Archive for January, 2010

I see web designers using images of laptops (specifically, Macbooks) all the time. Perhaps we’re using them to showcase our own designs, or perhaps we’re using them in a design for a client. Regardless, if a stock photograph of a laptop is required, Macbook-esque shots are the way to go. Their sleek design lends well, as the simplicity and beauty of their shape doesn’t interfere with other design elements that may be used.

With that in mind, I realized “Hey. I have a Macbook Pro, and a Nikon D90. Why not take a photo and give it away?” So that’s what I’m doing.

Click the image to download a PSD file of the laptop (or click here for a JPG instead). The PSD file is layered so you can essentially plunk your design right in. There’s a ground reflection layer that can be turned on/off, there’s a transparent laptop layer, and there is a screen reflection layer too. All in all, it’s perfect for using in your designs & has a file size of 3000 px by 1752 px.

As I took this photo, you have permission to use it absolutely however you see fit. The name of the laptop has been taken out, so there will not be any copyright issues. If you’re going to redistribute it, it would be nice to mention Paper Leaf though. Enjoy!

New Site Design

January 9, 2010

We’ve implemented our new site design! With that in mind, bear with us for a bit until the new design is bug-free. I think everything is working and looking as it should (thanks to spending my entire weekend in front of the nerdbox), but if you catch anything drop me a line in the comments. Thanks!

I’ve always liked the word “build”. To me, it has obvious connotations of creativity, but also of hard work – and there’s something ultimately rewarding in creating something that took a lot of work. I also enjoyed the scene in Napoleon Dynamite where they used the phrase “build a cake”. Thus, this week’s Free Friday Wallpaper is all about inspiring you to get out there and build something – whether it be a killer website, a sweet patio, an igloo (if you’re from where I’m from) – whatever you like. Enjoy, share and subscribe to the RSS feed!

Click to download the BUILD wallpaper in 1920X1200, 1680X1050, 1440X900 and 1280X800.

Here at Paper Leaf, we do a decent amount of WordPress blog design & implementation for our clients. While WordPress is super easy to learn, you can’t just build your clients a blog, send them the login information and then disappear off of the face of the earth. Where’s the customer service, people?!? Ideally, we sit down for a half hour or hour with our clients to show them the basics of how to use their new blog (writing a post, adding categories, checking stats, uploading photos, adding users). However, sometimes a face-to-face meet up isn’t doable; we offer graphic & web design in Edmonton, but many of our clients are outside of the city.

Click here to download the free basic WordPress author's guide

To combat this, we built a very simple reference guide to give to our clients that explains how to do the following in their new WordPress blog:

  • write a new blog entry
  • save, preview & publish a post
  • add tags (and what that means)
  • add categories (and what that means)
  • check blog stats
  • use the Media section
  • moderate comments
  • update plugins
  • add a new user

This covers about 99% of what most basic blog users need to know, and it provides them with a resource they can come back to when needed, share within their business, and so forth. It’s sort of a basic WordPress author’s guide suitable to email and view on screen – click here to download it (or click the image above).

We figured that since this guide has been helpful to us, maybe it will be helpful to other designers who use WordPress. Here’s hoping! Anyway, share freely (but not as your own, please!)

*note: we install the Site Stats plugin for all clients – if you use this guide, I recommend doing the same, or your clients might be confused as to why they don’t have a Site Stats link.

Welcome to 2010, people! Weren’t we supposed to be in flying cars and eating meals in pill form by now, a la the Jetsons? Alas, these things have yet to come to fruition. However, it’s a new decade, and time for a new tradition. Allow me to present to you the first in a new feature on the Paper Leaf blog: the Free Calendar Wallpaper Series. Each month, we’ll post a free calendar for you to download and use on your desktop. How handy is that? This month’s is inspired by the new decade – 2010 sounds futuristic to me! Enjoy, share and subscribe to the RSS feed!

Click to download the January Calendar Wallpaper in 1920X1200, 1680X1050, 1440X900 and 1280X800. Pass it along!

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Paper Leaf Design is a small but mighty graphic & web design studio in Edmonton. This is our blog, where we wax poetic on design.

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