Fudgegraphics | for lovers » Web

Fudgegraphics gets a facelift (v7)

Franz Jeitz — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:01:31 +0000

It’s been a long time coming, 18 months to be precise, Fudgegraphics presents itself with a shiny new look. Those following me on Twitter or checking what I’m up to on Dribbble will know that I’ve been working on this new design for quite a while now. As every designer will tell you: You Are Your Worst Client! I knew that, which is why I never predicted an exact release date. It would be ready when it’s ready. That time is now.

Why get a new design? Why re-design instead of re-align?

The simple answer is: I got bored of the old one and didn’t think that it reflected my personality anymore. Long before I started with the webdesign work (you know, sketching, researching and all that) I made the decision to update my logo. This turned out to be the hardest job ever. Over the years this blog has gained a loyal fanbase and coming up with a new brand image is never an easy task (Gap anyone?). For months I’ve been working on different designs in Illustrator, only to come back a few weeks later not to like it anymore.

The main aim was for the logo to be:

recognizable
effective in both gray scale and colour
heavy typography-based
having that vintage touch
flexible

So here we are. See below the final evolution of the brand spanking new Fudgegraphics logo.

Once set on the logo it became clear that this should be the main focal point of site, resulting in a rather minimal design.

What’s new then?

The first thing returning visitors will notice is that the site is dark now. While this isn’t as text-friendly as a light website the decision to use it nonetheless was based on the fact that most articles on the blog are highly visual. There have never been long discussion-type articles (apart from this one) and as such the dark colour scheme didn’t raise much concern.

The other major change is that the post excerpts now sport thumbnails. There’s still a few posts which haven’t been updated with their own featured image. As you can image this is a tedious task.

In terms of general layout, not much has changed. It still uses a right-aligned sidebar, horizontal navigation and the icon blogroll in the footer. I was always happy with the general layout and didn’t want to confuse visitors too much.

No design blog re-design would be complete without a custom 404 page. Here’s mine (hopefully this is the only time you will see this page).

Under the Hood:

These tools were used to design and develop the site:

Pencil and paper
Adobe Illustrator CS5
Adobe Photoshop CS5
Coda (by Panic)
Firebug (Firefox plugin)

Fudgegraphics is powered by WordPress and uses the HTML5 Doctype as well as some fancy CSS3 properties.

Final Words

I hope you enjoyed the look behind the scene of the new design. Should you encounter any bugs then please let me know and I’ll do my best to fix them promptly. All other suggestions are welcome too.

Best April Fool Jokes on the Web

Franz Jeitz — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:01:02 +0000

As a kid I always loved the 1st of April and all the jokes that come with it. What changed between then and now? Well, nothing really. Except, rather than coming up with my own pranks I decided to feature the best online April Fool Jokes of 2010. I’m sure this is only the tip of the iceberg, so please leave a comment and share your favourite joke this year. One thing is for certain though: Google are king when it comes to April Fools.

Click the images to view the articles in its entity. Note that some of them might be removed after April 1st.

Youtube introduces TEXTp:

Wife Selling featured on Wikipedia:

Yahoo News launches Prescription Windscreen:

Macworld claims Apple is dropping Macs:

Thinkgeek introduces iCade for the iPad:

Google launches Translate for Animals:

Google changes name to Topeka:

Google Streetview now available in 3D:

Envato launches of GIFtuts+:

Buckingham Palace for Sale on Young London:

Outstanding Myspace Music Profile Designs + CSS Cheat Sheet

Franz Jeitz — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:32:56 +0000

Myspace’s time as leading personal social website are long over with the likes of Facebook and Twitter taking over. However when it comes to music it is still the most popular service for bands to promote themselves and interact with fans. While the standard design is very dull and cluttered at best there are ways to make a myspace music page look great. In this post I have compiled the most gorgeous myspace designs for your inspiration. There’s many more out there. So feel free to link to your favourite myspace in the comments below.

Myspace Music Profiles designed by Fudgegraphics:

Myspace Music Profile Cheat Sheet:

Anyone who’s ever tried to customize a myspace page knows that it is not as straightworfard as knowing some HTML and CSS. So as a bonus I made the myspace music profile cheat sheet for you to download. It features the most common CSS selectors to style individual titles, change the background image and add a custom header.

Download CSS Cheat Sheet:

contains 1 .pdf file, 113 Kb

Anniversary Series: Fudgegraphics Turns One

Franz Jeitz — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:11:09 +0000

A little over a year ago fudgegraphics was born. In order to celebrate this special birthday I will start the Anniversary Series. During the next couple weeks you can expect different roundup posts of all the different freebies available on fudgegraphics, the master collection of all featured artists and I will give you an insight into the journey which has been this blog. Another article will concentrate on the future of fudgegraphics. At the end there will be a massive giveaway. I am still looking for sponsors and I would love to have you on board. So please get in touch if you’re interested.

Due to exams I cannot give a definite schedule of all the different posts. Rest assured though that I will do my best to publish the articles as soon as possible. I recommend you subscribe to my RSS feed. This way you won’t miss anything.

Last but not least I want to say thank you. Thank you to all of my regular and new readers, thanks for leaving comments and posting your designs in the fudgegraphics Flickr group. Thank you to my sponsors! And a huge thank you goes out to the whole design community which inspires and supports me.

Happy Birthday!

Why You Should Subscribe to Fudgegraphics

Franz Jeitz — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:03:53 +0000

In an attempt to get more subscribers I’m trying to do it the in-your-face way with a huge RSS button. For those who are already subscribed to fudgegraphics: well done! For those who haven’t signed up yet let me tell you why you should do so:

It’s completely free
You will never miss a post or freebie again
You get full feeds on fudgegraphics not just excerpts
Read the updates in your favourite feed reader or get them via e-mail
It saves you time

If you’re new to RSS feeds don’t fear it’s really easy to set up. Either download one of many desktop based readers such as NetNewsWire or open a Google Reader Account which you can access anytime and anywhere. Alternatively you can subscribe for e-mail updates.

Make sure to visit Colorburned’s 127 RSS Feeds that all designers should subscribe to.

2nd Showcase of the Fudgegraphics Flickr Group

Franz Jeitz — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:39:48 +0000

With over 100 members in the Fudgegraphics User Showcase Flickr Group it is time for another roundup. I hand picked my favourite designs submitted which I want to show you now. If you wish to be featured in a future showcase all you need to do is join the group. Thank you very much to all the members and their inspirational designs. This article is for you!

News: Fubiz Redesign

Franz Jeitz — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:28:29 +0000

Fubiz.net was one of the first blogs I subscribed to when I got into the designer blogging world. It is run by Romain and offers the latest inspirational designs and videos. The content is available in French and English. And did I see they are an infinite source of inspiration? Usually I would not write about a site redesign, unless it is this site of course, but this time I make an exception. First of all the new look is gorgeous. Secondly the way the new design is presented is incredible. Instead of showing simple screenshots of the new vs. old site they made a video. This is an original and creative concept that I had to share it with you. So here goes:

2 Interviews on Phire Design

Franz Jeitz — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:09:06 +0000

AJ from Phire Design started a new series of interviews and I am happy to announce that I’m part of it. The first interview investigates how different people blog while the second one looks into how freelance designers manage their time and assets. It is a very interesting read. Some of the people who contributed are: Adelle Charles (Fuel Your Creativity), Jacob Cass (Just Creative Design), Andrew Houle (My Ink Blog), Calvin Lee (Mayhem Studios), Grant Friedman (Colourburned) and Brian Lovin (Elite By Design). I feel honoured to be amongst those great designers/bloggers. If everything goes to plan I will be a regular in the upcoming interview. The next one is supposed investigate the different Twitter routines. Here are the links for the first to interviews:

How Do You Blog?

How Do You Manage?

Artists’ Tea and Coffee Appreciation Group on Flickr

Franz Jeitz — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:54:17 +0000

I’m a self-diagnosed tea and coffee addict and I am not ashamed about it. I know that many artists, be they designers, musicians, photographers or other got the same problem. Without our daily dose of cafeine we just don’t function. In order not to be alone with that burden I decided to open a flickr group where I invite you all to post your “I-drink-tea/coffee-self-portraits“. I believe this is a nice way to get to know each other a bit better. After all we’re a big and happy family. Join the Artists’s Tea/Coffee Appreciation Group now.

Please update the feed

Franz Jeitz — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:23:37 +0000

I am very sorry for this post. During the technical difficulties fudgegraphics suffered from last week the feed address got lost. Please make sure you are subscribed to the feedburner feed. Thank you very much!