BlogmyQuery – BMQ

We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a matter of fact, we’ve discovered the best one — desktop wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd. This creativity mission has been going on for almost two years now, and we are very thankful to all designers who have contributed and are still diligently contributing each month.

We continue to nourish you with a monthly spoon of inspiration. This post features 30 free desktop wallpapers created by artists across the globe for June 2011. Both versions with a calendar and without a calendar can be downloaded for free. It’s time to freshen up your wallpaper!

Please note that:

• All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
• You can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them?

Winding Ribbons

"What goes around comes around." Designed by Corporate 3 Design from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 480×320, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1920×1200, 2561×1440
• without calendar: 480×320, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1920×1200, 2561×1440

Colourful Summer

"”Have a joyful summer filled with colours of fun.” An unique circle patterns of bright vivid colours to represent the fun of summer time,joyful holidays and happiness." Designed by Divya from United Kingdom.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Fancy Schmancy

Designed by Pietje Precies from The Netherlands.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

June Gloom

"June Gloom on a California day." Designed by Brandi Kenney from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 1920×1440
• without calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 1920×1440

In Love For Violet

Designed by Stylova.com from Poland.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440

Paradise Lost Island

"Paradise Lost Island With Vintage Texture ! Every desktop resolutions listed by smashing mag (from 640×480 to 2560Ч1600)." Designed by Benoit Chartron from France.

• preview
• with calendar: 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×640, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1600

Abstract Bird

"Abstract art of parrot ready for welcome to rain." Designed by Chandrakant Bagade, Banglore. from India.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1400×1050
• without calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1400×1050

Monsoon

"June brings monsoon in India. Here people are very exited & wait for monsoon. So I decided to bring into attention, the joy of monsoon in Indian Subcontinent. The term was first used in English in British India (now India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) and neighbouring countries to refer to the big seasonal winds blowing from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea in the southwest bringing heavy rainfall to the area." Designed by Jitendra Kushwaha from India.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1920×1200

Prevail

"The devastation in Japan as a result of the tsunami’s been enormous. As a tribute, I thought I’d create this piece." Designed by Umer Tahir from Canada.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Serenity

"I don’t know about you, but silence is truly a privilege for me. With so much activity, day in and day out, I really needed something to help keep my sanity on track. Looking at that glorious green grass just takes me away into the calm, and I hope this will do wonders for you too!" Designed by Daily Overview from Malaysia.

• preview
• with calendar: 800×480, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 800×480, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Poppy Summer

"Poppy flowers all around are announcing the upcoming Summer. A walk in a field of wheat call to mind smells and colors from the past." Designed by Ester Liquori from Italy.

• preview
• with calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1440×1080, 1600×1200
• without calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1440×1080, 1600×1200

Flowers

"Simple fresh calendar with flower design." Designed by Patrik Bartas from Slovakia.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×720, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 1280×720, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Hirundo Tailcoat

"How did the swallow got its split tail? Estonians say that it laughed itself hard to split the tail." Designed by Olivia Osik from Estonia.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1920×1200, 1920×1440
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1920×1200, 1920×1440

Dearest Daddykins

"Dads have always been pillars of support at home and working hard outside, all just to provide comfort to their families. Here is a tribute to my dad, who always waits up for me no matter how late I return home, and always making sure that the apple of his eye has more than enough in every way. Happy Daddykins’ Day." Designed by Melissa Chew from Singapore.

• preview
• with calendar: 1152×864, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080
• without calendar: 1152×864, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080

Ella Eh? Eh? Eh?

"Umbrellas & Rain, Grey Background, with June Calendar." Designed by Cary Apel from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 320×480, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 2560×1440

Be The Best Of Whatever You Are

"A wonderful poem about being the best at whatever you do. I hope you enjoy the inspirational words of wisdom that this poetry (Douglas Malloch) has to offer. Happy june from Italy." Designed by Maurizio Malagoli from Italy.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200

Old No.7

Designed by Vinteum from Brazil.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080

Colorful June

"Summer is coming and we are surrounded by vivid colors." Designed by Simona Gosu from Romania.

• preview
• with calendar: 800×480, 1024×640, 1280×720, 1440×900, 1920×1080, 2560×1440, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 800×480, 1024×640, 1280×720, 1440×900, 1920×1080, 2560×1440, 2560×1600

Summer Solstice In Stonehenge

"Every June 21st, people gather in Stonehenge to celebrate to Summer Solstice and the longest day of the year. So, if you’re in the area, go and celebrate, and if not, just download the wallpaper and enjoy the coming summer." Designed by Ron Gilad from Israel.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1440×1152, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600, 2560×2048
• without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1440×1152, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600, 2560×2048

Fishing Pirate

"Summer it’s good time for fishing." Designed by Cheloveche.ru from Russia.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Free Sheeping

"I’ve got this idea when i was shopping on eBay and i decided to sketch first and then illustrate it." Designed by Almog Shemesh from Israel.

• preview
• with calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080
• without calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080

Butterfly

Designed by Marc Thiele from Germany.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440

Sunrising

Designed by Marián Čepa from Slovakia.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440

Evening Beach

"Photo taken at a beach in Lithuania." Designed by Jasmina B. from Estonia.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Hello_world

"Funny Alien Illustration created by Nickolay Stanev." Designed by Nickolay_stanev from Bulgaria.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
• without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Apple June

Designed by Anatoly Moskaltsov from Russia.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200

Join In Next Month!

Please note that we respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience throughout their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us, but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.

A big thank you to all designers for their participation. Join in next month!

What’s Your Favourite?

What’s your favorite theme or wallpaper for this month? Please let us know in the comment section below!

(il) (vf)

© Smashing Editorial for Smashing Magazine, 2011. | Permalink | Post a comment | Smashing Shop | Smashing Network | About Us
Post tags: wallpapers

Earlier in the month we posed a question to our readers, asking them about an aspect of UX design and how important this element was on their sites. We got some great responses to the query, and as the month wraps up, so does this discussion about the importance of content strategy. Here we have taken the replies that we got to the post and the discussion that was had, and molded it into a useful post that discusses the ins and outs of creating and implementing a content strategy for your sites.

It was easy to see right off the bat from the responses that having a content strategy in place is ranked high when it comes to important design elements. But it was also clear that not every site runner out there understands the value of this approach. They do not understand how much support this design element offers the content and the users. So how do we show that we care about this ever so important design element? By implementing one. How can we effectively develop this strategy for the content to come? Well, that is a bit trickier.

Below we attempt to answer that question using the responses we received to help guide the way. We hope this discussion and the wrap-up prove useful. And we once again would like to thank all of our readers who participated in the dialog throughout the month.

Knowing Your Audience

Fabrizio T. wrote:

“Very useful post, thanks. Since I am managing a weblog in another language than english (italian-language to be precise) I think that content strategies need to be planned very differently: italian audience is quite different to the american one (and to the english too) so several different thoughts are needed. For example, american users are more prone to open “positiveâ€� threads while italians are more devoted to “controversialâ€� ones… what do you think on this matter?”

If you do not know who you are trying to connect with, then developing an effective reach into that group is going to be beyond difficult. It will end up being downright impossible. And given that content strategy is all about provinding a mechanism by which your content engages and reaches its intended audience, then figuring out how to connect with them means knowing them. You have to understand the audience or you will miss nearly every time you reach them.

Audiences are as diverse as the people that make them up, and one thing we have to remember with our content strategy is that there will be no one sure fire way to reach them all. Our approach must be as diverse as the demographic our design is being aimed at. What elements or aspects we include in our strategy will be determined largely by the audience we are attempting to engage, so there is no way around this important first step.

Understanding the Mission

Phil said:

“I work at a company, (Higher Ground Creative) that develops website as well as other marketing products and services and when working on a new website we always undertake a planning session with the client to understand not only their business and aims but also their audience and competition. Understanding that is crucial in knowing what content to deliver and in how to deliver it on the website, tha will be most relevant and important to them – this will then usually dictate the structure and layout of the site. Don’t always just think about what you have to say, but always take into account what your audience expects to hear from you and try and deliver a mixture of both. Oh, and always adhere to SEO best practice, otherwise what is the point in having great content if you’re not allowing it to promote itself…”

It is also vital that you not only understand the audience, but also the ins and outs of the business and their mission that the site represents. Their brand identity will be calculated into the content equation as you learn about the audience and develop ways to engage them. That mission is important to their message and that has to be understood as you proceed. If you cannot understand what they are trying to achieve then you are less likely to be able to develop a strategy that completely compliments their goals.

Reaching Out Across Channels

Mr Z wrote:

“My employer gives lip service to content strategy, but it will be very unlikely to be implemented. There’s too many competing interests in the enterprise with varying levels of political and financial pull. We never take content off the site either. Once it goes up, it won’t come down. This affects the customer experience as it makes it much harder to find relevant content. IMO content strategy is wrapped with strategic messaging and cross channel communication, but unless the company wants to make that strategy, it will continue to serve balkanized content and messages to its customers.”

Chances are, the audience is there just waiting for you across the web all populating their various haunts and hangouts, so reaching them all through one channel is very unlikely. You have to have a multi-front approach to reaching out to the audience so that you can bring in a wider slice of the demographic you are attempting to capture. This is about supporting the content, and helping carry it to the audience. You should know that doing so is going to require a dedicated effort across a variety of fronts.

From social media and other messaging outlets to SEO and beyond, both the content and audience deserve every attention and effort as Mr Z points out with his comment. Limiting the access in any way would act to undermine the content’s full effectiveness. And if we do not establish a comprehensive strategy for the content, then that is in fact what we are doing. Making the content less available in a sense to the audience we wish to engage.

Finding the Right Direction

Gordon O. said:

“I agree that content is king and you should certainly have a plan. Just adding content will keep your site or blog fresh. However, well thought out content will include keywords and geo-targeting to help boost your SEO results. I recommend a content plan that maps out new pages, blog posts, article submissions, indexing and social media mentions each month.”

As we have already highlighted there are numerous considerations to be made when you are developing a content strategy for the web. But what we have to remember is that the content itself must be optimized as well. If we develop a somewhat bulletproof strategy for delivering the content, but neglect to develop the content in suite then it is still going to fall short of its potential. We have to effectively point the audience in the right direction. And that content development goes beyond just SEO for bringing the audience in.

The content has to be accessible. By rule it needs to be easily shared and found on the sites it inhabits. Keeping it searchable it a must, but as we will get to in a moment that is not just about the proverbial keyword stuffing. Care should be taken to ensure that the content remains engaging and even some would say conversational. We need it to be relevant to the readers and useful, or it will not stand the test of time either. So the content needs as much crafting and thought as the strategy we use to deploy it.

Walking a Fine Line

Ngw wrote:

“Content strategy is considered fundamental in my company, but we’re a startup, we wouldn’t go anywhere without search engines. I endorse Kristina Halvorson’s book as the definitive resource on the matter, it’s absolutely outstanding IMVHO.”

There is always a point where our efforts can effectively go too far, and begin actually moving away from aiding and on the way to hurting our ends. This fine line that we walk needs to be understood. As ngw’s comment demonstrates, there is a heavy reliance for new sites on search traffic. And while keyword rich content can grant you somewhat of a leg up with regards to search engines, we have to keep it reasonable and not just unnecessarily stuffed with random keywords just to grab better search results.

This is where LSI (or Latent Semantic Indexing) can play a big part in helping you keep your content search engine ready without overloading it with keywords. This indexing and retrieval method scans a body of text looking more for the concept than the keywords. If the text has been indexed in this way, then even if the keywords are not necessarily present, but the concept is, then the documents will be returned in the search results. So SEO is not just about those mighty ‘filler’ words.

Remember: Size Doesn’t Matter!

Robin Jennings said:

“So many small business owners fail to even contemplate a content strategy. It is rather frustrating that it is done as an after thought. A few weeks ago i was discussing using a copy writer in the initial meetings with an accountant over an over haul of his website and it was met with ‘what on earth do i need that for’ then i read the content they provided me and it was embarrasingly bad.”

Big or small, the site and the content that it will host deserve a well planned and executed strategy for delivering said content to its intended audience. It is not about the size of the company or the market they are working in. Yes, those do figure into the strategy and how it is created, but it does not determine whether a content strategy is necessary or not. It is always necessary! Size does not matter. But the content always will!

It’s About Quality,Not Quantity

Nathan asked:

“How much content is enough though? is the idea to just keep on creating more and more or is there a happy medium?”

Finally, remember that as long as your content remains consistent, relevant and easily accessible then it is not about how much content you have, it is only about the quality of it. With a properly implemented strategy in place, the content will always be circulating, making the virtual rounds across the channels it has been shared through. It is not about creating content just for the sake of having content. The content strategy that you have developed will help to dictate the frequency with which you update.

Summary

That wraps up this half of the exploration on content strategy for now, but as always the comment section is now turned over to you so that we can expand on any of these ideas. And the topic can evolve even further. Once more we wish to thank everyone who has participated, and we will go ahead and offer a word of thanks to those whose participation has yet to come. How else would you go about developing an effective content strategy?

(rb)

Something I’ve been meaning to do for a while — here’s a little experiment using the HTML5 History API and infinite scrolling to kill off “next page” links and still maintain real URLs that persist across page views.

In my perfect world, this is how Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr’s infinite scrolling would work.

On 25 May the W3C posted W3C Invites Broad Review of HTML5, announcing that the HTML5 specification is now at Last Call and that broad review is welcome until August 3, 2011.

In practice this means that anyone is welcome to submit their feedback on the HTML5 specification and a number of related specifications. That’s kind of always been the case since participation in the HTML Working Group is open for all. But now the spec is stable enough for people who don’t actively participate in the standards process to review and comment.

Read full post

Posted in HTML 5, Web Standards.

Copyright © Roger Johansson

Today, we are glad to present a new freebie: a beautiful theme, designed by Vlad and Elena Scanteie which was developed exclusively for Smashing Magazine and its readers. As usual, the theme is free to use in both private and commercial projects. The theme is based upon the Twenty Ten WordPress theme and requires WordPress 3.0 to run.

Visit the demo or a large view.

The upper area contains a slider where you can place extra emphasis on your most important pages. The main area can include the content of your latest blog posts. On the right side you’ll find an overview of latest blog entries as well as the latest tweets.

The upper area of the sidebar features five latest comments. You can place any widget under it as it is defined as a dynamic sidebar. Also, right above the footer you’ll find a Flickr gallery in case you wish to showcase your latest shots. The footer itself is designed in a pronounced blue, giving it a nice contrast to the rest of the design. There you you can place your≈ widgets such as Pages, Categories, Archives, and others. A soft upper area, a useful middle area, and a strong footer are the essence of this theme.

Download the Theme for Free!

The theme is released under GPL. You can use it for all your projects for free and without any restrictions. Please link to this article if you want to spread the word. You may modify the theme as you wish.

• live demo
• large preview (.png, 0,23 Mb)
• download Splendio (Theme + Plugins) (zip, 0.8 Mb)
• download Splendio (Theme + Plugins + PSD Sources) (zip, 6.4 Mb)
• download mirror (zip, 6.4 Mb)
• release on the developer’s site

Screenshots

The footer area.

Main content area.

The comments area.

Behind the Design

As always, here are some insights from the designer:

“Releasing a theme on Smashing Magazine is always a challenge for us at DesignDisease. A challenge we look forward to. ‘Splendio’ is a theme where we try to solve the empty space that exists around most themes with a joyful rhythm of lines and squares, complimented with a light color palette. The specialized header images complete the package, as it can be used both in a static or randomized manner.”

Thank you, Vlad and Elena! We sincerely appreciate your work and your good intentions.

© Smashing Editorial for Smashing Magazine, 2011. | Permalink | Post a comment | Smashing Shop | Smashing Network | About Us
Post tags: Freebies, themes, WordPress