Categoría: Six Revisions

Free Icon Fonts for Web User Interfaces


by Jacob Gube | Six Revisions

Free Icon Fonts for Web App User Interfaces

This roundup features 18 free icon fonts that can be used in your commercial projects. The icon fonts in this post are perfect for your app user interfaces (UIs).

What are Icon Fonts?

Icon fonts are font files that have symbols and glyphs (e.g. arrows, folders, magnifying glasses) instead of standard alphanumeric characters.

Icon fonts are like dingbat fonts, but are designed specifically for UIs. Icon fonts, just like other web fonts, use the CSS @font-face rule to display icons in web browsers.

And because they’re treated like web fonts, icon fonts:

  • Have great cross-browser support (even IE6, for example, can render web fonts using the @font-face rule)
  • Can be scaled on-the-fly if the user adjusts their web browser settings
  • Can be rendered with different colors
  • Can embody font- and text-related CSS properties (like text-shadow andgradient)

See icon fonts in action by visiting my friend Chris Coyier’s icon fonts demo page.

To learn how to use icon fonts, read this tutorial on CSS-Tricks: HTML for Icon Font Usage.

Free Icon Fonts

Below are 18 excellent icon free fonts that have licenses that permit commercial use. I strongly recommend reading the license terms and conditions of any freebie you get online, just to be sure that you can use the free resource for your particular purpose.

1. Foundation Icons Fonts

Number of icons: 137. License: MIT Open Source License.

Foundation Icons Fonts

2. Sosa icon font

Number of icons: 121. License: Custom license (use in commercial projects permitted).

Sosa icon font

3. Font Awesome

Number of icons: 196. License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

Font Awesome

4. Iconic Icon Set

Number of icons: 172. License: SIL Open Font License and Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0.

Iconic Icon Set Leer más “Free Icon Fonts for Web User Interfaces”

Giveaway: 100 Custom Flyers from Next Day Flyers

We’ve partnered up again with our wonderful friends at Next Day Flyers to give away two sets of 1/4-page flyers with free shipping anywhere in the Continental U.S. Each set contains 100 flyers. Flyer printing can be used and customized for a variety of purposes including promoting a club event, marketing a small business and sending out announcements. Read on to see how you can win!

** Update: Giveaway Period Has Ended **
About Next Day Flyers

Next Day Flyers is an offset printing company offering an array of printed materials such as flyers, business cards, postcards, brochures, tickets and more.

They’re not newcomers to the industry. They’ve been in business for 13 years and have over 100,000 satisfied customers.

And with longevity comes experience. They know what their customers are seeking and how to meet the high expectations.

Quality is of utmost importance as Next Day Flyers utilizes a quality checkpoint system which includes 33 steps to ensure the files are printed correctly and ready on time.


 by Jacob Gube | http://sixrevisions.com/

 

Click here to open Next Day Flyers - Club Flyers page in a new browser tab/browser window.

We’ve partnered up again with our wonderful friends at Next Day Flyers to give away two sets of 1/4-page flyers with free shipping anywhere in the Continental U.S. Each set contains 100 flyers. Flyer printing can be used and customized for a variety of purposes including promoting a club event, marketing a small business and sending out announcements. Read on to see how you can win!

 

** Update: Giveaway Period Has Ended **

About Next Day Flyers

Next Day Flyers is an offset printing company offering an array of printed materials such as flyers, business cards, postcards, brochures, tickets and more.

They’re not newcomers to the industry. They’ve been in business for 13 years and have over 100,000 satisfied customers.

And with longevity comes experience. They know what their customers are seeking and how to meet the high expectations.

Quality is of utmost importance as Next Day Flyers utilizes a quality checkpoint system which includes 33 steps to ensure the files are printed correctly and ready on time. Leer más “Giveaway: 100 Custom Flyers from Next Day Flyers”

Should We Always Deploy Content Management Systems?

Content management systems are a wonderful tool for empowering website owners. Most of us have witnessed the power and ease of use of CMSs like Drupal and WordPress. They have changed the web development industry in a significant way.

Now, even average Internet users who have very little technical knowledge can have the ability to run and manage websites without any help from trained web developers.

Because of this CMS revolution, a major segment of the web development industry — dedicated to developing simple to complex CMSs for a broad set of users and premium themes for popular publishing platforms — has blossomed.

There are quite a few benefits to developing a site powered by a CMS. Chief among them is that the website owner is able to add and manage their website’s content, thus keeping visitors interested and search engines tuned in. And for the web professional, he has much less responsibility in maintaining the website.

But is empowering the business owner with a CMS always the way to go? Sometimes leaving tasks such as website maintenance and system upgrades to a professional leads to better results for the owner.

To explore the question of whether or not we should always deploy content management systems for our clients, let us first go through some types of clients who would not fully benefit from them.


by Maria Malidaki
http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/always-deploy-cms/

 

Should We Always Deploy Content Management Systems?

Content management systems are a wonderful tool for empowering website owners. Most of us have witnessed the power and ease of use of CMSs like Drupal and WordPress. They have changed the web development industry in a significant way.

Now, even average Internet users who have very little technical knowledge can have the ability to run and manage websites without any help from trained web developers.

Because of this CMS revolution, a major segment of the web development industry — dedicated to developing simple to complex CMSs for a broad set of users and premium themes for popular publishing platforms — has blossomed.

There are quite a few benefits to developing a site powered by a CMS. Chief among them is that the website owner is able to add and manage their website’s content, thus keeping visitors interested and search engines tuned in. And for the web professional, he has much less responsibility in maintaining the website.

But is empowering the business owner with a CMS always the way to go? Sometimes leaving tasks such as website maintenance and system upgrades to a professional leads to better results for the owner.

To explore the question of whether or not we should always deploy content management systems for our clients, let us first go through some types of clients who would not fully benefit from them. Leer más “Should We Always Deploy Content Management Systems?”

30 Beautiful and Creative Ad/Marketing Agency Websites

Advertising and marketing agencies often position themselves as being specialists in creativity. So it’s just natural that their websites are often creative and beautiful. As clients expect these businesses to be creative (and a website is often one of the first things potential clients look at), ad agencies need to have effective and impressive websites.

Below is a collection of 30 agency websites from all across the globe. Take a look at these websites for creative web design inspiration.


by Emma Egan
http://sixrevisions.com/design-showcase-inspiration/30-beautiful-and-creative-admarketing-agency-websites/

 

Advertising and marketing agencies often position themselves as being specialists in creativity. So it’s just natural that their websites are often creative and beautiful. As clients expect these businesses to be creative (and a website is often one of the first things potential clients look at), ad agencies need to have effective and impressive websites.

Below is a collection of 30 agency websites from all across the globe. Take a look at these websites for creative web design inspiration.

Sponge Agency

Sponge Agency

The Holla Agency

The Holla Agency

Smart Inc.

Smart Inc.

Freckle

Freckle

CHE

BMF Agency

Zubiad

Leer más “30 Beautiful and Creative Ad/Marketing Agency Websites”

7 Common Project Management Problems (And How to Solve Them)

It doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you can’t manage your projects, then you will struggle to achieve success.

To help you avoid that undesirable outcome, here are seven project management problems that designers and developers often face, as well as how to deal with them when they arise.

1. Your Client Gives You Vague, Ever-changing Requirements

Fickle clients can be a huge hassle. If a client doesn’t know what they want until a certain stage is complete, then schedule those decision points into the project as milestones. It is important to have a clear path mapped out from start to finish because it forces the client to be specific with their requirements, as well as keeping the project on track.

Be clear at the outset about what your task is going to be on the project and how much leeway is available. If you will need to be compensated for big revisions or changes in direction, then set a clear outline about the number of adjustments you can make before you need to charge more. If you can, quantify these adjustments with a number; it makes it much easier to keep track of things.
2. Your Client is Slow with Communication

People are busy, but it’s tough for you to move forward on a project if you can never get answers from the person you’re working with.

The good news is that you will drastically increase your response rate if you do a little bit of work ahead of time. Instead of waiting for the back-and-forth discourse to finally take place, simply start moving in the direction that you think is best and then seek verification. This strategy makes it easy for your client to quickly say yes (or no).

Here is an example:


by James Clear
http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/7-common-project-management-problems-and-how-to-solve-them/

It doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you can’t manage your projects, then you will struggle to achieve success.

To help you avoid that undesirable outcome, here are seven project management problems that designers and developers often face, as well as how to deal with them when they arise.

1. Your Client Gives You Vague, Ever-changing Requirements

Fickle clients can be a huge hassle. If a client doesn’t know what they want until a certain stage is complete, then schedule those decision points into the project as milestones. It is important to have a clear path mapped out from start to finish because it forces the client to be specific with their requirements, as well as keeping the project on track.

Be clear at the outset about what your task is going to be on the project and how much leeway is available. If you will need to be compensated for big revisions or changes in direction, then set a clear outline about the number of adjustments you can make before you need to charge more. If you can, quantify these adjustments with a number; it makes it much easier to keep track of things.

2. Your Client is Slow with Communication

People are busy, but it’s tough for you to move forward on a project if you can never get answers from the person you’re working with.

The good news is that you will drastically increase your response rate if you do a little bit of work ahead of time. Instead of waiting for the back-and-forth discourse to finally take place, simply start moving in the direction that you think is best and then seek verification. This strategy makes it easy for your client to quickly say yes (or no).

Here is an example: Leer más “7 Common Project Management Problems (And How to Solve Them)”

Karma as a Social Interaction Design Pattern in Websites

The principles of karma are understood worldwide. We all like to believe that the good deeds and actions we do will be returned to us in one way or another. At its core, karma encourages us to help others.

Most of us were introduced to systems that promote good behavior as early as elementary school. Kids who misbehaved would endure punishments such as restricted play times and detention, while those who excelled and conducted themselves properly received rewards and extra credit, even if it was simply a gold star sticker.


by Jason Gross
http://sixrevisions.com/user-interface/karma-design-pattern/

Karma as a Social Interaction Design Pattern in Websites

The principles of karma are understood worldwide. We all like to believe that the good deeds and actions we do will be returned to us in one way or another. At its core, karma encourages us to help others.

Most of us were introduced to systems that promote good behavior as early as elementary school. Kids who misbehaved would endure punishments such as restricted play times and detention, while those who excelled and conducted themselves properly received rewards and extra credit, even if it was simply a gold star sticker.

Karma as a Social Interaction Design Pattern in Websites

In consumerism, loyal patronage is rewarded at gas stations, airlines, grocery stores, and so forth through loyalty cards where customers receive special discounts and benefits once they collect enough points.

Karma as a Social Interaction Design Pattern in Websites

The Effectiveness of Karma Systems in Social Websites

Karma as a game mechanic works wonderfully in social systems. We see karma game mechanics in action most frequently for user contributions in sites like Reddit, Hacker News (HN), Stack Overflow, and Foursquare.

While each of these sites (along with the many more that have similar features) employ their own algorithms for determining a user’s karma standing, the general idea tends to be pretty consistent: Good actions (such as submitting good links or flagging link spam) increases your karma, while bad actions (like submitting spam or trolling) decreases karma.

In the social web, karma allows a community to self-regulate itself, which tremendously helps in scalability. For example, Reddit — one of the biggest websites in the world, garnering close to half a billion page views a month — is able to run with only 6 staff members, no doubt thanks to the help of the millions of people who use the site and the karma system Reddit has developed.

Karma as a Social Interaction Design Pattern in Websites Leer más “Karma as a Social Interaction Design Pattern in Websites”

Client vs. Designer: Four Lessons to Win the Battle

Sometimes, the client/designer relationship is like an age-old matchup reminiscent of Ali vs. Frazier. Eagles vs. Cowboys. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Except in this game, the battle isn’t on the playing field — it’s in the boardroom, on the telephone, in an email. And this isn’t a game reliant on physical strength or technique; it’s about wits, expertise and political posturing. And unfortunately, there’s one team that wins 99% of the time. You guessed it: the client.


by Phil Edelstein, Chris Fernandez
http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/client-vs-designer-four-lessons-to-win-the-battle/

Client vs. Designer: Four Lessons to Win the Battle

Sometimes, the client/designer relationship is like an age-old matchup reminiscent of Ali vs. Frazier. Eagles vs. Cowboys. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Except in this game, the battle isn’t on the playing field — it’s in the boardroom, on the telephone, in an email. And this isn’t a game reliant on physical strength or technique; it’s about wits, expertise and political posturing. And unfortunately, there’s one team that wins 99% of the time. You guessed it: the client.

Leer más “Client vs. Designer: Four Lessons to Win the Battle”