Our bookmarks: suggestions from the Editor

Dear YIW readers, we’re back at our desks. Getting back to work after the holidays is tough though, right? Well, we’ll try to ease back into things with a bit of resources, articles and curiosities that we’ve set aside for you during the month of December. In this article you’ll find December’s best: everything that, for one reason or another, caught our attention: logos, fonts, articles to read, icons…a little bit of everything, from us…to you.

Let’s start, as usual, with the “most beautiful”, rather the websites/fonts/logos to whom we dedicate a small bit of “publicity” because we think they deserve it.

The website of the month: Caffè Digital

This month, first prize goes to Caffè Digital, a web agency specialized in web branding. Not only is the site of extremely high quality, but their website is a triumph of good taste and creativity. Beautiful illustrations at the top add color and vibrancy to the layout without making it heavy or disturbing the content organization, which, divided in three sub-sections,  remains quite legible. Great attention is placed on margins and alignment, and also a good showcase of their latest work is immediately visible, with projects that change automatically thanks to a javascript fade effect. A perfect cocktail of color, simplicity and professionalism.

The logos of the month: piùzerootto parrucchieri..

The logo of the piuzerootto franchise really drew us in. Professional yet frivolous, light-hearted although serious, perfect in both the classic version (black on white) as well as its negative. It’s a logo that’s young and light: the handwriting-style font, the stylized graphic symbol, even the two Ks instead of the standard Cs. It’s clear that the company directs itself toward a young public and, above all else, knows how to play with their trademark.

..and Antica Cioccolateria Acese

The logo of the Antica Cioccolateria Acese unites playfulness and tradition: on one hand it recalls the business sector with the images of pastry tools, on the other it lightens the brand name to make it unique by modifying the letter C in an otherwise simple, linear font. The logo remains legible and this small touch gives it an uncommon yet effective aesthetic.

Font

Mason serif

A bit gothic, a bit mysterious. It’s a font that has gone a bit unnoticed but that now deserves a bit of notoriety: some of the letters are truly charming, and it’s no coincidence that this is the font of the TV program “Mistero”.

Jupiter Alts

Elegant and peculiar, this font is perfect for logos that don’t want to pass unnoticed. The trailing letters (N and Q, for example) are the most beautiful.

Suave script

Gracious, romantic and elegant. A handwriting collection font.

The fonts of the most famous websites’ logos

If you have an unbound passion for twitter’s font or you’ve always asked yourself what fonts are used for the flickr or youtube logos…you’ll find this article very illuminating.

Tutorials & Webdesign

Create a Vintage Photos Wallpaper with this tutorial

A very creative (and original) tutorial for a truly interesting wallpaper. Vintage photos, post-its, photos of your loved ones, stickers…unleash your creativity and personalize your desktop on just a few steps.

Light spheres in web design: examples and tutorials

You know those light spheres that seem to be breeding on the web? In this article you’ll find a list of the best (and most luminous) websites and some great tutorials to follow if you’d like to recreate this effect.

Apple style: tutorials and examples

If you love the apple style, you can’t not appreciate this list of 15 tutorials: flash preloader, wallpaper, menu, gallery…everything in full-blown apple style.

404 pages for your inspiration

Seeing as we’ll soon be planning and designing the 404 page of Your Inspiration Web, a glimpse at this beautiful showcase can’t but come in handy. And you, what are you waiting for to personalize your 404 page?

Websites dedicated to Iphone applications: trends and examples

Do you need to create a landing page to reclamizzare an application for iphone, or some other mobile device? Study this article as if it were the Bible: the example sites are the best in the field.

Showcase of the ugliest websites in public administration

Finally someone has the courage to scovare the amateur and the ugly in web design and to say so explicitly. These websites are something awful!!

Do’s and (Don’ts) of effective web design

Some do’s and don’ts explained clearly and effectively: these should be kept as rules to follow prior to creating a website.

Twitter status: showcase

Here you can find 30 more original and creative ways to integrate twitter into websites and blogs.

CSS, Usability & Co.

5 simple, but useful CSS properties

Webdesigner wall explains, with great simplicity, some css properties.

10 usability crimes you really shouldn’t commit

The most common – a least forgivable – errors, considered crimes against usability. To be read and kept.

jQuery

Shadow and reflection using jQuery

Shadow and reflection effects without using a graphics program? They can be done, and this is all thanks to jQuery.

JQuery blend

If you don’t yet know this one, try it in your menus or, better yet, in your portfolio animations: it’s elegant and eye-catching.

Icons, brushes & co.

Token: Dark & Light icons

I recently used them in a graphics project: needless to say they’re fantastic.

460 high quality icons for webdesigners

Some are very useful, others not so much. It’s up to you to look around and download those you find most appropriate.

10.000 free icons for free use

If you’ve missed out on these, what are you waiting for? Yes, they’re from 2008, but there are thousands, they’re of excellent quality, and they’re free.

Articles to read

Fidelizza i tuoi clienti affinchè tornino a trovarti

In the meandri of microsoft.com, an interesting article, full of valid examples of how to treat and bargain with clients. A must-read, even just for curiosity’s sake.

Is freelancing the life for me?

If you’ve asked yourself this question even once, or if you’re an employee who dreams of having a freelancer’s liberty, reading this article could be helpful.

Where to find work as a freelance designer?

You’ve read the preceeding article, decided that all things considered yes, the life of a freelancer is right for you and you’d like some work to start with? Well good, find out where to look for your first jobs as a creativo libero!

Curiosities

Advertisements: 60 billboards that owe their success to….humour

Irony is a great strength, especially in advertisement. Just take a look at these ad campaigns to better understand!

The Cide – Comic 2.0

Creative, original and curious. If, between one project and the next, you have 5 minutes to trastullarti liberamente sul web, I suggest you take a look at the comics on this website to break up the monotony of the daily grind. Ti incanterà, guaranteed.

I hope this list is helpful to you and that the material provided is of interest! See you next month with January’s favorites!

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L'immagine principale dell'articolo è stata fornita da @Fotolia