Category “Featured”

Tech Giants Set to Change the World of Typography

typography

What happens when four of the biggest tech companies in the world join forces to work on a project? Web designers across the globe undoubtedly cheer, as their job is about to become far less stressful. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Adobe have all teamed up to create what’s known as variable fonts, which basically means that a font can adapt to any device or screen size. Desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones will also display the same internet article perfectly, as the variable fonts will adapt fluidly in real-time. The notion has been around for some time, yet with the four tech giants putting their collective weight behind the project it’s only now that it’s come to fruition.

Google in particular has already been instrumental in creating responsive fonts that look good and are easy to integrate, but they and their tech friends are no doubt fully aware of what they’ve given web designers. This is because a variable font can essentially contain an entire font package within a single file (e.g. Arial, Arial Black, Arial Narrow, Arial Unicode MS), which simply gives more scope to how a designer can use his or her skill. Furthermore, it’s said that a variable font file will be up to 70 percent smaller than a conventional font file – a great way to use less bandwidth and speed up the loading time of a website.

Tim Brown, head of typography for Adobe Type, summarized what exactly variable fonts are about and how they will help web designers. “A variable font is a single font that works like multiple fonts,” he said on Fastcodesign.com. “They’ll lead to faster, better websites; smaller app sizes; more flexible typography; and richer typographical palettes.”

And the good news for typography doesn’t end there. Google has also been working on a font project called Noto. Teaming up with font experts Monotype, project Noto has been worked on for close to five years, but has only now seen the light of day. Noto stands for ‘no more tofu,’ and not the food, but those little square boxes you might see in a text, which means a device doesn’t carry that particular character. The massive assortment of fonts are available in approximately 800 languages and 100 writing scripts, which again, can only benefit web designers who need not worry that their works can’t be seen on particular platforms or devices.

“Google Noto is a daunting project in size and scope, and I’m proud of how we’ve worked hard over the past five years to develop a really good product that solves a problem no one else has taken on before,” said Bob Jung on Techcrunch.com, director of internationalization at Google.

Designers can find inspiration in many places, but these latest developments in the industry only serve to give more help, and fewer design headaches.

Need inspiration? Enjoy a 7-day free trial of GraphicStock

Design inspiration can come from many places  –  an image, art, or even just a color. However, finding affordable premium creative content to make this inspiration a reality can often be challenging. Enter GraphicStock – a designer’s destination for premium images, textures, and patterns to bring creative visions to life.

GraphicStock is offering a 7-day free trial of their library of over 300,000 photos, illustrations, vectors, and other design elements to LostandTaken readers. During the 7-day period those who sign-up can download up to 140 pieces of 100% royalty-free content – meaning if at any point you choose to cancel, your downloaded content is yours to keep and use for forever. Not a bad deal, huh?

Another great thing about GraphicStock is their affordable subscription model that throws per-download charges out the window. Subscribers are given unlimited access to the GraphicStock archives and are free to cancel at any time. During the 7-day trial, the annual subscription will be available for just $99. That’s unlimited downloads of GraphicStock’s extensive library for an entire year, at a price less than few pieces of stock content costs elsewhere.

We took a look around GraphicStock’s site to give you an idea of what’s available. Here are a 5 of our favorite textures:

Head over to GraphicStock today to grab your 7-day free trial and take a look for yourself. There’s something in their library to inspire everyone!

Web Design Trends You Need to Know

If you are passionate about web design, there are a few trends becoming more and more popular in 2016 that you should definitely know about. The most important part of being a web designer is staying clued up on what’s popular, and to be able to have a great design for a site that is in keeping with the style of the time, while still being original. Take note of these trends, and find a way of incorporating them into your latest project.

Eye-catching Photographic Backgrounds

It is a well-known fact that people respond better to information if it is presented visually. Especially when browsing the web, the user will be more interested in a website if it looks attractive. Photographs are a simple way of achieving a high visual impact, without being too distracting from the text. Many web designers are using photographs as backgrounds in their websites, and we expect to see much more of this trend in 2016.

Slideshows, Videos and Moving Graphics

Another way in which web designers are appeasing the users love of visual content, is by using slideshows, videos and animation on the homepage. This can be a little risky, as some mobile devices won’t be able to load websites with animation, which is why it is important to always make sure your website is mobile-friendly. A good place for beginners to start is by using a web hosting company like 1&1 for example, who make sure to offer different mobile-friendly templates. These are useful for giving you an idea of how to design a visually attractive website that is still responsive.

Animated Icons

Web designers are becoming more imaginative with menus and navigation bars. With moving menus that slide out from the side of the page, as well as the popular hamburger icon and more. The menu is a vital part of every website but sometimes the design can get boring, which is why it is a good idea to find a way of incorporating animated graphics into your menu or navigation bar.

A’ Design Award Announces Last Call for Submissions Worldwide – Sign Up Your Designs Today

A’ Design Award is one of the World’s leading international annual juried competition for design. The A’ Design Accolades are organized in numerous creative fields to recognize the excellent designs from all countries in all disciplines. Entries to the A’ Design Competition are blind peer reviewed by an influential jury panel of experienced academics, top press members and established professionals. A’ Design Awards is an opportunity for grandeur, prestige, advertisement and international recognition to The A’ Design Award Winners through the Coveted A’ Design Prize which is granted to all the awarded designs.

The “A’ Design Prize” was designed by designers for designers. “A’ Design Prize” includes but not limited to : international design excellence certificate in metal frame, invitation to the exclusive gala-night in Italy, online + offline exhibition of awarded works, A2 poster of awarded projects, hardcover yearbook publication of awarded projects, the exclusive A’ Design Award trophy, international press campaign, an exclusive interview with the winner, press release preparation and distribution, license to use “A’ Design Award Winner Logo” in your communication, pitching awarded works to thousands of other publications, media appearances through design award press partners, inclusion in World Design Rankings and further tools and services for PR.

A’ Design Award was founded to highlight and recognize the very best and original design works in all countries and in all creative disciplines. The primary aim of the A’ Design Competition is to create a global awareness and understanding for good design practices and principles by highlighting the best designs in all countries and in all creative fields. The final objective of the Competition is to push designers, enterprises and brands worldwide to come up with superior products and projects that advance society.

Annually, projects that focus on innovation, design and creativity from across the globe are awarded with the A’ Design Award. Entries to A’ Design Award are accepted in categories such as Architectural Design, Graphics Design, Industrial Design, and more. The complete list of award categories are available here.

Submissions are accepted every year till February 28th (For 2016, the deadline has been extended to March 7th) and results are announced every year on April 15. Designers, agencies and brands from across the globe are invited to join the accolades by nominating their greatest works, projects and products. Discover A’ Design Award & Competition and see past winners at Design Mag which is a showcase of exceptional design work worldwide.

Submit Your Works today to The A’ Design Award : Enter Your Design Project.

We have a selection of designs you might like below:

1596eb63264116c37544a1815a46036c74822359-t710

Tsingtao 1903 by Wangtao – Platinum A’ Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2015

ef17f125aa9274dc7d10f917bb1e7e6a0c395e16-t710

Williamson Tea Elephant Caddies by Springetts Brand Design Consultants – Platinum A’ Packaging Design Award in 2015

599072c80c8c070a37ad1c22b9a84831ef4e4383-t710

Lenovo Horizon 2 27 by Johnson Li – Platinum A’ Digital and Electronic Devices Design Award in 2015

16698939e821b9e819c2501dfa0ae2a74e11577f-t710

Zi Garden/Tangquan Tea Club by Raynon Chiu – Platinum A’ Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2015

142b52b5ae4f4f98e1645c07f3ea17e08b9ee6f9-t710

Smrt Image Lumica by Design Team – Platinum A’ Scientific Instruments, Medical Devices and Research Equipment Design Award in 2015

1311985296438cb43389399eda3957d0d181b4ef-t710

Santander World by Jose Angel Cicero – Platinum A’ Arts, Crafts and Ready-Made Design Award in 2015

6cb88df1f0c9125fbb0b21a929dde0f3a6175f27-t710

Orion by Limay Türkkan & Anıl Tontus – Platinum A’ Lighting Products and Projects Design Award in 2015

ab097409ba36095e9017641eadef3e50899f9c15-t710

Pepsi Metlife Stadium by PepsiCo Design and Innovation – Platinum A’ Advertising, Marketing and Communication Design Award in 2015

b35da7d35de178dc48def055c2805da1ee103958-t710

Nissan Skyline by E-graphics communications – Golden A’ Advertising, Marketing and Communication Design Award in 2015

23f49d2d288cee1b2354f40832761e64e7ddf7cd-t710

I.dummy by Winswin Ltd – Golden A’ Engineering and Technical Design Award in 2015

8f54f86b109897e05af696fc8d21908d9da2e4f7-t710

Entry Dab Radio by ARCELIK A.S. – Golden A’ Digital and Electronic Devices Design Award in 2015

16267ef05a40c3d081d4d41b523ff54778b2b1af-t710

Madeira by Rado Iliev – Golden A’ Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2015

fabae160e5dc9fc25bb169c24feef9c9488c244b-t710

Nar by Carla Conte – Golden A’ Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2015

1b64b81e96cb82554d62342d2da0eadf39703e1a-t710

Iris by João Faria – Golden A’ Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design Award in 2015

cde1574650e0906abf9056ab3c01ba841eccfd94-t710One-Handed Plate Set by Sahar Madanat Haddad – Golden A’ Differently Abled and Seniors’ Assistance Design Award in 2015

56a0c7e39b27bcc575cac1ecf527c894f23a1da0-t710Coca-Cola Tet 2014 by Rice Creative – Platinum A’ Packaging Design Award in 2014

050a3f350d50cc31f7d9bee3003e617f3b47e5ae-t710Le Maestro by Herman Francisco Delos Santos – Golden A’ Footwear, Shoes and Boots Design Award in 2014

488c343ab84f56af2ccf484b226def7efa16cb76-t710

Leuven by Wonchan Lee – Platinum A’ Packaging Design Award in 2014

88ac40e8e563ca064daf3f710e7a64a2a2064acf-t710

Big Bin by Formato Verde, Sl – Platinum A’ Street Furniture Design Award in 2013

f06726ccbac6041389c4ef30b0b29481f682e170-t710

Alliance Against Aids by Seyed Mohammad Mortazavi – Golden A’ Jewelry, Eyewear and Watch Design Award in 2013

Did you enjoy the designs above? We will publish a selection of award winning designs here on April 15, once the results are announced. To get an opportunity to get your design published, featured and exhibited, remember to send it before the deadline. Present Your Designs today to The A’ Design Award : Enter Your Best Design Work.