N.Design Studio | Design Blog & Portfolio

Themify Flow: WordPress Theme Builder

Nick La — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 00:25:56 +0000

I haven’t updated this blog for the longest time. Today I have something very exciting to present. I’ve been working very hard with the Themify team on a new theme builder for WordPress called Themify Flow. It is a lightweight, fast performance framework, which allows you to build responsive themes. Everything is done within WordPress with an intuitive drag & drop interface. No PHP or CSS coding required. Watch the video below to see how it works. It is a free open source project. Give it a shot!

Free MiniCards From Moo.com

Nick La — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 01:17:37 +0000

I’ve partnered with Moo.com to offer a free set of 100 MiniCards. It is absolutely free. All you have to pay is the shipping and handling fee. You can print up to 100 different images in one pack. Hurry now, this offer expires August 31, 2012.

New Illustration: Redesign The Web

Nick La — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 22:08:55 +0000

Below is the latest illustration, Redesign the Web Poster, that I did for Smashing Magazine’s poster design contest: Redesign the Web, Redesign the World. The work is done with Adobe Illustrator and then touched up with Photoshop.

New Pinterest-Like Theme

Nick La — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:27:26 +0000

Check out this new Pinterest inspired theme I designed – Pinboard. It incorporated infinite scroll as seen on Pinterest site. The posts are auto loaded and stacked as soon you hit the bottom of the page. It is also responsive. Check the demo and resize your browser window to see how the layout adapts.

Cake Based on Phoenix Illustration

Nick La — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:34:29 +0000

Check out this awesome cake made by Elena based on my Phoenix illustration. According to Elena, it took her about a week, 5 hours each day, to finish it. I’m amazed with the details and colors she input on the work. It depicts the features of the Chinese phoenix. The cake was for a local cake competition. More photos available here.

New Ajax Ecommerce Theme

Nick La — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:50:50 +0000

Check out my latest WordPress theme, ShopDock, an ecommerce theme that replicates the Ajax features as seen on IconDock. Not only does it look cool, but also provides a pleasant user experience. Buyer can easily add or remove items to the cart with a single mouse click. No more “back to shop” or page reloading every time an item is added. The items are added to the shop dock instantly and the cart total is updated automatically.

IconDock and Themify Coupon Code

Nick La — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:01:41 +0000

If you are interested to buy icons from IconDock or themes from Themify, I have a coupon code for you. Use ‘ndesign’ coupon code on IconDock to save 20% off any icon sets. The discount code on Themify is also the same ‘ndesign’. You can save 20% off any WordPress themes.

Best Web Gallery Redesigned

Nick La — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:13:20 +0000

I recently redesigned Best Web Gallery with responsive features. Check it out!

Another Responsive Theme – Tisa

Nick La — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 04:09:25 +0000

I just released another responsive WordPress theme at Themify called Tisa. Check our the demo and resize the browser window to see the fluid and responsive layout. It works on most modern mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android, etc. and desktop browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and even Internet Explorer!

Get My Illustration Prints on Society6

Nick La — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:22:28 +0000

I just uploaded four of my illustrations (Koi, Peacock, Abstract Pheonix, and Japan 11-03-11) on Society6, a print shop that sell art prints on behalf of the artists around the world. You can get illustrations printed on various meterials: sketched canvases, posters, T-shirts, hoodies, laptop and iPhone cases.

New Minimal & Responsive Theme Released at Themify

Nick La — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:10:38 +0000

I just wanted to announce a new WordPress theme that I designed called Elemin. It is minimal theme coded with Google font, CSS3, Javascript and HTML5. The design is completely fluid and responsive (using CSS3 Media Queries). This means the layout automatically adapts based on the user’s viewport. To see it in action, visit the demo site and resize your browser window or check it with a mobile phone.

Speaking at Mad Conference (Spain)

Nick La — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:17:23 +0000

I’m excited to announce that I’m invited to speak at Mad in Spain on June 3rd, 2011. Organized by Domestika, Mad in Spain is one of the largest design conferences in Spain. This year is going to be their 6th anniversary. I will presenting a talk on applying art in modern web design. After the conference, I will be travelling to Barcelona and Paris. I will spend one week on each city. I’m very excited about this trip and hopefully I can find some inspiration for my illustration and design work.

Illustration: Japan Earthquake 11-03-2011

Nick La — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:35:06 +0000

I’ve recently created new illustration, Japan Earthquake 11-03-2011, that was inspired by the recent disaster in Japan. With this illustration I’ve joined force with To Japan with Love, a group of artists who are aiming at raising funds for Japan earthquake relief efforts. My illustration will be showcased at the art show (May 4th, 2011 at 156 Augusta Ave, Toronto, Ontario) along with the other other artists’ works. A limited of art prints will be available for sale. All proceeds made during the gallery show will be donated to Red Cross. Visit tojapanwithlove.ca and this Facebook event for more details. Also, my illustration is available for sale in various print media at Society6. You may download this illustration as desktop wallpapers.

Web Designer Wall Redesign

Nick La — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:17:53 +0000

After 3.5+ years, I finally gave Web Designer Wall a new look. The new design is not just visually appealing, but well coded in technical point of view. I incorporated a lot of new web standard techniques such as HTML5, CSS3, and media queries. The new design works on all devices and resolutions. The design automatically flows base on user’s browser viewpoint. It flows from 3-column layout to 2-column, 1-column, and a narrow single column layout for mobile devices. This means my site design never break regardless of the user’s display resolution. To see this in action, visit Web Designer Wall and resize your browser window. I even spent the extra time to create a print stylesheet to make sure the content are printed out nicely. For more details on the redesign, read this blog post.

Beadme Jewelry

Nick La — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:24:58 +0000

A friend of mine just setup an online shop to sell bead jewelry made with quality beads and silver. Below is a gallery of their products. Check out Beadme.ca to buy or see more.

Photobox Theme Design

Nick La — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:31:26 +0000

Check out the latest theme that I just released yesterday on Themify named Photobox. It is a WordPress theme for photobloggers. The theme features a gallery slider on the homepage and a lightbox gallery in the posts using WordPress built-in media gallery feature. No additional plugin is required to install this theme. Read more details on this theme or view the demo.

New Edmin Theme

Nick La — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:25:12 +0000

I just designed another elegant WordPress theme at Themify called Edmin. This theme comes 4 different skins and 7 layout options. It is suitable for general blog and photography sites. Check out the demo now.

Speaking at FOWD Conference

Nick La — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:14:08 +0000

I will be speaking at Future of Web Design (FOWD) conference in New York City upcoming November 15 – 17, 2010. This will be my second time speaking at FOWD. I’ve been attending FOWD in the past several years and they get better and better. So, I’m very excited to have this opportunity to speak at the conference again. I have a free conference ticket to giveaway, head over to Web Designer Wall for your chance to win a free ticket.

Presentation Slides: Frontend 2010, Norway

Nick La — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:42:59 +0000

On Sep 2nd, 2010, I spoke at a design conference called Frontend 2010 (hosted by IXD) in Oslo, Norway.

Below is the slide of my presentation. You may read the recap on Web Designer Wall or download the presentation at SlideShare.

Koi Theme Has Moved

Nick La — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:24:16 +0000

Please be advised that the Koi theme has been converted into a Themify theme. With the Themify framework and widgets integration, it gives you more options in term of theme settings, styling, layout options, and sidebar widgets. I also added some new WordPress 3.0 features such as custom menus and child theme support. Read this post for more details or download the new converted Koi theme.