Usability Vs Design: A Zero-Sum Game

Graphic Design

The work of graphic design designers is very subjective and is all about creating visual appearances in a pleasing & reasonable manner. But this does not mean that usability can be undermined by the designers. Design and usability are the two of the most integral parts of any online web designing projects & ignoring one in favor of the other will result in nothing less than catastrophe. A user experience expert must not see the design and usability in isolation and for him both should be an integral part of the user interface. More often than not, this balancing act is considered ambitious but it is not unachievable. All one needs to do is improve the communication channels between designers and the usability specialists to find out the stable and a balanced solution to make a website both functional and tempting.

Musings of a Freelance Designer

Freelancer Designer

After months of writing my daily blog posts, I’ve reached a point where I’m unable to talk about my online web designing projects or anything for that matter, and I think I need a small break if I am ever to write or do my designing work seriously. I think I’ll run away from the city, its people, even internet & reconnect my scattered thoughts and give myself a chance to write and do things that I want to do. I understand that man is a social animal and needs people and needs to keep company, but sometimes society frustrates us & takes away our creativity. Every human contact, barring the few, is deceptive and insincere & takes us away from ourselves.

In the end, solitude is unavoidable. We all are alone in this crowded paradise that we have created. But we are not quite ourselves when we have people around us. So, I think I do have a point in running away from this mad overcrowded world, and sooner or later, I must do that.

Affordable Website Page Design

Web Page Design

Most start-ups shut shop due to lack of funds or financial issues, hence affordability is something that one must always keep in mind for a freshly designed website, especially for a website that is not showing results. Taken, that it’s not viable for a small business to pump in huge amounts of funds into web site design projects but creating low-cost or affordable web page design does not mean that you will have to surrender quality. In other words, there are no reasons why a budget design should look like it was designed in the eighties because, more often than not, a good design is also an affordable design.

In the recent trend, online design challenges have offered affordable solutions which are gaining popularity. Websites like www.crowdthinktank.com use the power of the crowd to provide you with the best yet affordable design. This is much better than dealing with large design firms that are only interested in your money.

Lack of Motivation-Is There a Cure?

Online Web Design

I woke up to a hot and humid morning with the temperatures in the high 40’s. I had planned to start working on my online web designing projects but now I wasn’t so sure. I like working out everyday and given my busy schedule, it was a now or never situation. But did I want to get all sweaty in the heat? No! Did I want to start working? No!

I think I lacked motivation or was I just being lazy!??!

I finish at least some part of my daily web site design projects in a week. It sure takes some discipline but for me the hardest part of my day is – sitting down to start working on a project. This is where I think I need to sort things out. There are just too many things on the web, in my office or even the people around me that manage to distract me from starting – starting anything for that matter. In my opinion, this is one reason why some of the more successful people followed daily routines, as it allowed them to do more without wasting their precious time. It also allowed them to have a steady flow of thoughts. I think things will only change once I stop giving in to my temptations, especially during the times when I’m most vulnerable. But how do I do that, any suggestions?

Why Freelance?

Freelancing

It’s late Wednesday afternoon, and I’m sitting on my desk working on web site design projects. Oh, and in case you forgot, I’m not in any office, I am a freelance consultant and I work from home.

The reason I’m blogging today is because I’ve been asked by several people as to why I left the security of my full-time job and started freelancing. The answer lies in the question itself: It’s the sense of ‘security’ that freelancing lends. You are most likely asking yourself that, “without a full tine job where is the security?” After working for years as a graphic design designer, I can honestly tell you that I never felt like my job was secure & more so in these recessionary times. And, just like that one day I left all of it to go off on my own and started taking part in graphic challenges on sites like CrowdThinkTank, which eventually helped me to build my clientele. Today, sitting in front of my computer, I think the plan that I had for myself has worked wonderfully well and I reckon I’ll still be around when others, in full-time office jobs are gone. I love what I am doing and I’m getting paid for it.