16 Impressive SVG Animations

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/Fdc6kJOH7Ug/

Are you familiar with SVG animations? If not, you should really take some time to do so. In case you didn’t know, these awesome animations can be used on any website to add character, interest, and interactivity. They can be used for load screens, menus, and other interactive elements for increasing personality and engagement.

To save you the hassle of searching, we’ve compiled a handy list of SVG animations here that reflect the broad sense of what these animations are and how you might be able to use them on your website.

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SVG Animation

See the Pen
SVG Animation by jjperezaguinaga (@jjperezaguinaga)
on CodePen.

This animation features a large circle with text in the center and buildings spinning around the outside of it. A lively, fun SVG animation sure to work well for travel websites.

SVG Loader Animation

See the Pen
SVG Loader Animation by Nikhil Krishnan (@nikhil8krishnan)
on CodePen.

This SVG loader animation is a fantastic choice for filling load time on your site. This could be used just before the main content of your site loads or when a visitor clicks on a link.

SVG Text Animation Using Stroke Offset Method

See the Pen
SVG Text Animation Using Stroke Offset Method by Mack Ayache (@Ayachem)
on CodePen.

If you need some flashy text to entice visitors, this SVG text animation would be a good fit. The blocky, stacked letters offer real appeal and visual interest.

Diving SVG Animation

See the Pen
Diving SVG Animation by Chris Gannon (@chrisgannon)
on CodePen.

Add a sense of motion to your site with this diving animation. The line continues to leap and dive across the screen. This would make a fantastic loading animation.

Circle, square, triangle, dolphin

See the Pen
Circle, square, triangle, dolphin by Max Gruson (@bleepbloop)
on CodePen.

This is a fun animation that includes shapes and a dolphin leaping across the field of view. This would make for an engaging way to keep visitors invested in your site’s content.

SVG Animation of a Desk

See the Pen
SVG animation by Hoàng Nhật (@thiennhat)
on CodePen.

If your site is for the corporate set, this SVG animation of a desk offers a cute look at a workspace. It’s interactive, too!

SVG Animation Experiment

See the Pen
SVG Animation Experiment by Hamish Williams (@HamishMW)
on CodePen.

This animation could be used for a number of purposes on your website. One way I could think of is as an email prompt. Engage visitors with the slide-in cards then once clicked, the cards compile into an envelope and are sent away. Fun!

Happy New Year 2020

See the Pen
happy new year 2020 by Swarup Kumar Kuila (@uiswarup)
on CodePen.

For something festive and fun, this Happy New Year animation could turn any website into a celebration.

Atom Loading Icon

See the Pen
Atom Loading Icon by Jon Milner (@jonmilner)
on CodePen.

Here’s another loading animation that you could use on any part of your site where you anticipate requiring visitors to wait a moment. This icon takes the shape of an atom swirling about.

404 Error Page

See the Pen
404 error page by Swarup Kumar Kuila (@uiswarup)
on CodePen.

Why not add some visual interest to your 404 page with this animation? It shows people searching with flashlights with a huge “404” looming in the spotlight.

Interactive SVG Animation

See the Pen
Interactive SVG Animation | Trick or treat_ by Issey (@issey)
on CodePen.

This is another really fun one. This animation is spooky as can be, featuring a haunted house with trick or treaters poised outside. One click of the moon and all the ghosts come out.

Li’l Vikings

See the Pen
Li´l Vikings by Fabio (@FabioG)
on CodePen.

This SVG animation shows boats and giant tentacles rolling across waves. The cartoon style is engaging and fun, and could certainly work well for a number of different websites.

Responsive Cow Jumps Over the Moon

See the Pen
Responsive Cow Jumps Over the Moooooon by Sarah Drasner (@sdras)
on CodePen.

What website doesn’t need a cow jumping over an astronaut on the moon? That’s what I want to know.

Beating Heart

See the Pen
Beating Heart – CSS and SVG animation – low poly by morkett (@morkett)
on CodePen.

This highly geometric and intricate beating heart offers visual interest and could easily be used on many sites, from science-focused to charitable projects.

Pointless Rider

See the Pen
Pointless Rider by Elliott Munoz (@elliottmunoz)
on CodePen.

This super adorable bear riding a bike could be modified for logos or just used as a fun loading screen to add interest and engagement on your site.

#1 Coffee Machine

See the Pen
#1 – Coffee Machine – SVG animation with CSS3 by Jonathan Silva (@jonathansilva)
on CodePen.

Last on our list here is an adorable animation of an anthropomorphized coffee machine, doling out cup after cup. It’s cute, it’s fun, and it could be used as a loading screen or as a section break for a coffee shop’s website.

SVG Animations Make an Impact

Though not strictly “necessary,” SVG animations add that little something extra to websites. Whether you use them as loading screens, section breaks, logos, or headers, these animations add an undeniable visual appeal to websites across every niche and category.

Now that you’re familiar with what they are and have seen some examples, maybe it’s time to start thinking about how to add them to your website.


How to make a face mask: 3 easy ways to make DIY face coverings at home

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/0UKNLjYr3nM/how-to-make-a-face-mask

Want to know how to make a face mask? You've come to the right place. With governments across the globe now making wearing a face mask mandatory, face coverings are in short supply. The good news is, it's super-easy to make one for yourself and the rest of the family. 

Learning how to make a face mask doesn't have to be complicated. You don't have to work from a complex face mask pattern, do any sewing or even own a sewing machine. Here, we outline three different ways to make a homemade, non-medical face mask or face covering, as outlined by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). We've also added in our own tips on how to make the most comfortable, functional and easy to create face mask, and provided some links to buy fabric if you're short of materials. 

If you'd rather buy a face covering than make your own, then see our guide on where to buy a face mask, or use the quick links below to jump straight to retailers selling face masks right now. 

Face masks UK: Should you be wearing one? Plus where to buy themWhere to buy kids' face masks
Where to buy face masks: quick links
Etsy.co.uk – handmade face masks from just £3.99ASOS – fashionable designs at low prices Easylife – Pack of 30 surgical face masks for £29.99Buff – stylish face coverings at low pricesHYPE – get three face masks for £24.99 with 100% of profits for the NHSEbay.co.uk – washable face masks at a bargain priceVistaprint – Kids and adults face masks for $18/$13Silkies – two protective face masks for $16.99Stringking – CDC-recommended cloth masks for just $6.99Etsy.com – patterned face masks for as a little at $4Los Angeles Apparel – 3 adjustable face masks for only $30Sock Fancy – funky face masks for only $12
3 ways to make a face mask

This guide covers how to make a bandana-style face mask, how to make a face mask using a T-shirt, and how to sew your own face mask – jump to your preferred section using the links above. The first two require no sewing at all. The third does involve some needlework, either using spare fabric you have lying around at home, or some colourful or patterned fabric from a retailer like JOANN (US) or John Lewis (UK). 

Browse fabric at JOANN (US) – from just $3.99 p/yBrowse fabric at John Lewis (UK) – from just £6.50 p/m

But before we get into our instructions of making a face mask, first consider whether or not you need one at all. The official advice on this differs across the globe, but the general consensus is that wearing a homemade face mask will not help protect you from contracting Covid-19. However, it can help protect others from you passing on any germs that you may be carrying, this may be particularly useful if you are asymptomatic and don't realise you are carrying the virus. Note that the face masks we're talking about here are not medical-grade face masks, and we wouldn't advise you to attempt making your own versions of PPE: leave that to the professionals.

The CDC recommends wearing a face mask in places where social distancing is not possible, and many countries around the world are also asking their citizens to wear face masks when out in public, or in enclosed spaces such as supermarkets. In England, the government recommends the use of face masks in "enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible and they come into contact with others that they do not normally meet".

Check your country's own guidelines if you're unsure and remember that wearing a face mask or covering doesn't mean you should stop following social distancing measures, or stop washing your hands and practising good hygiene. It's also very important that you put your face mask on and off very carefully, following government guidelines.

With all of that in mind, here are three ways to make your own face mask.

01. How to make a bandana-style face mask 

how to make a face mask

This is the easiest and quickest way to make a face mask

You will need:

A bandana or scarf2 x elastic or rubber bands, or hair tiesA coffee filter, paper towel or kitchen roll (optional)

The easiest method for making your own face mask involves using a bandana or a scarf. Note that if your bandana or scarf is too thin – hold it up to the light to see how much you can see through it, the less you can see, the better – then your face mask won't be as effective. Tightly woven, 100 per cent cotton is best. 

The CDC recommends folding your bandana in half, then folding it again twice – lengthways from both the top and the bottom. At this point, you can also add a square piece of coffee filter, paper towel or kitchen roll to your mask – which you can change.

Then, place your rubber bands or hair ties around your strip of material, and fold the material in towards the middle, tucking the ends into each other if possible.

Surgeon general, Dr Jerome Adam, demonstrates how to do this in the video below. As you can see, this is a very quick and easy method of making your own face mask.

02. How to make a T-shirt face mask

how to make a face mask

You will need:

A T-shirtScissorsCoffee filter or paper towel (optional)

If you have a T-shirt that you don't mind cutting up, then you can easily and quickly make a face mask from it. Note that you don't want to be using really old T-shirts if they have holes in them or are worn through. Ideally, your T-shirt should be 100 per cent cotton and as opaque as possible. 

To start, simply cut the bottom off your T-shirt. The height of the amount of material you need should be the length from the top of your nose to underneath your chin (around 7-8-inches of 17-20cm). It's best to get the measuring tape out if you're unsure, and cut bigger than you think you need so you can trim the excess later (if you cut too small, you'll run into problems). 

You then need to cut into your T-shirt – around 6-7-inches (15-17cm) – to make the ties for your face mask, making a sort of elongated c-shape. Next, cut your ties so that you can retie them around your head. Adjust until you get a snug fit around your nose and chin. If you like, you can add a coffee filter or paper towel to your face mask, and secure it with a safety pin. 

03. How to make a cloth face mask with a sewing machine

how to make a face mask

Make a cloth face mask in just four steps

You will need:

Cotton fabric (10 x 6-inches or roughly 25 x 15 cm)2 x 6-inch (15cm) pieces of elastic or rubber bands, hair ties or strips of clothSewing machine (ideally, you could do this by hand)Needle and threadScissorsPinsJewellery wire, or thin wire (optional)

There are various ways to make a cloth face mask, of varying difficulty. The simplest patterns require just two pieces of cloth and some elastic, or something that you will use as ties. If you want your DIY face mask to stand out, try using bright or patterned fabric – John Lewis has loads of affordable designs in the UK, as does Etsy if you're in the States. 

First, cut your material to around 10 x 6-inches or roughly 25 x 15 cm. If you want to make it really clear which part of your mask is the front and which is the back, use two different materials, this will help you avoid putting on the mask back to front (which is not recommended for hygiene purposes). Next, place your two pieces of fabric on top of each other. You want the pattern that you'd like to be on the 'front' of your mask face down. The piece of material facing up towards you will be the inside of your mask. 

Next, fold over the long sides of the material around 1/4-inch or 0.5-1cm. Pin in place (don't worry too much if you don't have any pins, you can always use a needle or just keep checking that your fabric is held together) and hem. Hem just means folding the edges of your material over and stitching them so that your fabric will not fray and will stay together. 

Once you have hemmed along the length of your face mask, fold over the sides of your face mask around 1/2 an inch (1.5cm), pin and hem the sides too. 

Once you have created your hem, you can thread your elastic or hair ties through the hem you have created. You'll need a needle to do this, or a pin, or safety pin or basically anything that you can use to poke the elastic through your hem – a thin pencil might do the job. You could also add some thin wire into the top hem of your face mask to help you shape it around your nose, jewellery wire works well for this.

With your ties threaded through the sides of your mask, tie your elastic or hair ties in secure knots, and move the knots until they can be tucked inside the hem. You can then adjust your face mask to fit your face, and add some stitches on either end of your face mask to keep your elastic in place.

If you are a seasoned sewer, you can sew the whole thing in one go, turning it as you go, or you can create face mask with a pocket for a filter (see video below). You could even add your elastic in before you hem. The reason beginner sewers shouldn't do this is that it's very easy to catch the elastic in your hem and accidentally sew it down, and that will make it much harder to adjust later. 

Alternatively, you can also follow this face mask sewing tutorial from designer Amanda Riley.

Read more:

Free online resources for creatives stuck at homeThe best streaming services in 2020This self-destructing website needs your help

Collective #616

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tympanus/~3/o2NaxcLwBU4/

Collective 616 Item Image

Inspirational Website of the Week: FIL – SUMI LIMITED

An impressive dark design with very smooth animations. Our pick this week.

Check it out

Collective 616 Item Image

This content is sponsored via Syndicate Ads
Client Feedback with Context

Banish email trails and feedback spreadsheets forever. BugHerd pins feedback and bugs directly to website pages and turns it into actionable tasks.

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Collective 616 Item Image

What does 100% mean in CSS?

Amelia Wattenberger’s guide on what 100% in CSS actually means in its different contexts.

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It’s time to lazy-load offscreen iframes!

Addy Osmani introduces browser-level native lazy-loading for iframes.

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this vs that

What is the difference between some key concepts in front-end development? Find out with this great collection. By Nguyen Huu Phuoc.

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100 Days of 3D Design

Tiantian Xu writes about learning 3D modeling in 100 days.

Read it

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Tinykeys

A small, modern library for keybindings by Jamie Kyle.

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macintosh.js

A virtual Apple Macintosh with System 8, running in Electron.

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svelthree

Svelthree is a components library for declarative construction of reactive and reusable scene graphs utilizing a slightly modified three.js source.

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Depth peeling & SS refraction

Mind-blowing demo: screen space refraction through depth peeling in Three.js.

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CS Visualized: CORS

In this part of the “CS Visualized” series, Lydia Hallie explains cross-origin resource sharing in an easy to understand way.

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Perfect Edition

A lightweight, responsive web e-book template by Robin Sloan.

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Teenyicons

A gigantic set of tiny minimal 1px icons made by Anja van Staden.

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window.matchMedia

A great tip by Álvaro Trigo that you might have never heard about!

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Some CSS comics

Some great CSS comics made by Julia Evans.

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Rubber Mesh Swipe Transition

Pull and release the image for a rubbery motion and transition. By Yugam.

Check it out

Collective 616 Item Image

Designing Adaptive Components, Beyond Responsive Breakpoints

Stéphanie Walter writes about designing systems of reusable components that adapt to responsive layouts and more.

Read it

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Luckysheet

Luckysheet is an online spreadsheet like Excel that is powerful, simple to configure, and completely open source.

Check it out

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Webpack: A gentle introduction

A gentle introduction to why Webpack exists, what problems it solves, and how to use it.

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Natively Format JavaScript Dates and Times

Elijah Manor explains how to go about date and time formatting in JavaScript.

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Mandala maker

A supercool mandala generator by Amit Sheen.

Check it out

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Floating island /w Threejs & GSAP

Awesome 3D scene demo made by Kasper De Bruyne.

Check it out

The post Collective #616 appeared first on Codrops.

Introduction to the Jamstack: Build Secure, High-Performance Sites

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/learn-jamstack/?utm_source=rss

Jamstack

Every so often, web development takes a dramatic turn for the better. In this article, we introduce the Jamstack, explaining what it is and why it’s great.

Back in the day, dynamic sites exploded with the LAMP stack. Then the MEAN stack provided a foundation for the next generation of web apps. Now that APIs and reusable components are on the rise, static sites are fashionable again. It’s a “back to basics” of sorts — but not quite.

What Is the Jamstack?

Jamstack logo

Provided: Netlify

The Jamstack is a redefinition of the modern web for faster and more secure websites. These sites scale better and, with the proper toolset, are a lot easier (and more fun) to develop and maintain.

Let’s break up the term:

J stands for JavaScript. JS has come a long way since it was introduced by Netscape in 1995. With reactive and progressive libraries, you can design web apps that behave pretty much like mobile ones.
A stands for APIs. You don’t need to program every single functionality yourself, but can rely on third-party processing for a huge number of tasks.
M stands for Markup. You can reuse components that have already been developed, or create new ones that are a lot easier to maintain.

Isn’t that just buzz?

In a way, yes. The term Jamstack, originally stylized as JAMstack, was coined by the company Netlify as a way of promoting their “all-in-one platform for automating modern web projects.” The principles behind the Jamstack aren’t really new, as web components and APIs have existed for quite some time.

But in very much the same way the term Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) was coined by another company back in the day — Adaptive Path — and even though the XMLHttpRequest (XHR) API that made Ajax possible also existed for some time, both Ajax and JAMstack were a refreshing revamp of ideas with legitimate uses that were quickly adopted by the community. The hype is well-deserved: this way of working has been a revelation for many developers around the world.

Static sites?

“Static sites” are the antithesis of “dynamic websites”, right? So how to provide rich and dynamic interaction with just plain HTML files? Well, JavaScript.

Continue reading
Introduction to the Jamstack: Build Secure, High-Performance Sites
on SitePoint.

Master graphic design with this $15 bootcamp

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/4p000qqqHqQ/master-graphic-design-bootcamp

Graphic design is quickly becoming an in-demand skill for various industries and job positions, and learning how to become a designer doesn't have to be expensive or impossible. With the right tools and guidance, you can train to be the creative you've always dreamed of right from the comfort of your home. Start achieving your goals with the Graphic Design Bootcamp, now only $15. 

Starting with the essentials, you'll begin the crash course training bundle by getting familiar with the industry-leading programs included in Adobe's Creative Cloud. With an intro into each program application, you'll get an understanding of each app and acquire valuable tips from the pros for getting your programs started with ease. For more Adobe lessons, try our pick of the best Photoshop tutorials and top Illustrator tutorials. 

Get Creative Cloud
Dive into hands-on projects

Once you are organised and comfortable with your desktop setup, you'll dive deep into hands-on projects that allow you to put what you learn into real-world practice. Led by creative director and designer Derrick Mitchell, each project will guide you through essential design principles and step-by-step introductions to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign software interfaces. You'll learn the ins and outs of design techniques on each platform, and cover essential tools used by graphic designers of all levels.

With 65 lectures included, you'll be exposed to projects with downloadable project files for both digital and print mediums, plus learn best practices and techniques for each along the way. Projects on logo design, compositing, business card creation, editorial design, and more will get you started producing work that will help launch your career or merely help brush up your skills. 

Not only will you have work to show from the course, but you'll learn how to get started creating a portfolio to display your design work. Access to an exclusive private Facebook group will allow you to connect with other students for sharing and critiquing projects. This opportunity will enable you to start getting comfortable with showcasing your work and getting feedback – a variable that every graphic designer must face. Certification of completion is also included upon finishing your projects, adding valuable credentials to your résumé, and future job interviews.

While usually priced at over $100, this crash course brings you everything you need to jumpstart your graphic design career for only $15 – that's 88 per cent off! Add valuable skills and credibility to your ongoing creative portfolio and continue learning today with a little help from the pros. 

*Prices subject to change. Software not included.

Read more: 

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Deno Module System: A Beginner’s Guide

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/deno-module-system-a-beginners-guide/?utm_source=rss

Deno Modules

Learn about the Deno module system – the biggest workflow change you’ll encounter if you’re coming from Node.js. Find out how it works and how to use it, how to make use of Node.js packages in Deno, and more.

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime based on Chrome’s V8 engine, developed by Ryan Dahl, and released in 2009.

Deno is a JavaScript runtime based on Chrome’s V8 engine, developed by Ryan Dahl, and released in 2020. It was created with the benefit of a decade’s worth of hindsight. That doesn’t necessarily make it a sequel or superior to Node.js, but it deviates from that path.

See also:

Introduction to Deno: A Secure JavaScript & TypeScript Runtime
Node.js vs Deno: What You Need to Know

The headline differences: Deno natively supports TypeScript, security, testing, and browser APIs. Module handling receives less attention, but it’s possibly the largest change to how you create JavaScript applications. Before discussing Deno, let me take you back to a simpler time…

Node.js Modules

JavaScript didn’t have a standard module system in 2009. This was partly because of its browser heritage and ES6 / ES2015 was several years away.

It would have been inconceivable for Node.js not to provide modules, so it adopted CommonJS from a choice of community workarounds. This led to the development of the Node Package Manager, or npm, which allowed developers to easily search, use, and publish their own JavaScript modules.

npm usage grew exponentially. It’s become the most popular package manager ever devised and, by mid-2020, hosts almost 1.5 million modules with more than 800 new ones published every day (source: modulecounts.com).

Deno Modules

Deno opts for ES2015 Modules which you import from an absolute or relative URL:

import { something } from ‘https://somewhere.com/somehow.js’;

The script at that URL must export functions or other values accordingly, e.g.

export function something() {
console.log(‘something was executed’);
}

Deno uses an identical module system to that implemented in modern web browsers.

Node.js also supports ES2015 modules … but it’s complicated and remains experimental. CommonJS and ES2015 modules look similar, but work in different ways:

Continue reading
Deno Module System: A Beginner’s Guide
on SitePoint.

How to Host Static Sites for Free with an Automated Pipeline

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/how-to-host-static-sites-for-free-with-an-automated-pipeline/?utm_source=rss

Hosting Static Jamstack Sites for Free with an Automated Pipeline

Did you know that you can host static sites for free on a number of high-grade services? This doesn’t just save money, but also means you’re deploying to globally distributed CDNs and automating processes.

Provided: Netlify

In a previous article, we reviewed 100 Jamstack tools, APIs and services to power your sites, which included a lot of hosting services.

In this article, we’ll get hands-on and show you how to host static sites with an automated pipeline for deployment.

Does this sound complicated? It’s easier than you’d think.

Free Cloud Hosting, but with Strings Attached

You can actually host websites for free — even dynamic ones — with the AWS Free Tier (Amazon Web Services), the GCP Free Tier (Google Cloud Platform) and Windows Azure (with some workarounds).

But when you go to give that a try, you’ll come across a number of conditions, fine print considerations, and implementation constraints:

how much computing power do you need?
your credit card number, please?
where do you want to deploy to?
is your account brand new?
and not older than 1 year?
actually, what services?

Often this is more a tryout than an actual freebie (hence the reason why AWS Amplify Storage is not included in this list). And while some power users might take advantage of the goodies, if you aren’t well acquainted with these platforms beforehand, you’ll find out that the learning curve to start using these services is very steep, and that for every cloud service you intend to use you’ll need to find out first in which way each provider reinvented the wheel before you can actually spin it into any free deployment.

Let’s see now how a handful of smaller players rose to prominence with free hosting services that aren’t a hassle to implement and have fewer strings attached.

Continue reading
How to Host Static Sites for Free with an Automated Pipeline
on SitePoint.

22 Amazing Award-Winning Website Designs

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/lkVhiqybdQc/

You can browse templates all day long, but sometimes you just need to see a website in action to get inspired. That’s why we’ve put together this stellar collection of award-winning website designs. Each of these bring something unique to the table that’s worth evaluating and potentially worth emulating on your own site.

Each of these sites are featured on Awwwards.com.

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Envato Elements

Everyday Experiments

Example from Everyday Experiments

Upon visiting this site, you’re met with a highly interactive experience. Each “experiment” is interactive and more content unfolds as you scroll and click.

Un printemps suspendu

Example from Un printemps suspendu

Here’s another compelling design that’s sure to inspire. This site follows the journey of two mountain guides and skiers, as you’re fully immersed via full-screen video and 3D rendered, seemingly immersive menu options.

Canvas

Example from Canvas

And then there’s Canvas. This site is for a design and development studio that’s presenting their portfolio in a unique way. A true marriage of form and function through innovative load screens, parallax effects, and cursor accents.

Reed.be

Example from Reed.be

Reed.be is a website for a digital agency that offers a truly unique interactive experience. On hover, your cursor movements manipulate the main subject above-the-fold. But if you click the emoji hand, the object rotates and spins.

Superfluid

Example from Superfluid

This is another site with super interesting interactive effects that fade in, fade out, and swipe up. Product listings change upon hover and the entire browsing experience is designed to entice you into making a purchase.

Blackmeal

Example from Blackmeal

This website for a motion design studio is fun, immediately. The large graphics interact upon hover and offer a warm greeting. Once clicked, you’re met with a portfolio that expands as you scroll.

14islands

Example from 14islands

Here’s a fun one! 14islands is a design and development studio. Their website is playful and informative. It features a custom cursor, unique hover effects, and parallax scrolling.

Altermind

Example from Altermind

Get ready to go on a journey on the Altermind website. This consultancy website uses parallax effects that work both vertically and horizontally.

Khoa Lê

Example from Khoa Lê

Khoa Le is a filmmaker and this website serves as a digital portfolio. More parallax effects are featured here as well as full-width videos and interesting hover effects.

Delassus

Example from Delassus

Delassus is a website for a producer of avocados, tomatoes, and other produce. The site is super colorful, compelling, and interactive.

Beans Digital Marketing Agency

Example from Beans Digital Marketing Agency

Another top choice is the Beans Digital Marketing Agency. This website offers a unique spin on the traditional marketing agency site with full-width videos and a fun and vibrant campaign to go along with the parallax effects and fascinating load effects.

JazzKeys

Example from JazzKeys

Now this is a super cool website design! The JazzKeys site responds to your keyboard input, creating an impromptu jazz masterpiece.

Listening Together

Example from Listening Together

The Listening Together website by Spotify goes to new design heights. It features an interactive, three-dimensional graphic of a globe. Upon clicking one location, you can hear a song snippet currently being streamed from there. Then, the site will match you up with another location that’s currently playing the same song. Innovative!

Moooi

Example from Moooi

What a delightful site design this is! The Moooi site offers a fully-immersive browsing experience with video and audio for showcasing the brand’s products.

Portfolio

Example from Portfolio

The Portfolio website is for a graphic and interface designer. It offers the cutest loading screen ever as well as interesting parallax, hover, and cursor effects.

Gucci Mascara Hunt

Example from Gucci Mascara Hunt

What a novel way to promote a product! This website is an interactive game that was used to promote a new mascara.

underpromise

Example from underpromise

The website for underpromise provides an interactive experience that speaks to those who have a deep appreciation of both the visual and literary arts.

Agora

Example from Agora

Another site worth checking out is Agora. It’s designed to promote a payment processing service and app. It does so through the use of truly immersive and interactive parallax design.

Olivier Gillaizeau

Example from Olivier Gillaizeau

And if you need more portfolio site design inspiration, this one for a creative director uses a timeline-style layout with stylish hover effects, parallax scrolling, and an abundant use of color.

Clmt.

Example from Clmt.

Here’s a website for a photographer and art director that offers unique scrolling effects and an overall engaging appearance.

&Tradition

Example from &Tradition

And here’s another site example that promotes products in an innovative way. This site uses slideshow headers, hover effects, and large photos to capture visitor attention.

HENGE

Example from HENGE

Last on our list is a site for a design agency with full-width videos, parallax effects, autoplay slideshows, and in-depth gallery-style presentations.

Use these Award-Winning Website Designs as Inspiration

If you’re trying to build a website right now, it can be difficult to know where to start. Thankfully, many award-winning website designs are out there to serve as solid inspiration for your next project. Wander in the dark no longer, this collection of sites should get your creative juices flowing.

Best of luck!


17 Tools I Can’t Design Without

Original Source: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2020/07/17-tools-i-cant-design-without/

I think of a creative practice as a combination of an approach (a design philosophy) and a series of techniques (craft skills); a good tool facilitates a technique, which in turn supports an approach.

It wasn’t until I sat down to write a list of tools I can’t design without, that I realized just how many tools I rely on as an integral part of my creative process. The danger of tools is that they promote certain techniques, and that bias can alter your approach.

First and foremost a good tool does no harm, it does not dictate, or obstruct your approach. Secondly, a good tool offers flexibility in the techniques you choose. Thirdly a good tool is invisible, it leaves no marks on the end product.

If I’d written this post a year ago the list would have been different, and I hope that in a year it will be different again. These are the tools that I currently find enabling, that have contributed to my craft, and supported my approach.

Affinity Designer

I’ve always used Adobe products. Photoshop and Illustrator were the de facto graphic tools for half my life. I’ve never had an issue with the subscription licensing of Creative Cloud, which I think is proportionate for a professional set of tools. Then, around 18 months ago I got very frustrated with how sluggish Illustrator had become.

I’d written an early review of Affinity Designer, I’d been impressed at the time, so I decided to give it another try expecting the sojourn to last an hour or two before I gravitated back to Illustrator. Running the latest version of Affinity Designer was a revelation, I’ve simply never wanted to switch back.

Why not Sketch? Well, I do occasionally jump into Sketch, especially for pure vector wireframing. I was an early adopter of Sketch, but the reliability issues (long since resolved) poisoned my relationship with it. Why not Figma? Well, Figma’s real strength is in collaboration, something that I get with Sketch, and personally I find some of Figma’s features unintuitive.

Affinity Designer isn‘t perfect. I dislike the color tools, especially the gradient tool, which I find clunky. But it’s the first design app I’ve used in years that syncs closely with my creative process.

Affinity Photo

I don’t do a lot of photo manipulation, so when I switched away from Creative Cloud for design work, I was relaxed about switching from Photoshop to Affinity Photo.

In my experience, Affinity Photo is stronger than Photoshop in some areas, and weaker in others. Affinity Photo’s bitmap scaling is much better than Photoshop’s, largely due to Lanczos 3 sampling.

Affinity Photo also solves a lot of little irritations that Adobe has chosen not to address for legacy or philosophical reasons, such as the toggleable ratio setting when resizing the canvas — I’ve lost track of the hours I’ve spent in Photoshop manually calculating vertical whitespace so that it’s proportionate to the horizontal.

TinyPng

Both Affinity Photo and Photoshop are poor at web format optimizations. Photoshop perhaps has the edge, but its output certainly isn’t acceptable for production.

I run bitmaps through TinyPng, which on average halves the size of the file without any appreciable loss of quality. (It stripped 66% off the images for this post.)

Fontstand

When I started to drift away from Creative Cloud, the one service that delayed me was Adobe Fonts (née Typekit). Not so much for the webfonts — which are faster and more reliable self-hosted — but for the ability to sync desktop fonts into my design apps.

I tried Fontstand when it was first released, and I loved the concept, but was worried about the small library. When I took a second look and discovered the library is now substantial for both workhorses and experimental typefaces, it was an easy decision to switch.

Fontstand is a desktop font rental service. Once you’ve found a typeface you’re interested in, you can activate an hour-long trial, then choose to rent the font for a small fee. You can auto-renew the rental if you need to, and if you rent the font for 12 months it’s yours forever.

If there’s one tool on this list I genuinely could not design without it’s this one. Fontstand makes working with fonts from independent foundries affordable for freelancers, and it’s enriched the typographic palette available to me.

Khroma

Every designer has strengths and weaknesses. Since day one of art school, my weakness has been color. It just doesn’t come naturally to me, and I have to work quite hard at it.

An incredibly helpful tool that I’ve been using for a few months is Khroma. It helps my eyes warm up before approaching color, and helps me find a starting point that I can then refine. Comparing my design work before, and after Khroma, the latter color choices are cleaner, more vibrant, and more interesting.

Atom

A good code editor is essential, and I’ve never found one that I’m completely happy with. For years I’ve flitted back and forth between Brackets, Sublime Text, and BBEdit. I think that probably reflects the changes in the type of coding I’m doing.

For now, I’ve settled on Atom. It’s fast, reliable, and it’s not biased to front or back-end code.

CodeKit

I held out on compilers longer than I should have, using apps like Minify to minify CSS and JavaScript, and the command line to process Sass (see below). Then I found CodeKit and it’s been essential to my workflow ever since.

What I like best about CodeKit is that it’s a GUI. Which means I can change settings while coding, like toggling off the JavaScript linting, without switching mental gears into another language.

MAMP

MAMP is a tool that allows you to run a local server environment, meaning I can run PHP and MySQL without the tedious process of FTPing to a server to test a change. Mac comes with Apache, so this isn’t strictly necessary, but it’s simple to use and works well with both CodeKit and Craft (see below).

There’s a pro version of MAMP, which allows you to switch seamlessly between projects, but it’s heavily geared towards WordPress. I’m still trying to find the time to evaluate Laravel Valet.

Dash

When you first start coding you try and memorize the entire language. It’s very possible to become fluent in the core of a language, but there are always nuances, defaults, and gotchas that you miss. As you grow more experienced, you realize that all professional coders Google the answer at least once per day.

When I got tired of Googling I started using Dash which is a superb app that combines the docs of numerous different languages into a searchable window. I use it daily for everything from SVG to Twig.

LambdaTest

It doesn’t really matter what you’re building, even the indy-web needs to be tested. Ideally you’ll test on real devices, but if you can’t afford a device library — and who but the largest agencies can — you need a live testing solution.

There are a few upstarts, but your choice is basically between BrowserStack and LambdaTest. I went for LambdaTest because I prefer the style of the UI, but that’s entirely subjective. If you’re not sure, toss a coin, you’ll get the same results with both.

Sass

I can’t write CSS without Sass — and I mean that literally. If I try and write vanilla CSS I guarantee I’ll nest something with @at-root and it will throw an error.

Craft CMS

Stating any preference for a CMS online that is not WordPress inevitably invites impassioned protests from developers whose career is built on the WordPress platform. So let me say preface this by saying: if WordPress works for you, and more importantly for your clients, then more power to you; I think it’s a dog.

Shopping around for a CMS is challenging, and I’ve gone through the process several times. A good CMS needs to be in sync with your mindset, and it needs to be appropriate for your clients — all of them, because unless you’re in a large agency with multiple coders, you need to commit to a single solution in order to master it.

I have looked and looked, and finally settled on Craft CMS. Craft makes it easy to build and maintain complex, high-performance sites. It has a shallow learning curve that grows exponentially steeper, making it easy to get started with plenty of room to grow.

Vue.js

Way back when Flash went kaput I switched to jQuery, and that was a really easy route into JavaScript — ignore the people who tell you to master the core language first, do whatever it takes to start using a language, that’s how you learn. But jQuery is heavy, and I found I needed it less and less.

These days 90% of the JavaScript I write is progressive enhancements in vanilla JavaScript to keep the dependencies low. Occasionally I encounter a job that requires complex state management, and then I fall back on Vue.js. JavaScript developers are as partisan as CMS aficionados, so let’s just say I favor Vue.js because it’s not controlled by a mega-corp and leave it at that.

Ulysses

As editor at WDD, I cannot emphasize enough that the right way to write copy for the web is markdown.

Markdown is faster to write so you don’t lose the thread of your thought process, and it doesn’t impose formatting so you can easily migrate to a CMS. If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes stripping the class, id, and style tags out of a file created in Word, Pages, or (by far the worst offender) Google Docs, then you don’t need to be sold on this point.

There are a few markdown-based writing apps available, I tested half a dozen, and the one I settled on was Ulysses. I like its distraction-free mode, I love its clean exports. Everything I write, I write in Ulysses.

Screenshot Plus

Much like markdown editors, there’s no shortage of screenshot apps. My current favorite is Screenshot Plus.

Screenshot Plus has one feature that makes it standout for me, and that is its Workflows. It sounds like a small problem, but when you’re taking screenshots of a dozen sites, the extra clicks to save, switch to your editor, and open the file are laborious. I have several workflows setup in Screenshot Plus that allow me to take a screenshot, save it to a specified folder on my local machine, and then open it in Affinity Photo, all with a single click.

Spark

I get a lot of email, a lot. At one point the influx was so bad I was using multiple email apps to segment it. Yes, I use Slack daily, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for email.

I‘ve been using Spark for around six months and it’s radically sped up my workflow. I’m a big fan of the smart inbox that allows me to compartmentalize email like newsletters, and email that warrants a reply. I like that I can switch to a chronological list if I’m looking for something specific. I love the ability to pin, or snooze messages, which helps me triage my inbox.

Todoist

I’m one of those people who can’t make it through the day without being organized. I need lists and sublists, and I need something native that opens automatically when I boot my Mac, and something that sits on the home screen of my Android.

There are as many to-do apps as there are things to do. When I’m working in a team I’ll use whichever task-tracking system it prefers. But by choice I always use Todoist thanks to its balance of simplicity and power. At this point it’s something of a meta-tool, and the app I open first every morning.

Source

p img {display:inline-block; margin-right:10px;}
.alignleft {float:left;}
p.showcase {clear:both;}
body#browserfriendly p, body#podcast p, div#emailbody p{margin:0;}

Collective #615

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tympanus/~3/EVntoo9aXpU/

Collective 615 item image

Inspirational Website of the Week: Sweet punk

Great visual content with a clear design and interesting details. Our pick this week.

Get inspired

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Primo

Primo is an all-in-one IDE, CMS, component library, and static site generator.

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What the f*** is …?

An opinionated glossary of computer science terms for front-end developers by Dan Abramov. Read more about it in the repo.

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CSS easing

Adam Argyle shares 18 hip cubic-bezier easing functions in handy variables with us.

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3D Hands gestures

An amazing free 3D hands gestures library with 12 hands gestures in 9 different skin tones and with 3 sleeve types.

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3D Book Image CSS Generator

Fantastic tool: Generate an animated 3D image from a book cover and export to HTML/CSS to embed on your website.

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@property: giving superpowers to CSS variables

Una Kravets introduces the Houdini Properties and Values API which is coming to your CSS file in Chromium 85.

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Things I Wish I’d Known About CSS

Some useful things to understand before starting out with CSS. By Dave Smyth.

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Understanding CSS Multiple Backgrounds

In this article, Ahmad Shadeed explains the background-image property in detail, and provides a visual explainer on how multiple backgrounds can be stacked.

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CSS leaning card effect

A beautiful card effect made by Lynn Fisher.

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A Simple Explanation of Event Delegation in JavaScript

Dmitri Pavlutin explains event delegation which is a useful pattern to listen for events on multiple elements using just one event handler.

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Import non-ESM libraries in ES Modules, with client-side vanilla JS

Lea Verou explores some strategies of importing non-ESM libraries in ES modules.

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A CSS only “click to animate gif” solution

Christian Heilmann shares a quick experiment in pure CSS how to cover a GIF with a play button instead of playing it

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Warp SVG Online

A nice tool that can warp and distort SVGs.

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css-media-vars

A brand new way to write responsive CSS. Named breakpoints, DRY selectors, no scripts, no builds, vanilla CSS.

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Modern CSS Techniques To Improve Legibility

Edoardo Cavazza covers how to improve websites legibility using some modern CSS techniques.

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A CSS-only, animated, wrapping underline

NickyMeuleman explores how to create wrapping underlines that can be animated.

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Building a self-updating profile README for GitHub

Simon Willison shows how to implement a GitHub Action to automatically keep a profile README up-to-date.

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CSS Painting Order

An interesting article on how a browser determines what order to paint content in.

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Beyond screen sizes: responsive design in 2020

Kilian Valkhof thinks we’re now at a point where we can start considering a new type of responsiveness for websites.

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Rich HTML in GitHub README

Learn how to create a rich HTML document enveloped in an SVG file.

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Mars Explorer ScrollTrigger demo

Hai Le made this fantastic GSAP ScrollTrigger plugin example.

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Droplets

Stunningly realistic CSS droplets by Oscar Salazar.

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