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  2. Carrie Cousins

Carrie Cousins

Carrie Cousins

Carrie is the chief writer at Design Shack, with years of experience in web and graphic design. Sports fanatic. Information junkie. Designer. True-believer in karma.

25+ Typography Trends for 2023

Font Collections / 14 Nov 2022

25+ Typography Trends for 2023

Want to give your design a quick facelift? Using new and interesting typography trends might be the answer. Designers are using bold colors, cutouts, gradients, and even customizations to create lettering that stands out.

Changing typefaces or recreating an image or header in a trending style can give a design a fresh look without a full-scale overhaul. Not sure where to start? This list features typography trends with examples to use as inspiration for how to use them.

Here’s a look at the top typography trends this year.

5 Tips for Online Security in 2023

Business / 14 Nov 2022

5 Tips for Online Security in 2023

It’s time to revisit your online security practices. Between remote workers logging into networks, to using public wi-fi or other online tools, you need to ensure that your data and information are safe.

This isn’t just a lesson for businesses either. While data integrity is vital for companies, it is just as important to keep your personal information safe.

Here are 5 tips for online security in the coming year.

And the good news is all of these things are relatively easy – and inexpensive – to do!

10+ Trends for Pairing Fonts in 2023

Font Collections / 7 Nov 2022

10+ Trends for Pairing Fonts in 2023

Trends in typography seem to evolve more quickly than many other design trends. For a long time, website designers stuck to font palettes packed with sans serif typefaces. But that feels like ancient history now!

Today’s range and variety of web fonts make for much more interesting design possibilities, font pairings, and visual themes.

We’re taking a look at trends for pairing fonts with a beautiful example of each, covering a wide range of font families and aesthetics.

25+ Portfolio Design Trends in 2023

Trends / 7 Nov 2022

25+ Portfolio Design Trends in 2023

When was the last time you updated your design portfolio? (If you’re like me, it’s probably been a while.) Maintaining a fresh portfolio is a good way to show off your skills to potential clients and can be helpful when looking back on work for annual contest entries.

If you’ve fallen behind with your portfolio design, or just need a new portfolio in general, this is a great opportunity to create something using trendy techniques and visuals.

A modern portfolio using design trends can make a great impression. A portfolio is also a representation of your skills — so design wisely! Here’s a look at some of our favorite portfolio design trends.

25+ Background Design Trends & Styles for 2023

Background Textures / 2 Nov 2022

25+ Background Design Trends & Styles for 2023

One of the most important early design decisions you will make is what kind of background will carry a project. Should it be a single color, colorless, use trendy elements such as geometric shapes, gradients, or wood grain patterns? Or would a solid background design can help make a project shine?

Staying on trend with background design styles is important as well. A trendy background choice shows that a website design is modern and the content is new. A modern visual framework can even signal a user that you are thinking about their needs and making the most of the tools that will make their experience better.

So how do you do it? Here’s a look at background design trends and styles, with a few great options to try.

Icon Design in 2023: The Key Trends

Trends / 31 Oct 2022

Icon Design in 2023: The Key Trends

Icons might be one of the most important – and underrated – examples of design in your portfolio. Here’s a look at icon design with some inspiring examples.

Icon elements are shown almost everywhere, but sometimes get produced as an afterthought. That shouldn’t be the case. Great icon design can be distinctive and add finesse and flair to a project.

Let’s take a look at what’s new, and what’s hot in icon design!

Lunacy: Breeze Through Graphic Design Projects

Reviews / 31 Oct 2022

Lunacy: Breeze Through Graphic Design Projects

Admit it, you are always looking for quicker, more efficient ways to complete projects – even graphic design tasks. Lunacy is a piece of free design software from Icons8 that can help you do just that.

It’s packed with AI-powered tools to speed up your work, giving you a new edge in your design work, plus a range of built-in graphics to help you “build design like a Lego”.

Today, we’ll take a look at this tool, highlight its key features, and explain how you can make it work for you.

What Is a Font License? (And Do I Need One?)

Font Collections / 29 Oct 2022

What Is a Font License? (And Do I Need One?)

Almost every design project you encounter will include type of some kind. And it’s very likely that that type will start as a font on a computer, unless you create it yourself. With using specific computer fonts, come some very specific rules regarding their use, which can vary by project.

So what is a font license? Do you need one? And where can you find the tools and resources you need to make sure you are using fonts properly?

Lucky for you, we have a primer. (And the images in this post include fonts that you can license to use in your projects.)

Everything a Web Designer Will Need to Know in 2023

Business / 27 Oct 2022

Everything a Web Designer Will Need to Know in 2023

The job title “web designer” keeps expanding. Depending on your role and how many people are on your team, the term “web designer” can mean a number of things, and the scope that it covers seems to keep growing with every year that passes.

It can be beneficial for you to be familiar with multiple roles to help be the best, most functional, web designer you can be in 2023.

Here’s everything you need to know. From having a grasp on your job description, to the visual elements of web design, to the functional elements of how a web project needs to work and perform.

25+ Stylish Poster Color Schemes 2023

Poster Design / 24 Oct 2022

25+ Stylish Poster Color Schemes 2023

When it comes to designing a poster, a stylish color scheme can go a long way to bringing attention to the design. From bright colors and unusual combinations, to subtle and understated, this is a space where almost anything goes.

Here, we’re diving into some super cool color schemes that you can use in poster design, sharing the hex codes for each poster color scheme to get you started.

Plus, each example is actually available as a template as well, if you want to jump start your design and use any of these specific examples!

30 Tips to Learn Web Design in 30 Days

Business / 21 Oct 2022

30 Tips to Learn Web Design in 30 Days

Is learning the basics of web design still on your “someday” list? Why haven’t you got started yet? We’ve put together 30 tips and resources to help you start learning web design this month (and maybe even find yourself a new career path!)

Graphic designers, print designers, and creatives looking to learn something new or break into website need to quit procrastinating. Every day that you don’t take that first step leaves you one day further behind everyone else!

Follow these steps to begin learning how to create your first website, industry best practices, and much more—all in 30 days!

8 Regular Maintenance Considerations for Your Website

Business / 20 Oct 2022

8 Regular Maintenance Considerations for Your Website

It might not be the most fun topic when it comes to your website, but it may be one of the most important: regular maintenance.

If you launch a website and then never go back and work on it, it will eventually stop working. The user experience will deteriorate over time and you won’t be able to maximize the impact of your site. As the first impression that many customers have with you, an up-to-date and well-functioning website is a must for any business.

Here are eight crucial regular maintenance considerations to help you keep your website in top condition.