Photoshop Skeleton - The Basics

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:58:09 GMT

Automation and template processes are a computer user’s best friend. What’s the point of recreating the basis/skeleton of your projects over and over? The same can not only be said for programmers and developers, but for designers as well. In the next couple weeks, I will provide links to template files I use myself day in and day out. This week, we’ll take a look at Photoshop.

These ideas aren’t anything new, but hopefully could help others who are always looking for some help in speeding up the prototyping process. Make sure to turn on the guides to see the grid structure I utilize when designing for 800x600 and 1024x768 screen resolutions. Also, you will see the folder structure I use for the layers. It basically follows the standard components for a website layout, ranging from the header, body and footer.I developed these Photoshop files in CS2.

PSD Template - 800x600 (with a 750 safe zone)

PSD Template - 1024x768 (with a 960 safe zone)

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Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:59:48 GMT

I recently came across an article from Inc.com entitled "Turning Browsers Into Buyers" that addresses two websites that went through redesigns to boost their ability to turn more of their visitors into actual buyers. In it, they explain some crucial key points that I always try to always keep in mind when designing for our clients. Some favorite points of mine were:

Explain What You Do
Make The Call To Action Clear
Make It Easy For Customers To Buy
Remove Clutter

The web design industry and the technology around it are always evolving, and this article reminds us to always keep these essential goals in mind as they can easily be forgotten in the site creation process. Without achieving these basic goals, your site may already be doomed.

blogs.matrixwebs.com

Photoshop Skeleton - The Basics

Boost Conversion Rates