Author Cosima Mielke

June 30, 2024 — Let’s welcome the new month with some fresh desktop wallpapers! Created by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for July 2024. Enjoy! Read more…

June 17, 2024 — Whether you want to take your user research skills to the next level, get better at UX writing, or stay up-to-date on the latest design trends, a newsletter is the perfect opportunity to get the best of the best resources delivered straight to your inbox on a regular basis. In this post, we highlight some design newsletters that you might want to consider subscribing to. Read more…

June 7, 2024 — The times for CSS have probably never been more exciting than today. In this quick read, we’ve got some useful CSS tips and techniques for you that you can apply to your work right away. Let’s dive deeper into self-modifying CSS variables, hanging punctuation, and more. Read more…

May 31, 2024 — Let’s kick off June with some fresh inspiration! Artists and designers from across the globe once again tickled their creativity to celebrate the beginning of the new month with a collection of beautiful and unique wallpaper calendars. Read more…

May 23, 2024 — How can we get better at naming? This post is dedicated to naming conventions, tips, and real-world examples that help you name things in a robust and flexible way. Read more…

April 30, 2024 — May is almost here, so what better occasion could there be for some fresh and inspiring desktop wallpapers? Created with love by artists and designers from across the globe, the wallpapers in this post come in versions with and without a calendar. Enjoy! Read more…

March 31, 2024 — Could there be a better way to welcome the new month than with a little inspiration boost? We might have one for you: desktop wallpapers created by the community for the community. Enjoy! Read more…

March 27, 2024 — Based on responses from over 1,200 product professionals, Maze’s Future of User Research Report uncovers how product teams conduct research to inform decision-making and build successful products. Learn about the top three trends defining the user research industry in 2024 and beyond. Read more…

February 29, 2024 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of desktop wallpapers is for you. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for March 2024. Enjoy! Read more…

January 31, 2024 — With February just around the corner, how about a little inspiration boost? We might have one for you: desktop wallpapers created with love by the community for the community. Enjoy! Read more…

December 31, 2023 — Let’s start into the new year with a little inspiration boost: wallpapers created with love by the community for the community. Happy 2024! Read more…

November 30, 2023 — Could there be a better way to welcome the new month than with a collection of desktop wallpapers? We’ve got some eye-catching designs to sweeten up the last few weeks of the year and, if you’re celebrating, to get you in the holiday mood. Read more…

October 31, 2023 — November is just around the corner, and with it, a new collection of desktop wallpapers to celebrate the beginning of the month. Designed by creatives from all across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar. Let’s make this November colorful! Read more…

September 30, 2023 — How about a little inspiration boost? Well, we might have something for you: desktop wallpapers created with love by artists and designers from across the globe. They are available in versions with and without a calendar for October and can be downloaded for free. Enjoy! Read more…

August 31, 2023 — Let’s get ready for September with some fresh wallpaper designs! Created with love by artists and designers from across the globe, the wallpapers in this collection come in versions with and without a calendar. Enjoy! Read more…

July 31, 2023 — New month, new wallpapers! In this post, you’ll find unique and inspiring wallpapers for August 2023. Created with love by the community for the community, they come in versions with and without a calendar. Enjoy! Read more…

June 30, 2023 — Let’s welcome the new month with some fresh desktop wallpapers. Designed by artists and designers from around the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for July 2023. Enjoy! Read more…

May 31, 2023 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of desktop wallpapers might be for you. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, the wallpapers in this post come in versions with and without a calendar for June 2023. Enjoy! Read more…

April 30, 2023 — May is almost here, so what better occasion could there be for some fresh and inspiring desktop and mobile wallpapers? Created with love by artists and designers from across the globe, the wallpapers in this post come in versions with and without a calendar. Enjoy! Read more…

March 31, 2023 — With April just around the corner, we have a new collection of desktop and mobile wallpapers waiting for you to celebrate the beginning of the new month. Designed by creatives from all across the globe, the wallpapers come in versions with and without a calendar. Enjoy! Read more…

March 20, 2023 — Just a few beautiful, well-crafted fonts for headings and body text that you probably haven’t spotted before. Free for personal and commercial use. Enjoy! Read more…

March 6, 2023 — Do you sometimes feel that all websites look the same? In this post, we compiled web design showcases that prove differently. They highlight some of the finest web designs, well-crafted experiences, and delightful interactions from across the web. Inspiration is guaranteed. Read more…

February 28, 2023 — Let’s get ready for March with some fresh wallpapers! Designed with love by the community for the community, the wallpaper designs in this collection are available in versions with and without a calendar. Enjoy! Read more…

February 2, 2023 — Podcasts are a fantastic opportunity to get up close with the people who know their craft. In this post, we compiled podcasts that are bound to provide valuable insights into UX and new perspectives on the field. Perfect for a short coffee break or a long commute. Read more…

January 31, 2023 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of desktop wallpapers is for you. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for February 2023. Read more…

January 18, 2023 — Get better at your craft and support the people in Ukraine — that’s the idea behind our Figma Auto Layout Masterclass with Christine Vallaure. We are donating all proceeds from the online workshop to humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Monday, March 27, 09:00AM – 12:00PM PT / 18:00 – 21:00 CET. Donate and join! Read more…

December 31, 2022 — Let’s start into the new year with a little inspiration boost: wallpapers created with love by the community for the community. Happy 2023! Read more…

December 7, 2022 — Are you ready for the countdown to Christmas? This year, the web community was once again busy creating tech advent calendars jam-packed with fantastic content to sweeten your days. But which ones to follow? We help you find the right one, whether you’re a front-end dev, UX designer, or content strategist. Read more…

November 30, 2022 — December is almost here, so why not spread some holiday love across your devices? We’ve got some beautiful wallpapers to sweeten up the last days of the year. Read more…

November 9, 2022 — Everything design systems on accessibility, enterprise design systems, Figma kits, data visualization, motion design, multi-lingual design, naming, ROI calculator and UX writing. Read more…

October 31, 2022 — November is just around the corner, and with it, a new collection of desktop wallpapers to celebrate the beginning of the month. Designed by creatives from all across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar. Let’s make November colorful! Read more…

September 30, 2022 — How about a little inspiration boost? Well, we might have something for you: desktop wallpapers created with love by artists and designers from across the globe. They are available in versions with and without a calendar for October and can be downloaded for free. Enjoy! Read more…

August 31, 2022 — Let’s welcome September with some fresh desktop wallpapers. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for the month. Enjoy! Read more…

July 31, 2022 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of desktop wallpapers is for you. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for August 2022. Read more…

June 30, 2022 — Let’s welcome the new month with some inspiring desktop wallpapers. Created by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for July 2022. Enjoy! Read more…

June 10, 2022 — DevFest for Ukraine is a charitable online conference that will bring together 20 industry-leading tech speakers in support of Ukraine. June 14–15. Read more…

May 31, 2022 — What could be a better way to welcome June than with some colorful inspiration? Well, we might have something for you: wallpapers created with love by artists and designers from across the globe. Read more…

May 10, 2022 — Smart SVG techniques, from generative SVG grids to SVG paths with masks, grainy SVG gradients, cut-out effects and fractional SVG stars. Let’s look at some magical SVG techniques that you can use right away. Read more…

April 30, 2022 — Let’s welcome May with a new collection of wallpapers. Designed with love by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for May 2022. Read more…

April 20, 2022 — Who doesn’t love a good timesaver? In this post, we compiled useful productivity tips and tools that help you speed up routine tasks, enhance your development workflow, and stay organized. Read more…

April 6, 2022 — Devs For Ukraine is a free online charity conference organized by the lovely people at Remote. Two days filled with talks from engineering leaders around the globe, in support of Ukraine. April 25–26. Read more…

March 31, 2022 — Let’s welcome the new month with some new wallpapers. Designed with love by artists and designers from across the globe, they are available in versions with and without a calendar for April 2022. Read more…

March 29, 2022 — Are you a designer or developer affected by the war in Ukraine? Here are some options to consider if you’re looking for a design or tech job. Read more…

February 28, 2022 — Following our monthly tradition, artists and designers from across the globe challenged their creative skills and designed desktop wallpapers to welcome March. They come in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. Read more…

February 16, 2022 — We all need a little inspiration boost every now and again. In this post, we collected inspiring resources from all across the web for you — beautiful eye candy, tips to challenge your skills, and useful tools that are bound to spark new ideas. Enjoy! Read more…

January 31, 2022 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of desktop wallpapers is for you. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for February 2022. Read more…

January 19, 2022 — What goes into creating a successful design system? How can you take your testing workflow to the next level? And what smart interface design patterns could help you enhance your UIs? Let’s figure it out. With our online workshops on front-end and UX. Read more…

December 31, 2021 — What better way could there be to start the new year than with some fresh inspiration? Our collection of wallpapers for January 2022 is bound to put a smile on your face — and maybe spark new ideas, too. Read more…

December 22, 2021 — A meaningful user experience is what can set your site apart from others. But what makes an experience truly meaningful? And how to achieve that? The tools, tips, and resources in this post not only help you to come up with a UX strategy that works for you and your team but also to circumvent potential UX pitfalls. Read more…

December 9, 2021 — Everybody loves a nice freebie, right? To get you in the mood for the upcoming holidays, we collected some winter- and holiday-themed icon sets and vector elements that you can use in your projects for free. Enjoy! Read more…

November 30, 2021 — Let’s welcome December with some new wallpapers! Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they are available with and without a calendar for the month. Enjoy! Read more…

November 24, 2021 — Instead of spending your coffee break scrolling through your social feeds, how about a lovely little website instead? We came across some fantastic ones that are just too good not to be shared. But be warned, your break might take a bit longer than intended. Read more…

October 31, 2021 — November is just around the corner, and with it, a new collection of desktop wallpapers to celebrate the beginning of the month. Designed by creatives from all across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar. Let’s make November colorful! Read more…

October 14, 2021 — Writing CSS has probably never been more fun and exciting than it is today. In this post we’ll take a look at common problems and use cases we all have to face in our work and how to solve them with modern CSS. If you’re interested, we’ve also just recently covered CSS auditing tools, CSS generators, front-end boilerplates and VS code extensions — you might find them useful, too. Read more…

September 30, 2021 — Get your desktop ready for fall and the upcoming Halloween season with a fresh batch of desktop wallpapers. Created with love by designers and artists from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for October 2021. Read more…

August 31, 2021 — New month, new wallpapers! In this post, you’ll find inspiring wallpaper designs for September 2021. They were created with love by artists and designers from across the globe and are available with and without a calendar. Enjoy! Read more…

August 17, 2021 — Your project is on a tight budget? We’ve collected some wonderful, free icons and goodies that we’ve discovered lately and that are bound to give your design the finishing touch. We’ve also just recently covered Figma plugins, SVG generators, accessible front-end components and front-end boilerplates — you might find them useful, too. Read more…

July 31, 2021 — New month, new wallpapers! In this post, you’ll find unique and inspiring wallpapers for August 2021. Created with love by the community for the community, they come in versions with and without a calendar for the month. Read more…

July 21, 2021 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? We’ve collected some useful color tools and resources that we’ve discovered lately — to help you get the most out of your creativity. We’ve also just recently covered CSS auditing tools, CSS generators, accessible front-end components, front-end boilerplates and VS code extensions — you might find them useful, too. Read more…

June 30, 2021 — Let’s welcome July with some fresh desktop wallpapers. Designed by artists and designers from around the world, they are available with and without a calendar. Enjoy! Read more…

June 10, 2021 — We don’t need to write everything from scratch every single time. With boilerplates and starter kits, we can set up our projects faster, and get to work immediately. Read more…

May 31, 2021 — What could be a better way to welcome June than with some colorful inspiration? Well, we might have something for you: wallpapers created with love by artists and designers from across the globe. Read more…

May 27, 2021 — Meet useful Visual Studio Code extensions for web developers: little helpers to minimize slow-downs and frustrations, and boost developer’s workflow along the way. With auto log messages, auto code formatting, file utils, file labels, code snippets, highlight brackets, tags, indents and workspaces, onboarding and remote SSH. Read more…

April 30, 2021 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new collection of wallpapers is for you. Designed with love by the community for the community, the wallpapers are available with and without a calendar for May 2021. Read more…

March 31, 2021 — Let’s welcome the new month with some fresh wallpapers. Designed with love by artists and designers from across the globe, they are available with and without a calendar for April 2021. Read more…

February 28, 2021 — Our wallpapers post this month is a special one: There’s not only a new collection of wallpapers created by creative folks from across the globe waiting for you, but we’ll also award a smashing prize to the best design. Read more…

January 31, 2021 — Let’s make this February more colorful! Apart from a new collection of wallpapers, we also have a little creativity challenge waiting for you this month. It’s the perfect occasion to share your ideas with the world — and win a smashing prize along the way. Read more…

January 25, 2021 — How to stay creative, focused, and organized when working remotely? We’ve collected some useful tools and resources that we use daily — to help you get most out of your remote work. Read more…

December 31, 2020 — What better way could there be to start the new year than with some fresh inspiration? Our collection of wallpapers for January 2021 is bound to put a smile on your face — and maybe spark new ideas, too. Read more…

November 30, 2020 — Let’s welcome December with some new wallpapers! Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they are available with and without a calendar for the month. Read more…

October 31, 2020 — Give your desktop a makeover with this new collection of wallpapers. Designed by the community for the community, the wallpapers come in versions with and without a calendar for November 2020. Read more…

September 30, 2020 — Get ready for autumn and the upcoming Halloween season with beautiful and inspiring wallpapers. Created by the community for the community, they are available with and without a calendar for October 2020. Read more…

August 31, 2020 — New month, new wallpapers! In this post, you’ll find inspiring wallpaper calendars for September 2020. Created with love by the community for the community. Read more…

July 31, 2020 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of wallpapers is for you. Designed with love by the community for the community, the wallpapers come in versions with and without a calendar for August 2020. Read more…

June 30, 2020 — What could be a better way to welcome July than with some colorful inspiration? Well, we might have something for you: wallpapers created with love by artists and designers from across the globe. Read more…

May 31, 2020 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new wallpapers collection is for you. Designed with love by the community for the community, the wallpapers are available with and without a calendar for June 2020. Read more…

April 30, 2020 — As designers, we usually turn to different sources of inspiration, and, well, as a matter of fact, we’ve discovered the best one: wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd. Read more…

March 31, 2020 — Let’s welcome the new month with some fresh wallpapers. Designed with love by artists and designers from across the globe, they are available with and without a calendar for April 2020. Read more…

February 29, 2020 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of wallpapers is for you. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for March 2020. Read more…

January 31, 2020 — Artists and designers from across the globe once again got out their favorite tools and created unique and inspiring wallpapers to welcome the new month. The wallpapers are available with and without a calendar for February 2020 and can be downloaded for free. Read more…

December 31, 2019 — Happy 2020! Let’s welcome the new year with wallpapers created by the community for the community. Available with and without a calendar for January, they’ll help guide you through your first adventures of 2020. Read more…

November 30, 2019 — December is here and with it a new collection of desktop wallpapers to celebrate the beginning of the month. Designed by creatives from all across the globe and available in versions with and without a calendar. This month’s wallpapers post is a little reminder to treat yourself to some quiet moments like these in the midst of this end of the year rush. To refuel your batteries and gather some fresh inspiration. The wallpapers in this collection might be a good start. Read more…

October 31, 2019 — In many parts of the world, November is a rather gray month, so what better way could there be to start it off as with some colorful inspiration? Read more…

September 30, 2019 — Get ready for October and the upcoming Halloween season with a fresh batch of wallpapers. Created with love by the community for the community. Read more…

August 31, 2019 — Let’s welcome September with a fresh desktop wallpaper. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe and available with and without a calendar. As a bonus goodie, we also collected some timeless favorites from past years’ editions at the end of this post. Please note that all images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper. We respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. A big thank-you to all the artists who have submitted their wallpapers and are still diligently continuing to do so. Happy September! Read more…

July 31, 2019 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of wallpapers is for you. Designed with love by the community for the community, the wallpapers come in versions with and without a calendar for August 2019. Read more…

June 30, 2019 — What could be a better way to welcome the new month than with a fresh wallpaper? Well, we might have something for you: wallpapers created with love by the community for the community — all available with and without a calendar for July 2019. Please note that all images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper, and you can feature your work in our magazine, too. So if you have an idea for an August wallpaper design, please don’t hesitate to submit it. We’d love to see what you’ll come up with. Read more…

May 31, 2019 — Let’s kick off June with some fresh inspiration! Artists and designers from across the globe once again tickled their creativity to cater for beautiful and unique wallpapers. Available with and without a calendar for the month. All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper, and you can feature your work in our magazine, too. So if you have an idea for a July wallpaper design, please don’t hesitate to submit it. We’d love to see what you’ll come up with. Read more…

April 30, 2019 — Artists and designers from across the globe once again got out their favorite tools and designed unique and inspiring wallpapers to welcome the new month. The wallpapers all come in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. At the end of this post, we also collected some May favorites from past years’ wallpapers editions that are too good to gather dust somewhere down in the archives. Available with and without a calendar for May 2019. Enjoy! Read more…

March 31, 2019 — As designers, we usually turn to different sources of inspiration, and, well, we’ve discovered one of the best ones: wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd. Read more…

February 28, 2019 — Get ready for March with a fresh wallpaper. Today, Cosima Mielke brings you some designs for the community and available with and without a calendar. Please note that all images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper, and you can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them? Read more…

January 31, 2019 — Why not start the new month off with a fresh wallpaper? Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, Cosima Mielke brings you the wallpapers in this collection are available with and without a calendar for February 2019. Please note that ll images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper, and you can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them? Read more…

December 31, 2018 — Let’s start into the new year with a little inspiration boost: wallpapers created with love by the community for the community. Happy 2019! Please note that sll images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper, and you can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them? Read more…

November 30, 2018 — December is here, so why not spread some holiday love across your devices — we’ve got some truly eye-catching wallpapers to sweeten the last days of the year. Remember that all images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper, and you can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them? Read more…

October 31, 2018 — Give your desktop a makeover with this fresh batch of wallpapers. Today Cosima Mielke brings you wallpapers designed by the community for the community and available with and without a calendar for November 2018. The wallpapers all come in versions with and without a calendar for November 2018 and can be downloaded for free. As a little bonus goodie, we added a selection of favorites from past November editions to this post. Because, well, some things are too good to be forgotten somewhere down in the archives, right? Enjoy! Read more…

September 30, 2018 — Get your desktop ready for fall and the upcoming Halloween season with a fresh batch of desktop wallpapers. Created with love by designers and artists from across the globe. Please note that all images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper. You can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them? Read more…

August 31, 2018 — Do you need a little inspiration boost? Well, then our new batch of desktop wallpapers is for you. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar for September 2018. Read more…

July 31, 2018 — August is here, so why not celebrate with a fresh wallpaper? In this post, Cosima Mielke features desktop wallpapers designed by artists and designers from across the globe. We give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience throughout their works. With and without a calendar for August 2018 and available for free download. All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper. Read more…

June 30, 2018 — Following our monthly tradition, designers and artists from across the globe have created desktop wallpapers that are bound to get you in the summer mood. Read more…

May 31, 2018 — Welcome June with a fresh desktop wallpaper. Designed by artists and designers from across the globe and available with and without a calendar. Read more…

April 30, 2018 — Let’s celebrate the beginning of May with some fresh and inspiring desktop wallpapers. Since more than nine years, artists and designers from across the globe challenge their creative skills and design monthly wallpapers for you to indulge in. In this post Cosima Mielke brings you their artworks for May 2018. Designed with love by artists and designers from across the globe, this wallpapers all come in versions with and without a calendar, so that you can continue using your favorites even after the month has ended. Read more…

March 31, 2018 — As a part of our recent creativity challenge, artists and designers from across the globe created monthly desktop wallpapers dedicated to their favorite songs. And, of course, we do have some spring-themed wallpapers for April, too. Read more…

February 28, 2018 — For the March 2018 desktop wallpapers, we wanted to try something different. That’s why we started a little creativity challenge and asked the community to design wallpapers around the theme “Exploring New Worlds.” Today, Cosima Mielke is happy to present the result of this creative experiment, and the lucky winner, too, of course. Here are the results. Read more…

February 26, 2018 — Adobe is launching a unique design challenge: Take one of three exclusive icon kits and make an app prototype that helps fellow creatives explore your city. Now’s your opportunity to let fellow creatives see your city through your eyes — and to put your design skills to the test at the same time. Show them where you get your creative juices flowing, where you relax after a long day at work, or whatever else might spark your love for the place you live each day anew. Read more…

February 9, 2018 — Three world-renowned designers — Lance Wyman, Anton & Irene, and Büro Destruct — created three UX-themed icon kits that you can download and use for free in Adobe XD. You can download the icon kits for free in .XD format right from Adobe. While each kit carries the characteristic style of their creator, they all have one thing in common: They celebrate well-made user experiences and emphasize how important icon design is to telling stories. Read more…

February 8, 2018 — Today Cosima Mielke wants to take you on a very personal trip to space. Buckle up as you’ll become the captain of the command center — and maybe you’ll even make the acquaintance of an actual alien, too. Imagination has got no limits, right? A free icon set with everything related to space: rockets, space shuttles, meteors, stars, and everything else you might come across on a space mission. You can download them for free in SVG, EPS, AI, and PNG formats. Read more…

February 8, 2018 — Every designer and developer has their own way of tackling their work. But, no matter how different their approaches are, one thing is for sure: We can learn a lot from each other. Our friends at Adobe are streaming live from Awwwards Berlin 2018. Join digital thinkers and UX professionals as they discuss current trends from the UX/UI industry. February 8th and 9th. Read more…

February 6, 2018 — Nine years is a long time, and sometimes we all should break out of our comfort zones and try something new, right? Today, Cosima Mielke invites you to join our Creativity Challenge and win a smashing prize. All you need to do is design a wallpaper for March 2018 around the theme “Exploring New Worlds.” The deadline is Sunday, February 25th. Read more…

January 31, 2018 — As every month since more than nine years already, artists and designers from across the globe once again fired up their favorite illustration tools and got out their paint brushes and cameras to create charming desktop wallpapers that are sure to breathe some fresh life into your desktop. Today, Cosima Mielke brings you unique and inspiring desktop wallpapers that celebrate the month of love, Chinese New Year, and the small things that make us happy. Created by artists from across the globe and available with and without a calendar for February 2018. Read more…

January 16, 2018 — 13 live webinars. Four days. That’s the Design Systems Virtual Summit which our friends at UXPin are hosting from February 13th to 16th. Join free from anywhere, and learn from experienced practitioners how to build and maintain a design system efficiently. The four days will be jam-packed with first-hand insights provided by experts from companies like Atlassian, Airbnb, Linkedin, IBM, and more. To make learning as practical as possible, each speaker will share lessons learned from real projects and case studies — takeaways that you can apply to your work right away. Read more…

January 3, 2018 — We asked our readers and the community to use everything they could to make their websites and projects perform blazingly fast. Today, Cosima Mielke is thrilled to show off the results of this challenge and announce the winner who will be awarded with some smashing prizes indeed! Thanks to everyone who participated in the challenge! We were quite happy with the quality of the submissions we received, and it honestly wasn’t easy to choose a winner. Keep up the brilliant work! Read more…

December 31, 2017 — Despite all the New Year’s resolutions you might have made, sometimes it’s the small things that work wonders. A tidy desktop and a new, inspiring wallpaper that caters for a little inspiration shot when you need one. To welcome 2018, artists and designers from across the globe created unique desktop wallpapers for you to indulge in — with and without a calendar for January. Time to give your desktop a makeover and start the new year off freshly inspired. Read more…

December 20, 2017 — To remove the dust from the term “office” and give the visuals revolving around it a fresh and friendly face, too, the creative minds at Vexels designed a set of 32 office-themed icons. The icons come in AI, EPS, SVG, and TIFF formats and can be downloaded for free. Attribution is required, so if you would like to use the icons, please do remember to credit the designers and to link to this article if you want to spread the word in blog posts or anywhere else. Read more…

November 30, 2017 — What better way could there be to celebrate the last few weeks and the upcoming holiday season as with some cheerful wallpapers? To get you in the right mood for December and the upcoming holiday season, artists and designers from across the globe once again got their creative ideas bubbling and created festive and inspiring desktop wallpapers for you. Wallpapers that are a bit more distinctive as the usual crowd and that are bound to add some holiday cheer to your screen. You can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendars series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them? Read more…

November 20, 2017 — Slowly but surely, 2017 is coming to an end. Time for some end-of-the-year wallpapers! Read more…

October 31, 2017 — All artworks in this collection come in versions with and without a calendar for November 2017, so it’s up to you to decide if you want to have the month always in sight or just some distraction-free inspiration. All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper, and you can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendars series. A big thank-you to everyone who shared their wallpapers this time around! Enjoy! Read more…

October 24, 2017 — Not too long ago, front-end performance was a mere afterthought. Something that was postponed to the end of a project and that didn’t go much beyond minification, asset optimization, and maybe a few adjustments on the server’s config file. But things have changed. Read more…

October 6, 2017 — CSS Grid is becoming the new layout standard for the web, and we are all still experimenting with what we can achieve with it. Read more…

September 30, 2017 — This monthly wallpapers mission has been going on for nine years already, and we are very thankful to everyone who has and still is contributing to it each month anew. Today, to provide you with some fresh inspiration even when the weather is gray, artists and designers from across the globe once again challenged their creative skills to design beautiful, one-of-a-kind wallpapers for you to indulge in. The wallpapers in this collection all come in versions with and without a calendar for October 2017 and can be downloaded for free. Happy October! Read more…

September 26, 2017 — Today, Cosima Mielke brings you 60 icons with everything from transportation and equipment to nature, activities and other motifs that are bound to awaken your wanderlust. EPS, AI, SVG and PNG formats are available, so it’s easy to customize the icons to your liking. Read more…

September 11, 2017 — If you’re working in a growing startup or a large corporation, you probably know the issues that come with this: The big-picture falls from view easily as everyone is focusing on the details they are responsible for, and conceptions about the vision of the design might be interpreted differently, too. The bigger challenge lies in keeping the sum of the parts intact. And accomplishing that with a lot of designers involved in the same project. What you need is a set of best practices to remove this friction and make the process smoother. A strategy to scale design without hurting it. Read more…

August 31, 2017 — We embarked on a special creativity mission nine years ago: to provide you with inspiring and unique desktop wallpapers every month. Wallpapers that are a bit more distinctive as the usual crowd and that are bound to fuel your ideas. In this post, Cosima Mielke brings amazing artworks for September 2017. All wallpapers come in two versions — with and without a calendar — and can be downloaded for free. Time to freshen up your desktop! We are very thankful to all artists and designers who have contributed and are still diligently contributing to this mission, who challenge their artistic abilities each month anew to keep the steady stream of wallpapers flowing. Read more…

July 31, 2017 — To help you start into August freshly inspired, artists and designers from across the globe once again challenged their artistic skills to create unique desktop wallpapers for you to indulge in — wallpapers that are a bit more distinctive as the usual crowd. All wallpapers in this collection can be downloaded for free and come in versions with and without a calendar. A big thank-you to everyone who shared their artworks with us! Now it’s up to you to decide which one will become your August companion. Read more…

July 4, 2017 — Today, Cosima Mielke is very happy to present you a colorful, friendly, but nonetheless straight to the point freebie with 28 icons in the set in total, depicting concepts that help a business thrive — from vision and strategy to teamwork and competition. All icons are available in AI, EPS, SVG, PSD, and PNG formats. Please note that this icon set is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. This means that you may modify the size, color, and shape of the icons. Attribution is required, so if you would like to use the icons, please do remember to credit the designers and to link to this article if you want to spread the word in blog posts or anywhere else. Read more…

June 30, 2017 — It’s been nine years already since we embarked on this mission to welcome the new month with a fresh batch of desktop eye candy, with wallpapers that are a bit more distinctive as the usual crowd. And it wasn’t any different this time around. July is almost here, and artists and designers from across the globe once again challenged their creative skills and created a lovely collection of wallpapers for July 2017. All of them come in two versions and can be downloaded for free. Now you only need to decide which one will make it to your desktop. Enjoy! Read more…

May 31, 2017 — Our monthly desktop wallpapers post is an opportunity to refuel your creative battery and get a little in-between inspiration shot. Each month, artists and designers from across the globe challenge their creative skills to create inspiring, unique, and simply beautiful wallpapers for you to indulge in. Wallpapers that are a bit more distinctive as the usual crowd and that’ll, hopefully, cater for some fresh ideas. All wallpapers come in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. Enjoy! Read more…

May 26, 2017 — Vincent Le Moign spent two years on designing a set that Cosima Mielke is very happy to feature part of it as a freebie today. 100 icons in total that can be resized and customized to your liking (AI, EPS, SVG, Sketch, Iconjar, and PDF versions are available). Black and duo-tone blue versions are already on board when you download the set. The EGO icon collection shines with its well-balanced, geometric style — perfect to make a bold statement without being obtrusive. Please note that this icon set is free for both private and commercial use. No attribution is required, however, reselling of the bundle isn’t allowed. Read more…

May 16, 2017 — Conferences are a brilliant opportunity to get up close with the pros and exchange tips and ideas. But they aren’t the only one. Our friends at the full-stack UX design platform UXPin brought the first free virtual summit to life a few months ago. Now the second edition is on its way, and we are very happy to help make it happen: the Agile UX Virtual Summit, focusing on all things Agile UX. Because, well, we all know that building a UX team with agile organization can be quite a challenge. Read more…

April 30, 2017 — Time to freshen up your desktop! Our monthly wallpapers challenge is an opportunity to let your ideas run wild and try something new, to indulge in a little project just for fun. This post features desktop wallpapers for May 2017, created by designers and artists from all across the globe. Each wallpaper comes in versions with and without a calendar and can be downloaded for free. You can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendars series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them? Read more…

March 31, 2017 — We’ve been on this mission to bring you unique wallpaper calendars each month anew for eight years already, and we are very thankful to all the designers and artists who keep it running by diligently contributing their artworks to it. This post features their works for April 2017. No matter if April means blooming colors and embracing the warmer weather in your part of the world or getting cozy for autumn, our new batch of desktop wallpapers is bound to cater for some fresh inspiration regardless of that. Read more…

March 28, 2017 — Today, we share our knowledge to get better and more efficient at what we do, like in a guild. What place could be better for a guild of web designers and developers to get together for a friendly conversation, to learn from each other and to spark new ideas at a location that lives and breathes centuries of crafted skills? We are headed back to the Historic Merchants’ Hall in our lovely hometown Freiburg, and we’d love you to join us there for SmashingConf Freiburg 2017! Read more…

March 10, 2017 — The following icon set covers a vibrant potpourri of subjects, 30 icons ranging from nature, travel and leisure motifs to tech and office. All icons are available in five formats (AI, EPS, PSD, SVG, and PNG) so you can resize and customize them until they match your project’s visual style perfectly. Please note that this icon set is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. This means that you may modify the size, color and shape of the icons. No matter if you like it bright and bubbly or rather sleek and simple — the set has the makings to become a real allrounder in your digital tool belt. Read more…

February 28, 2017 — If you need a little inspiration kick to get your creative juices flowing, Cosima Mileke has something for you that could work: desktop wallpapers. Each month, artists and designers from across the globe diligently contribute their works to it. And well, it wasn’t any different this time around. This post features their artwork for March 2017. The wallpapers all come in versions with and without a calendar. All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper. Time to freshen up your desktop! Read more…

February 14, 2017 — In this post, Cosima Mielke has hand-picked 30 fonts that are bound to give your project the finishing touch, and maybe even inspire you to something entirely new. The fonts can all be downloaded for free. However, please note that some of them are free for personal use only and are clearly marked as such in the description. When working on a project yourself, freebies like these can come to the rescue when you have to get along on a tight budget, but, more often that that, they simply are the missing piece that’ll make your design complete. Read more…

January 31, 2017 — This monthly wallpapers mission has been going on for eight years already and we are very thankful to all the creative minds who challenge their skills and contribute to it each month anew. Today, Cosima Mielke features their desktop artwork for February 2017. All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper. Remember you can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendars series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them? Read more…

December 15, 2016 — The web community has assembled some fantastic advent calendars this year, and to make the choice of which ones to follow a bit easier, Cosima Mielke collected a selection of advent calendars in this Quick Tip for you. No matter if you’re a front-end dev, UX designer, or content strategist, we’re certain you’ll find something to inspire you for the upcoming year. So prepare yourself a nice cup of coffee, cozy up in your favorite chair and, well, enjoy! Read more…

December 9, 2016 — In this article, Cosima Mielke brings you some holiday-themed icon sets for you that’ll give your creative projects some holiday flair. Perfect for Christmas cards, gift tags, last-minute wrapping paper, or whatever else you can think of. All icons can be downloaded for free! Please consult their licenses or contact the creators before using them in commercial projects. Reselling a bundle is never cool, though. Have a happy holiday season! Read more…

November 21, 2016 — A while ago we asked on Twitter and Facebook what music the web community is listening to when coding and designing. The answers were as diverse as the community itself and Cosima Mielke has compiled those hand-crafted playlists, favorite artists, and loved soundtracks in this article to see which tunes fuel the web, and to provide you with some new ear candy to get you through lengthy coding and design sessions, of course. Get your headphones ready! Read more…

September 23, 2016 — Designing with “big data” is a challenging task. Matan Stauber, however, took it to the next level. With an impressive outcome. Having studied Visual Communication at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel’s national school of art, Matan realized a very ambitious final project: an interactive timeline of our galaxy’s history — 14 billion years, from the Big Bang to today. We talked to Matan about Histography, about the idea behind it, and how he managed to bring it to life. An interview about stretching the limits of what’s possible. Read more…

September 14, 2016 — Have you tried creating a website with some Dropbox-powered hosting tools? In today’s article, Cosima Mielke has collected nine tools for you that hook up to your Dropbox to streamline the process of creating and hosting static websites. However, before you settle on a Dropbox-powered platform, always balance the pros and cons to make sure it is the right choice for your project. As for prototyping, the following tools are a great way to make your workflow more efficient so you can spend more time on the details that really matter. Read more…

July 18, 2016 — With technology evolving and language recognition and processing improving, we are on a path that could make interaction with digital services more intuitive, more accessible and more efficient — through conversational interfaces. Conversational interfaces are still in their infancy. There are still hurdles to jump, and we need to explore what works and what doesn’t. However, this means that there are no beaten paths, yet. It’s a time for experimentation, a time to tinker with the concept and try out something new. Read more…

July 6, 2016 — Made for fast and fluid UX design, Adobe XD gives you everything in one neat bundle: it lets you sketch out ideas, create interactive prototypes, test and share them. To give you a head start when working with XD, Cosima Mielke has compiled 15 pro tips, including features that might not be obvious at first glance but that will make your prototyping workflow a lot smoother. Please note that a Windows version is in the works and due later in 2016, but for now Adobe XD is available for Mac OS X only. Read more…

May 4, 2016 — In this piece, Cosima Mielke wants to indulge in the aesthetic of past times. She’ll dive into wanderlust-awaking travel posters, design manuals that wrote history, and, last but not least, Cosima will bridge the gap to today by looking at how a mid-century design movement still influences designers. Buckle up… and off we are to a journey through pre-Photoshop, pre-Sketch and -Illustrator times! Read more…

April 27, 2016 — In this article, Cosima Mielke will provide you with tools and resources to simplify editing, converting, optimizing, and delivering SVGs. She’ll take a look at what you can do to make your SVG code lean and performant, dive deeper into dealing with browser bugs, and provide tips for designing an icon system. This piece boils the key takeaways from the mentioned resources down to easily digestible bits that you can squeeze into a coffee break for some in-between SVG enlightenment. Read more…

April 12, 2016 — In this article, Cosima Mielke has done some digging around and found some interesting UI demos and concepts for you to indulge in and build upon: dialog and modal windows, signup and login screens, navigation and menus, sliders and toggles. Small bits of delight that make the user’s interaction with a website or app more pleasant. Enjoy! Read more…

March 30, 2016 — A great conference fuels your ideas and polishes up your skills. Luckily, a lot of conferences provide videos of their talks after the event has ended. In this article, Cosima Mielke collected videos that revive the spirit of the conferences they were recorded at and cater for a lot of fresh insights and light-bulb moments to make the learning never stop. As a very special goodie, we’re very pleased to also feature the live stream of this year’s Build 2016 Conference, taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA, right here on Smashing. Read more…

March 8, 2016 — Solid typography, well-crafted with attention and care is one of the small details that make a project shine. In practice, however, publishing on the web is supposed to be fast, and the little details are often overlooked, which is a pity, because they are not only pleasing to the eye but also improve the reading experience. The tools and resources compiled in this article will help you bring some of that meaning that typography has always benefited from in print to your web projects. Are you ready to do some catching up on that type game? Read more…

March 3, 2016 — To celebrate all the little moments of inspiration that comes from the colors of your favorite music album, or the typography on a book cover, we have compiled some resources for you which honor the beauty of graphic design and the ideas behind it. Perfect to squeeze into a short coffee break. Enjoy! The variety is endless, and sometimes you’re lucky and find a little piece of art shining through the sheer mass. It’s inspiring to see how designers boil the idea behind a book down to the limited canvas space of one rectangle. What will it inspire you to? Perhaps something extraordinary, like your own series of book covers made with HTML and CSS? Read more…

February 24, 2016 — Everybody loves a nice set of icons, right? Today we collected some icon sets that you can use in your projects for free. The following collection offers both — payment provider icons just like summer goodness to help you over a rainy day. All icons can be downloaded and used for free. Enjoy! Read more…

February 23, 2016 — In this article, Cosima Mielke has collected tips, tricks, and tools To give you a head start into Flexbox and provide you with ideas on how to use it to master common coding challenges, that will help you get the most out of its power already today. Flexbox gives us a new kind of control over our layouts, making coding challenges that were hard or impossible to solve with CSS alone straightforward and intuitive. It provides us with the means to build grids that are flexible and aware of dynamic content. The list is by no means complete but includes the resources which we found helpful and useful. Read more…

February 17, 2016 — To help you boost productivity, save time, and, obviously, nerves, in this article, Cosima Mielke has picked some valuable Photoshop resources, plugins, and scripts for you. Some of them will speed up routine tasks so you can concentrate more on your actual work, others build a bridge between Photoshop and code so your design mockups can benefit from the best of both worlds. Read more…

February 12, 2016 — In this article, Cosima Mielke brings you some fonts which are real games. if your project has to get along on a very limited budget and you need to rely on free fonts, this is for you! The following fonts can be downloaded for free and are bound to give your project — both private and/or commercial — a classy finishing touch. Remember, typography can make all the difference! Read more…

February 4, 2016 — Smashing Magazine is known for lengthy, comprehensive articles. But what about something different for a change? What about shorter, concise pieces with useful tips that you could easily read over a short coffee break? As an experiment, this is one of the shorter Quick Tips-kind-of articles — shorter posts prepared and edited by our editorial team. Read more…