Inspirational Thoughts From Adobe Max

Inspirational Thoughts From Adobe Max

Last week we had the privilege of attending the Adobe Max conference in L.A.

We've always held the belief that one of the best ways to learn about design trends is to go to a conference and check out what people are doing. What stuck out the most wasn't the flashy new products on display, but rather the work that each individual designer was sharing. In fact, a lot of the software being pitched wouldn't be as impressive if there wasn't beautiful design content in the first place, for the software to show off. It reinforced the idea that tools can definitely help designers bring their work to life, but good design still requires that creative (and human) source. It still requires someone who has a passion for intriguing aesthetics, visual balance, color theory, and the desire to communicate visually, to make it happen.

A lot of the people we talked to were sharing how they were taking their design skills to the next level by launching their own freelance design business. That really stood out. Whether folks were designing on the side or completely on their own, hearing their excitement and personal pride was inspiring.

Thanks to everyone who came and looking forward to attending this show next year.

This week's .design site spotlight goes to...

monsoon.design!

monsoon.design showcases some impressive website design. One unique feature we noticed was how in the services section of the site they placed text on the left side of the screen and had an interactive scrolling effect: an ipad screen with different content corresponding the to text on the left side. Pretty neat. There's also some good lessons here for designing your site in terms of giving users the ability to contact you in the bottom right hand corner of your screen.

Have a .design site you'd like to nominate? Let us know and we might feature it in the next .design digest.

indeed.design: Matching Job Seekers With Employers

Indeed has always been about connecting job seekers with employers, but this new website, indeed.design, introduces us to their design team's role in shaping their platform. Their design team prioritizes the needs of their users, job seekers, first.

FREE SCHOOLHOUSE CHALKBOARD FONT

Thanks to Pixel Surplus for uploading this freebie. This font is great for school themes, decorative signs, food menus, apparel, inspirational quotes, and more.

Now You See It: Dark Patterns In Web Design

Ksenia Pedchenko discusses how trends in web design and UI are influencing users and things to look out for as a consumer. Her analysis of the British Airways UI, for example, is insightful and gives us ideas on what not to do when designing eCommerce pages.

Dear Ueno: How Do You Organize Your Design Files?

Carolyn Zhang wrote a great article, replying to a user inquiry about design file organization. What makes more sense for your design team? Google Drive? Dropbox? Learn more here.