[ page last updated: Sep. 17, 2005. ]
Since i’ve been completely preoccupied with redesigning this website, i thought it might be useful to lay down some of the key concepts i have been trying to focus on when approaching design. The process varies slightly from project to project, but the general idea remains the same. Hopefully, it can serve as a reference for future design projects, and help remind me to keep all these things in perspective.
Weapons of Choice:
- Illustrator
- Photoshop
- XHTML
- CSS
After warming up with a few rough Illustrator designs and experimenting with some new CSS layout techniques, i usually like to take a step back. Changing gears helps me stay creative without feeling exhausted with any particular method. i turn towards reading, and a few good design articles to help me stay grounded. Less is more, that sort of thing. Here are some of the most recent ones i’ve read..
Design Articles:
- The Principles of Design
- The Elements of Design
- Mediascape – Organize, Structure, Style
- Apprehension is the enemy of interface design
Then i usually do some crazy stuff like: Googling definitions for the words Approaching and Design (just type define:design in the google search box to get a definition). By the way, and in case you were wondering, design is both a noun and a verb. i just can’t stop learning. So i guess design is everything. Very confusing. Anyway, i also like to go through all the photos i have ever uploaded to my computer. i’m not exactly sure how many there are, but let me tell you.. very time consuming.
Once i get bored with that type of stuff i begin the quest for inspiration. i usually visit these sites to help me choose a color scheme that suits my particular mood – chill, fresh, mellow, slick, subtle, etc. I should also mention that this is usually the point where i decide to abandon most of what i had done so far as warm-up, and start over with a clean slate.
Pick your Inspiration:
Finally, i like to keep a couple of the following sites in mind while i work on my project. Striving to get a website featured on one of these places helps me to set a high standard for my designs, while at the same time offering up an almost limitless supply of inspiration and creativity.
Creative Excellence:
- Unmatched Style
- CSSBeauty
- Stylegala
- CSS Import
- CSS Vault
- Netcocktail
- Wow Factor
- W3 Compliant Sites
- CSS-Mania
[ Incidentally, right now, i am only in the early stages of this vicious cycle with the TechBlog website. If you're interested, you can visit the Site News category to follow my meager progress. ]
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