Category: Webdesign Tips

Bootstrap is one of the most popular design frameworks. One of the reasons it’s so popular is that it’s optimized for mobile devices and has a well-organized grid system along with hundreds of elements that make prototyping and designing for the web a lot easier.

There is no doubt that Bootstrap is the best framework to help you design beautiful and responsive web pages. From minimal startup websites to complex admin screens, you can find Bootstrap UI kits and templates for any design. Get inspired by these free Bootstrap UI kits and use them in your next design project.

In this roundup, we’ve collected 20 free UI kits built with Bootstrap (both 4 and 5) that you can use as a starting point for your designs.

Free Bootstrap 5 UI Kits

Pixel Free Bootstrap 5 UI Kit

The free Pixel Bootstrap 5 UI kit comes bundled with over 80 UI elements, 5 example page templates, and more than 50 website sections, so you build any type of website.

Snacked Bootstrap 5 Admin Template

Snacked is Bootstrap 5 admin template and UI kit that comes with over 60 custom HTML page templates, multiple chart options, and a vast collection of UI components.

Boomerang Free Bootstrap 5 UI Kit

This free Bootstrap 5 UI kit includes over fifty custom components, five integrated plugins, and five pre-built page templates. Boomerang kit is perfect for building a business or corporate website.

Qexal Bootstrap 5 Landing Pages

The minimally designed Qexal is perfect for creating landing pages for startups or any other type of business. It comes with nine homepage variations, multiple page templates, and a huge collection of UI components and widgets.

Lindy Free Bootstrap 5 Startup UI Kit

The free Lindy Bootstrap 5 UI kit includes everything you need for creating professional startup landing pages. The UI kit comes with over 200 UI elements and 5 example page templates.

Free Material Design Bootstrap 5 UI KIT

This free Material Design Bootstrap 5 UI kit is an excellent choice for anyone that wants to build a mobile-first website or an app. The kit comes with 400+ material UI elements, 600+ material icons, over 70 CSS animations, numerous templates, tutorials, and much more.

WrapKit Lite – Free Bootstrap 5 UI Kit

WrapKit Lite is a free Bootstrap 5 UI kit that can be used in a variety of projects. It comes with a selection of UI blocks and more than 25 UI elements, and 1 landing page to jumpstart your project.

Material Kit – Free Bootstrap 5 Material Design UI Kit

Material Kit is a perfect choice for anyone who loves the material design. The Bootstrap 5 UI kit comes with over 60 UI elements and three demo page templates to help you get started on your design.

Free Bootstrap 4 UI Kits

Argon – Free Dashboard UI for Bootstrap 4

The Argon UI kit for Bootstrap is the perfect choice if you’re working on a dashboard design. The kit comes with over 100 components, 6 different screens, and 4 custom plugins.

Grandin Bootstrap Admin UI Kit (Envato Elements)

Powered by Grunt, Bower, and SCSS, Grandin is a professional UI kit that comes packaged with plenty of UI components, widgets, forms, tables, charts, pages and applications.

Shards Free Bootstrap 4 UI Kit

The free Shards Bootstrap UI kit comes with 10 extra custom components and 2 custom pre-built landing page templates. You’ll also find more than 1,500 icons both from Material and FontAwesome packs.

Dashboard HTML Template for Bootstrap 4 (Envato Elements)

This lightweight Bootstrap 4 UI kit includes five dashboard layouts, over 100 components, and a complete set of UI elements, including charts, forms, calendars, tables, and many more.

Drunken Parrot Lite Bootstrap 4 UI Kit

This kit includes both HTML and PSD files so you can easily customize and tweak the design to suit your needs. The kit is lightweight and it comes with various components and pages that will help to speed up your design process.

Now Free UI Kit for Bootstrap 4

Now UI Kit is a responsive Bootstrap 4 kit provided for free by Invision and Creative Tim. It features over 50 elements and 3 page templates. The kit provides PSD, Sketch, and HTML versions.

Fuzen Bootstrap 4 Admin UI Kit (Envato Elements)

Fuzen is a Bootstrap 4 UI kit that comes bundled with three dashboard layout templates, over 200 UI components, over 3,000 icons, and multiple widgets. It has been designed with Material Design in mind.

NowSquare – Free Collection of Bootstrap 4 Web Blocks

Built upon Bower, GulpJS, and Sass, this free collection of web blocks has been designed for Bootstrap 4 and allows you to get ahead on your design project. The kit is easy to use straight out of the box and can be easily customized to the needs of your project.

Froala Design Blocks for Bootstrap 4

This Bootstrap UI kit includes over 170 responsive design blocks that are ready to be used in your web or mobile apps. You’ll find blocks for calls to action, profile blocks, contact, blocks, forms, headers, and more.

Paper Dashboard – Free Bootstrap 4 Admin UI Kit

The Paper Dashboard is another great choice if you need to prototype and design an admin dashboard for your project. The UI kit comes with 16 components, 4 customized plugins, and 7 demo page templates.

Anchor – Free Bootstrap 4 UI Kit

Anchor is a free Bootstrap UI Kit with flexible, ready to use UI components that will help you build websites faster. It features a modern and colorful design.

Stream Free Bootstrap 4 UI Kit

The Stream UI Kit is a beautiful and elegant Bootstrap 4 UI Kit. The UI kit comes with five beautiful complete page templates and includes over 20 reusable and customizable UI Blocks.

Bootstrap 4 Startup UI Kit

Try the Bootstrap 4 Startup UI kit if you’re working on the website design of a startup. The kit features a clean and minimal style and comes with 16 UI cards that you can mix and match to create your own unique layouts.

Free Bootstrap 4 eCommerce UI Kit

Check out this kit if you’re designing an e-commerce website or an application. The template comes with several starter templates to get you started as well as numerous icons and elements.

The post 20 Free Bootstrap UI Kits appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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The Story Behind TryShape, a Showcase for the CSS clip-path property – A look at how you can leverage CSS to make all manner of custom shapes.

Projectile – A GUI-based app to help you manage your JavaScript projects.

20 Free Payment Method & Credit Card Icon Sets – Add a touch of style to your eCommerce site with this free icon set.

RapidSketch – Create sketch-notes online and access them anywhere.

Tailwind Mobile – Check out this library of mobile UI components created with Tailwind CSS.

Can we have custom media queries, please? – How CSS custom media queries could make responsive styling easier.

The 10 Best Free WordPress Membership Plugins – Build a fully-functioning membership website with one of these free WordPress plugins.

Pollen – This library of CSS variables focuses on consistent styling and rapid prototyping.

Web Designers No Longer Need to Sacrifice Performance for Beauty – How modern CSS and JavaScript can help strike a balance between looks and load times.

Accordion UI design – Everything you need to consider when creating accordion UIs in your projects.

8 CSS & JavaScript Snippets for Creating Infographics – Examples that show how web technologies can benefit infographics.

Post Poly Application – Create and export 3D shape models via this browser-based tool.

Dopefolio – Explore this “blazing fast” multipage HTML portfolio template.

Colors & Fonts – A color and typography system for designers. Compatible with Figma, Sketch and more.

Sail – This free CLI tool will deploy, manage and scale WordPress to the DigitalOcean cloud.

50 Simple, Yet Highly Effective Logo Designs for Inspiration – Use these logos to familiarize yourself with simple logo design principles and inspiration.

The post Weekly News for Designers № 610 appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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When it comes to marketing your freelance web design business, it’s easy to spend the bulk of your energy on attracting new clients. That’s certainly a worthwhile pursuit. But it’s also important to focus on your existing ones as well.

There is great value in keeping existing clients in the loop. And not just from a marketing perspective. Sharing content of interest with them also helps to maintain your relationship.

Even if you haven’t worked with someone for a while, regular communication makes an impact. At the very least, it keeps you in the front of their mind. Down the road, it may even serve as a catalyst for starting up a new project together.

Despite those potential benefits, staying in touch can be difficult. Creating original content takes precious time. Plus, writing doesn’t come naturally for everyone. Figuring out what to say and how to say it is challenging.

Don’t be discouraged! Today, we’ll share some tips for writing informative content that is sure to pique your client’s interest.

Understand Your Audience

Writing for your existing design clients isn’t quite the same as trying to reach prospective ones. Just as you’d greet a longtime friend differently than a stranger, you’ll want to communicate with clients on a more personal level.

That means keeping the cheesy sales pitches to a minimum. It’s safe to assume that your clients are already sold on you and what you can do for their organization. Thus, there’s no need to reel in a fish you’ve already caught.

With that in mind, think about the most effective ways to communicate with your clients. The message is important, but so is the medium. It’s vital to meet people where they are, rather than expect them to come to you.

Social media has its place, but it’s probably not the best way to reach clients. Blogging can also be beneficial, but needs help to draw in your audience.

That leaves email as the best option. It’s often the preferred method of contact between designers and their clients. Sending your latest client-focused content serves as a natural extension.

Write from Experience

Web design is an industry that is constantly changing. This means that subject matter for client communication is all around you.

To find inspiration, look back at past experiences. Think about a website you built a few years ago. Compare the look, features, and process to the one you built more recently. How have things changed? What trends have emerged?

Odds are, those older sites are lacking in some areas. Must-have attributes such as accessibility and responsive design are common examples. And, even if they were previously implemented, it’s likely they could benefit from some modernization.

These are prime subjects to share with clients. Not everyone is aware of technological shifts. Having access to this information will allow them to stay up-to-date and make better decisions.

Explain the Impact

Informing clients about a particular subject is only part of the equation. It’s also important to explain how it impacts them.

For example, you might write a blog post touting accessibility standards. While an article about color contrast ratios and ALT attributes could go into great depth, clients are unlikely to read it without context.

First, they need to know why they should care about these subjects. In this case, you’d want to mention key points, such as:

• Who is impacted when a website isn’t accessible;
• What features make a website accessible;
• How to know if your website is accessible or not;
• The potential legal ramifications;

The idea isn’t necessarily to bombard them with facts or scare tactics. Rather, it’s about providing a brief description of a subject and how it relates to their website. If they’re interested, invite them to contact you for more information.

Stay on Schedule

Sending out communications regularly helps to keep your relationships going strong. Yet, it might also be the most difficult part of the process.

If you’re busy working on projects or trying to attract new clients, that leaves little time to reach out to existing ones. We tend to focus on the squeakiest of wheels, after all.

However, there’s no need to put too much pressure on yourself. You don’t have to write all that frequently. Monthly or even quarterly newsletters can still be effective.

The point is in making an honest effort to stay in touch and provide relevant information. It’s something that clients will appreciate. They’ll be more likely to stay with you as their needs evolve.

Maintaining Relationships, Fostering Growth

Your web design clients can bring significant value to your business over time. Unlike other industries, building a website is not a “one-and-done” scenario. Maintenance, content tweaks and redesigns are all part of the deal.

The best way to achieve that long-term value is by being proactive in your communication. Keep your clients informed on what’s happening and how it impacts them. Write content that sparks curiosity and encourages them to contact you. And meet them where they are.

By doing so, you’re giving them every reason to stay involved with their website and make improvements. It’s no longer a matter of waiting for clients to ask you for something – you’re now helping them figure out what they need.

This, as much as anything, will keep your freelance business thriving for years to come.

The post Create Content That Targets Your Existing Design Clients appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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A personal blog can go a long way towards establishing your thought leadership and authority in a certain niche. It can also be a great place to showcase your skills and promote your services.

However, you will need a personal blogging theme packed with the right features and attractive design that will help you stand out. Finding the right personal blogging theme can be time-consuming. That’s why we’ve done the research for you and compiled the best free personal blog themes for WordPress.

If you’re looking for free magazine-layout WordPress themes, take a look at this round-up.

Nuria Responsive Blogging Theme (Free)

The Nuria theme is suitable for a variety of personal blogs. It features a minimal design paired with gorgeous typography. It’s easy to customize and comes with built-in SEO optimization, loads fast, and several widget areas.

Ocean – Exquisite WordPress Blog (Envato Elements)

The Ocean is a elegant theme for personal blogs with a feminine design. The homepage features a grid layout that displays your blog posts and you can easily add an Instagram widget. The theme is fully responsive and translation-ready.

Bootstrap Blog Theme (Free)

The Bootstrap Blog theme is a lightweight, minimal, and free WordPress theme. You will find plenty of customization options, several layout options which include a slider layout as well as a standard blog layout, WooCommerce integration, and more.

Norge – Responsive Blog WordPress Theme (Envato Elements)

The Norge theme combines minimalist design with clean typography which makes for a very pleasant reading experience on all devices. The theme with sidebar and full width layouts, numerous widgets, shortcodes and support for different post types.

Boxstyle Personal Blog Theme (Free)

If you’re looking for a personal blog theme that has a unique design, consider the Boxstyle theme. It features a unique boxed layout with social media icons in a colorful sidebar so it’s sure to make your blog stand out.

Ezy Blog Theme (Free)

The Ezy blog theme is compatible with Elementor and Gutenberg which means you will have no problems creating a unique layout for your pages. On top of that, the theme includes features such as modern and creative design, SEO optimization, slider section, featured post columns, footer options, and plenty of customization options.

Lightly Responsive WordPress Theme (Free)

The Lightly theme is a perfect choice if you want your blog to look like an online magazine. It has a grid based layout and bold typography that makes your content pop. The theme is also fully responsive and easy to customize.

Lovecraft – Two-Column WordPress Blog Theme (Free)

The Lovecraft theme comes with a stunning header image which allows you to easily give your readers an immediate glimpse into your personality. The theme has a standard two-column layout and allows you to customize the colors, upload your own logo, and more.

Good – Responsive Blog Magazine Theme (Free)

The Good theme has an interesting grid-based layout on the homepage. It allows you to upload your own logo and set your own brand colors. The theme is SEO-friendly and loadst fast.

Olsen Light Blogging Theme for WordPress (Free)

Try the Olsen Light theme if you’re planning on launching a fashion or a beauty blog. With an elegant and feminine design, paired with custom widgets, customization options, and SEO-friendly code, the Olsen theme has everything you need to create a captivating blog.

Versaille – Personal Blog WordPress Theme (Envato Elements)

This premium theme has a unique curvy design on the homepage and includes additional page layout for your portfolio. You can customize the theme using the built-in Live Customizer.

Eighties Theme – One-Column WordPress Theme (Free)

Eighties is a bold, one-column theme that’s perfect for personal blogs. The theme supports various post formats and you will also find large featured images that make it easy to share your stories in a visual way.

Stylizer Blog Theme (Free)

The Stylizer theme is perfect for anyone looking for a unique design. The theme is responsive so it will look great on all devices and it also comes with features such as related posts and post navigation, dark and light color switch, and more.

Beetle Go WordPress Theme (Free)

Consider the Beetle Go theme if you want a blog and the ability to showcase your portfolio and past projects. You can also use it as a resume theme. The theme comes with a plethora of customization options and elegant parallax scrolling.

Hoffman – Minimal WordPress Theme for Bloggers (Free)

The Hoffman theme is a beautiful minimal WordPress theme that’s best suited for personal bloggers or authors. The theme has a strong focus on typography and offers a responsive design and beautiful galleries.

Curver – Personal Blog Theme (Free)

As the name suggests, the Curver is a personal blog theme with a unique colorful and curved look. The theme includes featured post slider, standard or list blog layout, and a unique author header profile.

Arba WordPress Blog Theme (Free)

Arba is a free WordPress theme for personal blogs. It has a minimal design and simple layout. The theme is also fully responsive and uses gorgeous typography for a much better user experience across all devices.

Risa – Personal Responsive Blog Theme (Free)

The Risa theme features a clean and classy look. It offers a number of different customization options and is SEO-friendly and translation-ready. On top of that, the theme includes support for different post formats: Standard, Aside, Image, Link, Gallery, and more.

Signy – A Personal Blog WordPress Theme (Envato Elements)

Try the Signy theme if you’re a freelancer or creative professional that wants the ability to showcase your past projects on top of a blog. The theme comes with 4 different homepage layouts and 6 unique portfolio layouts.

Invenio – Tumblog-Style WordPress Theme (Free)

The Invenio theme mimics the look of Tumblr blogs so it’s a great choice if you’re going for a more unique design. Invenio is also responsive and has support for multiple post formats.

Upright – Responsive Blog Magazine Theme (Free)

The Upright theme is a grid-like theme with a strong focus on bold imagery., It supports a variety of content. You can create galleries and showcase past projects, and allow your visitors to enjoy your content on all devices thanks to the responsive design.

Hemingway – Two-Column Theme for Bloggers (Free)

The Hemingway theme features beautiful typography and a standard two-column layout. The theme is fully responsive and has a minimal and clean design. You can easily customize the colors and fonts.

Editor Theme – Personal Blogging Theme (Free)

The Editor theme is geared toward personal bloggers and photo bloggers. It includes big typography and images, plus a tab-based sidebar with a place for a social links menu, featured posts, and a site logo.

Popster – Blogging Theme for Writers & Authors (Free)

The Popster theme has a elegant layout and design that’s focused on beautiful typography. The theme is SEO-friendly and optimized to load fast. It’s also responsive and translation-ready.

Vito Blog Theme (Free)

The Vito theme is sure to grab the attention of your readers thanks to stunning animations and a minimal design that lets your posts stand out. The theme has a standard, two-column layout.

Justread Minimal WordPress Blog Theme (Free)

The Justread theme focuses on improved reading experience across all devices and fast loading times. It features an elegant blog layout and sticky sharing buttons so your readers can easily share your content.

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The right personal blog theme will make it easy for your visitors to enjoy your content on any device. With features such as improved typography, responsive design, and stunning featured images, the themes on this list are a perfect starting point for your personal blog design.

The post The 20 Best Free Personal Blog Themes for WordPress appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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330 React Interview Questions – Perhaps the most comprehensive collection of React JS interview questions you’ll ever find.

The Power of Automating WordPress – A look at WordPress automation tools and basic examples of what they can do for you.

Layout patterns – Check out this collection of CSS layouts for common UI elements.

Parallax Powered by CSS Custom Properties – A step-by-step guide to creating some unique parallax effects.

JOY.JS – This JavaScript library provides a fun GUI for creating your own tools.

10 WordPress Plugins to Supercharge Advanced Custom Fields – Power up your usage of ACF with these companion plugins.

Flip, Invert, and Reverse – Learn some handy SVG transformation techniques with this tutorial.

Slideshow with Filter Reveal Effect – The steps behind building a slideshow page layout with a filter enhanced navigation effect.

Stop Worrying About People Stealing Your Ideas – Why you don’t need to be paranoid about others taking your ideas.

RegexLearn – This tool will help you learn RegEx with step-by-step instructions.

A Guide To Modern CSS Colors With RGB, HSL, HWB, LAB And LCH – Some advice on the not-so-obvious things you have to keep in mind when handling colors in CSS today.

25 Free Bootstrap Dashboard & Admin Templates – Find the perfect free Bootstrap template for your application’s dashboard.

Using Position Sticky With CSS Grid – Learn how to make sticky elements play nicely with the modern CSS layout technique.

Runno – Use this tool to create runnable code examples.

How WordPress Full Site Editing Could Impact the Design Process – This new feature has the potential to change how we design for WordPress.

Swiffy Slider – A slider and carousel script that takes advantage of modern browser technology.

BubblesJS – A visualization framework that provides a variety of chart types, filters and KPIs that can be composed to create cross connected dashboards.

The post Weekly News for Designers № 620 appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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Slideshows are a great way to grab your audience’s attention. Whether you’re making a business presentation or want a unique way to preserve precious moments, a slideshow can help you make it more memorable.

That’s why in this article, we’ve selected the best After Effects slideshow and gallery templates that will help you create a stunning video presentation.

More free After Effects templates: Titles, Animated Icons, Logo Reveals, Animated Fonts, Lower Thirds, Intros, and Openers.

Contact Sheet Slideshow Free After Effects Template (Free)

Use this Contact Sheet Slideshow if you want a creative way to present your employees or team members. The template includes 10 placeholder images and you can easily add more if you need them.

Old Slideshow Free After Effects Template (Free)

The Old Slideshow template is another great choice if you’re looking for a retro-style gallery or slideshow. The template comes with full color control so you can easily customize the colors and drop in your photos.

Wall Slideshow (with Envato Elements)

Try the Wall Slideshow if you want a cool-looking, modern gallery to display your family photos and albums. The template is easy to customize and comes with full color control.

Modern Zoom Telescopic Slideshow After Effects Template (Free)

This Modern Zoom Telescopic Slideshow Video features a unique zoom effect pictured through a telescopic transition. You will also find multiple light leaks with sleek camera motion and a grand total of 6 image placeholders.

Clean Slideshow After Effects Templates (Free)

If you want a clean slideshow that you can use to present your family photos or if you need a clean slideshow for a corporate project, the Clean Slideshow template is the right choice. It features a stylish design, simple text animations, and smooth transitioning effects.

Slideshow Constructor for After Effects (with Envato Elements)

The first template on this list features a vintage-style slideshow of polaroids. It’s a great choice if you want to combine all your photos and create a truly unique photo album.

Free Parallax Scrolling Slideshow After Effects Template (Free)

Parallax is an extremely popular animation effect used in a number of websites. Thanks to this template, you can use it in your videos as well. This template contains 9 image or video placeholders, and 9 text placeholders.

Bold Slideshow (with Envato Elements)

Try the Bold Slideshow if you want a bold and colorful look. This template includes a detailed help file, full color control so you can easily customize the colors to match your brand, and editable text layers.

Modern Tile Slideshow (Free)

The Modern Tile Slideshow is a great choice for professional and corporate videos. The slideshow template features a unique, tiled look and a 3D tile drop down effect to reveal your images and transition between them in 3D. The template also includes multiple light leaks.

Free Dynamic Colorful Slideshow After Effects Template (Free)

This dynamic template features a modern and colorful style paired with minimal typography. It’s a great choice for both business and personal video slideshows. The template includes 23 media placeholders, 19 editable text layers and an intelligent color controller.

Stylish Spinning Columns Slideshow After Effects Template (Free)

Consider the Stylish Spinning Columns Slideshow Template if you’re working on a high-end project. The template features 6 image placeholders paired with a modern spinning column transition effect and multiple light leaks.

Travel Slideshow (with Envato Elements)

This versatile template features an upbeat and cinematic style based on the popular travel intro trend. The template is easy to update and customize to suit your individual styles.

Free Elegant Slideshow After Effects Template (Free)

This After Effects template is perfect for corporate and business slideshows. The template features elegant slide transitions and includes a number of placeholder images. You can easily add more and customize text and colors to match your brand.

Free After Effects Slideshow Templates (Free)

In this template, you will find 14 image placeholders that are arranged in a stunning grid layout. You can easily adjust the colors thanks to the intelligent color controller and replace the text with your own.

Fast Slides Free After Effects Slideshow Template (Free)

Use this template if you’re working a video that could use a fast-moving animation. This slideshow would be perfect at the beginning of a video to introduce different concepts that will be addressed in the video.

Creative Slideshow (with Envato Elements)

This Creative Slideshow template features a dynamic, fast-paced animation style and bold typography. The template would be perfect for a corporate video presentation and includes full color control as well as editable text layers.

Conclusion

Adding a slideshow to the beginning of your video can be a great way to give a preview of what you will talk about in the video. You can also use slideshows in the middle of the video to introduce a new segment or as a personal collage of your favorite moments.

This collection is a great starting point that you can use as an inspiration or to find the perfect After Effects slideshow template for your project.

The post 10 Free Slideshow & Gallery Templates for Adobe After Effects in 2021 appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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If you want to appeal to a wider audience, putting together a brochure can really help. And what better way to create a brochure than by using free brochure templates for Adobe InDesign?

These templates make it so easy to promote your business, services, or products — or even just spread valuable information — without having to go through the hassle of creating a template or brochure from scratch.

The ease-of-use factor, plus the convenience of just having to fill in blank fields, is what really pushes these InDesign templates over the top.

So go ahead and check out this collection of free brochure templates for Adobe InDesign. You’re certain to find something that suits your company or project.

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You might also like… Free InDesign Proposal Templates, Free InDesign Resume Templates, Free Portfolio & Lookbook InDesign Templates and Free Magazine & Editorial InDesign Templates.

Corporate Bi-Fold InDesign Brochure Template

The Bi-Fold Corporate InDesign template is an excellent choice for those looking for fast results with minimal edits required. It’s built professionally with a fully-layered design and it can be used for multiple purposes. And since it’s easy to add custom text and images, you can export this template to a high-quality PDF in a matter of minutes.

Interior Design Brochure Template (Envato Elements)

With an easy-to-customize layout and eye-catching sample imagery, the Interior Design Brochure Template provides all the standard features you’d expect from a professional brochure: 30mm bleed, A4 & US Letter sizes, and free font and icon font support while maintaining a modern edge. Drag and drop photos to 12 custom pages.

Soft & Clean Square InDesign Brochure Template

If you’re looking to keep your brochure’s design clean and simple, the Soft and Clean Square InDesign Brochure Template ought to do the trick. Add a custom logo and text to 8-full color pages. The perfect choice for corporate brochures that need to stand out from the rest.

Stylish Fashion Lookbook Brochure (Envato Elements)

The Stylish Fashion Lookbook Brochure Template has a delicate air of sophistication without being overstated. This template is deal for fashion spreads thanks to a generous 14-page design, well-organized layers, and 1-click color changes. It’s print-ready and immediately elevates your content.

Colorful Tri-Fold Brochure Template (Envato Elements)

Your nursery, preschool, after school activity, or playgroup will thrive with this brochure template. Though designed with marketed to parents in mind, this brochure template is a colorful trifold that could be used for a brochure in any industry that requires a striking design and pops of color.

Tri-Fold Hotel InDesign Brochure Template

Promote a bed and breakfast, a hotel, or a weekend getaway with this Tri-Fold Hotel InDesign Brochure Template. This template is easy to customize. Just drag-and-drop in your photos, add your text, swap out colors, and you’ll be good to go. It also comes with the Cardo-Regular font, and has been adapted for use in massage and salon service industries as well.

Bi-Fold Business Brochure Template (Envato Elements)

This elegant and modern bifold brochure is perfect for any corporate setting, which covers a wide range of businesses. It’s also recommended for publishing and annual reports. Even company profiles can make use of this template. It has just two page designs but sometimes that’s all you need to get the job done. Sometimes, simple is better, and this brochure template does simple well.

Futuristic Event Posters Set for InDesign

What a cool design this template offers! The Futuristic Event Posters Set for InDesign can be adapted for brochures easily and is easy-to-edit and customize with your own text and images on the fly. It sports an A3, tabloid layout, is fully print-ready, and can make any event or announcement more than stand out.

InDesign Product Brochure Template

If you have a specific product you want to promote and catch attention for, this InDesign Product Brochure Template will do the job and then some. This free offering offers a four-page layout with three content pages and front and rear designs. It’s simple, yet bold, allowing for full-page photography and/or pull quotes.

Blue Business Brochure Layout (Envato Elements)

What a lovely template this is! The Blue Business Brochure Layout template is subdued and cool, yet absolutely ready to showcase your latest endeavor, promotion, or work. It’s easy to rearrange things as you see fit to accommodate your images and text. And it comes with 12 unique pages, so you’re certain to find a configuration that works for you.

Green Swirls Tri-Fold Menu/Brochure Template

This template is stylish and free-flowing, perfect for naturally-inclined businesses, restaurants, spas, and more. This is perfect for highlight menus or menus of services in a succinct way that gets your point across without overwhelming readers. Think brochures you get for local restaurants on your screen door — only better.

InDesign Industry Trifold Brochure Template

For corporate or industry-based businesses (like coal, oil, or electrical companies) this brochure template will fit the bill. Its simple trifold layout makes it easy to present info about your business in a succinct way, but still offers enough details to engage. Everything is fully customizable and it’s print-ready.

InDesign Tri-Fold Brochure Template

Promote your travel agency, booking agency, or time-share with this travel-inspired trifold brochure template. It can be used for any industry, really, and offers appealing vector images as a part of the deal. This free template can be customized easily and is ready-to-print as soon as you’re done designing.

Retro Christmas Brochure Template

When the festive time is upon us, sometimes it’s nice to embrace it whole-heartedly in your business promotions. This Retro Christmas Brochure Template is great for promoting flash sales, or for simply adding a retro holiday touch to any company’s products, services, or other offerings. This brochure template is print-ready and can be modified to suit any business.

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So you see? There are plenty of brochure template options here to help you put together a stunning brochure no matter the industry you’re in. This collection of freebies are so good you can professionally present your company with ease. Which is just pretty great, if you ask us.

The post 10 Free Beautifully Designed Brochure Templates for Adobe InDesign appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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Gravity Forms is one of the most versatile WordPress plugins out there. Yes, it creates forms – and quite well. But its capabilities go well beyond your standard contact form.

A default installation of this commercial plugin can add all manner of conditional logic. That’s pretty powerful in itself. However, throw in the many available add-on plugins, and you have nearly endless possibilities.

Add-ons bring extra functionality to Gravity Forms. You can use them to take online payments, allow users to create an account, run surveys, generate PDF files, and a whole lot more. Really, that’s just the beginning of what can be accomplished.

Today, we’ll introduce you to some free and commercially available plugins that help turn Gravity Forms (and your website) into a feature-packed powerhouse.

Gravity Forms Zero Spam

If you have contact forms on your website, you also have spam. But mitigating this annoyance is easy with Gravity Forms Zero Spam. The plugin has no settings – simply install and activate to start blocking junk mail. It also plays nicely with other spam repellants such as reCAPTCHA.

Gravity Forms Entries in Excel

By default, Gravity Forms will export form entries in CSV format. But that’s not necessarily what you’ll always want. Plus, a site administrator has to be the one to perform the export. Gravity Forms Entries in Excel adds the flexibility of exporting to a more visually friendly Excel format and adding a secure link where others can directly access the generated file.

Event Tracking for Gravity Forms

Want to get more in-depth detail of how your forms are performing? Event Tracking for Gravity Forms ties in various form events with Google Analytics, among other similar programs. The result is that you can more easily track conversions. As a bonus, there are a number of helpful videos that demonstrate how to set it all up.

Gravity PDF

Imagine being able to take a user’s form entry and turn it into a personalized, branded PDF. That’s exactly what Gravity PDF can do. Add your logo, use custom fonts and even email the file directly to users. And, with the use of premium extensions, you’ll gain access to more file templates, the ability to watermark your documents and more.

Gravity Forms CLI Add-On

Administering WordPress via the command line allows for both power and efficiency. Gravity Forms CLI Add-On is an official extension that simply adds forms to the mix. Use it to manage forms and entries in pretty much the same way as you would in the WordPress back end. You can even use it to install other official add-ons.

GravityView

GravityView is a suite of commercial add-ons that enables form entry data on the front end of your website. For instance, if users register for accounts via Gravity Forms, you could use this plugin to allow them to edit their profile data. From there, you can track changes to those profiles or perhaps plot addresses on a Google Map. And this is only scratching the surface of what’s possible.

GravityWP – CSS Selector

Gravity Forms includes a number of helpful CSS “Ready” Classes that allow for more control over field layout. However, you must manually look up (or memorize) these classes and then add them into a field’s settings for them to take effect. GravityWP – CSS Selector takes the guesswork out of the process by allowing you to select from a handy listing of classes, thus saving loads of time.

GravityPerks

Rounding out our list is GravityPerks, a commercial suite of over 30 “Perks” or add-ons that bring some seriously cool functionality to your forms. There are perks for all manner of functions, such as limiting the number of entries (or times a multiple-choice option can be selected), adding word counts to fields, the ability to email everyone who has submitted a particular form, and a lot more. If you require some niche functionality, look here first.

Give Gravity a Boost

Two things really make Gravity Forms stand out as special. First, it offers some outstanding features right out of the box. Second, the plugin is built with extensibility in mind.

This has led to a community of both official and third-party add-ons that enable web designers to implement some mind-blowing functionality with minimal effort.

While Gravity Forms itself and some add-ons do cost money, it should still fit within even the smallest budgets. And for the number of powerful features you can add to your site, it’s well worth the investment.

The post The Top Add-Ons for the Gravity Forms WordPress Plugin appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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https://www.1clanek.info/?p=1144

There’s a lot of talk about specialization in the web design industry. The idea is to focus on a specific type of clientele, tool, or project.

That means different things to different people. For some, it may entail building websites only with a content management system (CMS) like WordPress. Others may tailor their services to attract clients within a specific industry, such as medical or non-profit organizations.

One of the benefits of this singular focus is that a designer can gain an understanding of industry-specific needs and challenges. From there, it’s theoretically possible to offer a more customized (and profitable) experience than someone who works as a jack-of-all-trades. That expertise becomes attractive to clients and, before you know it, you become a go-to source for solutions.

Running this type of web design business is not without pitfalls, however. Success isn’t guaranteed. And, if you’re focusing on a specific industry, establishing credibility can be difficult.

Let’s take a look at the risks, benefits, and challenges of having a singular focus. Along the way, we’ll hear from a web designer who’s taken the plunge.

An Opportunity to Follow Your Passion

While money is always a consideration in business, it’s not necessarily the best reason to pursue a niche. A passion for the type of work you do and the people you work with is a better place to start. It’s more likely to lead you in the right direction and fuel growth.

For web designer Tara Claeys, her passion led to a realization. As she puts it, “I realized my favorite projects and clients were all education/school and non-profit organizations. I decided to go all-in and announce that I would only be working with this type of client from that point forward…”

And the goals for her new venture were simple: “I hoped this would make it easier to say ‘no’ to projects that I didn’t want to do… and over time would establish that I was a ‘go to’ for my niche”.

When you follow your passion, you’re more likely to put in the necessary groundwork – and do so happily. That could result in more in-depth knowledge and experience. It’s something you’ll want to share with every client.

That approach can put you on the fast track to both personal fulfillment and financial success.

An Uphill Climb to Visibility

Deciding to jump into a niche with both feet is a calculated risk. It can take time to build your brand. Meanwhile, lucrative projects outside of your new specialty may feel like missed opportunities.

If you don’t hit the ground running, the possibility of financial strain is real. Thus, it’s tempting to take on those other projects. It’s an understandable decision, but one with a slippery slope. The danger is in becoming too busy to go for the projects you want.

One of the big challenges is in establishing a footprint. This is especially difficult in sectors where there is a lot of competition. It may take several projects and some word-of-mouth to make a name for yourself.

This was something Claeys experienced. She notes that her greatest difficulty was “getting my name out in the industry as an expert/becoming known and trusted.”

Even if you have vast experience in building a specific type of website, there’s a lot of time and effort required to be seen as an authority. Building a portfolio of successful projects is important, but only part of the process.

The other half of the equation is in sharing what you know. Things like writing blog posts, speaking at industry events, and networking can help. It can be a lot of extra work but will introduce you to people within the areas you want to target.

That’s opposed to another popular tactic – cold-calling potential clients. For Claeys, “That was a waste of time and energy.” Indeed, it may be more effective to establish an identity and encourage people to come to you.

When Your Business Reflects Who You Are

You’ve put in the hard work and things have taken off. Now what? Claeys tells us that the rewards have been numerous.

“…I have loved every project I have taken on and have developed and enhanced a process to serve school and non-profit clients. It is easier to close sales because I am passionate and an ‘expert’”. In addition, this niche focus allows her to more easily identify potential clients.

And perhaps those are the best reasons to become a specialist. The chance to utilize your talents on projects you love sounds very compelling.

Still, it may not be for everyone – and that’s OK. Taking a broader approach to your career and business can be profitable and satisfying. A variety of projects can also be a great way to learn, after all.

But for those with a passion, specialization has some fantastic benefits. Tara Claeys is an example of how to make it a reality.

Thanks to Tara Claeys for sharing her experiences with us!

The post Behind the Scenes: Having a Singular Focus for Your Web Design Business appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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In today’s freelancing climate, one of the best things you can do in terms of marketing yourself is to think in what I like to call “Test Terms.”

What does this mean? When a food company is developing a new product to release into the market, they don’t simply travel in a straight line from recipe to manufacturing to stocking the shelves at the grocery store. What happens is they perform a series of tests, which allow them to tweak their product until it gets just the right kind of response they’re looking for.

As a designer, it’s eminently possible to plan out a system that allows you to do the same thing, with similar results. However, many people remain stuck on one method of promotion, believing they’re too busy working to devote too much time to marketing themselves.

But the sad paradox of that belief is that, by not adjusting the way they market themselves, these freelance designers will always be too busy scraping by. They’re not getting the exposure they need to be choosier about the types of jobs they can take on, because the only jobs available are the ones that limited exposure gets them.

Everyone Tests Everything

One of the best ways to test consumers’ reactions to new food products is to get their direct feedback. Starting with just one local area, a company will test out a variety of different approaches to everything about the product. And I mean everything.

Do people in this small town like the taste of this new product, or do they hate it? If they hate it, it’s back to the test kitchens to improve the recipe. Are they repelled by the packaging?

Get that designer back in here – time to revise! Are the ads falling flat? Well, you get the idea.

Every tiny detail of this new product gets tested and re-tested, adjusted and refined wherever needed. After they’ve made enough improvements that people are now responding well to the product, it’s time to take it to a new area. This process gets repeated again and again until there’s a hugely positive response and people are stockpiling the new food item like they’re preparing for Armageddon.

A similar process happens, by the way, in the movie business, the government (think road signs or jury duty summonses aren’t tested? Think again), and other consumer industries like toys and games.

Testing is a proven strategy to improving a product’s chances of success, and as a designer, you can very easily start taking advantage of some of these sophisticated testing methods to place yourself practically in the lap of your most desired clients. Of course, you can and do test your approaches to design, but trying out new ways of marketing is easier to implement in your regular schedule than you might think.

Sharpen Your Pencils

Start with your main marketing approach, which might be your website, your business card, your cover letter, or your resume. How well does this approach work for you? Are the clients beating down your door, or is something not quite working the way it’s supposed to?

If you regularly hand out business cards at networking events, are they completely up to date? Do they display the important information clearly? Are you giving them to the right people? That last one is an important detail that many creative freelancers miss.

Business cards are practically useless if you don’t use them properly. At a networking event, the people you typically end up chatting with aren’t people who can provide you with tons of high-quality work.

They’re people just like you – struggling entrepreneurs who need services on the cheap. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work with these people, but it’s important to keep in mind the overall value of a client when you’re passing out those expensive business cards.

How good of a return on your investment will you be getting? Test out handing your business card to a different sort of person than you ordinarily would, and see what type of response you get.

In a similar way, your website may or may not be bringing you the steady stream of work that it could be. You may be the most brilliant, multifaceted designer the world has ever seen, and yet if no one knows about your work, you might as well be invisible.

The real key to getting better quality clients is not to put as much of your work “out there” as you possibly can. It’s making sure that the work you’ve done is being seen by the maximum number of eyeballs.

In the design world, the best way to do this, in my opinion, is by doing a personal side project that you really love and are passionate about.

The Gold Standard Of Eating

It turns out that as a designer operating a business as a freelancer, you should be adjusting everything you do to market yourself – all the time.

What do I mean by adjusting? In many restaurants, well before the rush of customers comes in, chefs create something called a Gold Standard, a single plate that sets the, well, standard for all the plates the kitchen will produce for that day.

It’s such an important part of the culinary process that the plates used in most restaurants – the ones you eat your main course on – are known as Gold Standard Plates.

The original Gold Standard is a test plate – any changes to the dish are tried out there first. If something is off about the flavor, the ingredients, or the arrangement of the items, the Gold Standard will be the laboratory where those things can be tweaked.

As a designer, incorporating a similar philosophy will be helpful in streamlining your marketing process. Creating your own “Gold Standard” of promotion will allow you to make quick adjustments locally, to one portion of your marketing campaign, before you roll out those changes to everything else.

Whether it’s your website’s analytics, your business card, or your resume, zoom in on one single marketing material and find out what works and what doesn’t.

Usually the information you learn is transferable to other parts of your marketing package, and you may even discover that one or more of your marketing materials are unnecessary.

You definitely need to have a website if you design them for a living, but what about business cards? A CV? Social media? How well are these things really working to directly deliver you the clients you want?

Different types of clients care about different things. Maybe your clients don’t care so much about your resume, but they would really love to read your personal blog or Twitter updates. Other clients might be the exact opposite – it’s essential to know your market and be able to provide them the proof they’re looking for that tells them you’re the designer for the job.

The post Testing Your Marketing Efforts as a Freelancer Designer appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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