Inspiration - DESIGNIRVANA

15 Tools to make Mind-Mapping easy and efficient

September 29, 2018 John Wells 0

Mind mapping is a visual rendition of information via a diagram. Mind mapping is usually used for sketching out a plan, brainstorm ideas or to create concentrate guidelines as to how to materialize a plan. Generally, a single word or idea is placed at the center of a mind map and other texts and ideas are then interwoven and added to that mind map. This gives a vivid visual presentation of how an idea can be materialized. This is much more effective than presenting raw data in some boring format that has some kind of sleep-inducing effects on the targeted audience.

Everyone needs to organize ideas and find connections and associations at some point in time. And nothing’s better at organizing ideas than a visual format. But doing it on paper is too cumbersome to make it of any real use.

Mind mapping is especially important for web designers, whether the task at hand is a simple logo design or a complex app development. The good news is that a host of mind mapping tools makes it easier to do it without a hitch.

Let’s take a look at the popular and preferred tools you can use for mind mapping.

Bubbl.us

Bubbl.us is a free, web app that helps you create a mind-map the simple and easy way. All you need is Flash-player. The practical functionality of the tool makes it apt for mapping out ideas in a linear branching manner.

Coggle

Coggle is another free online app that lets you create a visual mind-map you can view on the website while you collaborate with others. The custom color schemes, image support and detailed history of additions and alterations make it one ideal tool.

FreeMind

FreeMind is a free tool for cross-platform usage as long as Java is available. The effective set of features and varied export choices make it ideal whether you work alone or collaborate with colleagues.

i2Brain

i2Brain lets you divide every mind-map you create into separate phases. This makes it possible to work on a single phase at one time or view it as an entire map complete with all the phases.

iMindMap

iMindMap is another tool of the same category as FreeMind. The best feature of this tool is that it mimics the non-linear thought process of the brain. This makes it quite an appropriate option for web designers.

Mapul

Mapul is a web-based service that lets you generate original, hand-drawn mind map renderings. It is a subscription-based option. But you can test-drive it from mapmyself.com. Once you are satisfied, get the Silverlight plug-in to use it.

MindMeister

MindMeister offers an enhanced set of features and functionalities for both Android and iOS. You must choose the subscription option based on the support level you desire to access and the output formats you require. But you do get a free trial period before that.

MindCad

MindCad is an app suitable for Mac only. The feature that makes it suitable for your mind-mapping necessities is its capability to link to your website, desktop, other sites and documents.

MindNode

MindNode is ideal for Apple devices. The minimalist UI lets the mind-map to be at the focus while the branches irrelevant to your present work disappear. Seamless integration between desktop and mobile versions and different export options also make it perfect.

MindPlan

MindPlan is available at no cost for personal use. It has the capability to integrate with Lotus Notes with ease. It also offers the option of XML import and export for the mind-maps you create.

StormBoard

StormBoard is a web app that works across devices. The HTML5 app offers a great way to collaborate and also has some singular output or mapping options. You may get it at no cost for up to five users, but you need to get a subscription for more users.

TopicScape

TopicScape is a unique mind mapping tool that offers a 3D view of the branching. This landscape like visual makes it much easier for you to get a glimpse of every relevant detail at once.

WiseMapping

WiseMapping is an open-source mind-mapping app based on HTML5. This makes it possible for your web developer to add and alter it to suit specific requirements. It’s available on their website and also for closed intranets.

Wridea

Wridea is more of an assortment of useful tools to make online idea management and collaboration easy. With this free, web app you can capture and develop ideas. It isn’t a strictly mind-mapping tool though.

XMind

XMind is available as open source and free to download. It supports the Office formats; so, you can export the mind-maps directly. It also enables to output in formats readable with competing tools. It can render a Gantt chart and deal with multiple media types.

Choose one that works for you and organize your ideas with ease and efficacy.

Collection of more than 15 funny web design related comic strips

June 17, 2018 John Wells 0

It’s always good to start the day with some fresh humor. It has the power to release your stress and make you feel good. Many researches shows that people who laugh more live longer. Comic strips have its roots in the late 19th century, however, the art form which combines words and pictures evolved gradually, and there are many examples of proto-comic strips.

The first thing most people look for in a newspaper is the comic strip which usually portrays the present political happenings or incidents in a funny way. Now with the popularity of the internet, comic strips started gaining popularity online. The online comic strips are often known as webcomics or internet comics. Most of the traditional newspaper comic strips have its presence online, and there are other exclusive websites which publish only webcomics.

Comic strips are being released on almost all topics, even though politics is the major subject. Here as part of this post, we have collected some interesting real-life comic strips related to web design and technology. Most of these comics are outstanding and creative works which conveys a tough thing or scenario in an interesting manner. All these webcomic strips are bookmarked with the original URL. Each of these comics has its own copyright terms of usage. If you’d like to use one of these images in your projects, please read their copyright terms of usage or contact the copyright owner for the right permission.

Tools for Fools – Romantic evening with a web designer

Web Designer Hell – Design looks good, But…

Freelance web designer

You are fired for being honest

A hack of a Web designer dad

Web design for free comic

Good design to add in portfolio

Bandwidth Clogging

Importance of IE6 for Web designers

Political Responsive Design

Feedback on new website design

The Life and Death of Web Design

Shocking surprise

Design logo prototype

Internal design review

Webdesigner career challenges

The Customer Is Always Right

5 reasons why e-commerce has blown away other sectors

December 13, 2017 John Wells 0

The e-commerce sector has grown by leaps and bounds. It continues to progress and evolve while experiencing high levels of growth both in developing and developed markets. A number of non-banking players have entered the fray, which are aiding the e-commerce market in its growth. Asia has become the biggest e-commerce industry in the world with sales increasing at a rate of 20.7% per annum.

The craze of online shopping has increased beyond expectations. The use of smartphones, ingenious payment products, and broadband connections, has helped in its growth. However, security still remains a big concern.

Merchants are endeavoring to associate with banks and non-banks to conceptualize innovatively, and consumer-oriented payment options. Their key challenge is to effectively assimilate offline and online channels, increase the modes of payment and customize online shopping for consumers. Banks too are helping in this process by providing faster, cheaper and more secure payment solutions. They have become open to change and are modifying their retail payment business.

Although we as consumers can see all positives, the e-commerce industry is not devoid of its own share of challenges. Since it is a relatively new enterprise, not many online retailers have the correct online marketing skills to sell their products. A sorted governance structure is also lacking. With an increase in the number of online frauds, security is but a major source of concern for this industry.

Despite all these issues, the Indian e-commerce sector is flourishing day by day. Here is why:

Increased employment opportunities

According to a poll by Assocham, most of the engineering and management students are opting to work in the Indian e-commerce sector as opposed to industries like finance, marketing, FMCG, infrastructure and consulting. E-commerce recruitments have gone up by 65% as compared to last year. This sector has created about 18 million online jobs with over 3 million Indians working under its tutelage.

It is predicted that this industry will increase its hiring activity by 60-65% and will possibly create about 5-8 lac job opportunities in the next five years. According to the poll, e-commerce companies are offering a package of about 10-25 lac per annum, which is far greater than the average salary of 4-7 lac offered by other companies to engineering and management students.

Unprecedented growth

The revenue generated by e-commerce has increased by 60 times in the last four years. The growth has been massive. No wonder that online marketing jobs have become so popular suddenly. Flipkart and Snapdeal have succeeded in raising funds from many investors, aiding the growth of Indian e-commerce sector by $3 billion.

Moreover, Amazon, the world’s leading online retailer has agreed to invest about $2 billion in India over the next couple of years. According to a report by Technopak, the size of the e-commerce market in India will reach $32 billion by the year 2020.

Focus on consumer needs

E-commerce is one industry where special preference is given to consumer needs and behavior. Online retailers are constantly vying to understand the psyche of customers pertaining to shopping behavior in order to serve them with the best of products and services. Customers are being targeted not only because of their demographics but also because of their spending patterns. An analysis of the same allows retailers to market their products in a much better manner. This focussed targeting is assisting online retailers in converting maximum leads into profitable sales.

Smart use of social media platforms

Social media platforms have taken the World Wide Web by storm. Every individual, whether old or young, is active on at least one social media website. E-commerce industry has employed the assistance of these websites to the best of their abilities.

They have but opened new channels for online retailers to effectively advertise and promote their products. An important platform for loyalty and branding, social media websites are normally accessed by individuals in the age group of 18-34 years. This has made them quite useful for constructive exploitation by e-commerce enterprises. These websites also provide an efficient forum for amassing customer feedback.

It is all about the profit

With e-commerce, it is all gain with minimum pain. The cost incurred initially is not much. All one needs is an empty garage, one IT guy, a good internet connection, and you are good to go. No rentals need to be given for workspace. Products are sourced and delivered directly from the manufacturer to the consumer, hence eliminating additional costs to retailers. In short, with e-commerce, there is a minimum investment and maximum output.

7 Uniquely beautiful online shopping interfaces

July 23, 2017 John Wells 0

Online shopping has become more and more popular day after day and new shopping websites are being introduced almost every day with unique and innovative features. Nowadays with the change in the lifestyles, there is a vast and drastic change in people’s shopping habits. People hate shopping in crowds and they are searching for unique and quality products for less in the convenience of their home. Since online shopping eliminates the middlemen, consumers can purchase things directly from the buyer in real time. This is the main reason why online shopping sites are able to give frequent discounts and offer to its customers.

The heart of any online shopping application is the user interface or website design. The design itself has the power to make or break the business. In conventional offline shopping, the sellers keep their shop attractive, clean and organized. They arrange their products in such a way that it looks impressive to the customers so that they will go for it. Similarly, look and feel plays a very important role in the case of an online shopping system as well. Since the product is not directly accessible to the customer in online shopping to touch or feel, people won’t buy them if it is not very well presented. The presentation part, therefore, is critical and needs very good attention and research. Webeden (a free website builder for small shops) is an easy and reliable way to make a shop interface that will help you sell products, so do check it out if you’re looking to create your own website.

Here in this post, we are presenting you with some cool looking e-commerce websites which are selected randomly from the online shopping world.

Stylemint

Stylemint an innovative and unique online shopping experience which comes from Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen also known as the Olsen Twins collectively are American actresses and fashion designers. The website layout provides a super cool feeling with a clean minimalistic layout in simple lighter shades. Unlike other popular online shopping sites, Stylemint will not let you explore the product section right away. You have to be a registered user to see the product selections. You can use your email id facebook account to register. Once you are registered and logged in, they will ask you some questions and based on your answer they will generate a list of products best suited for you and presented to you in a personalized and attractive way. This intelligent mechanism is the unique feature which gives a personal touch to the entire Stylemint shopping experience. The shopping workflow and layout is all the way unique and fresh. The products are arranged elegantly and systematically.

Gilt

Gilt is another ‘member only shopping’ website, where you need to become a member to explore the product range. The best part about gilt is the entire sales take place online and you will not get their collections from anywhere else. It gets you something unique and new every day which is available on first come – first serve basis. If you want to get the most unique piece which has the fresh looks, keep an eye on their updates. Another cool feature to note is their advance preview service. They give you a preview of their upcoming items well in advance. The website layout looks really professional and attractive. They have used a product-centered design method which is the best approach for an ecom website UI. The products are presented in a way that it gets the maximum attention. They have a done a really good job in the product preview part, the product can be previewed as if you are looking at it in real. The entire website is on a grey theme which gives the product more attention and the products are looking more attractive to buy.

Myntra

The unique quality of Myntra is the wide range of products. They have the largest collection of lifestyle products which comes around 30,000 plus styles ranging from more than 500 top brands. This is such a huge product range for an online web store. Arranging and managing such a wide range of products is not at all easy and it is the most challenging part in the entire shopping website design, and they have done a brilliant job here. The product grouping, categorization, and presentation are simply awesome. The products are systematically grouped on the basis of category, brand, style, gender and what not. You could easily locate your favorite range of products simply with a click or two. The presentation part is very well done which provides a clear view of the product presented. The product can be previewed from many angles and even a video preview is available for many products.

Timefy

Timefy is a French shopping website exclusively for men’s designer watches. It has a huge collection of designer watches from across all top brands. The website design is simply beautiful, which uses lighter colors and shades of black and white primarily. The overall grey colored theme gives the website an elegant and professional look. The product presentation is amazing where the primary focus goes to the product image. It is designed in such a way that it doesn’t look cluttered when the number of products is too high. The best part about the design is, simplicity and minimalism. The shopping cart layout and design are highly user-friendly.

Firstcry

It is an exclusive online web store for Baby Care Products and kids accessories. It has an excellent collection of baby care products and accessories from all popular brands. The products are arranged systematically and in good order. The product presentation and preview is amazing. Though the website layout look bit crowded on first look, it is appealing and colorful. The entire theme is centered on kids, with cool bright colors and nice graphics. All little models who pose for dresses are looking cute and smart. Overall the website design and layout is perfect for a kids shopping website.

Solesociety

An exclusive online store for high quality shoes, handbags and other women’s accessories. The best part about the webstore UI is that, it is so simple and clean. They have done a wonderful job in making the web interface look simple and elegant. The colors used are primarily lighter shades, which gives it a complete professional look. The product photographs look terrific and high quality. You could preview the product from various angles and also can preview various color options of that product.

Zaino

Zaino sells exclusive bags and cases for kids. The website interface is too good as a kid’s store. It uses bright colors brilliantly in the base theme. Whitespaces are brilliantly used to prioritize content and to define the right flow. Product list and preview page layout makes this website more user-friendly. Even though the base theme color is pink, other colors such as blue-green and orange are blended along with it nicely to catch the attention of those little ones out there online. The slider on the homepage gives the website a lively effect and it catches the attention.

Amazing latte art collection

May 23, 2017 John Wells 0

While most coffee drinkers would agree that making a good latte is an art in itself, there are other ways you can unleash your creativity using your coffee machine. Latte art is the term that applies to the patterns made in the milk foam that tops your favorite cup of Joe. Baristas in coffee shops spend a long time training how to make a flawless espresso, and the patterns that top your drink are the cherry on top. We’re all familiar with the pretty leaf and floral designs you commonly find, many of which were popularized by the renowned barista Davine Schoner back in the 1980s. But latte art takes the whole thing a lot further.

Imagine an impossibly detailed self-portrait or landscape painting, hard enough to achieve on a normal canvas. Now try doing the same work of art on a canvas made of frothed milk. That’s exactly what latte artists set out to achieve. Using the basic materials of espresso crema (the light brown froth that tops an espresso), hot milk, chocolate sprinkles and a sharpened point such as a pin, these talented artists elevate coffee pouring to a new level. It makes the whole endeavor even more impressive considering the short amount of time their creations actually last. As soon as the milk hits the coffee, the foam will begin to break up. The ephemeral nature of the artistry is one of its most touching characteristics.

Generally speaking, latte art is created by using two basic techniques. Free pouring produces patterns as you pour and is usually used for rosettes, hearts, and leaves. It takes a seriously steady hand and some expert movements of the jug to get good results. More complex designs can require two pours, maybe even more. The second technique is etching. Etched designs tend to be more intricate, and are often done with a coffee stirrer or a pin. Etched designs have an even shorter life span than free poured designs.

Here’s a look at ten incredible examples of latte art for your inspiration. Most of these have been etched, and require a high level of skill to create. We hope you enjoy them!

Planet Latte

An out of this world adornment for a seriously strong coffee. This artwork has mainly used espresso crema, with frothed milk applied sparsely to produce the planet.

Foam Art Bear Coffee

And who says that frothed milk can only be used as a 2D canvas? To produce a 3D effect like this one it’s a good idea to chill your milk jug in the fridge before you begin.

John Lennon Latte

You’ve heard about people seeing Jesus in pieces of toast, how about the Beatle who was even bigger than Jesus in a cup of coffee? This example of John Lennon shows an amazingly high level of detail, particularly around the eyes.

Manga-Inspired Latte

A cute manga-inspired design produced by simple etching techniques. The artist will probably have used two different width stirrers; one for the girl’s outline and a second, thicker implement to produce the banner decorations.

Pegasus Latte Design

Check out the detail on the Pegasus’s wings! It’s incredible to think that the artist is working at speed with such a limited selection of tools and colors. The tone and muscle definition around the forelegs is equally impressive.

Mickey Mouse Coffee Art

Here’s another emblem of the stars and stripes rendered in carefully crafted coffee tones.

Cute latte panda art

Low on detail but big on personality; a panda design is a simple but characterful subject for this design.

Colored Flower Coffee Foam Art

Latte art doesn’t always mean a shades-of-brown color scheme. Through clever etching techniques, restrained use of food dyes and a delicate spider’s web design, this designer has injected color vibrancy into a traditionally two-tone art form.

Cat Latte Art

We’re loving this cute cat. The way it seems to peer over the edge of the cup really takes 3D latte art up a notch.

Collection of amazingly creative 3D street art works

April 14, 2017 John Wells 0

3D street art has its roots back to the ancient Greek era. A perspective 3D art is a two-dimensional artwork done using chalk on a surface, which gives us a 3-dimensional optical illusion when looked at from a certain perspective. These creative 3D chalk art look very realistic once you get the correct angle. It requires great talent to generate a 3D view out of a 2D chalk hand painting. These street graffiti works are done by very talented artists who specialize in perspective drawing.

3D street drawings are getting enormous appreciation these days. Many corporate brands nowadays are making use of the possibility of street drawing for advertising and brand promotion activities. Here is a collection of around fifteen breathtaking 3D street perspective artworks. All these exceptional artworks are bookmarked with the original URL. Each of these images has its own copyright terms of usage. If you’d like to use one of these artworks for inspiration, please contact the copyright owner for the right permission.

The Bridge – 3D Street Art By Nikolaj Arndt

The Bridge – 3D street art by Nikolaj Arndt

Crocodiles Eat 3D Street Art

Crocodiles eat 3d art by Nikolaj Arndt

3D Street Art By Leon Keer

3D street art combined with Augmented Reality at LelystArt festival by Leon Keer

Panda Bears 3D-Street Drawing

Panda Bears 3D street drawing by Nikolaj Arndt

Cracks On Road 3D Street Art

Cracks on road 3D Street Art

Road Safety – Perspective Street Art

Road Safety – Perspective street 3D art

3d Street Art For Indiestad Festival

3d street art for Indiestad festival

Chess With The Dalai Lama – 3D Street Painting

3D Street Painting – Chess with the Dalai Lama / Tracy Stum

3D Street Painting – Jaguar Temple

3D Street Painting – Jaguar Temple by Tracy Stum

Tiger Street 3D Art

Tiger street 3D Art

3 Cranes – 3D Street Painting

3D Street Painting – 3 Cranes / Tracy Stum

Indian Fantasy – 3D Street Painting

3D Street Painting – Indian Fantasy by Tracy Stum

Beautiful 3D Street Grafitti

PSY – Gangnam style inspired goodies or gift ideas

January 30, 2017 John Wells 0

“Gangnam Style” is a popular South Korean music album by PSY. It became the first online music video to record a billion hits on the Internet. The Gangnam Style was already recognized by Guinness World Records as the most liked video on youtube. As of January 16, 2013, the music video has been viewed over 1.2 billion times on YouTube, and it is the site’s most watched video after surpassing Justin Bieber’s single “Baby”.

The phrase “Gangnam Style” is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul. Soon after this video song become a huge hit people treated Gangnam as a brand and started making use of the Gangnam brand wherever possible. Various goodies started appearing as Gangnam style brand. T-shirt, socks, keychain, cake, shoe, chappal, nail polish, USB drive, and the list goes on.

Here is a showcase of some of those PSY Gangnam style gift ideas or goodies for you, The source url of each item is included along… enjoy!