BlogmyQuery – BMQ

When it comes to design resources, textures and patterns are among some of the most popular tools on offer. And while we may never be able to get a single, definitive answer from the community as to why this is, one can surmise that their popularity is probably due to their extreme usefulness. Their ability to add such richness and depth to otherwise flat website designs with ease, may also factor into that equation.

In fact, one need only look around the web to find some stunning examples of these elements being deployed with fantastic results. Or one can look at the showcase we have assembled for you below. We have already done some of the leg work for you. The sites we gathered have all used textures or patterns in their website designs, and in such stylish fashion that we felt our spotlight should shine their way.

Textured Web

Rockatee is a dark design with a geometric patterned header and footer and two different textures. Both brilliantly installed in the background, one of the main content area, and a subtler one above the header.

Create Digital Media has a beautiful open, expansive website, and the minimal design is complemented by the light textured background.

Celebration Invitations has a large header that uses a light texture to really make the space pop and not feel at all underused. The patterned background adds an extra touch of style to the site.

Stedesign is a vintage styled site in which the design uses a number of textures to really pull the look off with flawless execution.

Stephanie Walter has a lovely design with a texture running all the way down and through the site. Subtle and stylish.

HD Live is another site with an extra subtle background texture that adds a richness to the open design.

The Threepenny Editor has a unique and stylistically retro look and feel, with the patterned background tying the design together in a light, graceful manner.

Alex Catalan has a site design that uses a slight patterned background to give the minimal, oversized style a depth that works wonderfully. The soft texture in the footer and the header also complement the website’s design.

Steely M Music Production uses a lined pattern to pull the somewhat unconventional layout together.

PunchTab has used a delicately textured background to set off the over-sized buttons and content areas. Very nicely paired with the rest of the design.

the Buffalo Lounge has a dark themed site with a wood grain patterned background that gives the entire design the perfect edge.

Adrian Tingstad Husby – Portfolio design is another expansive site layout that adds a touch of attitude and grunge to the otherwise clean style with a patterned background.

Decadent Cakes uses both a colorful pattern and an extremely subtle textured background to give the site a combination of class and vintage style.

Qasim Aziz Portfolio is a simple design with a lightly grained texture in the background for that added punch to the site’s look.

VUURR uses a pair of simple patterns in their website to pull off a design that is big and bold and anything but simple.

Rob Davis uses a delicate texture in both the header and footer, along with a slight patterned background to make this minimal design stand out from the pack.

Holistic Designs has a touch of grunge in their site via a textured background that really catches the eye, but does not steal away focus as the content scrolls across it. Perfectly balanced.

Launch Factory uses a combination of textures, in the background, throughout the content headers and titles, and more for a pitch perfect design full of grunge.

Agenciart has another big and bold design that is brilliantly complemented by the subtle texture in the background.

rtraction is the website for a creative design agency and their use of a light texture in the background works to set off the over-sized content and images. Though the areas where the texture is omitted ends up feeling somewhat less visually comfortable, though the colors could have something to do with that. However, it does seem the texture would soften their slightly harsh feel.

Chriswi is an example that stands out from the last, as it uses the texture down throughout the site (except for the footer) and the colors that might otherwise feel somewhat harsh on the eyes have a softness it seems the texture adds to them.

Valpo Creative uses a delicate texture in the background which does work nicely, though the site would seem better suited to have the content displayed against this lightly textured background rather than the box it sits in.

Danger Brain uses both a pattern for the background and a light texture in the header. The pattern seems like it could be visually overwhelming, but with the content box relegating it to a smaller perimeter it makes it very complementary to the tone of the site.

Open Hand Type has a couple of less than subtle textures employed in the somewhat compact design making their bold look stand out perfectly. Giving the site a certain character.

Oven Bits has a huge header whose open space is lightly textured giving it a softness and retro style. The footer has a matching texture that balances the site wonderfully.

That finishes off this showcase, but feel free to leave us your thoughts in the comment section below. Also drop us a link on a site that you feel we overlooked, and should have included in this collection if you are so inclined.

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As the icy grip of winter closes in tighter many begin to dream of spring. That time of renewed growth and warmer days that tends to draw us back outside and into nature’s waiting open arms. With the seeming promise from the old groundhog that we will more than likely be seeing a few more weeks of winter, we thought our readers could use a little piece of spring a bit early.

So we have prepared an inspiring showcase of not only photographs which highlight the colors of spring, but we’ve also created color palettes from the pics of spring flowers and foliage. So take a look below, and fill up on the palettes and creative energy that Spring has to offer. We hope you enjoy these colors of renewal.

Colors of Spring

spring by zaclab

Spring is coming by Eredel

spring by miyavik

Untitled Nature I by mindCollision

Floral Bells Blossom and Ring I by johnchan

… colours of spring … by pho-t-ographic-s

Spring Flowers V by BreeSpawn

Spring Bee by firelupe4ever

ROSE by Uthatsir

Spring by Thomas Quine

Spring by Nha Le Hoan

Spring Garden – April 2011 – Exotic Tulip with Bokeh by Gareth Williams

Spring Pine Cones by FlackJacket2010

spring blossoms by Craig Cloutier

Spring!!! by Benson Kua

Spring by Claire

Spring has Sprung by Steve Jurvetson

Spring Tree by Maciej Lewandowski

Spring by chema.foces

TWO HUNDRED + SEVENTY SEVEN by abrupt-downfall

Redbud Romance by kohaku-dono

The seeds of spring by Yoonett

Sprig of Flowers by liquidnonsense

Spring Flowers IV by BreeSpawn

Spring 0001 by Goppo713

Spring Greeting by Parvin

First Day of Spring by Amanda Slater

Spring Gentian by Alexandre Duret-Lutz

blue-spring-flowers by Forest Wander

Spring has stepped into my little patch… :) by S Pisharam

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As we have undoubtedly heard our entire lives, a picture speaks a thousand words. And while that may be true of most, there are those who seek to tell a bit of a story with their works. Editorial photography, and perhaps some would say to a lesser degree fashion photography, is an area where a lot of effort goes into creating a story out of the piece. Through the costuming and composition, these shots come to life and their stories are told to the masses.

Below we have gathered a collection of fashion and editorial photography from some wonderfully talented shutterbug storytellers. We hope that you will enjoy this inspiring showcase of images and the tales they hold that are waiting to be told. Enjoy!

The Showcase

Black (edit1) by Roberto Zambelli

Buried in the Hollow by EmilySoto

GiFW editorial 8 by jaysu

Urbana magazine editorial by andreshernandez

LUSH Head Games Editorial II by larafairie

Claudia editorial by SophieRata

Black human… by almablanca01

Birds (edit1) by Roberto Zambelli

FASHIONERD 3 by ArtRats

Eva by AD-013

the flower keeper by Julietsound

Paper doll by MoritzMaibaum

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Alpha by Abaddon-Maiden

Ambar Silhouette…II by almablanca01

Born to die III by BringMeMyTexasTea

Brighton Bath (edit3) by Roberto Zambelli

Superstar by LIZZYBPHOTOGRAPHY

Floral by lucbecks

Buried in the Hollow by EmilySoto

Craze 1 by ilaschaffer

Bewildered by badlydrawndoll

Editorial I by aninels

House Lana piano (edit3) by Roberto Zambelli

Untitled 2 by TheMystori

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Paige by Staceythestrange

Danielle Editorial III by larafairie

Ambar Silhouette…VII by almablanca01

GIZEMLI 4 by ArtRats

Steampunk Couture by MoritzMaibaum

irrational bird_7 by Julietsound

BLACK SEDUCTION BEAUTY EDITORIAL4 by Aarehir

Craze 2 by ilaschaffer

Bathroom H+L (edit3) by Roberto Zambelli

Katy by lucbecks

Juliane II by LIZZYBPHOTOGRAPHY

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With the ever-changing landscape that is the internet, web designers and developers are constantly tasked with redesigning some part of the web. Whether it be for our own sites or for those of a client, redesigning is a big part of working in the field right now. For whatever reasons, be it the growth and popular new directions of the web, or even a desire to keep your brand fresh, the web these days seems to be in a constant state of redesign.

The world wide web is littered with sites undergoing reconstruction. Image by Joshua Rothhaas

So today we are going to take a look at some of the new rules that govern these project undertakings, in the wake of the new web that has taken shape over the last few years. As the various technologies steer and redirect the course of the industry’s future, we have to adapt the rules by which we play this game. So below are a few guidelines that will hopefully keep the redesign on track, and not end up with more costs than purely financial ones.

Let Necessity Be Your Guide…Still

For the most part, redesigning tends to stem from some sort of necessity; a need for an update. For example rebranding to keep your companies identity fresh and evolving, or because your business direction is changing and your brand needs to reflect that change. You may also feel the need to update because your current web design is not completely inline and up to date with your brand, or your site may not be up to date and fully functional.

There are many valid reasons that your design’s time may have come, and a redesign becomes necessary. But do not lose sight of what needs to be done as you begin looking at all that you want to have done. Necessity should still be guiding the refashioning of your website. Naturally there are going to be times when we decide to redesign, not out of necessity, but more out of desire to try something new and different. Which is completely reasonable.

Though, as many ascribe to the ‘if isn’t broke, don’t fix it’ mantra, we have to remember that action without purpose tends to feel hollow and unjust. If we do not have reasons for the redesign, beyond just a desire to see a new face on the site, then we have to ask ourselves is the move to redesign completely justified? And while many of us believe that we do not owe any explanations to anyone else for our decisions to update our site’s appearance, we must remember that our audience will have a reaction.

And while we may believe the changes are maybe too minute to really have much impact on our users, we have to keep the user’s exposure time in mind. Users interact with the site often much, much less than we do as the designers or webmasters, and as such, any change can register as a major slight on their radar when they return and things are different. Not like or where they expect them to be. So we need to bare this in mind when we redesign, and where possible, try and keep some level of familiarity. Even if it is just in small ways like placement of navigation, things like that.

And once again, while we may not feel we owe anyone an explanation for our choices, our users are more than likely going to want them anyway. So if we do not have necessity in our corners for the changes we made, then selling the redesign to our regular audience may be a bit of a difficult task. But when we have solid reasons behind the decisions that we made, and can share them with our users, not only does it re-enforce the redesign, but it can further strengthen your relationship with your users.

Accessibility Grows or Remains Unchanged

With the explosive growth of the mobile market, and the ever-growing number of internet browsing capable devices the web design and development community has their sites set on this new direction for the web. However, we cannot get so wrapped up in looking forward that we forget to be thinking back. If we push our sites forward, breaking into new territory that is all good, but we should not be leaving users unnecessarily behind.

As we seek to grow our reach, cutting access off tends to counteract our efforts.

You cannot suddenly exclude a portion of your users who have been able to access your site regularly; or rather you shouldn’t. Yes, IE6 is a bane and a pain, but is it really sound practice to close the door on any portion of our regular user base? Especially when we can at least still guarantee those users some level of access. So as we redesign, especially trying to reach new users, perhaps we should not be so quick to trade one group for another with regards to our site’s accessibility.

The Metrics Exception

Now that we have stated the accessibility rule, let us take a moment and look at the exception to it. There is one forgivable reason that we can redesign without regard to a section of our audience, effectively leaving them behind, and that is when the site metrics tell us that some cuts can be made without much cost. When we get reports telling us that a certain audience is already on the decline, or that certain areas of our site are not getting any sort of attention, then we can take a look at the scales and see which way they tip.

Naturally if it takes more effort on our part to keep that access going than the stats are telling us it is worth, then we can feel free to play into the exception and less into the rule. Though we may want to get more in depth reports than a look at basic site analytics before we go making these cuts or deeming them worthwhile.

Emulation Only Takes Testing So Far

As the web expands into new territories, the design and development community not only have to learn to design for these new devices and directions, but we have to realize that in order to fully test our website designs for say mobile devices we need to gain access to some of these devices. Often times this is the only way that we can get a completely accurate test of the full function of the site. There are many who rely on emulators to allow them to test on these various devices, but those results tend toward the aesthetics more than anything else.

And while making sure the design doesn’t break when it lands on one of these devices is important, it is only half the equation. Especially with the touch screen nature of many of the leading mobile browsing devices, emulators cannot give you the full simulation needed to see what all is going to be impacted and might need tweaking from these various environments. This can be tricky, as budgetary constraints can often impede on our ability to access each device we wish to test on.

This is an area where the helpful nature of the design and development community can come in handy. We can often turn to our colleagues via the the various social media networks we tend to inhabit for assistance in testing on these devices we lack access to. So if emulators are all you have at your disposal, remember that the community is there and often willing to lend a hand as well.

Address Possible Content Cuts

With the number of websites dedicated to creating new content, redesigns open the door to an evaluation of that content; in particular how much of it needs to transfer over and survive the make-over. Content can sometimes have a shelf life. A fact that is often not given much thought until these plans for redesigning begin to rear their heads. So when this process gets started we need to consider that some possible cuts in the content may be in order.

It is never a pleasant subject to discuss, but some content needs to be axed! Image by Martin Cathrae.

If you are working for a client, this is not always an element that we have control over, but that does not mean it is not a topic we should broach with our clients. Naturally we want the design to be as successful as possible, and as such we want to give it as many chances to do so as we can. So addressing this with the clients and letting them know that this is a consideration they should make is not completely out of line.

And given the fact that we generally are having to control how that content is presented and accessed, bringing this up with clients is relevant to our work. If we see a problem that needs to be addressed, why ignore it?

Function Wins More Fans Than Form

Bottom line, the look of your redesign, no matter how well crafted and thought out is not going to land with every one of your users. There really is no way around that. So instead of putting so much effort into finding a way to please every one through the new appearance of the site, be sure to focus that energy into finding ways to please them all with the new functionality of the site. As long as the functionality is tight and flowing well, users will forgive the form that they are not a fan of.

However, the reverse of that statement is hardly true. Even if you have the most original design the web has ever seen, if it is functionally glitchy users will be turned off, and often will not return. We have to realize that the look may draw some users in sure, and as such, it is not like it should go unconsidered. But allowing the look to be the top priority in your redesign efforts does not always lead to successful launches.

If all of the new tricks your redesign has to offer are completely visual, then the shine is sure to wear off much quicker. Not to mention, if the new look is not appealing to some of your existing users, and you have no new functionality to accompany it to help win them over, then your redesign can fall far short of its potential. So keep the functionality aspect in mind when you begin planning the update. Have some tricks up your sleeve beyond the aesthetic to deliver to your users. In the end, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

In Conclusion

Like virtually every aspect of design and development work, redesigning has rules that should be kept in mind as we set out on this type of project. This is not to say that success cannot be found without them used to guide you, just that they can offer us assistance and perspective when we may need it. What redesign rules do you tend to design and develop by? Are there any you would add to this list or amend from the list? Feel free to fill us in using the comment section below.

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As we have talked about in the past, photographers capture moments of life and present them to us in much more visually enhanced ways. Allowing a new tint to be laid atop the world as we traditionally know and experience it. Especially when those photographers turn to HDR. By increasing the range between the lights and darks of a set of images these artists create some truly breathtaking effects when those images are combined or enhanced.

So below we have a collection of HDR photography that is packed full with some truly inspiring imagery. From the more subtle examples of this technique, to the more dramatic the showcase features quite a dynamic range of its own. We hope that there is a little inspiration waiting for each of our readers in the mix of works below.

The Collection

Northern Venice by Azagh

HDR by marian9502

Tread Carefully by ShadowDragon22

HDR Sunset by Grislogia

Bridge 206… by TheBaldingOne

Tallest Buildings in Miami Beach by Johnny23xx

The Gotic Church by PhotoSir

Moderno by alexContreras

Atomium by liverpool67

Red Walls and Tissues by Azagh

Edinburgh II by Metallimark

Glogow 01 by Shavitrah

Norway – The Geiranger fjord HDR by jonny-island

The Mouth of O’Connell St. by KeithHogan

The Last Match I by Dakann

The Night of Light by Pipera

Street by hotfiresantu

Oxford by BinarySystem

State Library – Melbourne by dzign-art

Out of Thoughts… by Kazzaz

Juggernaut by SB420

..sedation.. by strobefx

Inside the Sphere III HDR+ by Metallimark

Window of reflections by Letoffee

…St. Vitus Cathedral 2…Prague by erhansasmaz

Longcity Hdr by snowblader

Storm by LDRPhotography

Sundown by Draken413o

The Dark Knight by SB420

Edinburgh by Metallimark

Getting Gloomy by DistortedVizion

Where There Once Was by TheSpenner

Waterwheel Ruins V.2 by dana223

Small Boat Marina, Scalloway, Shetland. HDR by azoomwithaview

b e k l e r s e by MistyTableau

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