Design Articles

Finding great free-to-use images online can be quite the bummer, depending on where you’re looking. Most people who need images for their blog, website, social networking account or birthday cards usually end up paying for them at websites like iStockphoto.

You don’t have to pay anything for great looking images if you know where to look. Since pictures speak a thousand times more, having a good image that accurately depicts what you are talking about can help drive your point home. That said, here’s how to find good images online without paying a dime.

1. Use Search Engines

Google in particular, has a large database of indexed pictures that you can “borrow” or use for your website. All you have to do is simply visit http://images.google.com, type in your keyword and voila, you have an infinite number of great free-to-use images from which you can choose.

2. Flickr

Now owned by Yahoo!, this is another excellent resource. Some of the images here are actually taken by professional photographers using high resolution cameras. One more thing; ensure to read the owner’s terms of agreement before using their pictures. This is just a precautionary measure, nothing more.

More Essential Tips for Using Images at Your Site:

• Make sure the images have Creative Commons Licence – here’s a good guide in it.
• Make sure your images are properly compressed not to make your pages load slower (it’s recommended that images be limited to 100K in size but overall, the lower, the better – as soon as you don’t sacrifice on the quality)
• Make sure your images are clear and high-quality: refrain from using abstract images. Clear images with some recognizable details encourage your readers to stay longer.
• Use JPG file format for all photographic images while keeping PNG format for banners and logos and other images where you need transparent background.
• Make sure that the maximum aspect ratio of 3:1 (otherwise it won’t be grabbed by Facebook when your readers will be sharing your article)
• Always use ALT text when embedding your images: this will ensure your images are crawled by search engines and read by screen readers.
• Consider hosting your images externally (at Flickr or Photobucket) – this will save your server’s resources as well as let your images easier rank in search results.

With these two resources, you are not likely to want for decent free images online.

Annie is a web blogger for Dobovo, the free money-saving resource for affordable Kiev apartments

For those that are in charge of finding the best web host that is out there for themselves or for their clients, they will find that one of the best tools that are out there is the web hosing comparison websites that are available. Many of these sites are going to be including the top hosting that is available for the person to choose from. And within the reviews, they will have aspects such as web hosting price comparison, web hosting bandwidth comparison, real consumer reviews and so forth that are going to make you want to consider which is going to fit your needs better.

The layout of these web hosting comparison sites are going to usually compare at least three sites, if not more at a time. And the web hosts that are compared are usually top hosting providers – those that have the most following and consumers. Or they are new to the market, yet offer something that no other web hosts out there are offering. With these web host comparison sites, the person will find that half of the work that they would normally do to find all of this information on their own is taken away and they can simply sit back and relax, compare the information and determine the best solution for their client.

The person does need to make sure that they are taking into consideration all the important aspects of the web host, such as the price, bandwidth, email accounts offered, traffic allowed to the site and so forth before they make a decision.

Photography is an incredible creative outlet. You are capturing real life images and moments in dynamic ways that stretch the boundaries of reality. Those pictures will maintain that instant in time forever, keeping it locked in time for generations to enjoy.

It is no wonder that people are so passionate about the art form, whether as a hobby or a career. But it can get expensive either way, which has kept many people from finding their full potential in the medium.

That is a shame, and money worries should never keep you from making the most out of an activity you love. Especially if it is part of your livelihood. So check out these five tips on how anyone, beginner or expert, can save a few bucks here and there.

Tip #1: Buy Used and Refurbished Equipment

For some reason, used and refurbished are both dirty words in the world of photography. But you can actually find high quality equipment and computer items that are gently used for a huge discount.

Of course, if you are buying online you will want to check the return policies just in case. If you can, buy used in your local area, so you can test them before purchasing.

Tip #2: Use Opensource Software

Photoshop and After Effects are just some of the incredible editing software now available on the market. They are also hundreds of dollars. Each. Which can put a serious dent in your budget, and in some cases keep you from getting them at all. Especially the more professional versions, which can run into the thousands.

This is the reason that opensource software was made. It is free, well made by users familiar with the needs of the downloader, and all they ask for is a donation if you can provide it.

One such program that is very popular is GIMP, which is considered a great Photoshop alternative.

Tip #3: Learn Social Media Marketing

Professional photographers or those looking to get recognized have a serious money drainer on their hands: marketing. Advertising costs add up, and so most photographers end up under exposed (if you will pardon the pun), missing out on potential clientele.

Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn provide a fantastic opportunity to show off your work and easily share it with others, who can then share it themselves. You also have blogging or viral video options, like Tumble, Blogger, WordPress, YouTube or Vimeo.

Tip #4: Trade Services With Models

Professional models are extremely expensive. Which is one reason that many choose to go with amateur freelancers who only charge small fees for their services. But even this can really add up, especially when you are doing full photo shoots.

You can actually find many who will trade their work as models for prints to use in their portfolios. It is a win/win situation, especially when you find fully cooperative projects.

Check out sites like Craigslist or TFCD to find opportunities.

Tip #5: Utilize Free Shooting Locations

You might be tempted to hit a really trendy spot for a photoshoot. But this gets pricey really fast, and there are plenty of areas that are breathtakingly beautiful and free to use.

If you live near a beach, try taking some shots in or near the water, or use the sand as a natural backdrop. Go out on a public hiking trail or into the woods. Check out a national park, or even a local park owned by the city/state.

Conclusion

You can save a lot of money with a little bit of thought. Don’t let your career or hobby in photography cost you an arm and a leg. Get creative!

Annie is a creative blogger for Square Deal, a free money-saving resource of Snapfish coupons.

Image credits: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Website creation used to be a complicated process. You either had to consult a web designer for the purpose or if you want to do it on your own, you had to have the knowledge. Nowadays, it is not so. Times have changed. You can create your own personalized website with a web designing software. It provides a complete guide to designing your very own website. Before choosing a web designing software decide first on the type of website that will be created by you and the methods adopted for the same.

Help
Software on web designing helps you to create web pages and design them as you wish. They make use of a combination of text, sounds, images, videos etc all in a single page. They use a method called WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). In this method, they translate the design into codes. The code language is understood by the browser. It also uses HTML, JavaScript and CSS for the coding.
You can also learn to make web templates if your software has WYSIWYG capability. It is easy to get software that is attractive and easy to maintain if you have the know-how and the right software in hand.

Types of Software
Decide why you are making a website. Is it for personal purposes or business purposes? Various types of web designing software is available for your use depending on the purpose. For ecommerce use professional web designing software which is meant for complex websites. They use advanced programming language for the purpose. It is also necessary that users must have a basic knowledge of various scripts. The software also enables you to have features like drop-down menu, integrated multimedia and shopping carts. If you are designing the website for personal purposes then choose a personal web designing software. They have a simple interface and are designed for simple websites.

Choosing the Right Software
For choosing the right kind of software you must look for two things:

Template- In order to make your designing convenient and easy you must choose software containing ready page template. This will not only make your web designing easier but also faster as the whole process is simplified.

CSS feature- You must choose CSS supporting software. You can get more control on the web page that way.

While the above points enlist the basic features you must look for in web designing software you must also know how to search for one. When you buy web designing software you must first know the compatibility of the software with your operating system. The software you choose must be compatible with your system. Therefore know the requirements of the software.  

Once you get the software of your choice that meets all your requirements you can start building your own website. You can also make your own designs making use of the templates and modifying them. It is very easy to do so. Web designing software is available in all different ranges. There are cheap as well as expensive ones.

If you are new to the field or a starter then it is better to go for cheap one so that you first get comfortable with the program before you proceed.

If you are looking for a new way to take advantage of search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, charitable donations can help you reach an entirely new audience. Aside from the altruistic reasons of giving something back to the community and spreading good will, charitable giving can help propel your business into a new spotlight.

Charity organizations frequently publish the names of companies that contribute to their bottom line. Charities are naturally eager to refer customers to you so that your business stays profitable. Take advantage of this synchronicity by a generous contribution to the charity of your choice. (this is just an example of one creative idea related to Twitter which we used and donated to Charity.)

Approach

When you give to charity, it casts a positive light on your company. This gives customers a positive, subtle nudge in your direction which in turn allows you to continue contributing to charity in the future. Both parties – you and the charity – benefit from this cycle. Your charitable gift encourages customers and results in a profitable, successful, and flourishing business.

A successful growth strategy encompasses SEO, social medias, the company website, and a strong internet presence. Finding help with this strategy and discovering new ways to implement it sometimes requires a professional touch. Regarding to this we have an example of giving some of our services for free (for charities and similar) through Random Acts of SEO.

SEO part of the story

A natural outflow of charitable giving is that your company gets buzz from the charity’s press releases and newsletters. The more your company gets mentioned, the easier it is for search engines to notice you. Your own press releases, newsletters, and blogs should mention the gift, too. Be sure that any media release includes a link that invites supporters to your website, and that your company’s information is featured as keywords. This positive message will penetrate the busy market. Intertwine social medias so that their audience can be reached as well.

Ensure that keywords are maximized but not overdone. Blogs, press releases, and other web entries should be included in the campaign preplanning so that everything is timed perfectly. This means that you get more hits in a brief time period, which thrusts your search engine placement upward.

Altruistic Giving

Charities are always in need of funds from businesses. History shows that generous companies are rewarded with a sturdy consumer base. Every charitable gift should be mentioned in all company online resources such as newsletters, social medias such as Facebook, and community news organizations. Always include links to your company so that customers can take advantage of the good buzz.

Planning

Your business plan should include charitable contributions in your long-term goals. Don’t limit your altruism to just a one-time gift. Consider giving a smaller monthly amount that can be tweeted or become a regular feature of company blogs or newsletters. This crossover action reaches both the charity’s customers and your own. You can encourage your employees to support the charity, too, by participating in a charity walk, a workday, or other event. Your targeted audience will see your company’s name featured in pictures, blogs, social media, and most important through the links.

Author bio:
Alex Petrovic – SEO strategist – Dejan SEO company
Link building team leader

Few of us are lucky enough to be proficient at everything we turn our hand to. In fact most of us are good at something but find other tasks a little beyond our capabilities. Some of us find we are naturally gifted at building things with our hands but leave a lot desired when it come to working out a household budget. Others may be better at academic subjects than they are at racing car driving. We are all different, therefore one of the major lessons in life is to discover what you are naturally good at and work to perfect that particular skill.

If you accept this advice it stands to reason that you should leave it to specifically skilled people to undertake tasks for which you have little or no knowledge, especially if these tasks are important to the success or otherwise of your business. This brings us to the subject of graphic design.

Good graphic design will give your advertising an attraction that will draw people to your message, but it will need a high level of creativity before it will do the job you expect of it. It is this high level of creativity you are looking for when you decide it is beyond your capabilities, and look to outsourcing this aspect of your business. A big business will probably have a graphic designer on their staff, some may have many, but few small businesses have the resources or the need to employ such a specially skilled person. This is where the need to contract out this part of your business becomes a reality and this can be done confidently if you take the following steps:

1 – Know What You Want

Before approaching a graphic designer to do work for you, you must make certain that you know what you want. Your job will be to tell the graphic designer what it is you need and for his or her creative genius to come up with the desired result. The graphic designer will therefore want to know what your goals are. Some of the questions you must ask yourself in confirming what it is you actually want can include the following:

• The reason for outsourcing this part of your business in the first place?
• What will the finished graphic design be used for?
• Where will it be placed?

If you are clear in your own mind about the answers to these three questions you will be in a better position to be able to explain what you need to your chosen graphic designer. In fact the more you can tell him or her what it is that you need, the better the design will be from your perspective.

2 – Your Graphic Designer Must be Cost effective

Commissioning a graphic designer to carry out work on your behalf has to be able to fit within your marketing budget, therefore it is important to have the cost cleared up before any work begins. You must decide whether you consider the price being asked is worth it. Just as in everything else in business, what you spend your money on has to be able to contribute to your so called, ‘bottom line.’ Hiring the services of a graphic designer is no different.

If you feel the cost is exorbitant try to negotiate a lower price before you cut off discussions altogether. You may be pleasantly surprised. Some of the more prominent graphic designers online are in countries like India or the Philippines but a cheaper graphic designer does not necessarily mean you will receive a satisfactory result, it may pay you to accept a higher quite to ensure the job you get will be of the highest standard. This means you may have to decide between quality and price.

3 – Look for a Long Term Relationship

Look at choosing a graphic designer as forging a long term business relationship. Creating graphic designs for your business will not stop after you receive the first project. It is by its very nature an ongoing process. You will need to regularly update it and make changes when it starts to age and becomes monotonous. Therefore it is important that the graphic designer you choose is one you feel comfortable with for the long term. If your graphic designer grows with your business you could see some amazing results in the future.

If you feel you can not do your own graphic design work it is only reasonable that you outsource your needs in this field to either a freelancer or a business that can do the work for you at a reasonable price. Your choice should be balanced between cost and quality, but it is also important that the decision you make is made on the belief that the graphic designer you choose will stay with you for many years to come. A long term relationship in this specialised field will see an understanding develop that will ultimately be of great benefit.

This article was written by Will from Life Insurance Finder. Visit Life Insurance Finder to compare life insurance quotes.

These days, as computing moves more and more into the clouds, for every important (and expensive) design app you have installed on your home computer, chances are there is a free, effective (albeit perhaps slightly simplified) version of it online. These web apps come in particularly useful when you are traveling or away from your own computer. They are convenient, are easily accessible and allow you to road test your designs on the fly. In this article we will suggest five essential web apps that every designer should check out:

Loads.in: No matter how beautiful your site design is, you always need to bear in mind how it is going to look through differing browsers and how quickly it is going to load. Compatibility with less popular browsers is crucial and it is absolutely essential that your website is going to be able to render its pages and design perfectly without taking forever to do so. That is what makes Loads.in an indispensable app – it will take your website and analyse its loading speed through a particular browser and from any of fifty worldwide locations. It allows you to check that every possible destination and browser, including tablets and mobile phones, will load your site swiftly and correctly.

WhatTheFont: Simple but one that every designer needs to bookmark immediately, WhatTheFont helps you to identify any and every font that you come across in your daily browsing. Every designer knows that annoying feeling when you come across a font that is to die for but can’t establish what it is. WhatTheFont solves this problem for you. Simply upload an image file or the url to their database to get an answer.

TypeTester: Another simple but genius web app for type fans, Typetester lets designers and web site owners compare any of the thousands of fonts that they can see on a particular screen. Web designers love it for the broad overview it can give when deciding on which fonts to use as do site owners who might not have the time to research fonts as seriously as designers might.

CSS3 Generator: If you need to quickly generate your own CSS3 code then look no further than the CSS3 generator. A dropdown menu offers quick and easy access to allow you to generate any standard CSS3 option or feature, including animations, gradients, font faces, transitions and shadows.

Phoenix Image Editor: The sheer range of features available in this one online photo editor makes you wonder if you need to be spending hundreds of dollars on your standard photo editing suites each year. Phoenix Image Editor, the standard bearer for Aviary, is an essential online app and comes with an intuitive and simple interface that covers everything from retouching images to a multitude of complex photo editing functions and effects.

Esther is a blogger and financial writer. She spends her week writing about mortgages and tax reduction but in her spare time loves to write about all things related to design. 

Stock images remain a fairly controversial issue in the world of design. There are some who believe that it is lazy to use someone else’s work, even if it is bought fairly. Maybe that is true; certainly, it is the easy way to generate images for a core design.

But there are many reasons that we choose to go with stock photos rather than creating our own. The obvious one is the time and effort that are saved, which can then be put toward the design process itself. This can help to improve your finished product more than if you took the step of taking your own photos, which can be an exhaustive and time-consuming process.

If you do choose to use stock, you should always go with the highest quality images you can find. Anything else looks cheap and badly created, and you won’t want to present that as the result of your hard work. Especially since a low quality stock image can take what was a brilliant design and ruin the effect.

Here are seven tips on how to avoid using stock images the wrong way, and so corrupting the integrity of your design:

1. Know When Using Stock Is Appropriate

Guess what? Using stock images are not always the way to go. The trick is knowing when it would be better to use someone else’s work, or when it would be better to create your own.

The fact is, you won’t always be able to find that “perfect” image to illustrate your point. Rather than rely on someone else’s vision, you should occasionally bring your own to life. This is what many designers do, and they find it very beneficial. It also makes their clients happy, as they are getting a totally original product.

You might want to take the time occasionally to take a bunch of stock photos that relate to your common niches, or general images that can be used for multiple topics. Then keep them in a folder for when you need them.

2. Avoid Cliche’s Like The Plague

The worse thing you can do is go for an overused concept in a stock image. For example, if you were designing a wedding site and needed an image for a page dedicated to marriage jitters, you won’t want a picture of a runaway bride. It is overdone, cliché and cheesy.

Keep your eyes out for new and creative ways to get the same point across. Looking at other websites might help spark some inspiration and get those mental juices flowing. You want an original representation, not a generic one.

3. Invest In A Good Quality Image

Any good stock site will have different size and resolution options for you to choose from on any particular image. The lower the res, the cheaper the picture. This can be tempting, especially when you need to use multiple stock images one one website. It can get expensive, and they might not fully reimburse for content used in the design creation.

But your reputation and portfolio mean more than losing a couple of bucks on a project. If you use low quality images, your final product will reflect that. You will end up shooting yourself in the foot, no matter how good the rest of the site may be. It will just look shoddy.

Use the high quality images, or at least something far into the middle range. You want to put your best face forward. If the client insists on you using low quality stock, point out the problems that may arise with this tactic. If they still insist, there may be nothing you can do, but you still tried.

4. Don’t Over-Clone

Say you have an image that is perfect, but it just isn’t long enough to cover the necessary space. Design 101 would state that you just have to extend the photo using the same image, by cloning the original to make a second part, right? That is why Photoshop has such a handy little clone tool right there on the dashboard for you to use, after all.

The problem here is not with cloning, but with bad cloning that is overdone. A direct replica of the image set side by side, no matter how well blended into a single image, is easy to spot. The same pixels are used over and over again, and soon you have a highly recognizable pattern. It is obvious and unprofessional.

Feel free to clone, but vary the placement of point with the image. Always make sure you have manipulated it to a point that people would have to really study it to see. Try asking someone else to take a quick look, and see if they can spot the difference.

5. Never Let Bad Masking Slide

You can always rely on a clean, white background to provide you with the perfect spot for any image. It is the number one choice for designers everywhere, and a big reason that much object-focused stock photography is done the same way. It makes like a lot easier for the one making the site.

But being easy for you doesn’t equate to being preferred by the customer. There is a good chance you will have clients who insist on using gradient backgrounds and photos that were shot with busier backgrounds.

This isn’t a disaster, but it does make it harder to make it all come together as seamlessly as a standard white-backed design. Which is why you should avoid the pitfall of using basic Photoshop masking. The end result will not look professional, and it can be spotted as a bad job by anyone with the slightest bit of design experience.

Instead, learn some advanced tools and methods, and really utilize the refine edge tool.

6. Make Sure Your Photo Is Related And Never Random

I hate it when clients give me stock photos to use. I have never worked on a project like this where I was given what I actually need. Instead, they expect me to make a miracle using unrelated and random, often low quality, photos. Which reflects badly on my work to anyone who sees it.

Photos are not window dressing. They are there to help reinforce the point of your website, and so you need images that reflect the messages. Where would a high-res photo of a ladybug fit on a site for a financial consulting company? How could you fit a wheat field into a web page for a telecommunications business?

Keep focused, and make sure your client knows the limitations of a general stock photo.

7. Make Sure Your Stock Image Is Up-To-Date

I saw a website the other day for a teenage support group that had pictures of laughing, happy teens dressed in a way that would have looked at home in an old episode of Blossom. Right down to the garish, multi-colored outfit and floppy, flower topped hats. It was like stepping back into the early 90′s, and it looked ridiculously out of place for a modern day website.

A lot of stock photos have been recycled from days prior to their inclusion on the Internet. They are usually affordable and pretty high resolution, which makes them tempting for some designers.

But using something that is out of date is counter-productive. It distracts the attention of the site visitor and looks old. That is the last thing you want.

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong with using stock images in your design. It is a great way to cut down on the time you spend on those details, giving you more time to work on the rest of the site. It is also a necessity if you aren’t that good with a camera yourself.

But there is a right and a wrong way to go about it. Make sure you are doing it the right way, and you will be covered.

Annie is a creative blogger for Credit card Finder, the free tool to compare credit cards online (Australia-based).

First thing first, what do you think is a logo? The simple way that I’d like to put it in is that a logo design is something, which is visual and which serves as a brand representative or identity to your business or company. The thing with logo design is that you cannot just adapt the logo of someone else, you need to make your own and you need to make is in a way that it actually does meet the needs of your business. Remember that above all else, a logo design needs to be visually appealing, because if it’s not that then it is of no use.

The fact is that a good logo design will even help you in sales if you actually do manage to make your identity in the market. But a logo design does so much more than just create your brand identity; it creates an everlasting effect on the minds of people about your business and the kind of business that you run.

If you have a powerful and effecting logo then this would mean that these people can even become your customers at one point.

A good and custom logo design will create the awareness that you and your brand needs. It will showcase the products and services that you offer and then help you to make a trademark. Be sure to put in effort and time and create a logo which has the power to  attract people towards it, if you are able to do this then these folks will be curious about what you have to offer.

You should keep in mind that logo design doesn’t just “happen”. A good logo design is the accumulation of both your efforts and the effort of your designer. It starts with a concept which represents your business and ends when you are able to see a change in the number of your customers. A logo design will not be successful unless and until it is unique and different from the others of its kind. The logo design is useless if it doesn’t stand out.

I have seen many companies who put in a lot of time and money in order to achieve a good logo design and know that a logo is that which symbolizes the scope and quality of the company. The first class logo is that which has just the right combination of colors, shapes and font. Remember that the basic function of the logo design is to attract customers and it should have the ability to urge them towards the company which is represents.

It’s important for any company to stay relevant and competitive in order to remain a viable business. Having an online presence is key, but finding ways to gain attention for the company, blog, or business can present certain challenges that can be daunting for any size company. Regardless of business or blog size, ventures can always use up-to-date marketing techniques to make viewers aware of your specific resources and services.

Here are some tips for larger and smaller companies alike that will help you more successfully market your business.

If you have a blog, smaller business, or you’re just starting out, you probably don’t have the kind of marketing dollars or resources to put behind a comprehensive campaign, like other larger corporations. If this is the case, you may want to focus your attention in areas where you’ll have the greatest effect with the lowest cost, but starting small doesn’t mean that you have to be narrow in your approach. There are many things you can do to promote your business that are both beneficial to your business and your bottom line.

Utilizing the power of local promotional sites and social networking is key for smaller businesses. This provides an avenue towards creating lasting connections to your local community to that are exponentially beneficial and to a national audience. Larger businesses have started using these resources as well, but for smaller companies, it’s a free way to get in touch with the people who would be most interested in your services. You can use websites, such as Yahoo Local, and community forums that are free. They will inform potential customers about your business and services. Staying active on social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, is a great way to keep people up to date about special deals and also offer links to your website. Social media is a powerful tool that small businesses can use to cheaply market their business and develop a multimedia campaign on a limited budget.

Some larger and mid-sized companies will be able to put more money into online marketing, through banner and side ads, but if you really want to have the greatest affect for your marketing budget, using an SEO company could be a useful option. They can assist you in devising marketing strategies and build your online search ranking and profile. These types of companies can also show you the best ways to deliver your content or brand to a target audience, which can give you an outside perspective on how to direct marketing dollars that you may not have otherwise considered.

Follow some of these steps to have a greater online impact and consider the power of updating your web site often. Showing your customers and competitors that your business is active and relevant is a great way to show your commitment to excellence. A good Internet presence is important for the success of any company today with more people shopping online than ever before. Your website reputation and how you’re viewed is essential to achieving success for your business.