It was so nice to have a little Christmas break. I feel re-energized to come back with some great posts and continue work on improving this blog into the new year. I’ve got some redesign elements to introduce, including a new logo which I plan to reveal in the coming months. This month’s MyInkTrail was relatively small, but its still packed with interesting design articles, tutorials, freebies and more.

About a year and a half ago now I switched my hosting services over to Eleven2. It was easily one of the best decisions I’ve made while running this blog. The folks there are very helpful and personal, and I’ve yet to experience any significant downtime on my site.

This is part 3 of the Design Toolbox Series where I ask top designers what design tools they use to help them complete their work. This series was largely inspired by Grace Smith’s “Show Me Your Dock Series.” It’s my hope that you can gain insight into what other designer’s are using, and hopefully find some new apps/tools to check out.

I don’t usually do ‘pat on my own back’ style posts, but I really wanted to share this news with MIB readers. Recently, I was approached to contribute a tutorial to MacUser magazine. Needless to say I was humbled, and jumped at the opportunity to be published in the popular UK magazine.

About a month ago I finally started a Facebook page for MyInkBlog. It was a long time coming, and has already proven to be quite helpful in communicating with the design community, and sharing the word about MyInkBlog happenings. I hope you’ll consider checking out the page, and joining the group.

MyInkTrail, is my trek through the articles, tutorials, freebies and general news from the design community for each month. November was a fast moving month filled with quality design articles, resources, and plenty of turkey and family.

Not too long ago I stumbled across the US Air Force site, and was immediately struck by it’s style and slick patterns. The inner pages of the site focus on large background images with a cool mesh overlay. I decided to play around in Photoshop to see if I could replicate the effect. It turns out to be rather easy, so I wanted to share this quick tutorial with you.

There are a lot of cool and effective ways to call attention to portions of a design. When writing 6 Ways To Take Your Webdesign From Good To Great I used a simple blur technique that proved to be quite popular. I’ve seen the effect a lot of places before, so in no way can I take credit for it

This is part 2 of the Design Toolbox Series where I ask top designers what design tools they use to help them complete their work. This series was largely inspired by Grace Smith’s “Show Me Your Dock Series.” It’s my hope that you can gain insight into what other designer’s are using, and hopefully find some new apps/tools to check out.

MyInkBlog’s Flickr Group has grown to 400 awesome members! At this point, every 100 new members will result in a Flickr group showcase; this is the sixth such showcase. If you missed the prior ones, be sure to check out I, II, III, IV and V.

The cool folks at CodeSublime approached me about offering a giveaway on MIB that could really show off there coding skills. After some brainstorming we devised a unique PSD to Wordpress Contest Giveaway. I’ve seen quite a few PSD to HTML style giveaways, but I can’t recall any that go the extra mile of offering a full Worpress Theme.

The difference between good and great webdesign is relatively small. The average person may not be able to explain the tangible differences that make up great design, but they can usually spot a design they like. By examining some awesome sites, I’ll attempt to put my finger on some of the small details that make up the difference.