Almost every Web designer can attest that much of their work is repetitive. We find ourselves completing the same tasks, even if slightly modified, over and over for every Web project. Following a detailed website design and development process can speed up your work and help your client understand your role in the project. This article tries to show how developing [...]

   So, you want to develop Ruby on Rails applications? While loads of (introductory) tutorials are available for developing Ruby on Rails applications, there seems to be some uncertainty about setting up a lean and up-to-date local development environment. This tutorial will guide you through the steps of setting up an Ubuntu local development machine for Ruby on [...]

   Working with code that was created by some other person or organization is routine for developers, but it can be one of the most demanding activities, particularly if you’re still learning. From using code libraries to working on a team of developers, there are bound to be times when you need to get to grips with code written by someone other than yourself. Whether [...]

   Today, we’re excited to present you with a free icon set, called Style Guides. Perfect for websites with an editorial flair, Style Guides features 14 high-quality icons ranging from 32×32 to 512×512 pixels. Designed by Thomas McGee of WinePress of Words, this set has been exclusively released for Smashing Magazine and its readers. Adapted and expanded [...]

   Productivity is a crucial asset of professional Web designers and developers. We regularly look for new resources, tools and services to make the search of these ever-growing techniques easier. Once we have a reasonable number of useful resources, we prepare them in a handy overview for your convenience. In this post we present some of the useful resources and [...]

   With the wide variety of CSS3 and JavaScript techniques available today, it’s easier than ever to create unique interactive websites that delight visitors and provide a more engaging user experience. In this article, we’ll walk through five interactive techniques that you can start using right now. We’ll cover: Animated text effects, Animated [...]

   The WordPress eco-system has changed so much in the past few years that keeping up with all of it has become a challenge! It’s been so encouraging not only to see WordPress themes and plug-ins increase in quality and use, but to see the overall appeal and acceptance in the worldwide marketplace grow as well. For example, you know that an application is gaining [...]

   In this post we are glad to present to you yet another freebie: the Website ROI Calculator, a free Google Spreadsheet created by Anders Hoff specifically for Smashing Magazine and our readers. Of course, the tool is absolutely free to use in private as well as commercial projects. Is your website doing the job you are paying for it to do? The Website ROI Calculator [...]

   The Web is full of creative and practical resources that we can use to improve our projects. Photography, fonts, music and code are perfect examples. Finding stock objects and existing implementations is often quicker, cheaper and more practical than producing your own. Whether free or not, these resources normally come with a license to ensure fair use. For professionals, [...]

   This article was written by Katrín Eyþórsdóttir, our talented and hard-working trainee from Iceland. As a designer with background in product design, Katrín is presenting her understanding of what has influenced the works of designers from Sweden, Norway and other North-European counties as well as the key attributes that these works possess. For a long time, [...]