Resources to Hack Design | Hacker News Reader

Resources to Hack Design

jamie-davidson.com

119 pointsjhdavids826 comments

These are all great resources, but remember:

The most important part of design is sitting back and thinking about the impact your choices will make. What will a given element say about your product? How will it affect functionality? If you can ask these questions, you can achieve great design. It easy to be distracted by glossy aesthetics, but a simple, well-thought-out, polished, application is what your goal should really be.

So pay attention to every detail.

No pixel should go unexamined. It sounds hard, and at first it's tedious, but it quickly becomes habitual. You start to look at the corners of boxes, or unfocus your eyes after you read a logo.

If you're going to take this one step further, learn about typography and negative space. Specifically vertical rhythm and the use of 6.

Just like you can't "hack" a well-designed API, you can't "hack" good design. It takes effort, attentiveness, and the willingness to try ten variations before you choose an option.

I'm working on a framework based on standardized spacing and the number 6, specifically concepts from design or developers. http://www.slideshare.net/Wolfr/design-for-developersonlinev...

http://getrawr.com/

Absolutely agree re: typography. Or to quote this great post from @iA, "Treat text as a user interface" http://www.informationarchitects.jp/en/the-web-is-all-about-...

It includes its own great list of other resources, including A List Apart and Thinking with Type.

I think a vast majority of websites ignore even basic principles like spacing, negative space, readability, and rudimentary concepts about typeface pairing.

A good set of resources. Thanks.

Here's a few more that I've found useful:

http://iconfinder.com (or the similar http://findicons.com)

http://365psd.com (free photoshop file everyday)

http://www.colourlovers.com/ (great for picking a color scheme)

http://graphicriver.net (really cheap graphics)

http://themeforest.net (themes)

Thanks! I added a few to the post and attributed you. I'll be sure to use the icon sites in the future.

I commend you for your effort, but you can get a designer for cheap, and that can elevate your product tremendously.

Without you having to hone your design skill if you are not interested in it.

I'm curious as to why you list things that you haven't used - I think the list should be a little more curated.

I would add these to the list, which have been essential to my learning iOS design: http://pttrns.com http://www.teehanlax.com/blog/iphone-4-gui-psd-retina-displa...

Mainly because I came across them from reputable sources (usually from others on the list like Smashing Magazine). Additionally, the list is more aimed towards web apps, so your recommendations wouldn't fit (many thanks though).

With all that, if you don't like the list having things I haven't used, why recommend that I add other sites I haven't used? Not being an ass...just curious

Haha good point. I worded that badly, I was adding to the list in general for other HN readers, not saying that you should actually add them to your post.

Here's a quick intro tutorial on design that I put together:

http://www.visualmess.com

It was #1 on HN for a little while a year ago, and I still get positive comments on it. Hopefully it will be useful.

This site doesn't work properly an iPad 2 safari. CSS is not valid.

Hmm, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is happening (I don't have an iPad at my disposal). The site uses Bootstrap heavily, and I just ran it through a CSS3 validator, which brought up no alarming custom CSS errors.

İt looks like there is no css just html. Maybe sizes of boxes are not adjusted right. Therefore the boxes ( logo, categories, post) are in one column. İ don't have a pc now to look its original version.

Try resizing the browser and making it smaller...

This list is great. Design is a lot like hacking. Keep making small improvements until you have something presentable. Don't be afraid to throw something out and start all over.

I commend the author for pulling together these resources, but sorry, if you're not a designer (and have very little interest in being one) don't try to be one. Why? If I wanted to learn development (I'm a designer), I wouldn't look at a quickie primer on popular languages and frameworks or look at a list of code snippets. I'm sure to some design is a joke, but if you truly care about your product/whatever, you'll pay for it to be done properly (and whether subconscious or not, your customers will take notice).

That's not the point of the article. Developers frequently launch a startup and do so bootstrapping it. They can't always afford professional design help (I can personally attest to that). I listed these resources mainly to help that developer pull together a decent looking site, so they can maybe attract investors and subsequently a full-time designer.

Also, I'm very much interested in design. And I by no means think it's a joke. Notice at the end I say this is no substitute for professional design work...it's simply a medium.

...and it shows in the SkipScotch site.

Thank you for these great resources.

Are there any recommended books for backend developers / hackers / programmers, about introduction to design?

Thanks for this. Perfect timing, as I'm getting close to launching something.

Can't you put it altogether in a single cheat sheet for us lazy folk :)

This is a great list. You've nailed all the major resources. Good job!

Thanks!

A good round up of design resources.

lol i got downvoted cause i gave props?! :)

Yeah, not too sure why that happened for you. Regardless, I appreciate the props and gave you a vote for it :)

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