There are usually times that we wonder and want to learn how an effect or element on a website is designed.
Popular UIs is a website which creates and freely shares PSDs of well-known websites.
The files are provided for educational use, to help people learn from them, and the PSDs include the layouts of GitHub, Facebook, Apple and more.
It is mentioned that more will be added regularly. Also, the project is open source and anyone can contribute.
Prototyping any type of design (web/app/code) helps minimizing hassle in the next steps of the creation process.
WireKit, a set of free Photoshop shape layers, simplifies creating prototypes for iPhone apps.
It comes in 2 versions: solid (realistic) and stroke (sketchy) where each version includes 60+ elements.
The layers are very well organized + named and they are all consistent in size + how they look.
You may remember CSS3 Patterns Gallery that was created by Lea Verou which is a great idea for flexible patterns.
Here is an alternative: SVG Patterns Gallery that uses only SVG for creating good-looking patterns.
Compared to standard images, SVG scales perfectly, high-dpi screens can make use of it and it works on IE9 too (CSS3 gradients don’t).
If prototyping websites on paper is a part of your workflow, papers with the right grid simplify the process so much.
Paperkit is a website that allows us to create any type of graph paper we want with the right margin, spacing and size (A4, A3, legal, tabloid and letter).
It is also possible to set the stroke size + color and get a dotted or lined output.
Once the paper is ready, it is available as a PDF download.
Avatars are a part of any community website/app and, if you ever found yourself hunting for them, here is a handy solution.
uiFaces is a website that presents a list of avatars and allows us to customize them.
The customization options are the size of the image, spacing and the radius of it.
Once the output looks good, we can just take a screenshot and use it in mockups. Something simple yet useful.
Every designer needs high-quality images for good-looking and/or print-ready designs.
If you are in search of such stock photos for an affordable price, Photaki, a microstock agency created by photographers and designers, is a must check.
The service has launched in 2009, grew fast in means of content + users and, right now, 5000+ images are added each day. So its always guaranteed to find something fresh.
Like mentioned, Photaki has a focus on keeping the prices as low as possible. It works with a credit system where downloading an image without having to buy an entire credit pack only costs 1 € (or it gets much lower with the packs -down to 0.20 €-).
There are images on any keyword, they are categorized>sub-categorized well and a location-based search exists. Simply, it is pretty easy to locate the file you need.
If you are a photographer or designer, becoming a contributor makes sense with high commissions (between 50% and 80%), detailed sales/visit reports and unlimited storage. And, for artists with a large collection, they help automating the entire process.
Photaki‘s website is available in many languages and you can always keep in touch with them regarding any questions.
When working on web and mobile designs or wireframes, anything that can ease creating these layouts are highly welcomed.
GUI Toolkits is a very large collection of user interface components that has sets from mobile to desktop apps.
There are 9 toolkits offered: iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Facebook, Web 2.0, Mac, Windows and Windows Mobile apps.
Each of them consists of hundreds of vector shapes and icons that empower anyone (with or without design skills) to create mock-ups and clickable prototypes.
Every toolkit has versions for wireframing + production and, once purchased, any upgrades are free for lifetime.
And, GUI Toolkits come with the file format anyone get used to work with as there are versions for Illustrator, Fireworks, Visio, PowerPoint, OmniGraffle, Axure RP Pro and Apple Keynote.
Each toolkit can be purchased separately or a bundle that consists of all the items exists for a good price (which is handy for anyone regularly performing web design tasks).
In order to create faster, get your toolkit at GUI Toolkits now.
There are 3 bundles (includes all 9 toolkits) being given away and winners will be able to choose the file format they prefer.
In order to join, you can do one or both of the following to increase the chances:
Few weeks ago, WRD had shared an awesome and professional UI kit (named The Bricks UI) created by DesignModo.
In case you still didn’t get it but want to, MightDeals is offering the kit for a very good price for a limited time (Developer’s License for $49 rather than $289).
The Bricks is a well-layered PSD kit that is handy for and web designer/developer to create good looking interfaces.
It includes hundreds of web elements including charts, sliders, forms, shopping carts and so much more. Also, it has a slick icon set with 150 items.
The kit is based on a 12 grid system and pieces work with each other like a puzzle.
Today is the last day for the MightyDeals deal and make you check it out in case you missed this high-quality kit previously.
Christmas, so do the new year, is around the corner and snow, santa, christmas tree, ornaments are probably the most requested design elements.
They will be needed in brochures, newsletters or to provide a tiny “new year make-up” to websites.
As expected, WRD has dug the Christmas and new year vectors for you so that you don’t need to. Here they are with the vector formats provided:
Free vector world maps are must-haves of every designer’s toolkit as there will be times when they are needed.
I had published Free Vector World Maps Collection years ago. Needed a map again, there were some new maps in my bookmarks and made a complete search on them to release an up-to-date collection.
You can now find all the quality and free vector world maps, usually in .EPS ad .AI formats, in this post (also added few high-resolution JPEG ones). Make sure you bookmark it as I’m pretty sure you’ll need them one day.
Info: This map also has a black and white, plain (no-countries) version.
