’ and instantly opened my sketchbook and got to work. I shall move into Photoshop and then into code as soon as possible. The purpose of this ‘Web design experiment’ is to see how far I can progress in one day on a single Web design. I hope to receive feedback on my designs and engage in discussion about the Web design trade through this experiment. Continue reading…

Be Yourself in Design

All designers have their own style - without exception. Though some styles may be similar to others, this difference from designer to designer is what brings about the beautiful multitude of diverse designs in the world.

If every designer followed the latest mashup from the popular blog of the month, chased after the latest trend, or copied the latest award winning design, the world would lose the beautiful diversity of design that we cherish.

As designers, we need to figure out what makes ourselves unique. Explore what you like about design. Uncover your personality and let it show through in what you create.

Do not try and copy design.
Let your own style and creativity surface.
Only then will you unleash your full potential as a designer.

The Design Quality/Price Ratio in Web Design

I re-read an amazing article on the quality vs price ratio in Web design and was going to write an article on this topic, but couldn’t write anything better. Heck, I even considered writing a paragraph or two to go along with the excerpt. But, why reinvent what is already… awesome? But in all seriousness, it’s a great article.

So here’s an excerpt from Smashing Magazine’s article: Quality-Price-Ratio in Web Design. It’s a great read and really worth checking out. Continue reading…

What Makes Web Minimalism Effective (Part 1 of 2)

Sure, design trends come and go - but one trend that seems here to stay is the oh-so-popular Minimalism style. Though Minimalism can easily be a pitiful excuse for design, Minimalism (if used right) can be extremely powerful. However, in order to use Minimalism effectively, we must first understand what makes Minimalist design so effective and powerful.

The underlying principal is extremely simple.
Minimalism strips down the work to its “most fundamental features.”^wiki

By stripping away all excess clutter, we remove all distractions from the message of the web site. For example, Continue reading…

Excellent Typography Video: Advent Conspiracy

Thanks to a friend of mine, I stumbled upon this video: The Advent Conspiracy (by AdventConspiracy.org)
I personally think this video has an incredible message on many levels. Y’all may disagree.
Even so.
This video has EXCELLENT typography.

Get involved and learn more: Advent Conspiracy .org

Project 1071 - Another Design Showcase

Here it is!
I have finally launched one of my pet projects - Project 1071.

Project 1071 is a design showcase that allows visitors to easily search sites based on extensive tagging. With Project 1071, visitors can search the archives for all sites using top navigation with a grungy look and any other combination of design elements. Project 1071 also features a decent amount of info about the site, it’s designer, comments by the visitors, as well as a review by yours truly. Furthermore, visitors can vote on the website and (in a few weeks) will be able to view the highest visitor rated sites.

Excited?
No?
Oh well - doesn’t matter to me. Project 1071 is pretty much a place where I can archive all of the websites I like and easily search for them. That way I’m not scratching my head when I remember a website that implemented a good technique that I want to study and I can’t remember which website it was.

So here you go.
Project 1071.
I hope you enjoy it.
See y’all next week.