See the little icons next to your bookmarks … these are called Favicons. And believe me they look much better than the generic folder icon you get. So brand yourself and add a favicon for your website.

1. Create a 16×16 pixel graphic
2. Save it as PNG24 or a transparent GIF if you want to get a transparent icon.
3. Open this Favicon Generator.
4. Choose the graphic you made using Choose File and click Create Icon.
5. Save this graphic to your hard drive and upload it to your root folder.
6. Add this code to your header.php head tag:

   <link rel="SHORTCUT ICON" href="http://www.yourdomainhere.com/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon">

You are done! You should have a neat favicon for your website now.

The problem with being a web designer is that when you get tired of your blog design and want to change it, you can. And I seriously need to stop doing that considering I just re-designed less than a month back.

I just wasn’t too happy with that design, though. It was just too different from my business site DotsnDashes. This one isn’t exactly a replica either but it has similarities and uses some of the basic design features from that website.

I’m thinking I’ll stick to this design for a bit.

So what do you think?

In that case let me present to you the Non-Designer’s Design Book, The (3rd Edition)

This has to be one of the most recommended design book of all times.

Why?

It is a very simple read. It is great for beginners and acts as a good reference for designers who have been at it a bit.

It offers design guidelines with great examples on how to properly utilize them. While, at the same time there are examples of designs that do not follow the guidelines and still look great!

Bottom line: Design guidelines are just that – guidelines. They are not rules that have to be followed at all costs. The book does however, warn you against common design mistakes that amateur designer’s usually make.

continue reading…

I seem to be in a redesign everything I see mode lol.

Not only have I recently redesigned this blog, I have also gone ahead and done a complete overhaul of DotsnDashes Website Designs.

I have made both designs wider as I needed the extra space and it gives the site the much needed white space.

DotsnDashes looks so different from what it used to now.

See the old design below:

Click here to see the new design.

The one downside of being a web designer is that you are bound to get tired of your own designs and keep changing them way too many times.

As far as this website goes, it is the first change.

Quite different from the first design as well. The colors are muted and it has an overall calming and soothing effect (very important for a blog that will be visited again and again – I hope). If I were to choose an element to represents this design – that’ll be Earth

Now that gives me an idea. May be I will create 3 more designs and get over with the rest of the elements, too

Well one thing’s for sure. I can work straight for 12 – 14 hours and come up with a complete new blog design. No, it won’t work as fast for you as I need to discuss your blog, get the design approved and consult you every step of the way. Consulting myself doesn’t take very long so that takes care of it.

The most important change for this blog is a wider design. Since it is a personal blog, and just an outlet for me as a designer and a writer, I said what the heck.

So what do you think of this design?