Maybe it’s just me, but I hate when I clients says, “just do whatever, we trust you.” As much as I like creative freedom, I hate having to remake good designs; which is what usually happens when the client gives me no creative guidelines.

To remedy this problem, I have started sending all clients a brief questionnaire to fill out. I have found that this not only helps me with the design process, but gives the client a better understand of what they want. Many clients never sit down to really think about what they want in a web page, they just know they want one. The questionnaire makes the clients think about what they want their web site say, evoke, and do.

Give this questionnaire a try on your next web design project and see how it goes. The file can easily be edited for other design work such as logos, printed, ads, and more.

• Download the Web Design Questionnaire Here.(word 2007)
• Download the Web Design Questionnaire Here.(word 97-03)

The free stock images and videos on iStock Photo change weekly.  For a current list of free images, click here.

Web 2.0 Style for Dummies – Tools to style easier

There is no mistaking the design style that is associated with the web 2.0 bandwagon. You know what I’m talking about, those glassy buttons, pretty badges, reflection and more. There are plenty of tutorials around the web to teach you how to create such web 2.0 styles. But let’s say you don’t have time to learn, are in a rush to pound out a page, or just too lazy to learn; then this is the blog post for you.

Below you will find a list of web 2.0 style resources that require almost no work on your part. There are photoshop templates, online applications, and more. Consider this the easiest way to build a web 2.0 style webpage.

Web 2.0 Style Tools and Downloads

Web 2.0 Color Cheat Sheet – An image file that has some of the most popular colors of the web 2.o trend.

Web 2.0 Style Layout PSD – A pretty standard, sleek looking, header and layout.

Ultimate Web 2.0 Layer Styles – A Photoshop layer style that has a ton of styles and colors that follow the web 2.0 trend. This will help you bang out stylish buttons and backgrounds in no time.

Stripe Generator 2.0 – An online application to help you create those ever so popular stripes for your header or background.

Badges – A collection of web 20 style badges. You can download the PSD and all you have to do is change the text and you’re ready to go.

Web 2.0 Badge Generator – Don’t feel like messing with Photoshop to make your badges? This site should help.

Do you know any other cool web 2.0 style tools? Please share!

Top Java Script Image Galleries

1. Lightweight Image Gallery with Thumbnails
This is a superb image gallery script that is almost dummy proof. It simply uses a list of images, some CSS for style, and some javascript. This is a great image gallery script for photographers, designers, or even stores that show multiple views of an object.

2. Smooth Gallery
A great image gallery script that showcases thumbnails and images in one container. The thumbnails can be hidden or viewed with a simple slide of the mouse. This image gallery script is nice as-is, but really shines when used in conjunction with slightbox (a lightbox knock off).

3. Lightbox
Where would designers be without the Lightbox javascript image gallery. This script should be a staple in any designers tool box. The script creates a image that “overlays” the webpage. It is truly a thing of beauty and can make even the crappiest picture look a tad better.