1stwebdesigner

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• Who Wants Free and Fresh WordPress Themes? We’ve Got 25 For You
• The Hiring Guide for Freelancer Clients
• How to Create WordPress Widgets
• Make it Artastic: 30 Beautiful Photoshop Brush Sets

Who Wants Free and Fresh WordPress Themes? We’ve Got 25 For You Posted: 25 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT There are so many free and fresh WordPress themes out there that it's hard to decide which one. Free WordPress themes can be used for creating websites like blogs, portfolios, business and much more. Just searching for hours through the WordPress themes store for finding the perfect  and perfect WordPress themes can take lot of time. WordPress currently is the most popular CMS platform available. With its huge popularity and growth, there are numerous themes shared by other developers for free. You can download them and use with your own website according to your own need. Fresh and free WordPress themes with good quality are not easily to find on the Web. All of these themes have amazing features that you will find in any other premium theme. Each theme is not only free but also offers something unique and special for your site. Majority of the themes have responsive design, which means that you can easily download the theme, install and activate it to meet the needs of your mobile users. So below is the collection of fresh and free WordPress themes of designs that are being newly released on the web. Enjoy! 1. Dazzling 2. Sparkling 3. Interface 4. Eighties 5. Editor 6. Accelerate 7. Verbo 8. Minamaze 9. Pictorico 10. Semicolon 11. Make 12. Baskerville 13. Fast News 14. Dice 15. Adaption 16. Isola 17. THBusiness 18. Flat 19. Hemingway 20. Spacious 21. Cubby 22. Aadya 23. DW Timeline 24. Radiate 25. Circumference I hope you find this list useful and consider it for your next project. Free themes are perfect for new bloggers because these allow bloggers to easily understand WordPress and its features. In addition, experts can also use them as inspiration from other developers. Before you go, please tell which theme you find most appealing? You can share your answers in the below comment section.

The Hiring Guide for Freelancer Clients Posted: 25 Aug 2014 05:00 AM PDT I have been writing about freelancing and web design for over a year now, and I honestly haven't stumbled upon a hiring guide that teaches clients to hire great freelancers. Everybody wants to find good clients. Often, freelancers read tips from experts and blogs like these to successfully dig the gold out their freelancing mines. You always see how-tos ranging from building portfolios to even firing clients. I am a freelancer, why should I read this? Image from: Depositphotos You may be asking the same question. How will this article help me? How will it improve my career? Well, here are the following reasons: If you are a freelancer, reading this will at least help you understand what a good freelancer is. If you know what your clients are looking for, you'll know what areas need improving. Because knowing your client and your skill is essential in becoming a successful freelancer. Enough about freelancers. Let's talk about clients. Why Freelancers Need Clients? Image from: Depositphotos You, clients, are the source of all the projects we freelancers do. Without you, there will be no tasks and consequently, no money. You need us; we need you. You need us to continually produce products and services such as websites, blog posts and SEO services. Without us, your marketing campaigns will be handicapped; your website won't exist, and people wouldn't probably see your website in search engines. Why Clients Need Freelancers? Image from: Depositphotos We, freelancers, need you too. Without you, we'd be left broke. Without your projects, our craft will die and our creativity will stagnate. Your projects are the fuel to our creative engines. We need you to ask us to create websites, blog posts and SEO services. Without you, our efforts are all going to waste, we will be handicapped, and people wouldn't even bother to follow our footsteps. Our relationship is symbiotic. We benefit from each other. That is why you should also get to know how to find great freelancers inasmuch as we want to find great clients. So, how do you find great clients? Here Are a Few Tips: Know Where to Look Image from: Depositphotos The Internet is a very vast turf to scour and it will probably take you forever to find the greatest freelancers. Let's put it this way: you are hunting for a deer. What do you think will be the most intelligent way to hunt? Search the whole planet – deserts and seas included? Or just go out on the woods? I tell you, great freelancers that will fit your project and your budget are far more difficult to find than deers in deserts. So, where are you going to look? Here are some interesting places: LinkedIn Odesk Elance Freelancer Guru Demand Studios iFreelance People Per Hour Freelance Switch Jobs 99Designs Smashing Jobs How Would You Know If a Freelancer Is Really Great? So, let's assume you have found a couple of freelancers. But you have no idea whether they are great or otherwise. What will you do? How does a freelancer become great? Here are a few things you can do to determine your freelancer's skills and outlook towards work: Look for a portfolio In freelancing, having a sound portfolio is of paramount importance. Portfolios are used by freelancers to showcase their talents, experience and skills. Now, if you want to know whether a freelancer is great or not, look for his portfolio. You will see there how your prospect freelancer performs his jobs. Most of the times, you'll also see feedback from the freelancers past clients. You will also be able to determine how long the freelancer worked for the said project. How would you assess one's freelancer's portfolio? Observe the previous projects taken by said freelancer and assess if the style and expertise matches your needs. Note the speed and judge if the freelancer can possibly accomplish your project in your deadline. Normally, freelancers attach a pricing page or element in their designs. You can figure out how much the freelancer will charge you through that. Interview Image from: Depositphotos Sometimes, looking at things is not enough. At times, connecting with a freelancer on a speaking basis will help you consider if you'll acquire the services of that freelancer or not. So, to be able to hire a great freelancer, try conducting an interview. Interviews help you: Gauge the communication skills of your freelancer (which can help you with relaying and seeking information about the project) Observe how your prospect handles pressure Understand how passionate  freelancers are with the craft you are hiring them for Now, if this is your first time to conduct an interview, here are some tips to make your conversation with the prospect easy and fluid: Be open to other means of communication. Some freelancers live off-shore so they can't meet personally. Be specific with time and timezones. Be friendly but set authority. Ask about the freelancer's: Experience Strengths Weaknesses Don't forget to inquire about the specifics of the project and how will he be able to handle it Talk about: Deadlines Payments Give the freelancer time to ask questions Be respectful If possible, do an assessment task Image from: Depositphotos If you happen to have a few extra time, you can even ask for an assessment. In freelance writing, this is a common trend. You can pay for that said assessment or make it a requirement for being hired. Just remember to give the freelancer ample time and details about the project. This will let you measure his time-management, skill, creativity and of course, punctuality. How to Give Feedback to Freelancers Image from: Depositphotos Feedback is one of the most important items a freelancer has to accomplish in the project checklist. Here's what happens if you, freelancers, don't receive feedback: Without feedback, freelancers would not be able to easily identify their strengths and weaknesses. Without it, they wouldn't have new areas to improve. In addition, freelancers also put feedback on their portfolio to further boost their hireability in the future. However, most clients fail in giving feedback. This is either due to their hectic schedules or due to lack of interest in giving feedback. As a client, how is feedback important for you?         It closes the deal between you and the freelancer.         It leaves you and the freelancer in good terms.         You can voice out your concerns about him and vice versa. Now, you may be asking how you, as a client, would give feedback. Should it always be positive? How would you address negative feedback? For that, here are some tips:         Be honest and be polite.         Be clear. If your feedback is positive, make sure it translates as positive.         Remember to sandwich.         Give feedback as soon as you could.         Always walk away without any chip on your shoulders Addressing Road Bumps Image from: Depositphotos As in any partnership, road bumps will always come in your way. These small but dangerous circumstances often destroy your client-to-freelancer relationship and can hamper the progress of your performance. Here are a few freelancing road bumps clients encounter: My idea did not materialize in the output. Your Problem: You may have thought of a web layout that looks sleek. Being very excited, you contacted a freelancer. The said freelancer started to create your idea and realize it. Problem is, after a few weeks of coding and designing, you realize that the output you received doesn't look like the idea that popped into your head. Not even a single pixel. The Solution: If you the freelancer started on the project already, you should explain to him carefully what you want to see. Ask him if it is doable. Sometimes, what makes a project stuck in its place is the fact that clients think of ideas that are not doable, at least for a given period of time. Try to be realistic. Also, at times, you tend to space out and not listen to your freelancer. Remember, this project is a two-way street. You give him something, he gives what you want. However, you also need to know what he can give to you. Sometimes, clients go closed ears on their freelancers to a point that no other idea will ever be acceptable. My freelancer doesn't report to me on time. Your Problem: You may have agreed on a certain time of the day to talk about the progress of your project. However, in the course of the project, the freelancer you hired doesn't respond on time. The freelancer doesn't answer your emails either. You become really worried because you don't know what's happening or if anything is ever accomplished. The Solution: Relax. Don't get pissed off so easily. Your freelancer might still be working. At times, freelancers have difficulty when clients ask updates every hour. Give the freelancer some time. If you receive no reply, it might be time to let him go. Conclusion Remember that you are looking for freelancers to get things done. However, remember that looking and hiring for great freelancers can be a very difficult task. That is why you need to prepare for these things. Good luck on finding your freelancers!

How to Create WordPress Widgets Posted: 25 Aug 2014 04:00 AM PDT WordPress widgets give you the ability to edit a certain part of your WordPress theme, usually on the sidebar. Using its drag-and-drop features, it's really easy for beginners to add, customize or delete a widget. Although there are a lot WordPress plugins available on the Web, the best way to get your exact desired output on the front end is coding it. Coding WordPress widgets is just like coding a plugin but, this time, it's more simple and easy. WordPress widgets provide user the options to fill out forms, include or exclude certain data information and some other features. The order and placement is set by the WordPress theme in the functions.php file. In today’s tutorial, learn how to create WordPress widgets by coding an Advertisement Banner  widget to display banners on your site. OK, let’s start. Resources You Need to Complete This Tutorial WordPress Installation Basic Knowledge about WordPress Widgets Basic Knowledge about WordPress API Step 1: Creating the Class and Functions WordPress widgets are classes and are easy to duplicate. A class provides blueprint that can be used repeatedly. The base class holds the functions that must be extended to make the widget work. To start off, create the class first. Create a new php file on your plugins folder of your WordPress installation folder and name it ads_widget.php. Then, copy the class code below. Notice that a comment section just above the the php class codes was created. This will display the details about the plugin such as the plugin name, description, author and so on. /* Plugin Name: Advertisement Widget Plugin URI: 1stwebdesigner.com/ Description: An Advertisement Banner Widget Author: Sam Norton */ <?php class Ads_Widgets extends WP_Widget { function Ads_Widgets() { // widget actual processes } function form($instance) { // display the options form on admin backend } function update($new_instance, $old_instance) { // processes widget options to be saved } function widget($args, $instance) { // display the content of the widget } } //call register widget add_action( 'widgets_init', create_function('', 'return register_widget("Ads_Widgets");') ); ?> Step 2: Processing the Widget Inside the function Ads_Widgets, copy the code below. These codes will initialize the widget and will be used throughout the function to target the current instance of the widget. <?php function Ads_Widgets() { $widget_ops = array('classname' => 'Ads_Widgets', 'description' => 'Displays Ads' ); $this->WP_Widget('Ads_Widgets', 'Advertisement Widget', $widget_ops); } ?> Step 3: The Form Function Next, code the form to display the options form on the back-end admin panel. Copy the code below inside the function form. function form($instance) { $instance = wp_parse_args( (array) $instance, array( 'title' => '' ) ); $title = $instance['title']; $message = esc_attr($instance['message']); $link = esc_attr($instance['link']); ?> <p><label for="<?php echo $this->get_field_id('title'); ?>">Title: <input class="widefat" id="<?php echo $this->get_field_id('title'); ?>" name="<?php echo $this->get_field_name('title'); ?>" type="text" value="<?php echo attribute_escape($title); ?>" /></label></p> <p><label for="<?php echo $this->get_field_id('message'); ?>"><?php _e('Advertisement Banner'); ?></label> <textarea rows="4" cols="50" class="widefat" id="<?php echo $this->get_field_id('message'); ?>" name="<?php echo $this->get_field_name('message'); ?>"><?php echo ($message); ?> </textarea> </p> <label for="<?php echo $this->get_field_id('link'); ?>"><?php _e('Ads Link'); ?></label> <input class="widefat" id="<?php echo $this->get_field_id('link'); ?>" name="<?php echo $this->get_field_name('link'); ?>" type="text" value="<?php echo $link; ?>" /> </p> <?php } ?> Step 4: The Update Function Next, work on the update function. This function will take the user settings and save them to the database. <?php function update($new_instance, $old_instance) { $instance = $old_instance; $instance['title'] = $new_instance['title']; $instance['message'] = $new_instance['message']; $instance['link'] = $new_instance['link']; return $instance; } ?> Step 5: The Widget Function This function will display the content of the widget on the front page. The code will contain arguments from the theme, which can be a title, a description or other values. Copy the code below inside the function widget. function widget($args, $instance) { extract( $args ); $title = apply_filters('widget_title', $instance['title']); $message = $instance['message']; $link = $instance['link']; ?> <?php echo $before_widget; ?> <?php if ( $title ) echo $before_title . $title . $after_title; ?> <ul> <li><?php echo '<a href="'.$link.'" target="_blank"><img src='.$message." '/>"; ?></a></li> </ul> <?php echo $after_widget; ?> <?php } } Step 6: Adding Action Hook and Returning Widgets Finally, load the widget by the function widget_init using an action hook. This will also register the widget name to make it work both on the front and back-end. Place the code below the class that was created above. add_action( 'widgets_init', create_function('', 'return register_widget("Ads_Widgets");') ); Step 7: Activating the Plugin Widget Now that the widget is done, activate the plugin. On the back-end admin panel, go to the Plugins panel and then click on the activate plugin link on the created widget. Next, to display the ads, you just need to supply the following fields. If you are going to check the WordPress site, you can that the banner was already displayed and running. Conclusion Congratulations! You just created your very first advertisement widget that will display an advertisement banner on your site. If you are not comfortable doing all these php stuff you might wanna use built in plugins like rtWidgets. Hope you learned on this tutorial and feel free to use the downloadable code on your projects. Let me know your thoughts if you have other ways to do the same thing.

Make it Artastic: 30 Beautiful Photoshop Brush Sets Posted: 25 Aug 2014 03:00 AM PDT Photoshop brush sets can be a great time saver for the designers because these allow the designers to easily and quickly create fantastic artwork without the need to draw all the individual design elements. Good Photoshop brushes have always been in demand, which is why every designer should have a great collection of Photoshop brushes in their tool boxes. It is not hard to find Photoshop sets but finding those with the highest quality can frustrate any web designer on the lookout. In today's post, we are featuring a high quality collection of brushes that can be of great help to every designer. Latest versions of Photoshop do come with nice pre-installed brushes but they are only the beginning of what you can possibly do with the Photoshop brushes. 1. Free Floral Brush Set 2. Free Fire Brushes 3. Free Smoke Brushes 4. Flat UI Brushes 5. Water Splash Brushes 6. Decorative Element Brushes 7. Smudge Brushes 8. Doodle Monsters Brushes 9. Free Cloud Brushes 10. Flourish, Leaves and Vines Brushes 11. Random Doodles Brushes 12. Dry Brush Stroke Brushes 13. Subtle Grain Brushes 14. TC Magic Spells – Moon 15. 18 Electrifying Lightning Strikes 16. 12 Large Bokeh Brushes 17. Electric Flow Brushes 18. Beauty Brushes 19. 11 Random Brushes 20. Watercolor Texture Brushes 21. Lighting by PerpetualStudios 22. Brush Set Made From a Toast 23. Dust Particle Brush Set 24. Scar Face Brushes 25. Simple Fabric Brushes 26. Dynamic Light Special Brushes 27. Vintage Floral Brush Set 28. Free PS Brushes by Matt Heath 29. Brushes De Palmeras 30. Hand Drawn Heart Brushes Conclusion I hope all these Photoshop brushes are useful to you. With these brushes, you don't need to search for high quality brushes anymore. Create something new and make your website famous among the community. If you find any of these brush sets to be useful, please tell us about it! If you want to share any other brush collection, feel free to comment below.

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