Giveaway: (40x) Vector, Brush & Font Packs! Comment/Tweet to Win.

This week, we are giving away freebies that we thought should be pretty useful for graphic and web designers. You’ve probably have a rough idea from the title already, here’s a detail break down of what we are giving out at hongkiat.com, courtesy of Designious (also a sponsor of previous contest).

Included in this giveaway are:

Let’s skip directly to the chorus part.

Distribution

Here’s how the freebies will be distributed, with 12 winners in total.

  • Vector Packs – 5 Winners with 3 packs/winner
  • Brush Packs – 5 Winners with 3 packs/winner
  • Font Packs – 2 Winners with 5 packs/winner

How to Win

Winners get to choose packs of their choice. Two ways to participate in the giveaway:

  1. Comment In, or

    Tell us in comment, which do you like. Vector, brush or Font packs.

  2. Re-Tweet

    Decide which (among Vector, Brush and Font packs) you’d like to win, and Re-Tweet the following in Twitter:

Contest will close one week from now, 2nd June 2009. Winners will be announced on this page. Good luck :-)

Update

Closed: Contest will close now, we’ll be picking and notifying winners soon.

5 Best Websites To Send Fax For Free

Before we had email, we had the fax machine. It’s fast for sending copies of urgent notices and documents, however it also uses a lot of toner and paper. Plus, before you can send a fax, you need to print the document out first, and when you’re done, you might not ever need the printout again.

Despite this its use is deep-rooted in many parts of the world. A lot of businesses still hold on to the fax machine for many of their documentation and office matters.

You may need to still send faxes in your business, but the good news is, you don’t need to buy a fax machine to do so. You can send faxes straight from your computer, and for free.

Here 5 websites that let you send faxes of not only text documents, but also image files, excel files and even powerpoint presentations within and out of the U.S.

1. FaxZero

FaxZero has been busy sending more than 6.5 million faxes, for free. You can fax a maximum of 3 pages plus a cover, and only 5 free faxes in a day.

The types of faxable documents include .doc, .docx or .pdf files, all under 20MB per document. To get started, all you need is a valid e-mail address.

Upon confirming the sending of your fax, you will receive a URL for a private fax status page. Save that URL, you will not be given it again. The page shows the status of your fax, even if the confirmation of delivery email is lost. Faxes sent within the U.S. and Canda are free, but you can also use this for international faxing for a fee.

FaxZero

2. Got Free Fax

If you want to upload more than just .pdf or .doc files, try this service which lets you send .odt, and .rtf files as well. You can only send free faxes 2 times a day, of up to 3 pages only, but unlike FaxZero, they don’t put ads on your fax covers. The service is still limited to just the U.S. and Canda.

With Got Free Fax, your faxes are stored for 5 days in their system. You can then use the link in the confirmation email sent to you to send the fax at anytime within that period without reuploading it. Plus, premium fax and prepaid fax are transferred over encrypted connections to further secure your fax data.

3. MyFax

For sending free faxes outside of the U.S. and Canada, try MyFax. You can send two 10-page faxes (under 10 MB) every 24 hours. Supported files that can be faxed include Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files, .pdf, .tif, .gif and .jpg. You just need a working email address to use it.

Upon submitting the fax, you will receive a confirmation message via email with a link to click to authorize delivery of the fax. Alternatively, users can get their own free toll-free fax number for a 30-day trial period, and send 100 faxes and receive 200 faxes for free. The service can be used to send faxes to 40 different countries.

MyFax

4. faxFree.com

Want to send Internet files via fax? This service supports that alongside image files, Microsoft Office files, text files, printer file formats and pdf. There isn’t much information about how many faxes can be sent for free but the page is linked to ClicktoFax.com, the sponsor for the service.

FaxFree has three different packages that you can sign up for; you can try out their 30-day trial plan to get started. One good thing about this service is that you can use your old fax number while still using the service.

faxFree

5. HelloFax

HelloFax helps you send faxes for free to international numbers but you need a hotmail or Google Drive account to use it. Any faxes that you send out will be stored as a copy in your SkyDrive or Google Drive account.

Send text documents in PDF or doc, and image files. You can get 5 free fax pages when you sign up for this service. As a bonus, you can sign your documents on your browser with this. One thing that isn’t so good with this service is that you have to pay a monthly fee to receive faxes.

HelloFax

How to Find Your Previous Google Search Queries [Quicktip]

Google has been the search engine of choice for many of your burning (and not so burning) questions. Preference for it is so popular, that whenever you ask someone about a topic, they’d ask you to ‘Google it’. With hundreds of queries made every day, there are times when you may have found the result you wanted, read it, closed it and forgotten about it. Then one day, you may need to retrieve the same page but can’t remember the url or how you generated that search result in the first place!

Google History

To get back the search result you found previously, you may check your browser’s history. But if the search was done many days earlier, you may have to start from square one – regoogle it.

If however you have Google History, it’s a whole new different story. As long as you are logged in when doing any type of search, Google History has all the records of your search results alongside a calendar for easier navigation. Not only will you get to see all visited sites recorded, you get to check out all the search queries you made and on which day you made it.

Retrieving Search History

It is easy to retrieve your search history, just head over to the Google History page and log in with your Google ID.

Sign In

Once logged in, you will be presented with your latest activity on Google Search, that includes your search keyword and the pages you visited.

Google History

On the left column, you have an option to simplify your search history by categories like web, images, news and many more while on the right you can see a calendar for easy navigation so you can specifically check the search query made on a specific date.

Search and ‘Click’ Trends

Now with Google History you can also check your search trends by clicking on ‘Trends’ found on the left menu

Search Trend

From the trend page, you get to see your search behavior, hourly and monthly, as well as the top queries made on Google.

Trending

Expanding Google History record

If you like how Google keeps your data and want them to track all of your browsing history even when you don’t use Google Search, you need to download Google Toolbar on your browser. Click on the link ‘Expand your web history’ at the top right corner of the Google History page.

expand

Then click on ‘Expand Web History’ button.

Expand Web History

If you are using Chrome browser, there will be no toolbar required since all the features were already built in on Chrome.

Conclusion

Now with Google History, not only you get to find the keywords you used, but you can also see all the websites you opened when you searched the keywords. Trends on the other hand will give you a little insight into your activities on Google Search, including your search behavior at which time of the day and on which search engine.



Twitter Wallpapers – The Blue Bird

twitter bird wallpaper

This is the bird you see on the Twitter.com notice page when the site is down. Some even has got arrows on them. I’m not sure if it’s real but the bird sure looks cute to me. Anyway, this somehow inspires me to do some design with it. Here’s 2 Twitter wallpaper I’ve came out with while the inspiration strikes, together with additional screen resolutions. Full content after jump.

twitter wallpaper - tweet

1024×768 | 1280×800 | 1280×960 | 1280×1024

twitter wallpaper - 5dots

1024×768 | 1280×800 | 1280×960 | 1280×1024


more wallpapers

15 PC Keyboards With Cool Design

Monitors have gotten a serious makeover from boring block-like structures to slim, sleek and sexy designs; the good news is, so have keyboards. They have transformed from being just a plate of alphanumeric keys to become more user-friendly, ergonomic, stylish and more comfortable to use.

LogitechWirelessK400.jpg

Nowadays various companies give keyboards new and unique designs, setting them apart from the rest. Not all of these designs can be fancy and carry cutting-edge technology at the same time. But when they do, they end up in this list of the best and coolest PC keyboards around.

1. Cyborg

The Cyborg Gaming Keyboard features a rock-solid design and tough keys for intense gaming. It has a touch panel on top which allows easy control of volume, media and lighting with just a touch. This keyboard has 12 programmable ‘Cyborg’ keys which allows you to store your favourite macros like buying arms, or activating any special ability of the character in a game, perfect for when speed is everything.

It also has a metal coating on the most used keys like W, A, S and D, to prevent damage due to repeated strokes on those keys while gaming.

Cyborg.jpg

2. Goldtouch Go

Goldtouch Go is a great keyboard for those who likes to travel and work on the move, or for those with jobs that demand portability. As you can see below, the keyboard can be folded to have a compact shape which saves spaec and is easy to carry around.

With its notebook like designed keys and shape, it almost feels like it’s a notebook keyboard, yet better. It has protective covers which prevents any injury during travel.

Goldtouch.jpg

3. Keyboard with Handwriting Recognization

This keyboard features a handwriting recognization pad which works smoothly with English, Chinese and Japanese languages to let you write faster and with ease.

The handwriting recognization writing pad is perfect for when you prefer to write instead of typing out characters or when you need to give your painful wrists and fingers a break. Unleash the inner writer in you with this keyboard.

HandWritingRcg.jpg

4. Keyboard with Smart Touchpad

This keyboard is the perfect choice for those who love to enjoy movies, music and other media on the PC. This keyboard lets you access and control media on your PC effectively and comfortably.

It has 8 multimedia keys for playing music easily, and 12 application keys to perform different actions like zoom, quick close and many more. It also features a smart touchpad which works both as a mouse and a number pad.

KeyboardSmartTouch.jpg

5. Logitech diNovo Edge

Logitech diNovo Edge is one of a kind. With superb design, coated with black Plexiglas®, and brushed with aluminium, it looks professional and very stylish.

It has the TouchDisc™ touchpad, which allows you to scroll and navigate right from your keyboard without the need for having your mouse around. PerfectStroke™ makes typing even easier with fluid and quiet typing experience.

LogitechDiNovoEdge.jpg

6. Logitech DiNovo Mini

Logitech diNovo Mini is a small portable keyboard which lets you control your pc easily and comfortably from a certain distance like, while sitting on your couch.

It has a dual purpose ClickPad which works like a touch pad as well as a directional pad, and lets you have total control of your pc.

LogitechDiNovoMini.jpg

7. Logitech Gaming G510

Logitech G510 is specially designed for gamers, which makes gaming a richer experience. It features a GamePanel LCD, which displays notifications, player and server information and much more and literally at your finger tips.

This keyboard also features custom coloured backlight so that you can match your keyboard with your mood and with your gaming environment.

LogitechGamingG510.jpg

8. Logitech Wireless Illuminated

Logitech Wireless Illuminated is a different keyboard from the ones having backlights. Unlike all the other keyboards which offer backlight to either the total key or the gaps between the keys, this keyboard offers backlight to the characters printed over each key, making all the characters prominently visible in any lighting condition.

This cable-less keyboard doesn’t need any external batteries, but it has to be charged using the USB charger that comes with this keyboard. Once it’s fully charged, it stays charged up to 10 long days.

LogitechIlluminated.jpg

9. Logitech Wireless K350

Logitech K350 is known for giving comfort to your hands while typing or even when you are not typing. Its curvy wave design gives makes typing smoother and painless. With the cushioned palm rest, one wouldn’t have any pain in the hands, as the soft palmrest caresses the palms while typing and even when your palms are just kept over it.

LogitechWirelessK350.jpg

10. Logitech Wireless K400

Logitech Wireless K400 is a stylish and compact keyboard which eliminates the need for a mouse. With its in-built touchpad, navigating through the web or controlling your PC is made considerably easier.

Controlling your laptop or desktop with this keyboard is a piece of cake, and with the 10-meter range, you can easily control them while sitting on your couch comfortably.

LogitechWirelessK400.jpg

11. Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750

Logitech Wireless Solar K750 is a unique keyboard which eliminates the need to worry about the battery of the keyboard, as it has a solar-, or more precisely, light-powered charger on top of the keyboard which converts light energy to electrical energy and charges the keyboard battery even in the presence of a desktop lamp. It can stay charged up to 3 months in the dark.

Lgtchwrelssolar.jpg

12. Luxeed U7 Crossover

Luxeed U7 Crossover is a fantastic keyboard that has glowing keys, and which are programmable. You can choose to have the Plug & Play option to set colour schemes easily or you can use advanced software like MuSkins™ to make the lighting effects much better, and even create animated lighting effects. You can set music with the MuSkins™ and the keyboard lights will dance to the beat of the music. You can create unlimited ColorSkins™, save them and also share them with the world, and all these lights consume only a little power.

The keyboard has the ability to turn itself off when not in use.

Luxeed.jpg

13. Maltron Single-Handed Keyboard

Maltron Single-Handed keyboard is designed to be used by a single hand, leading to better typing speed, a comfortable experience and relieving frustration while typing. This keyboard is designed to follow the natural hand movements so as to give you a painless typing experience.

As demonstrated by the people using Maltron, a typing speed of about 85 words per minute can be achieved using this keyboard and with only a single hand.

maltron_right.jpg

14. Microsoft Arc Wireless

Microsoft Arc Wireless keyboard is another stylish keyboard, which features a smooth arc shape making it look sporty and beautiful. This keyboard is sleek and portable, enabling you to carry it around wherever you want, and with the stowable nano receiver, you won’t be losing it, as you can keep it stowed under the keyboard whenever you are on the go.

mk_arcb_otherviews02.jpg

15. Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000

The Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 features a curvy and comfortable design to make typing painless and keep your wrists healthy. It has a separate number pad, that can be stored away when not needed.

This keyboard works on Bluetooth, which means that you won’t be having to plug on an extra transceiver if your computer is already Bluetooth-enabled.

mk_bmk6000_otherviews02.jpg

More:

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard offers a great and comfortable design that makes typing easier. This keyboard features an ergonomic design which is good for wrists as it allows natural wrist and arm alignment and gives comfort to the wrists while typing. Apart from that it has an intuitive zoom slider which lets you zoom in and out quickly and easily.

mk_nek4000_otherviews03.jpg

Optimus Maximus

Optimus Maximus is another great keyboard which truly stands out from the rest. The feature that makes this keyboard a little bit different from the rest is the programmable keys, which means the keys on the keyboard are dynamic, and you can change them according to your needs.

OptimusMaximus.jpg

All the keys are small OLED screens which displays the character or icon of the application which the key is assigned to. Upon a closer look you can see the that the keys are assigned to different applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, Firefox and more.

This keyboard is one of the best keyboards available in the world, with its super customization options.

optimus_maximus_closer.jpg

ProMini

ProMini Wireless keyboard is really a mini keyboard which gives you total control of your PC in your palm. It has a laser pointer which allows easy typing and control from a distance of up to 100 meters. It also has 26 LEDs which glow to make the keys shine out in the dark.

It has a tiny touchpad which you can freely use as a mouse to navigate through web pages or control any part of your PC wirelessly.

Promini.jpg

Razer TRON

Razer TRON keyboard is inspired from the movie TRON, and features a bold and sci-fi look that makes this keyboard look extraordinary. It has light blue glowing lines around it, which makes it look beautiful in the dark, and with the awesome looking futuristic keys, this keyboard truly inspires.

RazerTron.jpg

Bringing Back Windows 8 Start Menu with Pokki

The brand new Windows 8 is out and one key feature removed from the new OS is the Start Button; that iconic "Click here to Start" has been replaced with the new customizable Metro UI. Because of the Start Button’s absence, programmers have come up with many replacements to mimic the old Start Button.

Intro

Today, we’ve found a free program called Pokki which brings back the Start Menu to WIndows 8. If you’re imagining the standard Start Menu where all you get is the list of installed programs, then you’ll be surprised to see that Pokki has many other features and apps that work within its version of the Start Menu, despite not diverting from taking the place of the old Start Menu we so loved.

Windows 8 Start Menu With Added Features

First of all, download and install Pokki. What is good about Pokki is that it is not ‘hardwired’ into the OS which means you can easily install and start using it without restarting your computer.

Pokki Installed

You can view all the installed programs on your computer when you click on the All Apps tab. You can also click on the Star icon to mark that program as a ‘favourite’.

All Apps

A starred program will appear in the 4-by-4 grid when you first hit the start button or the windows key. You can also ‘favourite’ folders and websites that will be displayed here.

Favourites

The search bar works the same way; you can immediately start typing the moment the Start Menu is shown. However, the Pokki search is also much more powerful as it can retrieve results for files, programs and even from the Internet.

Search

Pokki App Store

Pokki also has an App Store where you can install apps like Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, games and much more.

Once you install an app, the app icon will be shown on the taskbar, together with your ‘favourite programs. You can remove icons by right clicking on them.

Pokki App

When opening one of the installed Pokki Apps, it will open in a new window. This is the same for apps like Facebook and Gmail which works like a web browser.

Pokki Angry Birds

What’s awesome is that the apps work similar to your smartphone where you have real-time notifications and number badges on the icons.

Notifications

With these few added features, Pokki makes a great Windows 8 Start Menu replacement. Do give it a try and let us know if you agree.

NuffNang WordPress Plugin

Nuffnang

If you are are publisher of Nuffnang Ads, here’s a nice WordPress Plugin created by Zeo for your Nuffnang ad unit.

How Nuffnang plugin works?

Nuffnang

This plugin basically helps you to insert the Nuffnang ads on the fly without the need to login into Nuffnang.com.my. It is drag-drop ready for widget sidebars, also helps to conveniently configure your Nuffnang rectangular ads after a content post.

Download Nuffnang WordPress Plugin

Designing A Winning Navigation Menu: Ideas and Inspirations

The navigation menu on a website is like a road sign on a street or a level directory in a shopping mall. You cannot reach your destination without first knowing where you are. Like in real life, navigation in web design is very important and plays a major role in a website’s usability as well as in user experience.

Nowadays you can see plenty of different types of navigation menus with interesting, creative and unusual designs. But how about effective navigation in a website, what would it look like; how should it look like?

Today I would like to share my observations and knowledge about the importance of navigation in web design. I will reveal a few simple tips that you can use to improve your website navigation and usability. There will also be some examples of effective navigation menus to give you some idea of how to plan your next design.

Information Architecture

Navigation planning should start with information architecture. It is vital to sit down and brainstorm about a website’s information architecture. You have to figure out what kind of features the website offers, what is most important and what could be placed in lower levels in the information hierarchy.

Information architecture includes features, user needs, sitemap, testing and wireframes. You can read more about information architecture in article by Cameron Chapman in Information Architecture 101: Techniques and Best Practices.

Information Architecture 101: Techniques and Best Practices

Using user-enabled technologies

Avoid using Flash, JavaScript, jQuery or anything else that risk inhibiting access to your website navigation in building your navigation bar, or at least make sure they are able to degrade gracefully.

For more references on graceful degradation of javascript, check out this post on 10 Useful Fallback Methods for CSS and Javascript.

Use simple, User-friendly terms

It is better to use simple, obvious and terms that are easy to figure out than to keep to industry-only terms for your navigation menu. Any link that takes users more than a second or two to figure out is probably unsuitable for use.

If a user needs to click on a link to figure out what the link leads to then this will contribute to a bad user experience for your visitors.

Examples

Terms in the navigation menu of Larissa Ness’ website are easy to understand and common enough. Users won’t find it confusing because they already have experience with menus like this.

http://larissaness.com/

Here’s another good example of a clean and clear website navigation menu with common terms used, at csupport.

cSupport

Creative agency Eighty8Four uses the term "showroom" which can be confusing for visitors. This term might mean portfolio or work but it is not clear and visitors have no choice but to click in to check it out.

Eighty8Four

Standardize the Navigation design

Use the same navigation model in all your pages. It is very important because without a consistent design, a user may actually think he is in another website. Make sure that you use the same navigation model so that users can easily go about your website without being lost.

Bluegg, shown below, uses a simple and clean navigation design which remains the same in all subpages. The only difference is the color indicator, which shows the page the visitor is currently at.

Bluegg

Indicate where you are

It is crucial to let the user know where he is at all times. You can do this by changing the link’s background, color of the page name or turn the text bold in the navigation menu to make it different from others.

Austin Eastciders uses a different color and background to indicate the page the user is on. This indicator can also work as a subtle design change, for example by using a different navigation background which creates the feeling that other menu items are in depth.

Austin Eastciders

Media Surgery uses a darker color as an indicator for an opened subpage. Simple but effective.

Media Surgery

Use web conventions

It is all about easy-to-use and intuitive website navigation. Web conventions make it a lot easier for designers to work around their designs. Most users would click on the website logo to get back to the homepage, so design your logo to do that.

If you don’t, you are making them spend time to learn something new or in some cases inconvenience them by not providing what they expect to be commonly accepted navigational norms.

You can learn more about web conventions here:

Inject Design places the logo at the top left corner which fits one of the most used web conventions today.

Inject Design

Adams Creation uses one of the most common web conventions – logo is placed on the left top corner of the website and links to the homepage.

Adams Creation

Test it: Involve a 3rd party

Always test your navigation design with any person who has used Internet before. You might want to bring in people who were not related to the design process to test it. Observe their preferences when they navigate through your site and analyze the time it took for them to find the pages that they were lookign for.

For better accuracy, involve more people, collect the data, analyze and summarize it for a better fit. Do an after-test survey if it is necessary. You may get some unexpected ideas and input that would otherwise go undetected without this test run.

Provide context

To be consistent with your content and navigation provide some context for website users to find things they need quickly. You can place small icons related to the content you link to or short descriptions to give an overview of what the page is about.

My Own Bike uses simple icons to give users more information about what they can find in certain subpage.

My Own Bike

Sarah Parmenter uses short and nice captions under main navigation to provide some information about the subpages the main navigation is linking to.

You Know Who

SEO purposes

Google likes consistent navigation. It is good to have consistent navigation not only for users to understand and get the idea of how to navigate through your website but also for search engines to index your website.

Search engine robots will crawl through your website in order to index your website and put the links in the search engine results page. If you want to be visible, pay attention to good navigation design and get more traffic.

Free navigation scripts (CSS, and jQuery)

Here is a short list of the latest navigation menus you might find useful for your projects. These scripts will make your product’s user expererience even better by adding some nice features and making it pleasure to use.

XML-driven Vertical News Scroller Script using HTML and jQuery: vScroller

XML-driven Vertical News Scroller Script using HTML and jQuery: vScroller

Flexible Nav jQuery library

Flexible Nav jQuery library

Filtrify

Filtrify

Page Scroller

Page Scroller

Timeline Portfolio

Timeline Portfolio

HorizontalNav

HorizontalNav

CSS3 Minimalistic Navigation Menu

CSS3 Minimalistic Navigation Menu

Circle Navigation Effect with CSS3

Circle Navigation Effect with CSS3

Grid Navigation Effects with jQuery

Grid Navigation Effects with jQuery

Ascensor

Ascensor

HTML5/CSS3 Gray Navigation Menu

HTML5/CSS3 Gray Navigation Menu

Create An Elegant CSS3 Navigation Menu

Create An Elegant CSS3 Navigation Menu

Showcase of beautiful horizontal navigation

And last but not least some inspiring horizontal navigation menus. Check these amazing websites and their navigation menu solutions to find new ideas for your projects.

Ch3mical

Ch3mical

Bloom Search Marketing Inc.

Bloom Search Marketing Inc.

Alex Perez

Alex Perez

Libor Zezulka

Libor Zezulka

Hauska!

Hauska!

Golden Isles

Golden Isles

Neil Carpenter

Neil Carpenter

Marc Thomas

Marc Thomas

3D Polystyren

3D Polystyren

Liechtenecker

Liechtenecker

Adventure World

Adventure World

Arbutus Photography

Arbutus Photography

OMDRL

OMDRL

4 Pines Beer

4 Pines Beer

Hunters Wines

Hunters Wines

Hopefully you will find this article useful and informative. If you have any thoughts or if you disagree, please share your opinion in the comments section.