Carrie Cousins

Graphics / 23 May 2022

Brutalism: A New Trend in Web Design

Some designs aren’t polished and clean. They are rough, jarring and ragged. Yet they still work and communicate effectively. This class of websites makes up the raw trend called brutalism.

While it is somewhat new to web concepts, it’s been around for decades as a popular technique for posters and art in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Today’s brutalism is starkly different from what you are used to seeing … and that’s why it’s likely to catch your attention. Let’s take a look at what it is (and I’ll share why I’m already over it!)

After Effects Templates / 20 May 2022

How to Use After Effects Templates

Adobe After Effects is a video-based tool that’s used to add elements to moving pictures and animations. Designers use it to create titles, intros, and transitions between video clips to enhance the production value of animations and video projects.

After Effects is one of those tools that’s packed with goodies, including templates that you can use to speed up project workflows. You can create your own templates or find and download them from other sources.

Here, we have a guide to using After Effects so you have everything you need to get started or better use the software.

Business / 18 May 2022

What Is a Lookbook? (+ 15 Stunning Examples)

Whether you’re a designer wanting to show off work or have a request to create one for a client, a lookbook can be an effective way to showcase a variety of elements in a single design.

A lookbook is a portfolio of sorts and has wide application in a number of fields, including website design, graphic design, and development.

Here’s a guide to what a lookbook is, what to include in one when you start designing it, and some examples that are sure to help you find a little lookbook inspiration.

Trends / 16 May 2022

Design Trend: Animated Hero Elements

Motion is everywhere in website design. From full-on video to more subtle animations, these elements are a valuable tool in generating user interest and engagement. It can help you follow a trend, capture attention, or offer a more branded experience for your site.

Animated hero elements are an almost obvious trend, but there’s a lot of variance in how it’s done and what degree of success it may have.

Here, we’ll look at this website design trend, examples, and how to make it work for you.

Trends / 12 May 2022

Design Trend: Large Typography Scales

Words on the web just keep getting bigger and bigger. And that might be a good thing.

One of the biggest trends in website design right now is large typography scales. We’re not just talking bigger text in the hero image anymore. We are seeing larger type options for every part of the website design.

The result? Maybe a more readable web experience, and one that works in a better way, more often, for more people.

Here’s a look at the trend, with several examples to help you see large type in action!

Email Templates / 6 May 2022

10 Tips for Using (And Choosing) an Email Newsletter Template

You probably know that email newsletters can be one of the most effective methods of reaching people who want to connect with your organization or brand.

An email newsletter template can help you jumpstart the process with a semi-custom design with a visual dynamic that will keep subscribers clicking.

If you’ve never used an email template, they aren’t difficult to get to grips with. The toughest part might be choosing a design that you can customize easily and effectively.

Here are our tips for getting started!

Trends / 5 May 2022

Design Trend: Intricate Illustrations

Websites with an “artistic touch”. They’re popping up more and more often. The intricate illustration design trend is taking the web by storm with detailed hand-drawn and computer-drawn images with so much detail that you can get lost in them.

These designs can be beautiful, engaging, and time-consuming to create. But they go a long way towards giving you brand more character, and setting your project apart in a sea of minimal design!

Here’s a look at this design trend.

Business Card Templates / 4 May 2022

5+ Tips for Using QR Codes on Your Business Cards

One of the hottest trends for business cards is adding QR codes to the design.

A QR code can provide an extra way to contact to access your contact information, website, or even a landing page or sales information. QR codes have re-emerged as a popular element to help drive online traffic from physical sources.

Here, we’ll look at five tips to help you make the most of using QR codes for business card design.

Bonus: Every example here includes a template from Envato Elements that you can download and use for your business card designs. Not sure where to generate your QR code? You can start with a free tool such as QR Code Generator.

Reviews / 4 May 2022

Build a Better Web Product With Reveall

Most product designers understand the value of customer insights and feedback to help develop just the right user experience. Reveall is a tool to help you do just that so that you can build online products that users can’t wait to engage with.

Use it to help better understand users, test hypotheses about user journeys, and develop smarter.

Here’s a look at Reveall and how you can use the tool for your projects.

Trends / 3 May 2022

Design Trend: Scrolling Text Elements

Almost everywhere you go online, there seems to be some sort of animated effect or element. Here’s one more trend in website design and animation: scrolling text elements.

You’ll know this trend the minute you see it because text elements will move on the screen. Sometimes this effect can help aid readability and understanding, whereas other times it is merely a design element. Either way, it’s an eye-catching effect that can help add a unique element to your design.

Let’s dive into this trend, its characteristics, and some examples.

Reviews / 3 May 2022

Manage Exchange Rates With Ease With Currencyapi

If you have a website that encompasses money, financial information, or exchange rates, you may benefit from currencyapi, a tool that handles exchange rate conversions for you.

One of the trickiest parts of exchange rates is knowing conversions in real-time, this API takes all the guesswork out of it for you with current and historical foreign exchange rate data. It’s a full-featured approach, wrapped in a really simple API system.

Here’s a look at the tool and how it can work for you.

PowerPoint Templates / 29 Apr 2022

How to Edit a PowerPoint Template: A Quick Start Guide

Whether you’re starting from scratch and building a custom template, or have a PowerPoint template you’ve downloaded and want to customize, knowing how to edit a PowerPoint template is a great skill to have in your kit.

We’re going to walk you through editing a PowerPoint template step-by-step, explaining all the PowerPoint terminology along the way!

If you like the presentation template we are using here—Creativa—you can get it from Envato Elements. It’s a great multi-purpose template that’s great for all types of presentations.