On the 23rd of February the server where http://Garcya.us/blog is hosted crashed and all the data was lost.
Unfortunately there was NO file backup, only mysql backup from wordpress.
I will be moving the blog I have moved the blog to another location and will bring it back online asap now WDB is online.
The only problem remains that MOST of the download links will be DEAD until I can manage to restore most of them.
Especially Premium download links will be DEAD.

As you’ve probably noticed I’ve moved the blog not only to a new server but to a new location, removing the /blog and bringing WDB to http://Garcya.us !

All the subscribers aren’t affected, and all the links with http://Garcya.us/blog will be redirecting to the root of the domain now.

I want to thank all of you who emailed me and support me and especially to premium members who offered to help me build up the blog again.

By moving to the new server, I hope I’ve learned my lesson and will always have a backup not only for mysql database, but for everything.

Please remember that until I can manage to upload all the files, images, etc to the new server there will be missing images, missing download links.

You can help! Use the comment form here or email me at [email protected] and send the post link where you’ve found a missing download link and it will become a priority in resolving / uploading back.

Remember to follow @Garcya on twitter and subscribe for free to the newsletter if you haven’t done yet.

Do you like what you see? Any help is welcome! It keeps me working and provide YOU with Free Vector Graphics. Thank you!

© Garcya for Web Design Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments
Post tags: new server, server down

This week a contentious and highly debatable question was asked on Answers and, as expected, we received a lot of great answers favorable for both sides. We felt it was such a good question that we are opening it up to our trusty Design Reviver readers to hopefully settle the issue.

So, here goes… What’s Better For Designing A Website, Photoshop Or Fireworks?

The original question was asked by Angela last Monday, and has so far received a hand-full of answers (you can read them below). We would love to hear your opinion, you can post it in the comments below or you can post an answer on the original questions thread here: What's Better For Designing A Website, Photoshop Or Fireworks?

“Have you asked a question yet?“

What's Better For Designing A Website, Photoshop Or Fireworks?

Answer from Alessio:

That’s a good question! I believe that it mostly comes down to personal preference.
I would use Photoshop because I’m much more comfortable with it and it’s quick and easy.
The reasons that Fireworks could be better, though, are:
1) It integrates rasters and vectors well, which you will probably want to do when creating a website.
2) It has better image compression, which can be important when creating graphics for the web. See this article: webdesignerwall.com for an in-depth comparison of the image compression in Photoshop and Fireworks.

So, I think for the most part it depends on whatever you’re more comfortable with, but there are slight advantages to Fireworks.

Answer from Mohamed Aslam Najeebdeen :

I use Photoshop for create mockups and Fireworks for wireframes and image slicing and optimization.

Answer from interface.net.pk:

It depends on your personal preference. The more you use a tool, the more comfortable you’d b with it. By the way, photoshop is believed to be the best application for designing websites.

Answer from Max:

Fireworks is the best, I’ve been using it since version 3. I use Photoshop for anything I do with my tablet.

Answer from Michael Lajlev:

I think you should go with photoshop, because it contains all you need, and sometimes fireworks isnt enough. If you go with photoshop you only need to learn one interface.

Unanswered Questions

There are always a couple of questions that somehow manage to go unanswered, can you help?
These are this weeks orphans:

1. What Tool Would You Choose To Create A Social Network?
2. How Can I Convert My Illustrations To Animations?
3. How Do I Parse My XML?
4. What's The Best Free Tool To Track Your Time On Projects?

Thanks again to everyone that took the time to offer some helpful and useful answers.

Choosing the perfect font can be one of the most difficult aspects of design. You will probably use one font for the logo, another for the headings and yet another for the content. And on top of that each design you create will have its own character and the font you choose will need to compliment it. Just how do you find that perfect font for that particular design?

For today’s news round-up we have collected the best and the freshest font collections to expand your font libraries and help you choose that perfect font.

30 Free Fonts Ideal for Business Logos

30 Free Fonts Ideal for Business Logos »

20 Fonts Ideal for Big and Powerful Headings

20 Fonts Ideal for Big and Powerful Headings »

7 Free Grunge Fonts That Rock

7 Free Grunge Fonts That Rock »

20 Fonts Ideal For The iPhone And Other Mobile Screens

20 Fonts Ideal For The iPhone And Other Mobile Screens »

A Roundup of 45 Industrial Free Fonts

A Roundup of 45 Industrial Free Fonts »

The 30 Most Creative and Unusual Fonts

The 30 Most Creative and Unusual Fonts »

By Paul Andrew (Speckyboy and speckyboy@twitter).

Getting to know your client is an important part of determining if you’re a right fit for the project. Not only that, but you should always ask questions before-hand to compile information that you will later use to accurately design a website or logo for them. If you quote a client for a project without knowing what it truly entails, then you’re setting yourself up for the possibility of loosing valuable time and money.

Now we know that asking questions before you begin a project is vital, but what about after you’ve completed a project? Although this may seem somewhat insignificant it’s actually an important step to finalizing the completion and delivery of your project. Below you will find various questions that you can ask your client, even though you may not use every single question, make sure you select the ones you believe both you and your client will benefit the most from.

Questions to Ask Before You Begin a Project
Generally these questions are asked before you begin a project, however, you can also ask some of these mid-way through your project as well. Analyze your clients answers and get to work with the information you’ve put together.

1. What Kind of Business Does Your Company Run?

This is an important question because it’s the first step towards getting to know your customer’s business structure. It will help you assess the company’s needs in terms of relative design, and it is also a gateway for strategic brainstorming.

2. What is Your Company’s Reputation?

For an online presence especially, reputation is everything. You want to design a site or logo that reflects the reputation of your clients business. If your clients reputation is having a hard time staying afloat due to negative feedback, then whatever you design for them either has the power to follow the same path, or attract positiveness. Also, does the company have a good reputation for satisfaction, quality, or timely service? These are all elements that affect the design.

3. What is Your Typical Customer Like?

This question will help you get a better idea of what the company comprises of. Is the typical customer foreign to the market your client targets? How does the client interact with its customers? Does the typical customer speak a different language? These questions are vital to the aesthetics and/or usability of your design. If you were designing a logo for example, and your clients typical customer doesn’t speak your clients language, then you would have to make sure the logo is able to communicate effectively on a further level.

4. What Is Your Target Audience?

Different from what the typical customer is like, you must have a deep understanding of what audience your client is currently trying to target. Maybe their trying to steer away from their typical clients and move into a different niche, or your client is looking to redefine and expand their customer base, whether one or the other it doesn’t matter, knowing exactly what audience your client is aiming to target is key to the development and success of your design.

5. Do You Have Any Competitors, if so, How Do You Differ?

Although this may have an obvious answer (if you’ve done a fair amount of research) you should still ask this question to get a feel of what THE Client believes is their competition. More than likely they have a much better idea of who their competing with. Knowing your clients competitors will allow you to rule out any similarities between all of their existent designs. This will help you create a more unique and centric design for your client.

6. How Often Would You Like Me to Update You With Progress?

You don’t want to come off as annoying or dependent of your client for your every move. This question will help you align with your clients wants and update them only when they want to be updated. Excessive updates can easily discourage a client from using your services in the future.

7. How Do You Envision the Finished Project?

If you’re designing a website then it’s important to ask your client what THEY intend to use their website for, and how they envision it will look like. What good would it do if you were to complete a project only to find out it doesn’t do any of the things your client intended for it, or it doesn’t behave the way your client had thought it would?

8. What Method of Payment Do You Use?

If you have no intentions of drawing up a contract before you begin the project, then it would be smart idea to ask your client to elaborate how they plan on paying you for your services. Maybe you only accept PayPal, but your client only pays by check. This could create severe problems if you don’t agree on a method of payment before hand.

Questions to Ask After a Project’s Complete
These questions can be asked right before your deliver your project, or immediately after it’s complete. The purpose of the following questions to make the transition from the beginning of the project to its completion as smooth as possible.

9. How Satisfied Are You With the Results?

This question will help you analyze the quality of your skills and how well you’re able to develop a design based on what your client needs. As you advance in your career, you’ll have plenty of chance to improve your skills, this question will create a chance for you do just that.

1o. Do You Plan on Having Any Revisions and Updates Done to This Project?

Ask this question to avoid frustrations that can easily arise if a client believes they can abuse of you by excessively asking for changes and further revisions free of charge. If your client plans on having you heavily revise and make several changes to a project, then this question will allow you both to agree on a reasonable fee you may collect for additional services.

11. Would it Be Alright for Me to Place a Link to My Portfolio on Your Site?

Usually when a designer completes a web design then they place a small link to their portfolio on their clients site. In no way or shape is your client obligated to agree to let you do this. However, since we know this is a great way for you to get some recognition and reach a wider audience, you should still ask your client if a link to your portfolio may be placed at the bottom or below the footer. Some clients may not allow you to place the link, but they may allow you to place who the site was designed by. (i.e. Site Designed By EXAMPLE)

12. Can I Showcase This Project As an Example In My Portfolio?

Even though this is YOUR design and you have the right to display YOUR work within your portfolio, it’s still common courtesy to ask if you can display your clients project for everyone to see. Some clients may be uneasy with this, however, by asking this question you may avoid headaches caused by your client. If any problems arise, you should inform your client that you have rights to your design because it is still your work, unless otherwise specified.

13. How Well Would You Rate My Services?

Similar to the question asking your client how satisfied they are with the results, this question will allow you to assess and improve the quality of your services. This plays an important role in the succession of your business.

14. Do You Have Any Questions of Your Own?

Sometimes a client may have a few questions, but they may be scared or intimidated to ask you for personal and professional reasons. Whatever reason it may be, you should make your client aware that they can always come to you with any questions they may have. This alone could inspire the client to pursue your services for further projects in the future. Having a trust-worthy relationship between you and your client is one of the most important things you could accomplish.

Got a question about this article? – Ask it here!