With 75% of web users making judgments about website credibility based on its design, keeping up appearances is more important than ever.
To help spruce up your site design, I turned to one of our graphic designers, Ross Gebhart, to learn about some of his favorite design tools. Check out Ross’s top five design resources of the year (so far) that will have you wowing customers with a stunning site in no time.
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Method & Craft
Billing itself as the “DVD extras of design,” Method & Craft is dedicated to teaching everything from novice to expert design techniques. The site includes articles, interviews, videos and notes from designers that are eager to share their method and processes developed throughout their professional careers.
Learn how to create basic workflows, optimize graphics, build custom patterns and more. If you’re on the hunt for a way to get started with design, Method & Craft is a powerful educational resource.
Honorable mention: Abdduzeedo
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Designers.MX
Need a little design inspiration? Head on over to Designers.MX, where you can browse an extensive collection of music playlists made for designers by designers. The designer who selected the songs on each playlist also designed the cover art for each album, giving you a chance to see how their music selection directly influenced their design choices. If you like their cover art, you might consider giving their playlist a listen to help inspire similar design choices.
If music isn’t the key to unlocking your creativity, don’t worry. Designers.MX also offers books, videos and photo suggestions by design professionals for you to sift through until you hit your inspirational sweet spot.
Honorable mention: Dribble
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COLOURlovers
Can’t decide what accent colors to use for your website design? Head over to COLOURlovers and discover a world of choices. If you have one specific color in mind, but need a few complimentary options to go along with it, you have the ability to search thousands of palettes to help find the perfect combination.
Once you find what you’re looking for, simply click on the color palette to view the HEX/RGB numbers, and voilà! You’re ready to start designing. The site also offers a large selection of patterns, shapes and trends to help inspire your best designs.
Honorable mention: Kuler
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Treehouse
Even the most advanced designer can benefit from Treehouse. With Treehouse, you’ll gain access to over 800 tutorials with test quizzes and challenges to help you better design and develop for the web. Once you’ve completed a challenge, you’ll receive a badge showcasing your accomplishments.
Honorable mention: SitePoint, Smashing Magazine, CSS-Tricks
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I Love Typography
Even though it’s been around since 2007, I Love Typography is as relevant as ever in 2012. The site showcases the most popular fonts, type design and lettering trends. More importantly, I Love Typography can help you determine what look works best for you and your business. Discover everything from typography terminology to DIY fonts that will help make your website stand out amongst the competition.
Honorable mention: Typography for Lawyers
That’s the list! What do you think of these design tools? Do you have a favorite? Share in the comments section below!
Happy selling!
-Lauren Hill, Volusion
About Lauren Hill
Lauren Hill is Volusion’s Video Production Specialist and a regular contributor to The Ecommerce Authority. Always eager to learn and grow, Lauren’s background includes positions in film, social media and marketing. Though video production is her primary focus, she also really likes assorted jellybeans and animal-shaped balloon hats. Lauren is a graduate of The University of North Texas and holds a BA in Journalism and Public Relations.