The resourceful webdesigner’s toolkit.
Are you applying a new coating to your blog, giving it a fresh new look or tweaking that CSS and XHTML to make the marvels of browsers and your visitors? I’ve here compiled a list of tools and stuffs that might help you. I’m sure Smashing Magazine tools galore out-number my lists but I tried keeping mine as concise as possible with the most resourceful and useful links inside. From choosing the right colour palette for your design to spreading that art-piece of yours through CSS galleries.
getting started : ready-made code for all uses
Do you sometimes feel a lack of inspiration to code or perhaps that would be great if you could lay your hands on some great code just ready to be used and incorporated in your revamped new design. You know, things that are free and you’re free to play with. Tutorial blog has thus gathered not 1,2,3 but 4 perhaps more in further series of handy scripts, bits of html and widgets that you can incorporate into your websites and blogs. From menu lists, tab designs,columns layout : you just have to browse, give the list a glance and pick things you want.
Colour galore
Oh, that decisive moment : which colour scheme might mostly suit that design? Don’t bite your nails, ColorSchemes.org, The Canonical List of Online Color Resources for Designers(updated periodically with neat stuff) host the largest list of colour resources I’ve seen. Colour palettes,schemes,converters,generators : there are loads of tools for all colour likes and dislikes. Just browse, click and enjoy.
And just for the fun, I’ve stumbled through this some times back, GrayBit. You put your URL and it turns your design all grayscale.
Some tools to make the topping layer
I’ve given you codes, colours but now I think some tools to tweak,compress and pump the juice of that design might be required. The Web Designers Tool Kit features a lots of such tools, again a compact clean list of requisite ones. There are also some from JDavidmacor.
Oh, I thought forgetting about the DHTML site. I’m just putting it lastly, because that one features a lot and a lot of tools : a whole directory. I got a look at its left sidebar :
Tutorials Indexed: 312
Tutorial Views: 179630
Total Comments: 17
That’s a lot to visit in free human’s time.
getting applauded for your designed art piece
Perhaps it takes time to build a whole design from scratch, making it as unique as possible, out of the crowd. But do let people know about your work, submit it to CSS galleries collecting great designs. NorthxEast has a whole list of them, browse for some inspiration and submit yours. Indeed, that’s more fun than digging or sneaking through del.icio.us for goodies. Real pleasure for the eyes. Perhaps that might be the starting point of your design journey, and the above list should be read from here upto the top. You decide.
some blogging inspiration
I won’t make that list endless, just some I find useful myself. Blogs that I like reading or perhaps looking at to give me some inspiration and fruit for thoughts:
- Smashing Magazine for their ever so large design galore collection
- 456 Berea Street for accessibility mantra
- Unintentionally Blank for a clean and valid web. Check out his latest post on making your blog XHTML valid.
- Matt Brett with his dark dirty look that inspired me to do ColourFull Wall
- A List Apart for their guest web designer’s great posts. Perhaps that’s a magazine not a blog lol
That’s indeed a tiny list. You saw it, there aren’t too many design blogs in my feed readers. Perhaps you might send me some that you like.
So that’s it. I think I’ve given you enough good resources to keep you busy during your design journey. Do add your piece to it : any links or collections that might help designers? Submit it through the comments. A good luck to my friend kyu,Simpleguy, Nym and perhaps Waz who are all working on their new revamped look.
