You know how you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover? Well, sometimes you have to. Here at Westervin, we’re hard at work on a new design for the very blog that you are reading right now. I’ve found that one of the best ways to find inspiration for website design is to look at design in other fields: enter The Book Cover Archive.
As the name implies, the site is a collection of book cover designs. But it’s not just a collection of any old books. It’s a curated collection of visually interesting books, mostly new, but some old. To explore the selection, you can search by book title, designer, art director, font, or many other elements that might interest you. I realize not all of you are embarking on website redesigns, but perhaps you can find inspiration from book covers for all sorts of creative projects.
I happen to read a lot of articles online, and one of the most annoying things I find is how unreadable some sites are. Whether there are too many ads, or poor typography, sometimes it would just be nice to see the content by itself. Luckily Arc90 Labs has an answer: Readability. Readability is a little bookmarklet (it goes in your bookmarks toolbar) that you can click on to rid yourself of unnecessary ads and to generally prettify an article. Of course this concept isn’t new; it’s part of what the popular Instapaper does. However, Readability doesn’t save things for later — it changes the display of what you are reading right now. Check out the informational video for more information:
Don’t you hate it when you forget to pick up milk on your way home, then once morning comes around, you pour yourself some cereal only to realize that you have no milk (I know these guys do)? Well this newish web-app might help:
TeuxDeux List
TeuxDeux is a minimal web-based application created through a collaboration of swissmiss and Fictive Kin. If you’ve ever been a bit overwhelmed by fancy-pants to-do applications, TeuxDeux should offer you a reprieve. It’s currently free and sign up is a breeze. You’ll never forget milk again. No more cryin’.
