Category: Articles

Design Mistakes That Scare Users Away

Bogdan Rancea

This is the article that had to be written. The one that gave us no choice. Even though the majority of our readers wouldn't ever commit the grievous sins on this list, the sheer magnitude of the problem compels something to be written about it.

This is the culmination of millions upon millions of agonized groans of frustration as users continue every day to discover new depths of the abyss. Terrible has become the new normal, and something must be done about this. Consider the article you are now reading as one small step towards creating a better world for us all. We can only hope…

Continue reading Design Mistakes That Scare Users Away

Cubes in Modern Architecture

Bogdan Rancea

It is an undeniable fact – highlighted in 2004 ‘Content' by Rem Koolhaas too – that ‘shape is easy'. It is recognisable; works with our subconscious; and in the case of Platonic solids like cubes shape is also a philosophical notion with numerous connotations – starting from symmetry and regularity; stretching as far as our reflections take us. Cubes in particular are also ‘easy' to build but we believe their importance in architects' minds stays on the abstract plane. There seems to be a certain inherent relationship between cubes' geometry and the notions of perfection and clarity of structure. Thus, it is close to the highest honour among buildings to be cube-shaped, conspicuously derivative of cubes, or at least bear a cube name.

Continue reading Cubes in Modern Architecture

The Rise and Fall of Flash Sales

Bogdan Rancea

This past week, Fab.com made news once again after its co-founder Bradford Shellhammer stepped down. The departure is a bookend to the ecommerce store’s pivot away from flash sales and into the territory of standard online retail, a la Amazon. In its flash sale heyday, the company raised over $150 million in funding and was valued at around $1 billion dollars. Since the beginning of the year, Fab.com has been going through some rapid downscaling in an effort to be profitable.

Flash sales used to be the next big thing in ecommerce, but somewhere along the line, the business model’s wheels started to fall off. Surprisingly enough, Zulily, an ecommerce flash sale store for apparel designed for kids and mothers, is trying to launch an IPO north of $200 million total value. This seems to be an outlier though, as there’s a lesson to be learned from the Groupons, Fab.coms, Totsys, and the others out there. How did the flash sale business model fall apart?

Continue reading The Rise and Fall of Flash Sales

50 Inspirational Photography Logos

Bogdan Rancea

If you're a freelance photographer, or are involved in a photo festivals or studio, there's no shortage of photography logos to inspire you. Though photographers aren't logo designers, they are creatives with their own style which tends to be reflected in their logo. Common motifs of photography logos include cameras, lenses, film, viewfinders, frames and tripods. Check out this collection of 50 inspiring photography logos before you set out to create one yourself!

Continue reading 50 Inspirational Photography Logos

HOW TO: Set Up a Q&A Website in Minutes – the Best Options Reviewed & Compared

Bogdan Rancea

A recent trend in blogging that's going to be mainstream very soon is to have your very own Q&A website related to the same topic your blog is about. This comes very handy for webmaster because of recently launched solutions and very convenient for readers because they can ask and answer stuff in a well-known environment, among a community they like. Before reading the reviews of the solutions we found so far.

Continue reading HOW TO: Set Up a Q&A Website in Minutes – the Best Options Reviewed & Compared

10 Sources of Inspiration for Designers & Film Makers

Bogdan Rancea

Creativity is an enigmatic aspect of human experience; it is often difficult to identify what it is that drives this impulse and the elements that inspire an artist’s work. Written from the perspective of a practicing painter and writer, this post brings together ten areas that are sources for artistic inspiration. When an individual chooses a career path of freelance art or design, a career that depends on a constant supply of creativity, it is important to recognize what inspires the work, and how to stimulate one’s imagination.

Continue reading 10 Sources of Inspiration for Designers & Film Makers

Scroll to top
Become an ecommerce expert

Enter your email to get the party started