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Table of Contents
1. Prey Tracking Tool: They Can Run, But They Can't Hide!
2. IconSweets2 Icon Set: 1,000+ Free Icons
3. In-Browser Code Editing
4. Type Around the World
5. Wireframe Anything
6. Great Ideas Coming From ideeeas
7. A Working Library
8. A Browser Game With a Difference: Defender of the Favicon
9. New on Smashing Magazine
10. Smashing Network Highlights
Editorial: Smashing Book 2 Is Coming!
Good news: The Smashing Book 2, a printed book from Smashing Magazine, is coming! Like its predecessor, the Smashing Book 2 explores best practices in modern Web design. The printed book shares valuable practical insight into design, usability and coding. It provides professional advice for designing mobile applications and building successful e-commerce websites, and it explains common coding mistakes and how to avoid them.
You'll explore the principles of professional design thinking and graphic design and learn how to apply psychology and game theory to create engaging user experiences. We also feature interviews from experts on the future of Web typography and explain how you can publish a book on your own.
You can now pre-order the book at a 20% discount. Save money and be the first to get your hands on this book, beautifully crafted and packed with valuable content. Shipping starts at the beginning of February.
We've tried our best to make the book affordable and useful to every designer and Web developer worldwide. Please spread the word about the Smashing Book 2 in your blog posts and tweets. We really appreciate your support, guys!
1. Prey Tracking Tool: They Can Run, But They Can't Hide!
Prey is small but efficient open-source software that lets you track your laptop or phone in case it gets stolen or lost. Once the Prey agent is installed, it waits to be activated over the Web or via SMS, sending back information on its exact position.
Prey accurately triangulates your computer's position (telling you in which café it is being used), lets you remotely take pictures of the thief using the computer's integrated camera and even permits a complete lockdown of the system. Follow the user's path through the 'net and you might just get lucky and identify him by taking a screenshot of his Facebook profile or email inbox. The program is practically undetectable and doesn't even leave a memory footprint. A perfect little piece of software that lets you track up to three computers and phones for free. (sp)
2. IconSweets2 Icon Set: 1,000+ Free Icons
IconSweets2 is a large free icon set containing a 1,000+ icons, all in vector-shaped Photoshop format. The icons can be a great fit for iPhone, iPad and Android apps and Web projects.
The icons are sorted in 23 categories, including clothing, mobile devices, e-commerce, labels, communication, CMS, users, location and more. You may use these icons for both commercial and non-commercial projects and customize them any way you like. Unfortunately, PNGs are not available. (vf)
3. In-Browser Code Editing
A browser interface isn't always the best place to edit code. It lacks conveniences such as color-coding and indentation. But sometimes a browser is the best option we have.
CodeMirror works with a variety of programming languages to offer a better code-editing interface. Parsers are currently available for JavaScript, XML/HTML, CSS, Python, HTML + PHP, SQL, C# and much more. CodeMirror is supported in a wide variety of browsers, including IE6+, Firefox 1.5+, Chrome and Safari 3+. (cc)
4. Type Around the World
Fonts in Use focuses on the essence of communication: type and lettering, as used in everyday life, wherever they appear. Browse its catalogue for real-world typography samples and innovations in branding, advertising, signage and publishing.
The regularly updated collection of trends and case studies is commented on by typography experts and gurus from around the world. The sharp, interesting comments and discussions will keep you engaged, all backed up by real examples. And there is more to come: the authors of the blog promise to constantly add to their archive of typographic design, indexing according to typeface, industry and medium. (sp)
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5. Wireframe Anything
Wirify is a bookmarklet that lets you turn any Web page into a wireframe with a single click. Why would anyone want to do that, you ask? The bookmarklet helps you get rid of all distractions by blocking out copy, images and ads, letting you take a closer look at the website's building blocks. Many design concepts become apparent only when looked at from a different angle.
Visual hierarchy, white space, symmetry and grid systems are easier to identify and layouts reveal their strengths and weaknesses when reduced to simple frames. Wirify is a useful tool that shows the balance of a website that the eye perceives only unconsciously. (sp)
6. Great Ideas Coming From ideeeas
You have an idea and would like to share it with the world. How do you go about that? Well, just like that: head on over to ideeeas. This website collects brainwaves from people who have brilliant, fancy ideas on any topic. There are posts with popular or useful social ideas that could make the world a little better.
Think about your source of inspiration. Which idea could be worth turning into reality. Got one? Then you are welcome to share it with the ideeeas community. Who knows? Maybe some of these clever ideas will at some point be implemented with energy, perseverance and conviction! (cs)
7. A Working Library
In general, we are influenced by the books we read. This makes every reader's perceptions and thoughts unique, and so no book can or should be considered in isolation. The website A Working Library aims to explore the ways we read — without being overtly conscious of the cover design. A great book cover definitely makes for a graceful entrance, but then it disappears as you start reading the book.
The creator of the website, Mandy Brown, inspires us with a blog all about reading and writing; she is a pro who works on everything from book design to Web design to writing about design. As Mandy says, "The phrase 'a working library' refers to a collection of texts on a given subject, for the purpose of an academic or professional work. So, people speak of a working library on Proust, for example, or on psychotherapy. This working library differs in that the subject is reading itself: the library exists for its own sake and no other." (ik)
8. A Browser Game With a Difference: Defender of the Favicon
Defender of the Favicon is one of those odd experiments that people come up with to help us appreciate the progress of modern browsers. In this case, JavaScript, canvas and data URIs.
The model used here is the 1980 arcade video game "Defender." Who doesn't know it? A spaceship skips over a planetary landscape shooting aliens: exactly what happens here, but as a favicon. Yes, exactly: whereas a 16×16-pixel image in the address bar of the browser usually represents a website, here it is a gaming area. Alternatively, you can play in the browser window at 32x32 pixels — and maybe see a little more.
The developers say, "Defender of the Favicon was done in three nights, from start to finish. Each frame of the game is generated on the fly in JavaScript into a 16×16 canvas element, then converted to a 32-bit PNG image and used in place of the favicon." (sl)
9. New on Smashing Magazine
Creative Use Of Video in Web Design: Background Videos (by Aygul Zagidullina)
Since its early days, video has been one of the most powerful and efficient tools of visual communication. It is able to deliver a direct and clear message to a broad audience as well as focus viewers on something particular. A visually appealing video is an excellent way to present a product, service or brand and take user experience to a much more interactive level. For this reason, elegant, creative and professional videos are becoming increasingly popular in Web design today.
Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: January 2011 (by Vitaly Friedman)
As the new year begins, we will continue to nourish you with a monthly spoon of inspiration for the next 12 months. This post features 65 free desktop wallpapers created by artists across the globe for January 2011. Both versions with a calendar and without a calendar can be downloaded for free. It's time to freshen up your wallpaper!
How to Maintain Your Personal Brand as a Corporate Employee (by Jeff Gothelf)
A strong personal brand is beneficial on many levels. At the core it differentiates the designer, developer, marketer, etc, from the rest of the pack within crowded disciplines. It functions as a self-promotion agent that works for the practitioner 24/7/365 ultimately ensuring this person becomes a magnet for new and interesting work opportunities. The foundation of a personal brand is initially created by consistently doing good work.
Free Icon Set for Web Developers: Coded (by Thomas McGee)
Today we're excited to present you a new icon set called Coded. Designed with web developers in mind, Coded features 25 high-quality icons ranging from 512×512px to 32×32px. Designed by Thomas McGee of WinePress of Words, this set has been released exclusively for Smashing Magazine and its readers.
10. Smashing Network Highlights
- UX Project Documentation: Answering Why, What and How
- 24 Best Practices for AJAX Implementations
- Using CSS Without HTML
- Ultimate Guide to Microformats: Reference and Examples
- Are Male and Female Designers Designed Differently?
- Copy Is Dead: Why Friendly Speech Is Better Than Marketing Copy
- Thoughts on Developing a Design Concept
- 60 Questions to Consider When Designing a Website
- The Lone Designer
- 8 Cheat Sheet Wallpapers for Designers and Developers
- Making the Transition from Part-Time Freelancing to Full-Time Business
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