Would HOW Choose You?

HOW Magazine's Top 10 Websites for Designers for the month of October might inspire the design of your personal website, assure you that you're on the right track, or perhaps persuade you to redesign.

Device Resolution Aid

When designing for the screen there are so many device resolutions and screen sizes to take into account. Is it a hand-held mobile device, a 15' desk-top monitor, or a high-definition tv screen? Managing devices, screens, aspect ratios and bit depths can push the border-line sane right over the edge. Punchcut has graciously shared their toolset for managing screen resolutions - for free!

Freedom from HTML Fonts

The font choices for web design have gotten a lot more expansive, thanks to services from companies like Fontdeck, Webtype, WebInk, Web Fonts, and Typekit. These companies provide an online library which is accessed by brief snippets of code, provided when you pay to use the service. How's technology columnist, Stephen Beale, provides a review of the five services mentioned above in his article "Technology Review: Web Font Services".

The HTML5 family (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SVG and others) is making strides to push Flash out of the picture. You can stylize fonts without adding images, create photo galleries that don't require a third-party plug-in, incorporate 360 degree elements, integrate video right into your code, and a host of other things that make your HTML site appear very Flash-like. Apple, Google and Microsoft have created extensive showcases about what HTML5 can do for you. Don't get too excited though, according to David Bliss of odopod "Right now, Flash remains the better choice for rich, immersive experiences."

Bye Bye Lorem ipsum

Goodbye Lorem ipsum, hello Fillerati! A brain-pleasing alternative to meaningless filler text, Fillerati is a site that allows designers to pick an author, and a selected piece of work, then create paragraphs, headers, lists, or just a few words to use as placeholders in works in the making.

Samarai Style Interactive

The web sites for Morimoto and Buddakan restaurants take Asian cuisine to a new level through their design. Buddakan elegantly joins separate images from the restaurant architecture and the cuisine to create sophisticated pairs that also feature text floating into the frame on rollovers. Morimoto, on the other hand, jumps onto the screen on entry using imagery sliced and diced like sushi with New York cabs, traffic lights and crab legs mixed in. Thanks to Gigi Gregg for these links!

Women of Design

Inspiring web site which showcases and promotes the new book "Women of Design". The book divides women designers into three categories: Trailblazers, Pathfinders and Groudbreakers and the site features a sidebar with links to each of the designer's web sites. Also featured are a few spreads from the book.

Party on the Catalog

Check out this interactive piece HEMA from the Netherlands. Just be patient and what appears to be an online catalog will begin to transform... very clever!