MDE Pro Web

Here is a handy tutorial for those looking to create websites in CSS. The key feature of this guide is that it is a specific CSS Slicing Guide. That means you can learn how to prepare and export a design mock-up or image, for example in Adobe Photoshop, and create a “sliced” and coded XHTML and CSS valid web page. So if you have a template ready to go, check out the tutorial and you’ll be on the fast path to building a website that is structured with the ever popular Cascading Style Sheets. There are other web design resources and professional slicing services available as well, including a great Coding Design and Webmaster Development Forum.

One of the largest antique shows and flea markets in Minnesota has a great website that is worth highlighting for its design. Starting with the Oronoco Gold Rush Photo Gallery, it has a consistent color scheme that enhances the feeling of a rustic, small town with an atmosphere of discovery. Thousands of yearly visitors flock to Oronoco Minnesota to find antique treasures in the flea market. The site template has richly detailed signage and navigation, while also incorporating aerial photos and very old photographs from the 1900s. And the content contains all the information you need about Downtown Oronoco Gold Rush Days, from the history of the event to maps and travel accommodations for the whole family.

Six Revisions has posted a thorough article listing 20 websites that improved web development skills. Learning new skills is a constant part of web development, as the industry prone to constant growth at an accelerated pace online. Productivity standards and applications are consistently revised and improved upon by fellow developers, and the urge to stay knowledgeable is a necessity. And instead of pouring over thousands of websites to find the some of the most helpful ones, review a few from the post above. It’s a consolidated list of great resources for web developers, and will save you a lot of time searching, so more time can spent learning and improving a myriad of related web development skills.

Designers need to have an understanding of typography, which leads to scouring the web for great fonts. Here is a compilation of 30 of the best free downloadable fonts for designers. There is an excellent mix of 15 serif fonts and 15 sans-serif fonts on display. Some require payment to use, but all the fonts are a great reference point for improving typography skills.

Entrepreneur.com has corralled together The Top Ten Free Website Tools and Services. As they appropriately mention, there are a lot of great tools and services that provide a quality product at a great price. But in the spirit of the internet being a public place to share and build together, free tools that are genuinely helpful are discussed in detail. Each tool or service can help a website owner improve their visitor experience and increase traffic over time. They touch on subjects from visitor tracking to content distribution and even online project management. Each recommendation is worth consideration for improving productivity online.

Adobe Illustrator is an amazing software tool used to create and edit scalable vector graphics. Upon opening the program one is greeted with an array of unusual buttons and symbols as a means of creation. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but if you’re in need of some help, try out one of these many Adobe Illustrator Tutorials. They have everything for beginners to advanced users, so no matter what your skill level there could be something new to learn. There are even a few neat special effects tutorials that will help add a little extra uniqueness to any illustrator’s artwork.

Adobe Photoshop is one of the leading digital image manipulation programs, and for good reason. The diversity of expression that can be utilized with this software tool is limitless, but getting a grasp on the features takes time. To help with this process, here are 100 Photoshop Tutorials for Creating Beautiful Art. There are many genres, and examples on other sites resemble abstract expressionism, abstract surrealism, as well as speed paintings and concept art. Here is an example of one artist’s digital art gallery. For more computer generated art, galleries, and resources, check out the rest of the 3D Total website.

Designing an effective logo is a lot harder than most people realize. Broad concepts need to be summed up in a single image that is memorable and leaves a lasting impression in order to help brand a company or organization. To help with this endeavor, check out the ultimate guide to designing a logo. Numerous design tips are discussed, from the initial concept and sketches, to real world placement testing and color schemes. Also provided are logo design inspirations, books, resources, studios, and links to skilled designers. And of course, a few links related to design fonts.

Smashing Magazine has done it again, and this time they’ve compiled a list of 100 Free WordPress Themes. WordPress is an extremely popular blogging tool, which has a dedicated following of users that create themes or templates for the software. Some of these WordPress themes are free and simple to install on your own blog. High quality free themes can be very difficult to come by, but the above list consolidates thousands of choices down to a much more manageable selection. Check ‘em out and you just might find a new theme that fits the style of your blog.

Web designers often times have to a know at least a little bit about a lot of different subjects, from color and design to scripting and database programming. Every set of skills one picks up can be used to improve your work and habits, and may even help increase efficiency. Here is a perfect example of a website that can point to tips, tricks, and resources that will improve one’s skill set in web production. Vandelay Design has a comprehensive list of 77 resources to simplify life as a web designer.

Starting with the basics they have links to color tools, image directories, icons, and website themes available for download. Additionally there are links to great sites about CSS design, scripting, validation, and they even mention a few sites that will help with marketing. All in all, there is something for everyone with an interest website design.