{"id":5228,"date":"2011-08-18T09:27:25","date_gmt":"2011-08-18T09:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/?p=5228"},"modified":"2011-08-18T09:27:25","modified_gmt":"2011-08-18T09:27:25","slug":"18-unmissable-articles-and-resources-for-web-designers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/18-unmissable-articles-and-resources-for-web-designers\/","title":{"rendered":"18 unmissable articles and resources for web professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The amount of content being added to the web on a daily basis is impossible to keep up with, so we’ve listed some of the best resources, tools and articles we’ve come across recently to help you improve your skills, website and browsing experience. We also post similar links on Twitter on an ad hoc basis, so follow us<\/a> to avoid missing out!<\/p>\n

Web Design<\/h4>\n

Designmoo<\/h4>\n

Designmoo<\/a> is a community-driven website offering all kinds of design related resources from templates to icons to fonts. Best of all, they’re all completely free, and you can upload your own to promote your skills and extend your reach.<\/p>\n

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Lorizzle<\/h4>\n

If you’re bored of the traditional loreum ipsum placeholder text, check out Lorizzle<\/a>, an amusing and completely functional gangster-style text generator.<\/p>\n

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Photoshop actions at Vandelay Design<\/h4>\n

Transform your images more efficiently and consistently with 45 amazing free Photoshop actions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Web development<\/h4>\n

Coding @ Smashing Magazine<\/h4>\n

Whether you’ve just getting started with HTML5 or you’ve been using it for a while now, this guide<\/a> is well worth a look.<\/p>\n

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WP Candy’s Theme Finder<\/h4>\n

If you spend too much time searching for WordPress themes then WP Candy’s theme finder<\/a> is perfect for you. You can sort by colour, paid\/unpaid and a range of other options to view themes at a glance. Bonus tip: Try resizing the window to see the images jump!<\/p>\n

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Smashing Magazine<\/h4>\n

Creating an Android app is a challenge for even the most experienced developers, not least because of the wide range of devices and operating system versions. Thankfully, Smashing Mag has a great article on Designing for Android Tablets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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SEO<\/h4>\n

Google algorithm changes<\/h4>\n

The folks over at SEOmoz have put together an extremely useful guide to document Google’s algorithm changes<\/a>. If you’re into search engine optimisation, it’s a must.<\/p>\n

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Duplicate content and robots.txt<\/h4>\n

This<\/a> quick but valuable read outlines why using robots.txt to avoid duplicate content issues may be more damaging than helpful.<\/p>\n

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Using data to drive SEO results<\/h4>\n

For those who like to make the most of their stats, this straightforward piece<\/a> by Search Engine Watch will help you get more benefits.<\/p>\n

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Social Media<\/h4>\n

Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm<\/h4>\n

If you run your own Facebook page or have ever wondered how Facebook calculates which posts you see from whom, this meaty article<\/a> makes fascinating reading.<\/p>\n

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PeerIndex<\/h4>\n

Find out top stats about your reach, followers and topics with at-a-glance diagrams from PeerIndex<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Better Facebook<\/h4>\n

If you get annoyed by all the changes Facebook makes and want to reverse some of them or benefit from new features, the Better Facebook<\/a> browser plugin is perfect. With options for organising content by type, creating Google+ style circles, enhanced chat controls, seeing who’s defriended you and much more, it’s a good choice for power FB users.<\/p>\n

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Business\/Marketing<\/h4>\n

Landing page optimisation and conversion rates<\/h4>\n

This article<\/a> has lots of tips for improving your landing pages and conversion rate as well as advice on how to optimise them both together.<\/p>\n

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Controlling your business and content<\/h4>\n

A thought-provoking article on digital sharecropping<\/a> and how it can harm your website or business.<\/p>\n

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Making your business card stand out…in a good way<\/h4>\n

An old post, but crammed full of relevant and insightful from key players in the web industry (the comments are interesting too): Business Card Best Practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Writing<\/h4>\n

750 Words<\/h4>\n

If you\u2019ve ever had trouble getting inspired, or simply want to kick-start your writing then 750 words<\/a> is a great website to help you practice and fine-tune your writing skills. There are various challenges on offer, or you can just clear your head and get some words down.<\/p>\n

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Let Twitter improve your writing and editing<\/h4>\n

An insightful article<\/a> on how updating Twitter can lead to better writing.<\/p>\n

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Working through freelance burnout<\/h4>\n

Long periods of intensive writing can leave you feeling drained, so here’s some excellent advice on how to work through freelance burnout.<\/p>\n

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What have you been reading recently? Feel free to add some links in the comments.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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