7 Tips to More Accurate Google Search Results

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/more-google-search-features/

It has become almost colloquial to “Google something” for which you want an answer. But have you been using this amazing search engine in a way that it gives you best results and in…

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Zdog a Round, Flat, Designer-friendly Pseudo-3D Engine

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/abduzeedo/~3/Jo3Lc4-2-gg/zdog-round-flat-designer-friendly-pseudo-3d-engine

Zdog a Round, Flat, Designer-friendly Pseudo-3D Engine
Zdog a Round, Flat, Designer-friendly Pseudo-3D Engine

abduzeedoMay 28, 2019

Zdog is a 3D JavaScript engine for and SVG. With Zdog, you can design and render simple 3D models on the Web. Zdog is a pseudo-3D engine. Its geometries exist in 3D space, but are rendered as flat shapes. This makes Zdog special.

Zdog is small. 2,100 lines of code for the entire library. 28KB un-minified.
Zdog is round. All circular shapes are rendered as proper circles with rounded edges. No polygonal jaggies.
Zdog is friendly. Modeling is done with a straight-forward declarative API.

Zdog was designed to bring the simplicity of vector illustration into 3D. Drawing circles and squares is easy and fun. Zdog just adds another dimension.

Example of 3D Models

See the Pen Super Mario round 3D by Dave DeSandro
(@desandro) on CodePen.

See the Pen Celeste snowglobe round 3D by Dave DeSandro
(@desandro) on CodePen.

See the Pen Zdog – On the go by Dave DeSandro
(@desandro) on CodePen.

See the Pen Kirby round 3D by Dave DeSandro
(@desandro) on CodePen.

About Zdog

Created by David DeSandro, Zdog is directly inspired by Dogz, a virtual pet game by P.F. Magic released in 1995. It used flat 2D circle sprites to render the Dogz’ models, but in a 3D scene. See Dogz playthrough video here. Dogz were fully animated in real time, running, flopping, scratching (on Windows 3.1!). It was remarkable.

Zdog uses the same principal. It renders all shapes using 2D drawing API in  or . Spheres are actually dots. Toruses are actually circles . Capsules are actually thick lines. It’s a simple, but effective trick. The underlying 3D math comes from Rotating 3D Shapes by Peter Collingridge.

Zdog is pronounced “Zee-dog” in American parlance or “Zed-dog” in British.


Build a Desktop Application with Electron and Angular

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/build-a-desktop-application-with-electron-and-angular/?utm_source=rss

In this tutorial we’ll build a cross-platform desktop application with Electron and web technologies such as TypeScript and Angular. Electron.js is a popular platform for building cross-platform desktop apps for Windows, Linux and macOS with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It’s created and maintained by GitHub and it’s available under the MIT permissive license. It was […]

The post Build a Desktop Application with Electron and Angular appeared first on SitePoint.

An Interview with One of the Best Selling WordPress Theme Authors

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/I1PiNN2kvDo/

We recently had the opportunity to interview Qode, author of one of the best selling WordPress themes. Their humble beginnings and rapid success are inspiring to anyone interested in selling digital products.

Can you tell us a bit about how Qode started and the team behind it?

Qode started out as two people with a shared goal – to create quality digital products, but with a focus on beauty and aesthetics. In our early stages, we provided custom web development services. But we soon noticed the rising popularity of WordPress themes and saw an opportunity there, even though the marketplace was already fairly saturated.

Our team was still small, but we were all oriented toward UX and aesthetics. That was our main advantage. We made a decision back then that has become the cornerstone of our company: never to compromise our creative vision, even if it meant reaching fewer people. Instead of going down the commercial path and making the types of themes everyone was churning out, we primarily focused on great design. And I think that’s what distinguishes us from the rest of the market.

Qode Interactive home page

Your Bridge theme is one of the most popular WordPress themes on ThemeForest with over 100,000 sales — an incredible achievement. What do you believe sets Bridge apart from other WordPress themes?

When it came out, Bridge was just another theme by Qode. The thing is, we approach each new theme as a success, even in the earliest stages of design. I think that’s evident in all our themes, from the very beginning.

With Bridge, it turned out people were drawn to its clean and simple style, which was popular at the time. It got that initial boost straight out of the gate and gained enough visibility on the market. So, we adapted and started developing it in that direction. We wanted to offer Bridge to as many people as we could, while still sticking to our principles and making as few compromises as possible.

That’s how the Bridge demos came to be. Bridge currently has nearly 380 distinct demos, and we’re always adding more. It was the first bestseller on the market with so many and might have even set the standard in terms of the number and the quality of demos a WordPress theme can have.

Bridge WordPress Theme

With the huge success of Bridge and your other WordPress products, what are some challenges you’ve faced with that type of growth?

Bridge served as proof that we were doing something right and it motivated us to keep moving in that direction. So when we decided to create new brands and expand our catalog of themes, we knew we would need a lot more manpower. Our first goal was hiring the best people in the business.

We now have over 100 employees, and more than 25 professional designers and artists working on our themes. With so many people cooperating on multiple projects, we had to implement a set of procedures to make sure things run smoothly at all times.

We also quickly outgrew the downtown apartment we started from and had to move to a larger office. This alone brought its own set of challenges: planning the space, remodeling, obtaining all the necessary equipment, etc. A larger company requires a completely different approach than a startup. But with great success comes great responsibility, I guess.

Qode Interactive theme catalog

What has your experience been like developing for Gutenberg and are you excited for the direction WordPress is taking?

We’re currently working on a new theme framework that’s ultimately going to let users switch between page builders. Developing for Gutenberg has been a significant part of that project.

We definitely see Gutenberg as a step in the right direction. The components and modules are well executed, but the editor in its current form isn’t as user-friendly as we’d like it to be. We think there’s still work to be done in terms of the UX.

Of course, we understand this is just the first phase of what could be an entirely new approach to website building in WordPress and we’re excited to see where it goes. But one of the goals with our new framework is to give users a choice in terms of the editor they’d like to use.

If you could give any advice to a new designer or developer trying to sell digital goods, what would it be?

Everyone that came before you already has a massive head start. So, when thinking about the audience for your product, don’t take the expected route. Don’t try to satisfy everyone at all times. That’s a surefire recipe for failure.

Find a small but reliable audience and do everything you can to speak directly to their needs. Tailor all aspects of your business – from your actual product and its functionalities to your design, branding, and messaging – to that select group of people and you’ll have a way better chance at success.

Do you have any tips on promoting your work to build an audience?

The best form of promotion is the quality of your product. And satisfied customers are always the best advocates. I think ThemeForest does a good job of promoting great themes, but these days, with so many authors and themes out there, you can’t rely only on that. You need to use all available techniques to get your themes in front of your target audience. Once you accomplish that, the design and quality will often be the deciding factors.

When it comes to places for promoting our work, we take a special interest in visually-oriented social networks. Particularly ones like Dribbble and Pinterest, where we can connect with fellow designers and other users who recognize the importance of a visual experience.

Qode Interactive Dribble profile

Before we wrap up this interview, are there any upcoming products or other announcements you’d like to share?

We recently launched the new Qode Interactive website. It’s now the home of all 330+ themes from our five brands. If you look at the current state of the market, you’ll see that the best quality often gets buried in the avalanche of themes coming out every day. Our new site provides a collection of themes that make no compromise when it comes to quality.

And finding the right one is now quicker and easier than ever, thanks to our powerful filtering system. We made sure people can search themes based on all imaginable parameters, from colors, styles, and effects all the way down to the shortcodes and plugins each theme comes with. So, if you’re looking for a new way to find beautiful WordPress themes, you might want to check it out.

Qode Interactive theme search and filtering


SitePoint Premium New Releases: Webpack, TensorFlow, Swift & Parcel

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/sitepoint-premium-new-releases-webpack-tensorflow-swift-parcel/?utm_source=rss

We’re working hard to keep you on the cutting edge of your field with SitePoint Premium. We’ve got plenty of new books to check out in the library — let us introduce you to them. A Beginner’s Guide to Webpack When using JavaScript module bundler webpack for the first time, it can be difficult to […]

The post SitePoint Premium New Releases: Webpack, TensorFlow, Swift & Parcel appeared first on SitePoint.

The Art Movements That Inspired Modern Web Design

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/BINpKdu0ZJg/art-movements-inspired-modern-web-design

Modern web design has its roots in some of the most influential art moments in the history of the world. The elements that we identify as being pleasing to the eye are echoes and homages to the great art of the past. That’s not to say modern web design isn’t a new and important form […]

The post The Art Movements That Inspired Modern Web Design appeared first on designrfix.com.

The Best 26 Web Resources In 2018

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/EWferGZgTYY/best-26-web-resources-2018

We continue the series of showcases in which we review the best 25 web resources. This is the first showcase in 2018, and it’s coming with new entries and changes to the well-reputed web tools and services. The showcase starts with Tailor Brands, logo design and brand solution that is being used by most of […]

The post The Best 26 Web Resources In 2018 appeared first on designrfix.com.

Collective #518

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

C518_WOTW

Inspirational Website of the Week: Nike Circular Design Guide

A razor-sharp grid-based design with lots of personality. Our pick this week.

Get inspired

C518_ucraftwhitelabel

This content is sponsored via Syndicate Ads
Website Builder Software With Your Branding

This B2B platform fits designers, freelancers, agencies and anyone who wants to make beautiful websites for their clients or let them do it on their own.

Find out more

C518_TakeBackWeb

Take Back Your Web

“Own your domain. Own your content. Own your social connections. Own your reading experience.” —Tantek Çelik talks about how we can use IndieWeb services, tools, and standards to take back our web.

Watch it

C518_accbutton

Accessible Icon Buttons

An overview of how an icon button can be implemented accessibly. By Sara Soueidan.

Read it

Screen-Shot-2019-05-23-at-19.26.07

SCAR

SCAR is a deployment stack that make it easy for you to deploy a static website with a custom domain, SSL, and a CDN

Check it out

C518_plotter

Twisted Polygons

A Vue.js project for generating SVGs of polygons for plotting. By Maks Surguy.

Check it out

C518_animation

Animation Handbook

A free ebook that will teach you how to use animation to demonstrate abstract concepts, make products feel more life-like, and instill more emotion into digital experiences. By Ryan McLeod.

Get it

C518_tesla

Tesla’s Touchscreen UI: A Case Study of Car-Dashboard User Interface

Some valuable information on what’s important when designing for car-dashboard user interfaces.

Read it

C518_typography

The State of Fluid Web Typography

A very insightful article by Matej Latin on the current state of fluid typography and its issues.

Read it

Screen-Shot-2019-05-23-at-19.47.52

The “Inside” Problem

Chris Coyier explains the “inside” layout problem and shows how to tackle it.

Read it

Screen-Shot-2019-05-23-at-19.36.23

Few-Shot Adversarial Learning of Realistic Neural Talking Head Models

Some amazing work from the Samsung AI lab with the potential to animate heads using only few or even one shot of a target person.

Watch it

Screen-Shot-2019-05-23-at-19.45.58

Vue.js And SEO: How To Optimize Reactive Websites For Search Engines And Bots

Paolo Mioni writes about how reactive JavaScript frameworks like Vue and React perform in terms of SEO.

Read it

C518_smile

Face Button

Katherine Kato created this fun button that you can startle by hovering or tapping on.

Check it out

C518_lines

THREE – Optimized Line Mess!

A demo by Colin van Eenige where “lines are created, stored and animated”.

Check it out

Screen-Shot-2019-05-23-at-19.46.04

Colour Diver

A wonderful animation made by Chris Gannon.

Check it out

C518_svgacc

Contextually Marking up accessible images and SVGs

Scott O’Hara explains the various methods for providing accessible names for images or SVGs and points out related quirks in browser.

Read it

C518_iconfonts

Font-display is incompatible with icon fonts

Zach Leatherman writes how the font-display descriptor has no valid value that is compatible with icon fonts.

Read it

C518_burberry

Burberry: The Monogram Universe

A very cool WebGL powered interactive explorer for showcasing a new collection.

Check it out

C518_cloud

A Cloud

A beautiful volume ray marching demo of a cloud.

Check it out

C518_wolfram

Launching Today: Free Wolfram Engine for Developers

Read about the release of the free Wolfram Engine for developers and learn what you can do with it.

Read it

C518_datatables

Flexible data tables with CSS Grid

Adam Lynch shows how to use CSS Grid for making versatile, responsive tables.

Read it

Screen-Shot-2019-05-23-at-19.49.16

Font Kiko

Font Kiko is a pack of more than 700 Open Source icons suitable for many types of projects.

Get it

Screen-Shot-2019-05-23-at-19.24.45

Color Designer

A tool to help you with building a color palette and generate tints and shades based on it.

Check it out

C518_quiz

On How I Approach Teaching CSS, CodePen Quizzes and Playing Cards

PeHaa Hetman shares a series of three quizzes around the CSS selectors and explains her process of teaching web development.

Read it

C518_undesign

Undesign

A collection of free design tools and resources for makers, developers and designers.

Check it out

Collective #518 was written by Pedro Botelho and published on Codrops.

6 Popular Page Builders for WordPress in 2019

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/XngK5tTxuT8/

WordPress is without a doubt one of the easiest and yet most customizable site-building platforms available. It brings the difficulty of creating a website down for beginners, while also not chaining down expert designers and developers.

But what if you want to customize your website with your own special touch? Making a theme isn’t exactly easy. Thanks to WordPress page builders, anyone can easily customize their website with tons of design options and functionality.

Both individuals creating a personal site and new designers breaking into WordPress site building should try out these six great page builders.

Semplice

Semplice

Built by designers for designers, Semplice is a feature-rich portfolio page builder optimized for the needs of professional artists. Everyone from agencies down to individual designers can use this platform; the Single, Studio, and Business plans are priced just right. And you only need to pay once!

Semplace uses a dynamic layout builder rather than sticking you with repetitive templates. Drag and drop to create your responsive website, use the blocks feature on Studio+ plans, and create stunning full screen designs for your work.

If you need a designer-focused tool, Semplice is the way to go.

Elementor

Elementor

With two million users, Elementor is one of the most popular page builders, and you can see why. Built just for professionals, Elementor offers a simple yet powerful page builder that integrates seamlessly with almost any theme.

With 80+ design elements from simple image widgets to buttons and forms, everything you need is there. You can also use it for free! But pay a per-year fee for the advanced plans, and you’ll get more widgets, WooCommerce integration, and a theme builder just for designers.

Divi Builder

Divi Builder

Do you feel overwhelmed with most page builders? Divi is made for simplicity. It’s super easy to learn its drag-and-drop system. But as you grow, you’ll find that this builder is more powerful than it seems.

46 content modules let you easily insert sliders, menus, forms, portfolios, and other helpful widgets. Pay per-year or a one-time fee; no crucial features locked behind pricey paywalls. And designers can use Elegant Themes and Divi to build client websites!

Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder was made for both users and professionals, with some special features for WordPress designers. The front-end editor is easy to use and allows you to build column-based pages or position elements with precision.

Editor Mode allows designers to give their clients the freedom of editing their site, while removing features that might allow them to break it. Beaver Builder is simple enough for clients to learn, too!

The builder uses three plans on per-year pricing, but later plans only unlocks features useful for companies like white labeling, multisite, and a framework theme.

Visual Composer

Visual Composer

Fast, easy to learn, and straightforward to use, Visual Composer offers a page builder that absolutely anyone can try. Templates, blocks, and elements are essential to its design. Start with a template, insert smaller template blocks, and use elements to enhance your design. Premium users can download more!

And developers will love Visual Composer. Extend it with the API, or create your own custom templates and elements!

SiteOrigin Page Builder

SiteOrigin Page Builder

If you need a free page builder without any features behind a paywall, SiteOrigin is the way to go. The builder is simple, but it has everything you need. Fast and efficient code means no drain on your website speed, and the live editor is very easy to use, even for beginners.

The extra widgets mean you can still spice things up with elements like calendars, buttons, comments, sliders, and more to your website. SiteOrigin may not come with all the fancy bells and whistles that a $200 page builder would, but it gets the job done and it does it well.

Create Beautiful WordPress Sites

With WordPress such a popular platform, there are always new competitors arising for plugins, themes – and page builders. These are some of the most popular ones so far in 2019, and that popularity clearly exists for a reason. Try one of these builders and you won’t be disappointed.


How many of these 15 web design tools & resources have you tried?

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/how-many-of-these-design-tools-youve-tried/

As a web designer or design agency, you’ve learned to keep a close watch on design trends. They come and go as well as changes in digital design technology and how they affect your profession….

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