N.Design Studio - Blog & Design

Blockie Icon Set Released at IconDock

Nick — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:07:41 +0000

I just wanted to announce that I’ve released a new icon set at IconDock, called Blockie. It is available in: Blockie Vector Set, Blockie Single, 16px Grayscale, and 16px Color. The Blockie icons are provided in 3 styles: solid, grayscale, and color. You can use them separately or combine them together. For example, you can combine the grayscale and color icons to make menu hover or mouseover effect. Read the icon notes for more details.

Speaking at WordCamp Toronto 2009

Nick — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:56:27 +0000

To all Toronto WordPress fans, I have a good news for you. BackSpaceStudios and PHUG are hosting a WordCamp conference in Toronto between May 8 - 10th 2009. I will be speaking at the conference on how you can use WordPress as a CMS for almost any type of websites. I will use my projects as examples: Best Web Gallery = gallery site, Web Designer Wall = blog, and IconDock = eCommerce. So, be sure to attend if you want to know how I setup my WordPress sites. I have five tickets to giveaway, head over to Web Designer Wall to join the contest for a chance to win a free ticket.

New Icon Shop Launched

Nick — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:44:22 +0000

After two years of selling stock icons on N.Design Studio, I’ve decided to create a new site, IconDock, that is dedicated for icons. It is a icon shop where I offer stock icons and free icons. As you may have noticed, all icon-related content on this site have moved to IconDock. With the new site launch, I also released a new set of icon called HiGloss. Now, you can buy icons individually starting at a dollar or save by buying the entire set. Please check out the site and let me know your feedbacks. Thanks. (more…)

Two New Illustrations

Nick — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:14:43 +0000

It has been a while since last time I drew any illustration (traditional and digital). Finally, I have two new pieces that I would like to share. These two illustrations were presented in the design conference (Future of Web Design 2008) in New York (check out the presentation slides to see the design process). The first piece is called Abstract Peacock and the second one is Abstract Phoenix. You can download a high resolution jpg of the new illustrations for your desktop wallpaper.

Update: Don’t forget to see the Design Process of the Phoenix. (more…)

Finding Inspiration From Your Environment - Slides

Nick — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:25:57 +0000

In Novemenber 2008, I spoke at the Future of Web Design conference in New York City about Finding Inspiration From Your Environment. The conference went very well and I had a lot of fun during my stay in New York. Thanks to those who provied me with valuable feedbacks at the after party. If you’ve missed the event and are interested in viewing the presentation slides, you can see the embedded slides in this post (you can also download the slides via SlideShare). The conference video is available at the Carsonified website. (more…)

Speaking at FOWD 2008

Nick — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:17:24 +0000

I’m happy to announce that I will be speaking at Future of Web Design - New York 2008, a web design event hosted by Carsonified. In the past, I’ve attended many design conferences, but this is my first time speaking. I will be presenting about "Finding Inspiration From Your Environment". If you plan to attend the conference, enter the coupon code FOWD/WDW for a 15% discount. Hurry! Because this code is only valid for the first 50 person who purchase the passes to the conference. I also have a FREE conference pass to giveaway, head over to Web Design Wall for details (contest ends at October 9, 2008).

Design Competitions in September

Nick — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:47:01 +0000

Got some skills? Do you want to take the challenge and prove your skills? Check out these design competitions that are currently going on in September:

UT Grand Prix 2009 T-shirt Design Competition
Prize: 3 million Japanese Yen (approximately $30,000 US)
Deadline: September 21, 2008
Shapeways & Dutch Design Week - Every Day Design
Prize: $250 in free 3D printing from Shapeways
Deadline: September 21, 2008
Don’t Panic & 3 Mobile - Street Work Design Competition
Prize: £500
Deadline: September 28, 2008
PSDTUTS - "Solving Poverty" Button Design Contest
Prize: 1st Prize $300, 2nd Prize $200, 3rd Prize $150…
Deadline: September 28, 2008
HOW Design - Poster Design
Prize: $150 worth of HOW books & 1 yr subscription to HOW magazine
Deadline: December 1, 2008
Project Never
Prize: Profile on projectnever.com & a "custom-built award"
Deadline: December 1, 2008
ScreenBurn at SXSW Game Design Competition
Deadline: December 5, 2008
(more…)

New Project: Design Jobs on the Wall

Nick — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:36:45 +0000

Finally, the job board (Design Jobs on the Wall) that I’ve been working on is launched. It is a very simple job board where you can post or find design jobs. If you have a job opening, please post a job and let me know your thoughts on the workflow. You can post a full-time job for only $75 or a freelance job for $50. Opening special: enter coupon code “promo” to get a 50% discount on your first job listing. Lastly, I would like to thank Justin from Scheetz Designs, for his excellent job on coding the back-end of the job board. Justin is also the guy behind the web design gallery, Design Snack.

Product Review: SumoSac

Nick — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:33:01 +0000

Once again Sumo Lounge has launched another ingenious product: the SumoSac (super size bean bag). I received a SumoSac couple weeks ago for product review and I gotta tell you, it is one of the most comfortable bean-bag chair I have ever sat in. The SumoSac is a large suede sac filled with shredded furniture grade urethane foam. In addition to its comfort, the Sumosac is stylish and practical. The size of the sac is more than enough space to accommodate two people simultaneously, which is great for playing video games or just chilling with friends. The suede cover is soft and comfy, unlike the nylon cover of the Omni I got a while back. Best of all, it is removable so cleaning is not problem at all. For more details please visit their website.

Facebook App for WIRED Science

Nick — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:10:47 +0000

Finally, the Facebook app that I designed for WIRED Science is officially launched. The app is called "WIRED SCIENCE: What Element Are You?" It is basically a fun app that lets you take a short quiz to find out what element you are from the periodic table. Then you can combine your element with your friends and it will tell you the relationship between the two of you. If you are interested in adding me to your network, here is my Facebook profile. (more…)