Freebie: “Dropcast” Website Template (HTML, Sketch)

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tympanus/~3/qV2u5fHLbWk/








Dropcast_Featured

Today we’re thrilled to share another modern, responsive HTML template for podcasts with you.

Dropcast is a responsive HTML/CSS/Javascript template which comes with Sketch files and a fully working site with SCSS. It has two page templates and it works very well for podcasts landing pages or blogs. You can easily customize the style.

You can use Dropcast freely for your personal project or commercially, for your client work.

Live demo

Check out the live demo: Dropcast Live Preview

Download the template for free:

You can download the ZIP file of the template and the design file here:

Download Dropcast (ZIP file 4.8 MB)
Download the Dropcast design file (Sketch file 58.6 MB)

Use it freely but please don’t republish or redistribute the template.

GitHub repo link coming soon!

We hope you enjoy this freebie and find it useful!

If you’d like to contribute and publish your freebie on Codrops drop us a line.

Freebie: “Dropcast” Website Template (HTML, Sketch) was written by Amie Chen and published on Codrops.

The 13 best photography websites

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/MsZ7GBblMd0/websites-10121096

The web is full of endless resources and tutorials on the subject of photography, but sometimes too much choice can be confusing. Here, we've picked the top photography websites that will really help you take your photography skills to the next level.

If you're a designer or creative after stock photography, check out our Best websites to download stock art post. And if you're looking to upgrade your camera, don't miss our guide to the best cameras for creatives.

But if you'd like to learn more about taking stunning photographs, gain inspiration from expert photographers and develop your camera craft, check out these great photo websites.

01. Digital Camera World

Digital Camera World screenshot

Visit Digital Camera World for daily news, tip, tutorials, reviews and much more

Digital Camera World is the world's fastest-growing photography website, covering every aspect of image-making, from DSLRs and photo editing to mobile photography and drones.

Through informative tutorials, no-nonsense reviews and in-depth buying guides, DCW helps photographers find the best gear, and shows them how to use it. Full disclosure: it's one of our sister titles, also made by Future Publishing.

02. Camera Jabber

Camera Jabber screenshot

Camera Jabber is a goldmine of news, reviews and tips for photographers

Built by photographers for photographers, Camera Jabber offers up an enticing mix of news, reviews and buyers' guides, on everything from phone cameras and DSLRs up to the latest action and 360 cameras. 

You'll also find a wealth of how-to material that'll take you through the photographic basics and on to more specific guides on things like editing your shots and building a portfolio. It's updated daily, and always worth checking in to see what's new.

03. British Journal of Photography

British Journal of Photography website screenshot

The British Journal Photography has been supporting photographers since 1854

The British Journal of Photography has been around since 1854, and it's kept up with the times since then. Its website is a great accompaniment to the venerable magazine, serving up thought-provoking photography and fresh perspectives every day. 

And its student and professional awards are a great way to discover new talent – or, indeed, to get your own photography skills recognised.

04. DIY Photography

DIY Photography website screenshot

DIY Photography has been running for over 10 years and is rammed with useful advice

Started in 2006 as a place for gear-lusting photographers, DIY Photography is a great place to pick up expert advice and read about the latest kit. 

Again written by photographers for photographers, it's heavy on the tutorials with hundreds of useful how-to articles online, plus a whole load of DIY articles that'll help you build your own gear rather than splashing out on expensive kit.

05. iPhone Photography School

iPhone Photography School screenshot

Don’t have a DSLR? You can still take excellent photos with your phone

Just because you don't have a heavyweight camera, it doesn't mean that you can't take beautiful photos. iPhone Photography School has one simple aim: to help you take better photos with your iPhone than most people can with a DSLR. It does this with plenty of in-depth tutorials covering photography techniques and photo editing, as well as inspiring articles and regular competitions so you can pit your newfound skills against others.

06. Digital Photography Review

DP Review screenshot

Digital Photography Review is bursting at the virtual seams with all the sector’s latest news and product reviews

Touted as the number one destination for everything digital photography-related, Digital Photography Review is bursting at the virtual seams with all the sector's latest news and product reviews. 

Complete with video tutorials, buying guides and forums, there's plenty on this photography website to keep you hooked and clicking back for more.

07. The Spruce: Photography

The Spruce: Photography screenshot

The Spruce: Photography is both an advice centre and repository of extensive further reading

Written by a host of photography experts, The Spruce: Photography is both an advice centre and a repository of extensive further reading. Once you're on this website's photography channel, you'll be clicking from one useful video to another before veering off down a rabbit hole of enlightening articles. There's plenty to enjoy – just make sure that you don't get lost.

08. Digital Photography School

Digital Photography School website screenshot

Digital Photographers School aims to help photographers get the most out of their cameras

Digital photography enthusiast Darren Rowse is the man behind Digital Photography School, a site that aims to help photographers get the most out of their cameras. With sections including photo tips, gear and post-processing, all the essentials are well covered.

09. Strobist

Strobist website screenshot

Strobist is a must for anyone just starting out with light

Strobist is about one thing: Learning how to use off-camera flash with your DSLR to take your photos to the next level. Or the next 10 levels. If you’re a complete beginner at lighting, no worries. The free Lighting 101 course starts from the very beginning, and can get you up and running fast.

10. 500px

500px screenshot

Connect with like-minded people at online photography community 500px

If it's inspirational images you're after then look no further than 500px. Founded by Oleg Gutsol and Evgeny Tchebotarev, this online photography community is a place to gain exposure, find inspiration and connect with other photographers. The site has had a recent redesign, and with a library of over six million photos you'll never run out of pretty pictures to look at and feel inspired by.

11. The Photo Argus

The Photo Argus website screenshot

Find helpful tips, tricks and techniques on photography blog The Photo Argus

The Photo Argus is an online resource for photographers – from novice users to advanced pros. The site provides useful information, inspiration, techniques, photographer showcases and more. Find what you're looking for using the organised topic sections or browse through the Popular Posts and the most up-to-date articles on the homepage.

12. PetaPixel

PetaPixel homepage screenshot

Tutorials cover a range of topics

PetaPixel is a website offering tutorials, news and kit. The tutorials are imaginative and practical, offering videos and screen grabs to guide you through each step. 

Equipment covers new camera, lens and other photography kit announcements, but doesn't include reviews (you'll need to look elsewhere for those). News covers all sorts of interesting developments in the photography world – both hilarious and informative.

13. Photography Week

Photography Week front cover and article view

Photography Week is a digital magazine

While not technically a website, Photography Week is a digital magazine, so we're including it here. Packed with beautiful photography, it offers heaps of fresh inspiration every week. 

Full disclosure: It's another of our sister titles, also made by Future Publishing. Get it on iPad and iPhone, Android devices or through Zinio for multiple devices, including computers.

Related articles:

15 ways to improve your photography skillsThe best cameras for creativesThe best photo editor apps

Ending Soon: Get the eBook Self-Publishing Bundle for Only $25

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/kPbc2F4jDJo/ebook-self-publishing-bundle

Writing a book is hard. But getting a book deal with a publishing house is even more difficult. Gone were the days when self-publishing was seen as a route for authors who couldn’t get published. After the success of self-published authors like EL James, Robert Kiyosaki, and James Redfield, more and more authors are looking […]

The post Ending Soon: Get the eBook Self-Publishing Bundle for Only $25 appeared first on designrfix.com.

9 Android Screen Recording Apps to Record Screen Activity

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/android-screen-recording-apps/

With Android 5.0 Marshmallow, Google added native screen recording capability, but there was no introduction of a screen recording app. Even now that Android 8.0 Oreo is here, there is still no sign…

Visit hongkiat.com for full content.

15 Unbeatable Font Combinations That Can Boost the Aesthetics of Your Design Project

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/0VqMmxLXP5Q/15-unbeatable-font-combinations-boost-aesthetics-design-project

  There’s a saying in the field of designing that “the best designs are those which you don’t notice”. But how are you going to appreciate the aesthetics of a design if it does not stand out? If you want your audience to admire your work, you need to start working on something that is […]

The post 15 Unbeatable Font Combinations That Can Boost the Aesthetics of Your Design Project appeared first on designrfix.com.

5 tips for better typesetting

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/r6tTthQ-0b0/5-tips-for-better-typesetting

Typesetting – the business of putting text on a page – is one of those design disciplines that might look straightforward enough to the casual observer, but which is actually full of potential pitfalls. There's more to it than choosing a decent font pairing and hoping for the best.

The secrets of typesetting

Bad typesetting can be just as hard on the eye as an ill-considered palette or a poorly-executed logo design, and there's no way around it: you have to take your time learning the basics. If you follow these expert tips, though, you should find that the path to typesetting expertise becomes much easier to follow.

01. Take your time

"Getting typesetting right is something that will largely come with time," says Michelle Stocks of Nelson Bostock Unlimited. "So just keep practising, and don't get put off when it doesn't look good immediately. I recommend looking at a lot of inspiration too, because it helps you get an idea of what works well together."

02. Keep studying 

"First you need to learn the tools: font size, leading, tracking, horizontal and vertical scaling, paragraph styling, language settings and grid systems," says Maya Walters of Hogarth Worldwide. "Then you need to extend your knowledge: there's always something new to learn. Read a book on typography and set challenges for yourself to put your new skills into practice, such as working on a personal project."

03. Read books

For reading matter, Luke Tonge of LIFE suggests Type Matters! by Jim Williams and Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton. And if you really want to treat yourself, he adds, The Visual History of Type by Paul McNeil is "the best book on type this year". 

04. Use online resources 

"There are countless online resources to help you improve your skills too," says Tonge. "They include ilovetypography.com, typographher.com, letterformarchive.org, typewolf.com and fontsinuse.com. Plus, on Twitter there are heaps of amazing foundries, magazines, designers, publications and organisations to follow, to further immerse yourself in the world of type." 

05. Clients come first

"Above all, find out about the client's needs when it comes to typesetting," says Walters. "Do they have guidelines and styles? If so, they should be made a prime consideration for the typography you create."

This article was originally published in issue 274 of Computer Arts, the global design magazine. Buy issue 274 here or subscribe to Computer Arts here.

Related articles:

10 pretty fonts to glam up your projectsThe rules of responsive web typography14 best-practice rules for striking editorial design

20 WordPress Plugins to Enhance Post Management – Best of

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/manage-posts-wordpress-plugins/

Previously I wrote a post on some useful plugins that can help you manage multiple WordPress websites. However, when you’re a blogger managing your website is just half the task. The second…

Visit hongkiat.com for full content.

5 Examples of Visual Storytelling in Web Design

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

There is no denying that people are visual by nature. They love simplicity and familiarity. So it should come as no surprise that people will form an impression of your website within seconds of landing on it.

As a result, websites today are in high competition with one another, no matter the niche.

Storytelling through web design, one of the most compelling ways to grab a site visitor’s attention without overwhelming them, has recently emerged as one of the biggest design trends to hit the market.

It is not easy to master the art of storytelling using web design. It takes a keen eye, an understanding of your target audience, and a well thought-out storyline that will resonate with visitors. However, when done right, people will remember your brand, your website and your beautiful story.

In this article, we are going to share with you some of the best examples of storytelling in web design.

Analysing London 2012

Analysing London 2012

With the 2018 Winter Olympic Games underway, it seems fitting to showcase this beautiful celebration of the 2012 London Games. Using smooth parallax scrolling, which makes following the timeline easy, fascinating facts to give the story continuity, and clear, simple imagery to complement the story, GoSquared Analytics does an incredible job of bringing the site visitor into this piece of history.

Patagonia

Patagonia

Patagonia’s marketing efforts are geared towards a very specific audience, and they do this well with their visual appeal. Their imagery focuses on everyday people, rather than high end fashion models, which makes their products more relatable.

Not to mention the visual story they tell on their site supports their core values and dedication to finding solutions to the current environmental crisis. It’s powerful enough to convince anyone to get involved.

Internet Live Stats

Internet Live Stats

Internet Live Stats takes a unique approach to storytelling on their site. Using startling statistics, such as the fact that 7,927 Tweets go out every second, paired with just as startling imagery to complement their statistics, this is undeniably more effective than a simple sentence stating the facts.

And, to make matters even more interesting, there is a timer on the page adding up how many Tweets have been Tweeted since opening the page x seconds ago. Talk about putting things into perspective.

Twoodie

Twoodie

Twoodie draws on the heartstrings of parents from all over, while focusing on the fact that they, as a company, put families first and want health to take precedence. They show that imagination, creativity and minimalism lay at the heart of their brand.

And when it comes to imagery, Twoodie takes an effective approach. Using beautiful black and white photos of children playing with their toys (that are showcased in color) gives the reader a sense of nostalgia and warmth – which not many toy shops can say they do for their customers. In addition, this non-traditional approach of highlighting toys in such calming colors only adds to their brand message and solidifies their promise to simplify your life.

The Wild Unknown

The Wild Unknown

When it comes to storytelling in web design, brand promotion is not limited to websites. In fact, visual platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram can have powerful effects on people’s desire to take action and buy or subscribe based on the images they see in their social media feed.

The Wild Unknown has a visually stunning Instagram feed that not only promotes their products, but relates images to the current time, how people feel, and what may drive people to want to do better things with their lives. This is much more effective than simply saying “Buy me because I’m great.” Instead, they make the visitor feel great – and that is enough to encourage them to take action.


Collective #391

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tympanus/~3/Qn-CA6ayUeQ/

C391_parallax

basicScroll

BasicScroll updates CSS variables depending on the scroll position, which allows you to use them to animate anything.

Check it out

C391_pro

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Create prototypes that feel real. Without coding.

Turn your static designs into beautiful interactive prototypes. Import directly from Sketch/Photoshop or design directly in Proto.io. Add interactions, gestures, and animations in no time and get valuable feedback.

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C391_Blotterjs

Blotter.js

A JavaScript API for creating interesting text effects. Powered by Three.js and Underscore.js.

Check it out

C391_ordering

Variable Order

A brilliant table ordering experiment powered by CSS custom properties and flexbox. By Roman Komarov.

Read it

C391_ProtonNative

Proton Native

With Proton Native you can create native desktop applications in React syntax for all platforms.

Check it out

C391_Kuttit

Kutt.it

A tool with many features for creating and monitoring shortened links. Even custom domains can be used.

Check it out

C391_gradient

GradPad

A great tool for creating CSS gradients intuitively.

Check it out

C391_webmaker3

Web Maker 3.0 is here!

Read about the 3.0 release of Web Maker, the web playground for your browser.

Check it out

C391_cssvariables

Everything you need to know about CSS Variables

Ohans Emmanuel’s complete guide on CSS variables.

Check it out

C391_vuejs

Replacing jQuery With Vue.js: No Build Step Necessary

Sarah Drasner shows how to easily replace jQuery with Vue.js and use it the same way, directly in the HTML.

Read it

C391_waves

Waveforms

Josh Comeau’s fantastic interactive guide on waveforms.

Read it

C391_sketchiso

Sketch Isometric Plugin

Automatically generate isometric views from artboards and rectangles in Sketch with this useful plugin.

Check it out

C391_moleskine

Pure CSS Moleskine Notebooks

Some beautiful CSS Moleskine notebooks.

Check it out

C391_handlebars

Handlebars in UI Design

An article that studies the nature of interaction of ‘handlebars’, a new kind of element which has risen in UI design. especially on touch based operating systems.

Read it

C391_githubfonts

Shipping system fonts to GitHub.com

Mark Otto writes about GitHub’s font upgrade process.

Check it out

C391_classy

Free Font: Stay Classy

An elegant handwritten font designed by Solid Type.

Get it

C391_ssl

SSL Certificate Expiration Alerts

Get notified when the SSL certificate of a website expires.

Check it out

C391_Memphis

8-bit Memphis Patterns Pack (EPS, AI, JPG)

A set of 15 trendy Memphis vector patterns by Softulka for Pixel Buddha.

Check it out

C391_Polacode

Polacode

Take screenshots in Visual Studio Code with this smart plugin.

Check it out

C391_grid

CSS Grid for UI Layouts

Josh Marinacci shows how to use CSS Grid for practical UI layouts.

Check it out

C391_gradientpara

Gradient for EVERY line of a para

An interesting technique for adding a gradient to every line of a paragraph.

Check it out

C391_react

Minimal React.js Without A Build Step (Updated)

In case you missed it: an updated tutorial on using React.js without a build step.

Read it

C391_Descartes

Descartes

A small plotting library as a JavaScript alternative to matplotlib, made for TheoremJS.

Check it out

Collective #391 was written by Pedro Botelho and published on Codrops.

12 professional fonts for designers

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/vRnc3r-Dn_A/professional-fonts-31619557

There's no shortage of paid-for and free fonts available for designers to choose from these days. But what if you want a typeface that's really special and stands out? 

Whatever the project, these professional fonts are certain to give your designs an air of sophistication.

01. FF Din

FF Din serif font sample

FF Din is a popular choice among designers

Price: From $65/£51.99 per fontFormat: OTF

Added to MOMA's digital typefaces for its Architecture and Design collection back in 2011, FF Din is a popular choice among designers. Created by Dutch type designer Albert-Jan Pool between 1995 and 2009, this sans serif is ideally suited to advertising and packaging, logos and branding.

02. Oswald

Oswald serif font sample

We’re big fans of professional font Oswald here at Creative Bloq
Price: FreeFormat: Google web font

Oswald has become a popular choice of font for designers, especially for those working in the world of of the web. A reworking of the classic style historically represented by the 'Alternate Gothic' sans serif typefaces, this professional font has been re-drawn and reformed to better fit the pixel grid of standard digital screens. 

03. Brandon Grotesque

Brandon Grotesque sans serif font sample

Brandon Grotesque won the Type Directors Club Award in 2011
Price: $40/£27.99 per fontFormat: OTF

Designed by Hannes von Dohren in 2009, Brandon Grotesque was influenced by the popular geometric-style, sans serif typefaces of the 1920s and 30s. Equipped for complex, professional photography, Brandon Grotesque won the Type Directors Club Award in 2011.

04. Aviano

Aviano serif font sample in gold

Aviano typeface is inspired by the power and timeless beauty of classic letterforms
Price: $24.99/£15.99 per fontFormat: OTF

Named after a small town at the base of the Alps in Northern Italy, Aviano typeface is inspired by the power and timeless beauty of classic letterforms. A gorgeous design, Aviano was created by type designer Jeremy Dooley, owner of one-man foundry Insigne.

05. Proxima Nova

Proxima Nova sans serif font sample

Proxima Nova is used by over 25,000 websites, including Buzzfeed, Wired and Mashable
Price: $29/£19.99 per fontFormat: OTF/TTF

Used by over 25,000 websites, including Buzzfeed, Wired and Mashable, Mark Simonson's professional font Proxima Nova is an extremely popular choice amongst designers. The extensive family is available in seven weights (thin, light, regular, semi-bold, bold, extra-bold and black), with matching italics, small caps and condensed and extra-condensed widths. 

06. Rockwell

Rockwell serif font sample says 'Most useful face for jobbing'

An updated Rockwell was published in 1934 by Monotype
Price: $35/£22.99 per fontFormat: OTF/TTF

Geometric slab serif Rockwell was inspired by a 1910 font titled Litho Antique. Designer Morris Fuller Benton revived Rockwell in the 1920s before it was redesigned and published in 1934 by Monotype, in a project headed by Frank Hinman Pierpont.

07. Trojan

Trojan serif font sample

Trojan’s design is based on classic Roman structures
Price: $25.80/£20 for 1 fontFormat: OTF

Trojan is one of many stand-out designs by creative genius Alex Trochut. Created back in 2012, professional font Trojan was used extensively throughout Wallpaper after its initial release. Based on classic Roman structures, Trojan has a very sophisticated set of glyphs, which, in turn, gives this font a classic contemporary appearance.

08. Le Havre

Le Havre sans serif font sample

Le Havre lends itself to all manner of creative projects
Price: $24.99/£15.99 per fontFormat: OTF

Art deco-inspired typeface Le Havre was named after the port where many a famous luxury cruise liner was launched in the 1930s. Compressed capitals, a low x-height and geometric construction give this beautiful typeface a retro look and feel, with the new contemporary update in 2009 lending itself to all manner of creative projects.

09. Mallory

Mallory display font sample

Mallory is the work of s type designer and teacher Tobias Frere-Jones
Price: $50 per fontFormat: OTF

The product of type designer and teacher Tobias Frere-Jones, Mallory is a beautiful professional font, which began as an experiment in mixing typographic traditions, building a new design with British and American traits.

Frere-Jones has a number of best-selling type designs under his belt, but Mallory was the first font he created after splitting with long-time creative partner Jonathan Hoefler.

He comments on his website: "Mallory was built to be a reliable tool, readily pairing with other typefaces to organise complex data and fine-tune visual identities. Each style contains over 1250 glyphs, to anticipate a wide range of content: small caps and old-style figures for running text, lining figures and uppercase punctuation for headlines, tabular figures and over a dozen currency symbols for financial data."

10. FF Meta

FF Meta sans serif font sample

FF Meta was designed by Erik Spiekermann

Price: $59/£45 per fontFormat: OTF

Created by outspoken type designer Erik Spiekermann, FF Meta was first called PT55, a typeface made for easy reading at small sizes for West German Post Office in 1985. Spiekermann continued work on his design to include more weights and styles, later releasing it as FF Meta, one of the first and truly foundational members of the early FontFont library.

With a clean, cheery and distinctive aesthetic, professional font FF Meta flourished in the early 1990s and has been a firm favourite ever since. In 2011, the Museum of Modern Art in New York added FF Meta to its permanent collection, one of only 23 fonts selected to represent typography of the digital era.

11. Soho

Soho is a beefy slab-serif by Seb Lester
Price: $65 per fontFormat: OTF

Beefy slab serif Soho is the product of renowned type designer Seb Lester. The super-family has over 40,000 glyphs and represents three years' worth of work. 

"As a type designer I'm preoccupied with finding ways in which I can address modern problems like good legibility in modern media, and create fonts that work precisely and efficiently in the most technically demanding of corporate and publishing environments," he comments on the Monotype website.

12. Davison Spencerian

Professional fonts: Davison Spencerian

Davison Spencerian is a remains a benchmark of the ornamental script genre
Price: $75Format: OTF/web font

American letter designer Meyer 'Dave' Davison was arguably one of the most distinguished lettering artists of the 20th century. With a library of Spencerian designs, Davison Spencerian typeface made its first appearance in Photo-Lettering’s 1946 catalogue and remains a benchmark of the ornamental script genre.

Tireless hours have been spent by Mitja Miklavčič and House Industries designers Ben Barber and Ken Kiel to preserve the poise and precision of Davison’s masterwork in this faithfully-rendered digital incarnation.

The House Industries website states: 'From automotive exhaust accessories and pirate-themed wedding invites to New Orleans sissy bounce hip-hop CD covers and upmarket bivalve ambrosia packaging, Davison Spencerian offers sober sophistication and unparalleled flexibility'.

Related articles:

20 perfect font pairingsWhat is DPI? The ultimate guide to image resolution30 books every graphic designer should read