We recently wrapped up a web design for a local non-profit organization, Neighborly Service. Here are some of the services we performed:

• HTML/CSS
• PayPal Integration
• jQuery

A new polished look for an established non-profit.

Denver’s Neighborly Service came to 3 Roads Media in need of a website redesign to better represent their image and message to the community. Based on their needs, we designed and developed a clean, thoughtful, user-friendly website. Calls-to-action in the sidebar, properly spaced body text, an intuitive navigation and subtle details helped bring the organization’s brand to life on the web.

Continue Reading »

Summer and its 100 degree weather is almost over. Until then, keep cool with this month’s James Dean inspired wallpaper.

This month we present you with an illustrated wallpaper design, “Cool Cat”. Check out a preview below:

This month's design commemorates cool cat James Dean

Continue Reading »

Letterpress can push your design to the next level, but before letting your imagination soar, it is important to know the limits and possibilities of letterpress printing. Here are some helpful tips on how to design for Letterpress.

1. Know your medium

Letterpress is a wonderful, time-tested process with unique qualities. Before even beginning your design, there are a few things to keep in mind about how Letterpress works.

Letterpress is a spot color printing process

When designing for Letterpress, it is important to remember that you’re dealing with a spot color printing process, and not the 4 color (CMYK) process. Where the 4 color process matches your on-screen colors by combining percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, a spot color process is very specific, using pure color rather than a mixture of CMYK. It is very important to reference your spot colors in person, and not simply rely on the on-screen rendition, as this can be vastly different from the actual Pantone color. Pick your colors in person using PMS, or the Pantone Matching System, then use those specific colors in your design (This post is written for Adobe Illustrator, but Photoshop and InDesign also contain Pantone swatches).

Letterpress inks are translucent and will overlap

Letterpress inks are thinned out and translucent to best work with the equipment. What does this mean for your design? If you have overlapping elements, the colors may blend unfavorably once printed. Do not overlay objects and design elements unless you want their colors to blend (you may preview this effect by switching transparency mode to “Multiply”). Of course, you can certainly use this feature to your advantage to achieve new colors without paying for additional inks.
Continue Reading »

There seems to be a de facto standard in the world of design studios: that they should be as quirky as possible – ostensibly to stimulate the creative juices of its inhabitants.

The more bizarre and interesting the decoration, the more creative the agency…right? While I can’t answer that question definitively, I can share with you some unique accessories that will make your work space a bit more interesting…and perhaps a bit more productive.

1. Jpegasus Poster

This witty blending of dorky humor and mythical creature makes it a fantastic addition to any studio’s wall space. Make your coworkers chuckle at this clever play on words, and fill up your wall space with something interesting.

2. Custom Laptop Skins

When it comes to custom laptop skins, you either already have one or you want one. The good folks over at GelaSkins have the nicest collection of skins we’ve ever seen. Maximum envy points for applying any one of their designs to your laptop, iPhone, Xbox, or any of over 100 other devices.

3. Office Slang Flashcards

We’re big fans of retro spoof (and we’re also fly, yo), so this indispensable collection of office slang was a shoe-in for inclusion on our list. Be the hit of your next local AIGA event when you “roll deep” with your newfound vocab.
Continue Reading »

The internet is chock-full of cool inspiration, interesting information and whatever else you can think of. And yet, it can be easy to waste hours of your time on social networking sites or simply checking your email. To help make the best use of your time online, check out this list of 5 useful websites you’ve probably never heard of.

1. Myfav.es

Myfav.es is a beautifully simple site that allows you to create a start page with quick access to all of your favorite websites. Myfav.es has a list of popular websites you may choose from, accompanied by slick icons (with the option to pick custom URL’s if your favorite site is not on their list). Pick the number of icons you’d like on your custom homepage, up to 25, adjust some minor options, click ‘save settings’ and you’re all set! Hello cool, refreshingly simple homepage.

2. Start.io

Start.io is a good looking, designer friendly bookmarking website. Similar to other bookmarking sites, start.io provides a quick and easy way to organize and save your bookmarks, and visually notifies you when rss feeds have been updated. By far the stand-out feature, start.io allows for full html customization and even those unfamiliar with web design have stylish templates to choose from. Start.io makes bookmarking look good.
Continue Reading »

Has “the man” got you down? Feel like nobody sees what a superstar you are? Well keep on shining all day long with this free retro-tastic wallpaper!

Today we present you with a vintage inspired, motivational wallpaper design. Everyone’s got their bad days but remember, when life’s got you down, you  are a Superstar!

Here’s a preview:

Continue Reading »

If you’ve ever wanted to create dropdown, category-based navigation in your ExpressionEngine website, you’ve probably also wanted to punch a hole in your desk. It’s not easy. Or is it? In this tutorial, I’ll show you how.

Requirements

To follow along in this tutorial, you’ll need:

• An ExpressionEngine website running EE 1.6.x
• The Subcategories plugin
• To use category URL titles in your links, not category IDs

The Subcategories plugin is available for download on this thread in the EE forums; however, since it’s not clear which version to grab, and since there was a minor bug in the code, I’ve made a corrected version available for direct download right here.

Grab the plugin, save it as pi.subcategories.php, and upload it to your system/plugins directory.

Live Demo

If you’re the visual type (like I am) you probably need to see the menus in action. The demo is pulling from a live EE install on our web server. It may also help to see a screenshot of the category heirarchy.
Continue Reading »

Guest blogger: Ann Kendall, Vine Street Communications

Imagine for a moment that you’re a visionary business owner with big goals for your website. (Sounds familiar, no?) You want your website to make your business look credible. Drive more leads. Dramatically increase your sales, so you can kiss it all good-bye and move to beachfront property in Tahiti…

Hold the sunscreen.

Even if you’re a strong writer, there are many reasons to think twice before writing your own content. If results are important to you, investing in effective website content can be as important as investing in good website design and functionality. Continue Reading »

It’s been a heck of a year. To cap it all off, we’re releasing a brand new free wallpaper for January.

This month’s design is a collection of actual newspaper headlines collected from U.S. and world newspapers. Each headline represents an event that took place in 2009.

Here’s a preview:

Continue Reading »

No matter how busy we get, there’s always time for a free desktop wallpaper. This month’s design is inspired by the Christmas Seals put out each year by the American Lung Association.

We’re big fans of tradition, especially this time of year. For over a century, the American Lung Association has been a part of the American Christmas tradition by releasing an annual Christmas Seal. These look like stamps, but they’re used to seal your holiday correspondence (and they cost a bit less). Proceeds from the sale of these seals goes to fund research to fight lung-related diseases.

In the spirit of this great tradition, we’ve released a Christmas Seal of our own. It won’t seal your holiday cards (unless you get very creative) but it should make your desktop a bit more festive. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at 3 Roads Media.

Continue Reading »