Tutorial Tuesdays – How to Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination is a forever part of life. Like it or not it is here to stay with us whether you are a designer or not. If one thing, almost everybody is procrastinating in one way or another. Ironic as it may seem reading this post only shows that you are searching for ways on how to stop procrastinating while procrastinating.

 
In our efforts to find out ways on how to stop procrastinating, let us review some interesting facts about procrastination to further deepen our understanding about it. One fact is that there are about 20% of Americans who are admittedly chronic procrastinators. Other than that procrastinators are often the best liars especially with themselves. They often lie about the importance of task deeming it as unimportant and easy which makes it not too difficult for them to reason out why they are just going to do it the next day. Last interesting fact is that there are three types of procrastinators according to Joseph Ferrari Ph. D., one is the Arousal type, these are the type who get the rush when cramming on a task. Second are the Avoiders, these are the types who fear failing and would rather excuse themselves in doing a task. Lastly is the Decisional, they are the ones who cannot decide which task should be tackled first or how how will they tackle the task at hand.

In this edition of Tutorial Tuesdays, we will move a bit from the usual tutorial rundown to showcase to you guys some amazing and insightful videos that can help you combat procrastination and turn it around with these amazing videos.

How to Stop Procrastinating

 


 

Vik Nithy’s is one person that you should watch, apart from being able to start 3 companies before reaching the age of 21. In such a young age it is very interesting to hear what he has to say on why do people procrastinate and how to tackle procrastination.


 

AsapSCIENCE explains to us what procrastination and the science behind it. They also introduced the idea of using the Pomodoro technique in order to win over procrastination.


 

Funny and very thoughtful, Wellcast has made a tongue and cheek approach in procrastination. The video also talked about 3 simple but effective ways on how one can beat procrastination.


 

In this lengthy but thoughtful video, Stefan Molyneux offers some very interesting points on why do we procrastinate and tips on how to stop procrastinating.


 
Are you guys feeling ready to work after this post? Tell us what are your ways in dealing with procrastination and how you turn it around in the comments section below. Follow us out in FacebookTwitter, Pinterest and Google+ also do subscribe to get your latest dose of design news, tutorials and inspiration.

Looking for a library of high-quality print templates? The search is over! Hit the link and get high-quality print templates here for free!

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Tutorial Tuesdays – How to Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination is a forever part of life. Like it or not it is here to stay with us whether you are a designer or not. If one thing, almost everybody is procrastinating in one way or another. Ironic as it may seem reading this post only shows that you are searching for ways on how to stop procrastinating while procrastinating.

 
In our efforts to find out ways on how to stop procrastinating, let us review some interesting facts about procrastination to further deepen our understanding about it. One fact is that there are about 20% of Americans who are admittedly chronic procrastinators. Other than that procrastinators are often the best liars especially with themselves. They often lie about the importance of task deeming it as unimportant and easy which makes it not too difficult for them to reason out why they are just going to do it the next day. Last interesting fact is that there are three types of procrastinators according to Joseph Ferrari Ph. D., one is the Arousal type, these are the type who get the rush when cramming on a task. Second are the Avoiders, these are the types who fear failing and would rather excuse themselves in doing a task. Lastly is the Decisional, they are the ones who cannot decide which task should be tackled first or how how will they tackle the task at hand.

In this edition of Tutorial Tuesdays, we will move a bit from the usual tutorial rundown to showcase to you guys some amazing and insightful videos that can help you combat procrastination and turn it around with these amazing videos.

How to Stop Procrastinating

 


 

Vik Nithy’s is one person that you should watch, apart from being able to start 3 companies before reaching the age of 21. In such a young age it is very interesting to hear what he has to say on why do people procrastinate and how to tackle procrastination.


 

AsapSCIENCE explains to us what procrastination and the science behind it. They also introduced the idea of using the Pomodoro technique in order to win over procrastination.


 

Funny and very thoughtful, Wellcast has made a tongue and cheek approach in procrastination. The video also talked about 3 simple but effective ways on how one can beat procrastination.


 

In this lengthy but thoughtful video, Stefan Molyneux offers some very interesting points on why do we procrastinate and tips on how to stop procrastinating.


 
Are you guys feeling ready to work after this post? Tell us what are your ways in dealing with procrastination and how you turn it around in the comments section below. Follow us out in FacebookTwitter, Pinterest and Google+ also do subscribe to get your latest dose of design news, tutorials and inspiration.

Looking for a library of high-quality print templates? The search is over! Hit the link and get high-quality print templates here for free!

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Upgrade to Better Intuitive, User-Friendly Website with HTML5’s Smart Elements

No web developer or designer likes to build an ill-suited website for its users. A good website is the one which uses thoughtfully layered elements and clear specifications bearing meaningful information. A well-balanced and a good web structure improve the overall experience of the brand and the user many-folds. However, there are some browsers that need to catch up with the latest design elements but gradually the move will standardize the web in the times to come.

Let’s take a look at the 5 HTML5 elements for building smarter, intuitive websites:

 

Tables in Websites

 

Source

 

A table used for creating tables is a visual tool that compresses JPEG files and presents it just like an excel sheet. Thus, there is an underlying problem with Dreamweaver. It lays more emphasis on the visual elements of a website rather than on its content. In other words, it is a misnomer to group it under the WYSIWYG as in reality it is incapable of building highly informational websites. Most websites suffer from this design flaw as they put more importance on color and graphics rather than on content.

 

CSS and Div

 

Source

 

 

A step above the previous use of table for websites, designers had now to learn CSS layouts i.e, the practice of visually placing content without relying on the semantically incorrect table element. The div based layout has been regarded as mark of quality website for years. However, this too suffers from a variety of flaws. The div is used almost every minute by designers to divide and panel their web pages. The div is basically used to prevent content overlaps. However, in practice it is not really capable of this. The reason for this is that the div is, and always has been, a flow content element. No matter how thick its borders are or how dark its background color, it does not stand apart in the structure of the document. Neither, therefore, does its content. Therefore, it is advisable to switch off CSS which is the quickest way to make a Web page responsive, but it’s a good way to see how HTML4 documents are actually worked out.

 

Web Page Headings

 

Source

Headings are nothing but blocks of content and its importance can be determined with the way it is positioned on the page and its actual context. Determining heading level systemically, based on nesting level, is much more dependable because it aids in decision-making: by including the required heading level automatically, we no longer have to decide separately which numbered heading we should include. It effectively prevents us from choosing the wrong heading level, which would be bad for the structure.

 

ARIA

 

 

Source

 

 

With the greater implementation of HTML ARIA enhancements have become a norm for site developers. They offer a range of accessibility-specific features. However, it would be wrong to regard ARIA roles as a substitute for semantic HTML. ARIA landmark roles may be used only once per document only and are essentially shortcuts to sections of the page. While, HTML elements are building blocks that are used in an integrated fashion.

 

Semantics

 

Source

 

 

The main purpose of semantic HTML is for the automated extraction of meaning from content. Applying a private, non-standard id to a div would not improve the semantics of the element. Visitors can’t see it and browsers will ignore it. This is so because divs are semantically inert elements that don’t really do or say anything. Moreover, sections are often termed as semantic equivalent of divs. Some HTML elements can be authentically semantic as they offer a meaning to their contents. Hence, it is not the right thing to term sections as semantic elements. Sections only create assemblies on the web page rather than adding meaning to the piece of information on the web page.

 

In Conclusion

It is imperative for designers to understand that HTML is a language that conveys a comprehensive whole of meaning, content and graphics to the web browsers. While at other times, the context, hierarchy, relative importance and codependence of data are what are needed. This is where suitable syntax, facilitated by sectioning elements, can be employed. Deploying creative and smart sectioning in web elements helps improve HTML structure without compromising on the significant design elements.

 

About the Author

Helen Thomas works for PLAVEB, a company providing HTML5 website development solutions, located in Los Angeles, California. She likes playing baseball with friends and also enjoys painting in her spare time.

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Typography Thursday — Web Apps and People that can Help You Identify Fonts

A problem that we often encounter when we find an attractive font around the world is that we can’t instantly identify it. If you have had typography training or are familiar with different typefaces, good for you; but what about starting out graphic designers or those who lack training in typography? Well, the web is a rich resource for everything graphic design, and here we’ll give you a compilation of websites and people you can contact that can help you with your font problems.

 

Typography Thursday -- Web Apps and People that can Help You Identify Fonts

 

Identify This Font – Reddit.com

 

Reddit is a pretty active website with over hundred thousand active users. Their typography subreddit alone has eighteen thousand subscribers. The subreddit r/identifythisfont is composed of reddit users who are either typographers themselves or enthusiasts well-versed in typography.

 

Web Apps and People that can Help You Identify Fonts

 

If you’re looking for a place to ask for help in identifying fonts, you can post a sample (make sure it’s a good sample though) in r/identifythisfont and wait for a kind soul to reply to your inquiry.

 

What Font Is

 

What Font Is is a webapp where you can upload an image of the typeface you need to identify. It’s an easy to use app – all you have to do is upload an image or provide a link to an image of the font you need to identify. Once you’re done uploading, the WhatFontIs will provide a list of different fonts that closely resemble the image you provided.

 

Web Apps and People that can Help You Identify Fonts

 

What The Font – MyFonts.com

 

MyFonts.com’s font identification feature works the same way as WhatFontIs’ process. But apart from the automated font identification process, MyFonts.com has a forum where you can ask experts about the font you’re looking for.

 

Web Apps and People that can Help You Identify Fonts

 

Typophile

 

Typohile is an online forum specializing in typefaces in general. Topics here range from calligraphy to experimental typography and animation. You can throw in your inquiry in the forums along with a clear sample of the font you’re looking for. And as with all forums, courtesy is always necessary.

 

Web Apps and People that can Help You Identify Fonts

 

Identifont

 

Identifont’s process of identifying typefaces is more meticulous. It will first ask you if the font you’re looking for is sans-serif, then the process would go on with you identifying unique and common attributes of the font that you’re looking for. After the whole process, you’ll be given one probable identical font and a couple of fonts that matches your earlier choices.

 

Web Apps and People that can Help You Identify Fonts

 

Twitter’s @Font_ID

 

If you’re looking for an expert on type in social media, you can rely on @Font_ID. The man behind the twitter account is Stephen Coles, editor of typographica and a typographer himself. You can send him images of the font you’re looking for, but don’t expect a quick answer.

 

Web Apps and People that can Help You Identify Fonts

 


 
Share us your thoughts by commenting below. You can follow us on FacebookTwitterGoogle Plus and Pinterest for more epic design news and inspiration! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for the latest design inspirations, stories, news and freebies.

If you’re looking out for free stuff you can check out freebies page and our free print templates page where you can download templates for calendars, brochures, business cards and more!  Stay cool, fellas!

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Tutorial Tuesdays – Adobe InDesign Tutorials for Beginners

Adobe InDesign is considered to be one of the most amazing desktop publishing programs to this date. With  the last year’s release of InDesign CS6 designers are now given a faster, efficient and better tool to their advantage in creating amazing posters, brochures even book and magazine layouts . While Adobe InDesign may not have the bells and whistles of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator it basically makes up with its publishing and print capabilities.

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

We have covered some of InDesign’s capabilities in the How To Make A Simple Music Festival Poster tutorial before and that is why for today we are listing down the best tutorials we found around the internet. Here are some of the best tutorials to help you guys in further understanding Adobe InDesign and it’s processes adding another arsenal in your creative toolbox.

To get things rolling let’s start off with:

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

10 Things Beginners Want To Know How To Do

Terry White demonstrates 10 things that beginners should know and how to do it in InDesign CS6.
 


 
Now that you guys have a fair understanding about Adobe InDesign and what it can do let us now get down to business.

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

1. Working with Tools

Get to know the various tools in Adobe InDesign with Kelly McCathran.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

2. Mastering InDesign Preferences

Customizing InDesign’s preferences not only helps you to suit your need but it also helps in streamlining the work process.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

3. Work with type in InDesign

While Photoshop and Illustrator are known for their image and graphic making capabilities, InDesign takes text formatting to a whole different level.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

4.  Working with Frames

Everything in InDesign is in a frame, let it be a text or an image learning how to master frames is a must.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

5.  Working with Graphics

Kelly McCarthran show us the ropes of  the basic know how in working with graphics and also teaching us how to work with different image formats.
 


 
 

SEE ALSO: 30 Awesome 2013 Movie Posters

 
 


 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

6. Mastering the Page Tool

Multiple pages within a document is one of InDesign’s arsenal. Neshantheny Kumana teaches us how to manipulate, create folds and adding a spine using a fake magazine layout.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

7.  Alignment in InDesign CS6

Hasten your workflow by mastering the alignment tool with Jeff Witchel.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

8.  Clipping Paths with InDesign CS6

Joe Luxton shows us how to work on and manipulate clipping paths without breaking a sweat.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

9.  Understanding Liquid Layouts

Liquid Layouts is one of InDesign CS6′s newest feature. This tutorial shows us a brief tour of the said new feature.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

10.  Using Glyphs in making a Typographic Poster

Jo Guilliver showcase us how to use glyphs in making an amazing typographic poster.
 


 
 

Adobe InDesign Tutorials

11. Make a Grid Based CV in InDesign

Using a grid system in your layout does not only make your design aesthetically pleasing but it also helps speeding up the work process.
 


 
 
Special Mentions:
Adobe InDesign CS6 Tutorial
Adobe InDesign Tips I Wish I’d Known When Starting Out 
 


We hope that you guys enjoy this humble list of tutorials that we have for you guys and be sure to drop some comments below if you have anything in mind and would like to share it to us. If you are a seasoned InDesign user looking for a library of print templates look no further! We have a huge collection of print templates here and it is absolutely free!  Do check us out in Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+, do not forget to subscribe to get the latest news, tutorials and awesome design works for your inspiration!

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Mobile Web Design Tips

The popularity of mobile web usage seems to be phenomenal since past few years. As per experts by 2015 more than 90 percent of users would be switching off from their PCs to mobile devices for a number of professional and personal usages. Thanks to the popularity of devices like smartphones and tablets, accessing the web through devices have become very much common.

 

Mobile Web Design Tips

 

With such trend among the users, it is really impossible to ignore mobile web design. Hence to sustain in the business world, you need to accept this trend and device your own mobile web strategies. The below is the list of best tips for mobile web design, let’s check them out:
 

Keep the navigation simple

 
The users accessing web through mobile devices or any other platform would often like to know where they have landed and how to move ahead. You should confuse your mobile users by putting all the vital information over the mobile website, which are easy to locate.
 


 
For better and simpler navigation, you need to minimize the scrolling as much as possible and keep it either horizontal or vertical, avoid using both at the same time. Users should be able to navigate easily with clear Back and Home buttons. If the sites are complex, make sure you put a search box there and keep in mind that these are clearly visible.

 

Make it thumb friendly

 
Since the mobile users access the web using the touch screen interfaces, which commonly seek the help of thumb hence it is important to design the sites thumb friendly.  A competent mobile web design must carry links or buttons, which are big in size to fit very easily to big and small thumbs. This will help them to interact easily with such thumb friendly sites. Lastly, avoid using the large buttons with good amount of space simply to avoid several accidental clicks.
 

SEE ALSO: Mobile Website Design – 5 Considerations for an Amazing User Experience

 

Check the content

 

Over the web, people hardly have time to know about and what you offer. If you fail to make a good impression within few seconds over the visitors you are more likely to lose your prospective customers or reader coming to your site. Hence while producing content for your mobile web designs, you are supposed to put important content over the top and make sure you avoid the banners ads as much as you could.

 




 

Visitors accessing the websites often come there to find out relevant content, hence it should be very easy to find and peruse.

 

Make it more visible

 

While creating mobile site design, make sure you create it more visible. The users could remain in a dark place when he or she is surfing the web. Hence you are supposed to create a right kind of contrast between your text and background. Ensure a fact that your web page content simply fits over the screen without zooming it. Lastly don’t forget to use good amount of blank spaces in it.

 

Conclusion

 
When you talk about web designs for the mobile devices, it poses a number of challenges before the web designers and developers. At times it could be difficult to manage hence the only way out is to understand this interface in and out and design the mobile web as per its requirements. These tips would help you in creating good mobile web designs.

 

About the Author

Margaret is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, travelling and reading books. She contributes to Geneen Stuart.

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Tutorial Tuesdays – 5 Amazing Vector Portrait Tutorials!

The human face is the one of the most drawn, painted and photographed part of the human body. Most aspiring artists start with working on recreating the human face in their drawings and try to capture emotions. Vector art on the other hand has been a staple art style and has been becoming one of the favorites of artists today.
 

 
That is why today we here at You the Designer are providing you, our dear readers some of the most amazing vector portrait tutorials both old and new that we have found all over the Internet to fill your noggins of knowledge and inspiration. Let’s get crackin’ shall we?
 

1. How to Create a Self Portrait in a Geometric Style
A simple and yet fun exercise that will turn your portrait into a Picasso-inspired piece that you can do in a few hours using Adobe Illustrator.
 
 

2. Texture Effects for Vector Portraits
Instead of making a regular portrait why not turn your portrait in to a sort of map. This amazing tutorial also teaches you how to put textures in you work.
 
 

3. How to Create a Zodiac-Themed Portrait in Adobe Illustrator CS5
Big fan of Zodiac signs? Try turning yourself into one! This tutorial is great for those who have learned the tricks and quirks of the pen tool.
 
 

4. Layer up Vectors for unique Effects
If you think you are savvy enough maybe you should try and add some twist to your portrait by using a dripping effect.
 
 

5. Vector Portraits
Danielle Caballero shows us how to turn ordinary photos into amazing illustrations by using Adobe Photoshop.
 
What do you guys think? Share your thoughts below at the comments section and if you have tried using any of these awesome tutorials do share to us what you guys have done! Looking for the perfect print template? We’ve got them here and its free! Just hit the jump here. Check us out in Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. Lastly don’t forget to subscribe to get the latest in everything design and awesome!

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10 Useful Online CSS Tools You Must Use

If you are a web developer then you might be aware of Cascading Style Sheets or CSS. However, for beginners, I won’t be describing it in detail here, but yes, in short, CSS or Cascading Style Sheets is basically something that can be used to beautify elements of a website. It empowers you to define specific properties for HTML tags in one go. For example;

If you use Div tags in your HTML, you need to define their properties every time you have a new tag <div style=”width: 100px; height: 100px”></div>. However, with the use of CSS you can set a particular standard for all your div tags in one go, like; div {width: 100px; height: 100px; } , this would make all your HTML divs 100px wide and 100px long. In addition, beginners can learn more about CSS on W3Schools.

 


 

Prefixr

Writing a Cross-Browser Compatible CSS can be tough, unless you have complete expertise in Cascading Style Sheets. But Prefixr makes it really easy for you to have a Cross-Browser CSS within seconds. What you need is to select the formatting and here you go with a live and workable CSS code.

 


 

CSS3 PIE

In today’s time almost all web browsers support CSS3. However, there are people who still use old versions of Internet Explorer, and we all know IE (Internet Explorer) makes a web developer’s life miserable, as its older versions hardly support any of the CSS3 Properties. This is where CSS3 PIE is useful, so must use it to know its capabilities.

 


 

Clean CSS

To make a website perfect, a Clean CSS file is pretty much required, as it makes editing very easy and reduces the time taken in editing. There is nothing better than Clean CSS to make your CSS files flawless. Also, it formats and optimizes your CSS completely.


 

CSS3 Generator

If you really don’t want to waste your time writing CSS3 Styles and Properties on your own, then this is the right tool for you. CSS3 Generator is capable of producing codes for most of the CSS3 Styles and Properties within seconds.

 

 


 

CSS Menu Maker

CSS based menus are always good for websites, as they can efficiently decrease the page loading time. But making a CSS Menu could prove to be a time consuming task, so why not use a dynamic tool, which can do that for you quickly. CSS Menu Maker is a perfect tool to make CSS based menus, where you just need to decide what type of menu you need, like; Dropdown, Vertical, Horizontal or Flyout.

 


 

Quick Form Builder

Forms are an integral part of websites, as they are the main source of collecting information for the website visitors. But creating a form with valid fields is not as easy as it may sound to many people. But with Quick Form Builder you can produce valid forms that are fully accessible.

 


 

IE6 CSS Fixer

We all are living in the year 2013, and technology is advancing day by day, but still there are people who don’t go for the latest techniques by sticking to their old ways. Similarly, there are people who still use Internet Explorer version 6.0, which makes it really difficult for web developers to make websites compatible with it. However, with IE6 Fixer you can live without a worry, as it fixes your CSS accordingly, and makes your website run just like it should on any other web browser.

 


 

CSS3 3D Transforms

With CSS3 you can introduce many exciting features in your website like 3D transformation. However, in order to do that, you must have all the required knowledge about CSS3, but if you don’t have it right now, then don’t worry, as you can leave this task on CSS3 3D Transforms. It can create CSS3 based Gradients, Box Properties, 3D Transformation, etc.

 


 

CSS Compressor

If your website takes a lot of time to load the web pages than your competitors’ websites, then you may lose your visitors to them. And to avoid that, you can compress your CSS file, which will not only increase your web page loading speed, but will also save the bandwidth it consumes.

 


 

CSS3Gen

Css3Gen is like a one stop shop for CSS3 Styles and properties. With this awesome tool, you can generate CSS based Buttons for your website, make border radius, use shadow effect on any of the available box elements or on text as well, and can also produce Gradients.

If you think we missed out on your favorite CSS tool, just drop us a message below, and we’ll try to add that in our future blog post on CSS tools.

 


 

Ekant Sharma

About the Author

Ekant Sharma , who’s associated with wordpressintegration.com, mostly writes about Convert Photoshop to WordPress Theme, WordPress Slicing and WordPress Theme integration. He holds sound knowledge of Content Management Systems as well as SEO. His blogs are known to be replete with information and detailed analysis. He is also interested in commenting about new and emerging strategies in this sphere.

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20 Valentine’s Day Free Fonts

Hello creatives! The love month is officially on and for sure as graphic designers, most of you are busy working on your Valentine’s Day-related designs such as postcards, greeting cards, posters, flyers, etc. So today in You The Designer, we give you another amazing collection of freebies showcasing some of the most beautiful and playful fonts just perfect for the Valentine-themed projects you might be working on!

 

20 Valentine's Day Free Fonts by You The Designer

 

We collected 20 adorable free fonts accompanied by some interesting quotes to celebrate the season of love. Check them out below or bookmark this page for your future reference. Share the love and enjoy!

 

ALEX BRUSH

ALex Brush | Download Source

 

lovingyou (Version 1.00, O)

lovingyou | Download Source

 

Cupid de Locke

Cupid de Locke | Download Source

 

Tangerine

Tangerine | Download Source

 

CALLIGRAFFITI

Calligraffiti | Download Source

 

LoveNess

LoveNess | Download Source

 

Precious

Precious | Download Source

 

Allura

Allura | Download Source

 

Arizonia

Arizonia | Download Source

 

LT Chickenhawk

LT Chickenhawk | Download Source

 

CAC Champagne

CAC Champagne | Download Source

 

Great Vibes

Great Vibes | Download Source

 

heartfont

heartfont | Download Source

 

Lovers Quarrel

Lovers Quarrel | Download Source

 

Mutlu

Mutlu | Download Source

 

Black Rose

Black Rose | Download Source

 

I Love What You Do!!

I Love What You Do!! | Download Source

 

Aquiline

Aquiline | Download Source

 

SC Manipulative Lovers

SC Manipulative Lovers | Download Source

 

Qwigley

Qwigley | Download Source

 
NOTE: Please take time to read the terms and usage of each featured font in their respective download pages. Some of them are free to use both for personal and commercial while some are for personal use only.

 


 

Which of the fonts is your most favorite? Tell us your thoughts as well as your suggestions by commenting below. Find us on  FacebookTwitter, Google Plus and Pinterest for more design awesomeness! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for the latest design inspirations, stories and freebies. Speaking of freebies, check out our free print templates page where you can download templates for calendars, brochures, business cards and more!  Stay in love and awesome everyone!

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The Ultimate Photoshop Custom Shapes Collection: 2000+ Custom Shapes

Following our collection of 2,000+ Patterns for Photoshop, we are bringing you a massive collection of Custom Shapes. Like patterns, shapes are a somewhat overlooked resource for Photoshop.

If you require silhouettes or solid shapes including people, animals, arrows, speech bubbles, etc., suitable custom shapes will probably be available, but you may not think of using shapes and may focus your search on clip art or brushes, or maybe try to create your own. This collection contains more than 2,000 custom shapes in 43 sets, all of which include a .csh file.

Custom Shapes for Photoshop

Free Vector Married Couples

22 silhouettes of newly-weds. Includes .csh, .ai. .eps and .svg files.

Free Vector Married Couples

Silhouettes of People

45 silhouettes of males and females in different poses.

Silhouettes of People

Sexy Fashion Girls

66 silhouettes of girls in sexy poses.

Sexy Fashion Girls

Silhouettes of Business People

41 silhouettes of business people in various poses.

Silhouettes of Business People

60 Silhouettes

60 silhouettes of males and females in different poses.

60 Silhouettes

Shooters

15 shapes of men with guns.

Shooters

Hoops

36 Basketball player silhouettes depicting different actions.

Hoops

Ninja Vector Shapes

12 silhouettes of Ninja poses.

Ninja Vector Shapes

Runners

13 silhouettes of distance runners.

Runners

Sports Shapes

6 silhouettes of different sportsmen. Please note: to download files from Adobe Exchange you need to register – which is free.

Sports Shapes

Animal Shapes

89 animal silhouettes.

Animal Shapes

Horse Shapes

9 silhouettes of horses.

Horse Shapes

20 Animal Shapes for Photoshop

A selection of various animal silhouettes.

20 Animal Shapes for Photoshop

Animals

42 detailed animal custom shapes. This site requires free registration.

Animals

Butterfly Shapes

49 stylized butterflies.

Butterfly Shapes

Photoshop Custom Shapes No 1

38 butterfly shapes, some realistic and some stylized.

Photoshop Custom Shapes No 1

Custom Shapes: Birds

12 bird silhouette shapes.

Custom Shapes: Birds

Vector Eagles Clipart

72 silhouettes of eagles in different poses and different styles.

Vector Eagles Clipart

Arboris Folium

35 outline shapes of foliage.

Arboris Folium

Vector Floral Shapes

258 vector floral elements, ideal for creating your own floral decoration.

Vector Floral Shapes

Natural Like Leaves and Bushes

73 variations of leaves, grass and bushes.

Natural Like Leaves and Bushes

Nature Shapes

25 floral elements.

Nature Shapes

Vector Floral Ornaments

21 vector floral elements.

Vector Floral Ornaments

Floral Borders

12 floral borders in varying designs.

Floral Borders

Ornaments 2

78 Spirograph-style ornaments.

Ornaments 2

Petit Simple Circle Shape

20 variations of retro circles.

Petit Simple Circle Shape

CU Bracket Frame Shapes

22 frame shapes.

CU Bracket Frame Shapes

42 Square Frame Custom Shapes

A selection of fancy square frames.

42 Square Frame Custom Shapes

120 Arrows Photoshop Shapes

Many different arrows of varying designs.

120 Arrows Photoshop Shapes

70+ Hand Drawn Arrows Shapes

71 arrows, similar to the previous set, but filled with scribble for a hand-drawn appearance.

70+ Hand Drawn Arrows Shapes

Speech Balloon Shapes

42 various examples of speech and thought balloons.

Speech Balloons Shapes

PS-CSH Stars V3.0

200 star shapes.

PS-CSH Stars V3.0

Shapeset 01

25 various shapes.

Shapeset 01

Shapeset 07

Another set of 30 various shapes.

Shapeset 07

Sunburst Shapes

30 very useful sunburst shapes.

Sunburst Shapes

90 Photoshop Gears Shapes

Some of these shapes are very similar, but the attention to detail is outstanding – if you want to create a set of cogs with thin teeth, thick teeth, sharp teeth, they are all available in all combinations.

90 Photoshop Gears Shapes

Snowflake Shapes

51 stylized snowflake shapes.

Snowflake Shapes

Signs of the Zodiac

48 signs of the zodiac in 4 complete sets of different designs.

Signs of the Zodiac

40 Free Photoshop Shapes

A set of shapes including sun, clouds, houses and keys.

40 Free Photoshop Shapes

Car Logos

46 car brand logo shapes.

Car Logos

CD DVD Logos

A set of 7 CD and DVD logo shapes.

CD DVD Logos

Mountain & City Scapes

7 outline shapes of city skylines and mountain ranges.

Mountain & City Scapes

Road Signs

20 different road sign custom shapes.

Road Signs

Conclusion

Hopefully, after browsing this collection of Custom Shapes, you will have found some sets worth downloading. As with patterns, custom shape files take much less room on your hard drive than images.

Please share you thoughts and opinions with us in the section below.