4 Comment Systems: Pros and Cons
In “What to Look for in a Comment System,” I described features like comment moderation, analytics, social integration, and dashboard settings. In this post I will review four popular comment systems...
View ArticlePsychology and Web Design
Our psychology affects how we interact with websites. Designers can use this to their advantage. Here are a few ways to use psychology when designing your site. Establish Trust Establishing visitors’...
View ArticleLearning from Bad Web Design
Recognizing bad web design is often easy. But it can be difficult to know what makes it bad. In this article I will give you examples of bad web design and explain what good design practices could be...
View ArticleUsing Creative QR Codes
QR codes can be used to display text, store product information, or direct users to websites. Most smartphones can scan QR codes with a built-in camera and a barcode scanner app. This makes QR codes an...
View ArticleColor Psychology and Ecommerce
Color affects our moods and states of mind. It can influence customer buying habits, making color psychology an important part of ecommerce. This article will address color psychology basics and ways...
View Article10 Examples of Storytelling in Web Design
In “Storytelling in Web Design,” I explained the three most basic aspects of storytelling — character, setting, and action — and offered ways to begin including storytelling in web design using basic...
View Article18 Websites Featuring Beautiful Illustrations
In "10 Web Design Trends for 2012," I listed large illustrations as a growing trend in web design. Website illustrations can add personality to even the smallest sites and invite visitors to stay...
View Article4 Free Photoshop Alternatives: Sources to Learn
My suggestions for free Photoshop alternatives we published earlier this month, in “4 Free Photoshop Alternatives for Image Editing.” I described four free Photoshop alternatives — GIMP, Paint.NET,...
View ArticleTypography 101: The Basics
Text is the primary method of Internet communication, making web typography important for merchants to understand. This article will cover some of the basics of typography and provide some things to...
View ArticleHow Browsers Manage Fonts
Last month I wrote “Typography 101: The Basics,” which explained rudimentary aspects of general typography. In this article, I will explore typography on web browsers. In other words, how exactly does...
View ArticleDesigning ‘Above the Fold’ Necessary?
Ensuring that customers can easily find important information on a site should be a priority for online merchants. In the past, you may have heard of “designing above the fold” as a way to present...
View ArticleWebsite Showcase: Designing With the Fold
In “Designing ‘Above the Fold’ Necessary?,” I offered my thoughts as to how the 600-pixel top "fold" should be viewed today. I also highlighted the importance of site hierarchy — regardless of whether...
View ArticleColor Psychology and Online Marketing
Colors and color combinations send different messages. Oftentimes for websites, colors intuitively create a mood or atmosphere. Color psychology takes this intuition and identifies common themes among...
View ArticleColor Psychology Showcase
In “Color Psychology and Online Marketing,” I addressed how different colors and color combinations send different messages. In this article, I’ll list some sites that illustrate this principle. Red...
View ArticleUnderstanding Color Theory
Last month, I wrote about color psychology and its effect on emotions, in "Color Psychology and Online Marketing" and "Color Psychology Showcase." In this article, I am going to discuss color theory,...
View ArticleCreating Color Schemes for Web Design
The color-concept terms I discussed in “Understanding Color Theory,” my previous article, will come in useful here while learning about color schemes in web design. First I am going ...
View ArticleSVG Images: What Merchants Need to Know
Many online merchants are unaware of the benefits of scalable vector graphics, or SVGs. This article will provide a basic overview. Vector vs. Raster Before looking at SVGs, we first need to...
View ArticleSVG Images: Sources to Download, Create
In "SVG Images: What Merchants Need to Know," I explained the difference between raster and vector images and explained how SVG images use XML to generate perfectly scalable graphics. From that...
View ArticleOptimizing Images to Reduce Load Times
Not is only a site's load time factored into its search-engine rankings, the longer it takes to load the more likely it will lose visitors. A large percentage of bandwidth usage — especially for...
View ArticleManaging a Design Project When You’re Not a Graphic Artist
Ecommerce merchants wear many hats. One of them is designing graphics for their websites. In my experience as a freelance graphic artist, I've adopted steps to help me become efficient and productive...
View Article25 Great Corporate Logos
A company logo is often the face of the business. While logos come in a variety of styles, a strong logo will adhere to certain basic principles. Strong logos are unique, balanced, easily...
View Article10 Ways to Improve Product Photos
Online stores do not have the shelves filled with products for consumers to touch and examine like physical stores do. This makes the use of compelling product images important for online merchants....
View Article10 Photoshop Skills for Beginners
Adobe Photoshop is an incredibly powerful program that allows you to do professional grade image manipulations and adjustments. Whether you want to work with product images or design website layouts,...
View Article15 Personalized Shopping Cart Icons
Custom icons can help a site design and personalize the online shopping experience. Shopping cart icons are some of the more popular icons to personalize. Here are 15 sites with ...
View Article13 Sites with Personalized Social Media Icons
Many online merchants use social media icons to link their storefronts to social networks like Facebook and Twitter. While basic social media icons will get the job done, some merchants choose to...
View Article6 Tips for Newsletter Subscription Forms
An email list is one of the best ways to connect with shoppers, announce new products, and promote sales. A key part of building a mailing list is having a compelling newsletter signup form. While...
View Article10 Creative Contact Pages
Contact pages facilitate questions from visitors, and otherwise help prospects locate your business or connect via social media. A well-designed, creative page with easy-to-find information encourages...
View ArticleTutorial: Create Multiple Product Views with SimpleViewer
Ecommerce merchants frequently want to display multiple photo views of their products. Many services are available that allow merchants to do this, but often at a price. In this tutorial, I will walk...
View ArticleImage Formats: What’s the Difference Between JPG, GIF, PNG?
Editor's Note: Ecommerce merchants use complex technologies in their businesses. Merchants do not always need an expert's knowledge of these technologies, but a working, "need to know" understanding...
View ArticleTutorial: Removing the Background from Product Photos
If you are an online merchant who manages your own product images, knowing the simplest way to remove the background from an image can be helpful. In this video tutorial, I will show you how to...
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