Have you ever thought that real masterpieces, portraits and amazing landscapes could be created using unconventional but everyday items, including socks, coffee stains, food, sunflower seeds or even flowers and candles? Yeah, we can only imagine your astonishment! It’s really unbelievable, but a Malaysian artist-architect Hong Yi amazes the whole world with her artwork.

Still not sure what we are talking about? Take a look at the image below. It’s a coffee cup stain portrait of Lucio Dalla, Italian singer, created by Hong Yi. The whole work took about two weeks and evoked the admiring public views.

Lucio Dalla Portrait by Hong Yi

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The next project involves four basic elements: fire, water, wind and earth. It’s the portrait of Adele, an English singer-songwriter and musician. The artist was mainly inspired by Adele’s song ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ when choosing candles and fire as her painting material. The candles (about 1500 of them) simply melt and flowed together, forming a striking masterpiece.

Adele’s Portrait by Hong Yi

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Hong Yi, who goes by the nickname ‘Red’, is an architect by day and an artist by twilight. Here are some short facts from her biography. In the ’60s her family left Shanghai and moved to Malaysia where she was born and raised. She studied architecture the University of Melbourne (Australia), then she continued her study at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands where she got acquainted with European art and architecture. After graduation she accepted the offer of an established Australian architecture firm HASSELL to work in their Shanghai office. When Red moved to Shanghai, she was deeply smitten with the beauty of the country, its history and culture. And she started a project of creating portraits of famous Chinese people using different material (actually anything available) as her medium.

Below is a portrait of Zhang Yimou, a famous Chinese film director. At first sight it’s difficult to understand what it is made of. But if you look closer, you’ll see that the face is created, you wouldn’t believe, by means of… socks! The initial idea was to use shirts, but they appeared to be really hard to manipulate, and the whole project would be not budget-friendly at all. That’s why she decided to use the smallest piece of clothing – socks.

Zhang Yimou’s Portrait by Hong Yi

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The whole project took three weeks of work, about 750 pairs of socks and thousands of pins. The result is amazing.

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Below is Lee Chong Wei’s portrait. Lee Chong is a professional badminton player from Malaysia, a sports hero. And the medium for his portrait has been chosen purposefully. It is made of 110 shuttlecocks. Each shuttlecock has 16 feathers, so this piece was made up of about 1800 feathers! The whole process took about three weeks of planning, cutting and pasting shuttlecocks.

Lee Chong Wei’s Portrait by Hong Yi

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Hong Yi avows that coffee cup strain is one of her favourite painting methods. Just imagine the smell of these masterpieces!

A Portrait of Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, a prominent business personality in Malaysia.

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A portrait of Jay Chou, a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter.

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The story about the artwork of Hong Yi would be incomplete without mentioning some of her food art. Recently she finished the project “31 Days of Creativity with Food”. Each day she tried to produce something creative working within the confines of a plate with food. She created these “limits” intentionally because, as she admitted, her artworks were getting too big and too complicated. This was some sort of challenge for her. But a really great talent doesn’t mind any challenge and can be seen in the slightest things.

Field of tulips

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Cucumber landscape

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Tiny tutus

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Red cabbage Marchesa Salad

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Goldfish in my consomme

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Three little pigs

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A tiny garden with a lemon sun

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“All you need is love”

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Hong Yi is definitely blessed with the great talent. But talent alone didn’t make her a success. Unbelievable imagination, persistence, patience and faith make her that special!

About the Author Tatiana T. is a blogger who cares deeply about creative and user-friendly ecommerce design. She thrives in working with clients as a part of TemplateMonster Team to deliver effective solutions based on Prestashop shopping cart.

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Here are the best practices pertaining to the Envelop design, Pre-header and Header design, Email layout, Copy & Body Content, Footer design and Mobile Optimized Emails:

 
Sender Credentials: The Infographic is didactic. It shares best practices for the From Line, To field and Subject Line. From name should be identifiable. To Address should be personalized and the Subject Line should limit to 35 characters. Subscribers decide to read or delete an Email within 3 seconds.

 
Snippet Text should be well aligned with the subject line as few clients show preview text, pulled out from the first few lines of email content.

 
Johnson Box top is ideally 400×300 pixels, with the height of the header set at around 150 pixel.

 
Online Version: A stress has been put to link to an online version of your email should be provided.

 
Email Layout: Email width should be 500 to 650 pixels with a vertical layout preferred over horizontal. The infographic advises to use text and images both are used in right proportion with a Table of content if a lot is to cover in the email.

 
Easy Unsubscribing: According to the infographic, it is advisable to put the Unsubscribe button upfront and easily clickable. Social sharing links and/or ‘Forward to a Friend’ options are a must add.

 
Mobile Optimized Emails has to be restricted to single column template, using techniques like responsive and scalable coding standards as 42% of all email is now opened via mobile and 43% of mobile email users check email 4+ times per day.. Mobile emails should have tappable call to action of minimum size 44 x 44 pixels and Mobile Email width of 320 to 480 pixels.

 
Body and Content: The infographic reinforces the fact to use short sentences and paragraphs. Designers should distinguish content sections using design elements like spacing and dividing lines. It suggests using bold typeface and sub-headers to make certain words stand out with web-safe standard fonts keeping the Body Copy font size: 14 pixels & Title font size: minimum of 22 pixels.

 
Infographic also include guidelines, Do’s and Don’ts. To list down a few:

• Things to Avoid: Flash or Ajax functionalities, background images layered with text etc.
• Things to use: An alt text to an image provides sense to the viewers even with images off as in case an email does not display correctly, 69.7% will delete it immediately.

 
Below is the complete infographic discussing the key points mentioned above with examples. (Click on the image to view a bigger version of the infographic.)
 

Infographic also follows a downloadable checklist for the email design best practices. Designers engaged in hardcore email designing can use this checklist and incorporate the listed best practices in their day to day work. This checklist is one pager and can be easily accessed here.

About the Author Jenny Kay works as an Email Consultant with Email Monks. Monks are setting up an industry milestone through fastest email template conversion service that converts various designs like PSD to Email HTML and aims to help code the Email Newsletter HTML Templates and integrate with leading email clients like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, iContact and Campaign Monitor.

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Please click on the screenshot below to see the interactive infographic in action.

Below is a preview of the infographic:

SEE ALSO: Infographic: Is Your Business Card Social Media Friendly?

About the Author Art Rivera is deeply interested in everything connected with Internet, he sincerely suppose the web is the only future reality for the humanity through its inevitable involving into every part of human life. And of course someone should make this future look nice: all hail to Web Design, the King of all my web-interests.

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Consumers may think they’re working the system, but we all know the truth. The system is working them. Consumers think they’re in control of their purchases, but in reality – we are.

The Factors that Influence Purchases

 
There are several factors that influence a consumer’s decision to buy.

For example, design usually plays a pretty big role. If shoppers are standing in the grocery store aisle contemplating which can of tuna to buy, their decision might be influenced by the product’s label design. The eye-catching, more attractive label conveys professionalism and improved quality. The top-notch design will win out over the ma and pa variety.

Online, the same principle holds true. A shoddy website design implies low-quality products.

Convenience is another big factor. Amazon’s one-click buying is pretty genius. And Wal-Mart’s ship-to-store option lets shoppers grab their online purchase while they shop for other items.

Buzz words tend to draw consumers’ attention too. When grocery shopping, words like “low-cal,” “reduced sodium,” and “high in fiber” might attract health conscious consumers.

But none of these influential factors can hold a flame to color.

Color has a strong psychological hold on people. There is a definite correlation between color and feeling. Since color can affect emotion, it can easily alter a consumer’s behavior.

It’s Not Hokum!  

Consumers may still think themselves impervious to outside influences.  Fortunately, they’re not! This concept has been proven by science. Studies show color triggers a very specific response in our brain.

The best marketing professionals take this into consideration. They know consumers rely on visual cues more than any of their other senses. In fact, consumers base 1% of purchases on sound or smell, 6% on texture, and 93% on visual appearance.

Additionally, 85% of study participants said they chose a particular product because of its color. Vendors also use color for brand recognition since it is directly tied to consumer confidence. What would the golden arches be without their color? Would you dare go into a McDonalds with a green logo?

The Color Wheel Explained

 
The feelings associated with colors aren’t universal. For example, in the west, white represents purity.  In the east, it is unlucky. Here is an explanation of how colors are represented in North America and how designers should be using them to influence consumers.

The color red has been shown to increase heart rate. It also exudes energy and induces urgency, passion, excitement and power. Venders use red for clearance sales, trying to appeal to impulse buyers. Also, fast food chains use red to induce a hurry-up and leave attitude, creating high customer turnover and more sales.

Check out how Pizza Hut creates a sense of urgency with the color red.

Orange is aggressive. Like the color red, it also exudes energy. Websites use this color to draw attention to a particular action they want you to take – subscribe, buy, or sell.

Look how the designers for Custom Corntoss use orange on the site.  All the take-action-now links are orange.

Lightness, optimism, happiness, brightness, joy, and youthfulness are commonly associated with yellow. Vendors who hope to reach the younger demographic use yellow. It is also used in the brick and mortar world to grab the attention of window shoppers.

Boy, the yellow in this design grabs attention and induces joy!

Green is the easiest color for the eye to process. It also portrays life, naturalness, restfulness, and health. Green also means prosperity and is associated with wealth.  Finance websites use green to promise lucrative investments. Health companies use the color as a promise of vitality.

This health company uses green in an effective way, accentuating the natural health benefits of the TeaZa product.

A feeling of spirituality and peace are usually associated with blue. The color also creates a sensation of patience, loyalty, trustworthiness, and security. As a result, this color is often associated with banks and businesses. It is also used to create confidence with budget spenders.

The website for Maryland Security Professionals oozes confidence, trustworthiness, and security.

Pink, a romantic and feminine color, is often used to market products and services to women and young girls.

This frozen yogurt company knows their target audience is women and girls.  They’ve use pink to grab their attention.

Purple is often use to calm and sooth. It also exemplifies wisdom and sophistication. As a result, purple is often used for beauty and anti-aging products.

Wisdom and sophistication are two qualities a woman would want from a gynecologist.

Black is powerful, elegant, and sleek. It portrays secrecy and mystery. As such, it is the perfect color to market luxury products and services. It also goes well with fitness marketing efforts.

Lamborghinis have always been associated with power and elegance.  Now, their website is too.

There You Have It!

 
Now you have an inside glimpse at how design and marketing strategies can influence what consumers buy. What do you think? Did you know color played such a powerful role in the shopping experience? Disagree? Agree? Share your comments, opinions, and thoughts below!

About the Author Jessica Velasco works for Subtle Network Design and Marketing – a company that specializes in web design, graphic design, and internet marketing.

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Let’s take a look at the 5 HTML5 elements for building smarter, intuitive websites:

Tables in Websites

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A table used for creating tables is a visual tool that compresses JPEG files and presents it just like an excel sheet. Thus, there is an underlying problem with Dreamweaver. It lays more emphasis on the visual elements of a website rather than on its content. In other words, it is a misnomer to group it under the WYSIWYG as in reality it is incapable of building highly informational websites. Most websites suffer from this design flaw as they put more importance on color and graphics rather than on content.

CSS and Div

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A step above the previous use of table for websites, designers had now to learn CSS layouts i.e, the practice of visually placing content without relying on the semantically incorrect table element. The div based layout has been regarded as mark of quality website for years. However, this too suffers from a variety of flaws. The div is used almost every minute by designers to divide and panel their web pages. The div is basically used to prevent content overlaps. However, in practice it is not really capable of this. The reason for this is that the div is, and always has been, a flow content element. No matter how thick its borders are or how dark its background color, it does not stand apart in the structure of the document. Neither, therefore, does its content. Therefore, it is advisable to switch off CSS which is the quickest way to make a Web page responsive, but it’s a good way to see how HTML4 documents are actually worked out.

Web Page Headings

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Headings are nothing but blocks of content and its importance can be determined with the way it is positioned on the page and its actual context. Determining heading level systemically, based on nesting level, is much more dependable because it aids in decision-making: by including the required heading level automatically, we no longer have to decide separately which numbered heading we should include. It effectively prevents us from choosing the wrong heading level, which would be bad for the structure.

ARIA

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With the greater implementation of HTML ARIA enhancements have become a norm for site developers. They offer a range of accessibility-specific features. However, it would be wrong to regard ARIA roles as a substitute for semantic HTML. ARIA landmark roles may be used only once per document only and are essentially shortcuts to sections of the page. While, HTML elements are building blocks that are used in an integrated fashion.

Semantics

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The main purpose of semantic HTML is for the automated extraction of meaning from content. Applying a private, non-standard id to a div would not improve the semantics of the element. Visitors can’t see it and browsers will ignore it. This is so because divs are semantically inert elements that don’t really do or say anything. Moreover, sections are often termed as semantic equivalent of divs. Some HTML elements can be authentically semantic as they offer a meaning to their contents. Hence, it is not the right thing to term sections as semantic elements. Sections only create assemblies on the web page rather than adding meaning to the piece of information on the web page.

In Conclusion

It is imperative for designers to understand that HTML is a language that conveys a comprehensive whole of meaning, content and graphics to the web browsers. While at other times, the context, hierarchy, relative importance and codependence of data are what are needed. This is where suitable syntax, facilitated by sectioning elements, can be employed. Deploying creative and smart sectioning in web elements helps improve HTML structure without compromising on the significant design elements.

About the Author Helen Thomas works for PLAVEB, a company providing HTML5 website development solutions, located in Los Angeles, California. She likes playing baseball with friends and also enjoys painting in her spare time.

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Designer Maria Snegireva honed her professional skills while working on fashion and lifestyle magazine Marie Claire UA, and she embarked out on her own in 2010. She knew her Photoshop skills would enhance her imagery and creations, but it took a vision for dream-like photo collages to turn her fantasy into a reality.

Look closely at Maria’s art and you’ll discover a delightful blend of the real and the imaginary. Every photo is magical and bright, with the aid of vintage effects. Human models are incorporated into her artwork to complement the natural and dreamlike settings. What results is a unique style that borrows elements from fairy tales and other feel-good narratives.

See more of Maria’s work on Shutterstock’s blog.

About the Author This post was written by Danny Groner. He is the manager of blogger partnerships & outreach for Shutterstock.

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