I would like to personally wish every visitor, reader, subscriber, webmaster, and every person that visits this blog a very merry and blessed Christmas. Christmas is that time of the year when we are not just greatful for the things we receive, but that time of the year in which we are thankful for all the goodness that has come to us and for Jesus Christ who was born to help and save us.

I’m not someone who tries to force my beliefs on others, but I can say that looking back on this past year, only with help from above has it been possible for the things to happen this year tha have happened.

Whether you celebrate Christmas on December 25th, January 7th, or don’t celebrate it at all, I would like everyone to look back at their year of life that will never be relived and think about all the blessings that you’ve had this year and thank God for them all.

Merry Christmas!

Popularity: 30% [?]

Link baiting is a great way to boost your site and BigOak SEO Blog has done something that is not only hilarious and clever, but also is a great example of link baiting in action.

Check it out here and give it a Digg or Stumble!

Popularity: 52% [?]

Woow! It’s been a long while since I’ve posted on this blog, and there’s obviously a lot of excuses and news on why that’s been which I might just share in these upcoming posts.

For now though, I would like to wish everyone a happy and joyous Thanksgiving so remember to give thanks to God for everything including the fact that you’re still alive, well, and have a chance to finally see another post!

For those who are working on Thaksgiving, shame on you!

Popularity: 47% [?]

Fantastic designs and talented designers just keep pouring in! Check out this week’s 5 that we think deserve the applause.

In no particular order,

Author: Hugo Louroza

Why We Like the Design:
Green and brown have never looked so good together. This designer has put together a work of art that truly encompasses the power of design.

Author: Jelena Masic

Why We Like the Design:
When referring to brandable designs, this is one that is guaranteed to be brandable. Fantastic usage of colors, fonts, and layout!

Author: Project Drawing

Why We Like the Design:
Once in a while we think a business card or stationary is deserving enough to be listed here. Perfectly designed business cards are crucial to giving your business that first impression, and in our opinion, Project Drawing has done just that.

Author: Mladen Simic

Why We Like the Design:
Too often we choose designs that are brandable and outstanding, but we forget that we do work the majority of the time in a web world and there are times when all we need is something simple and elegant. Mladen has created a simple chemistry with this logo that we truly think will serve to its fullest potential in its field.

Author: Dennis Centeno

Why We Like the Design:
This week we discussed how complementary colors work and this is a fantastic example of the fact in action. Simply said, the colors used with an addition of some nice design skills, this design embarks excellence in action.

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All designs are displayed with permission from the respective owners.

Popularity: 93% [?]

In the post on color theory, What Everybody Ought to Know About Colors, we discussed in detail how colors vary by type, how they work together, and how colors fit very well on what we know as the color wheel.

In this segment, you’ll realize the importance of color knowledge in your graphic and web design sphere. Most of what is discussed below is used in Photoshop color management and image manipulation schemas.

The Basics of Color Theory

Hue

When you look at an object that has color, you ask “What color is that?” Colors come from various wavelengths of light and hue is what defines each unique wavelength. In other words, hue represents different colors. We can have hues of red, orange, green, yellow, blue, and violet.  The ‘H’ in the diagram below represents all of the various hues in the visible color spectrum.

Saturation

You’ll notice in the above diagram there is another variable represented by an ‘S’. This is also known as the saturation. Most of you probably get an idea what saturation does. If you’ve played around in Photoshop, you can saturate or desaturate an image based on your preferences. Referring to the diagram above, when you change an images saturation, you’re also changing the diameter of the hue which is what causes the image to go from full color to grayscale.

Value

The ‘V’ represented in the diagram above tells how much of Red, Green, and Blue to use in the color. In other words, value is also the brightness of color. Values 255,255,255 will create the color white (#FFFFFF). The combination of Hue, Saturation, and Value make up the HSV model used to create a three-dimensional view of color.

Luminosity

Luminosity is also known as how bright a color is.

How it Works in Design

The following diagram shows you how Photoshop and other digital software allow you to use what we’ve just covered:

You see above that we have all the parts we’ve discussed: Hue, Saturation, Luminosity. Photoshop even allows you to create color based on whether you prefer the HSB(V), RGB, or the CMYK models.

In part II of this lesson, we will cover Chroma, Tint, Colorfulness, Shade, Intensity, and other color manipulation techniques.

Popularity: 91% [?]

I am now running out of things to say every time I see great designs, so once again, these great designers deserve a thumbs up for their fantastic work:

In no particular order,

Author: Holly Morse

Why We Like The Design: The desaturated tone really reflects who this design was made for as well as gives the logo an authentic signature look. Truly a design worth featuring!

Author: Vasile Neacs

Why We Like the Design:
It seems that we have a thing for simple designs. What makes this design outstanding is the fact that it reflects its goal and audience. With the latest web trends a nice web page design will definitely reflect upon this company’s success.

Author: Brian Tom

Why We Like This Design:
Brian is simply an amazing designer. This isn’t the first time he’s been featured (here) and everyone should definitely check out more of his work. This logo is a fantastic reflection of his skill and passion. Keep it up buddy!

Author: Matt Palmateer

Why We Like This Design:
This author is a talented artist. This sketch is quirky, interesting, and attractive. Moreover, it is straight to the point. That’s how all designs should be.

Author: Nick B.

Why We Like the Design:
Last time I checked fire and vanilla were not very compatible with each other, but give it up to this designer for making the impossible possible. Its these designers that can make two completely opposite things look good together that really have the talent in the design world.

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All designs are displayed with permission from the respective owners.

Popularity: 100% [?]