WORD - What People Love and Hate On Twitter

Do you have a Twitter account yet!?!?  Do you know what people like and hate on Twitter?  It’s important to know what trending topics are on social media sites if you wish to get people to interact with you in online conversations.  Check out this infographic about What People love and Hate on Twitter.

WORD - Flash's Underrated "Graphic" Symbol

For those of you who have been learning Flash, how often have you used “Graphic Symbols” as opposed to “MovieClip Symbols?”  Most designers who start out using Flash aren’t aware of the differences between a “MovieClip” and a “Graphic” Symbol.  People often dismiss the graphic symbol as having no practical purpose.  Check out this article on Flash’s Underrated “Graphic” Symbol to learn some cool  features this symbol can provide when animating in Flash.

WORD - The Art of Critiquing Ideas

How good are you at critiquing an idea?  Critique is a skill.  Effective criticism is a difficult art.  As designers, we’re often faced with having to critique our own (or other’s) work.  It’s useless to criticize something if you can’t follow up with an alternative idea.  Check out this article on The Art of Critiquing Ideas.

WORD - Comprehensive Review of Usability & User Experience Testing Tools

Do you ever take the time to have your target market test your website or interactive project before finalizing it?  If not, you should!!!  Usability and user experience testing is a must when creating a successful interactive project.  When dealing with projects that will demand a ROI (return on investment), you will want to use tools that can gather real-world data to see what works and what doesn’t.  Many of these helpful tools are free!  Check out this great link to Comprehensive Review of Usability & User Experience Testing Tools.

WORD - Google Web Tools You Should Know

No matter what industry you are pursuing, everyone needs to learn a little more about the web to calculate a ROI (Return on Investment) for online marketing.  Google is the best known search engine.  You use it all the time, but did you know that Google provides really handy tools that can help you gain extremely valuable information about the audience visiting your websites?  Check out this article on Google Web Tools You Should Know.

WORD - 6 Ways Small Businesses Can Win With Facebook

I know that most of you are already surfing the web and spending numerous hours on Facebook.  Have you ever tried to promote your business or your skills on Facebook?  Businesses are definitely taking advantage of this social media channel to promote their businesses and sell more products/services.  Check out this cool article on 6 Ways Small Businesses Can Win With Facebook.

WORD - 10 Essential Differences Between HTML4 & HTML5

How familiar are you with the changes that took place with HTML5?  Check out this informative article about the 10 Essential Differences Between HTML4 & HTML5.

WORD - The Great Tech War of 2012

How much do you know about Amazon, Apple, Facebook, or Google?  Since you’re in this field of study, you should really keep up with what’s happening with these HUGE companies!  Where did these companies come from?  What issues do they currently face?  Many of these companies are ruthlessly at each other’s throats trying to fight for patents and claim technology.  Check out The Great Tech War of 2012.  Make sure to know all about the movers and shakers of your industry. 

WORD - 35 Sources to Download Free Vector Art

Do you sometimes spend numerous hours working on something that has already been created by someone else?  Why waste your time working on something that you can quickly download for free and quickly implement into your designs?  There are numerous websites out there that offer royalty free vector art and graphics!  Check out this link to 35 Sources to Download Free Vector Art and Graphics.

WORD - Showcase of Vibrant Colors in Web

When working on a new website project, it always helps to look at other websites for inspiration.  By constantly checking out what others are creating, you can gain better insight on industry trends and new ideas for layout.  Try to stay away from basic table-like formatted arrangements.  Remember that your website should be more of an experience for your user rather than a place to dump content.  Check out this Showcase of Vibrant Colors in Web Design for inspiration.

WORD - Common Mistakes Designers Make with Clients

How often do you deal with clients?  As designers, typically we all take on side projects as freelance work.  Many of us seem to learn from the mistakes we make early in our careers.  Mistakes can definitely prove costly.  Check out this article on Common Mistakes Designers Make With Clients.

WORD - 10 Ways to Make Money With Your Blog

Have you ever tried making money with any of your web sites?  Did you know that bloggers can definitely generate some income with their websites and articles?  It typically helps if you can bring a lot of traffic to your site, but it’s not always necessary.  Check out this article on 10 Ways to Make Money With Your Blog.

WORD - CSS Typography: The Basics

Have you tried creating a website with HTML & CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) yet?  It’s very important to understand CSS when creating or modifying websites.  If you are a bit confused about how CSS works, or if you just need a basic refresher on it, check out this helpful link, CSS Typography:  The Basics.

WORD - R.I.P. Steve Jobs

Many of you have probably already heard of what happened yesterday, and there’s a good chance that you heard this news through an Apple device.  Innovator, Steve Jobs has passed away at the age of 56.  I myself heard of this news on my MacBook through Twitter at least 20 minutes before it broke out on national television.  It’s a sad day, but we should really focus on and learn from all the great things this man had contributed to our world.  Read more about Steve Jobs here and take a minute to see his inspiring commencement speech at Stanford University titled How to Live Before You Die. 

WORD - 10 Characteristics of Badly Designed Website Logos

I constantly send you all messages about what good design or good practices are when working on a project.  Today, let’s shift gears and check out what could be bad about a certain design.  Poor decisions in design can include a poor selection of fonts, use of too many fonts, being too complex, or even looking very amateurish.  Check out this great article on the Ten Characteristics of Badly Designed Website Logos.

WORD - 10 Tools to Create an Amazing Twitter Presence

Have you set up a Twitter account yet?  If you haven’t, you’re really falling behind the times!  Twitter can really help you develop your own personal brand, offer you instant insight on current events and trends, and can even help you develop contacts and grow your business!  Twitter can be very time-consuming, but with the right tools, you can become much more effective with your tweets.  Check out this article on 10 Tools to Create an Amazing Twitter Presence for You!

WORD - 10 Examples of Interactive Websites

It’s very helpful to check out what other designers are doing online, especially when seeking inspiration to create a website.  Check out 10 Examples of Interactive Websites.  Take notice how these designers are pushing the envelope of what’s possible for the web.  Stay away from creating boring and mundane box-like websites and focus more on making your site an experience to your audience.