If you’re involved in developing websites, whether it’s for yourself or clients, you will know that getting that perfect look isn’t always as easy as it seems. One of my most common problems is getting the graphics to match my vision, hence my strategic partnership with a professional graphic designer.

However sometimes you won’t want the expense of a graphic designer, you won’t have the time to design an image yourself or perhaps you are just looking for something that is a little different. I’ll be honest, previously I was stumped, I’d spend hours trying to get something done myself or pass the work on.

By sheer luck I ended up browsing ThemeForest today whilst considering the graphics for another project. I saw the link over to GraphicsRiver and it all clicked into place. You can spice up the appearance of your designs with professional stock graphics whilst shaving hours off development time (or management time if outsourcing).

Long-term followers of the blog will know that I’ve been a fan of stock graphic packages for a while when creating things like order buttons etc. It had just never even occurred to me that I might find the background for a header or even a distinctive navigation bar being sold individually online.  That’s when Graphics River came in to save the day with their huge selection of professional imagery.

I can’t really say too much more about their service for the moment as I’ve only just made my first couple purchases but if it’s anything like the community over at ThemeForest and other sites owned by Envato, I doubt that I’ll be disappointed.

And finally if this you’ve been doing this for years, no need to rub it in Just thought I’d share for the people like myself that hadn’t even thought to consider it an option.

Get Stock Graphics Packages from GraphicsRiver

Disclosure: Yep, that’s right! Those are affiliate links, so I might get a little commission if you order after visiting from this page. Though with the bargain prices that they offer, I doubt I’ll be getting rich from this post any time soon. I’m recommending as I really am impressed with my purchases so far and hope this resource can help out a few others that haven’t yet caught on.

Enjoy!

Occasionally you will have a specific type of theme in mind for a project and searching can become a chore. Trying to sort through the masses to find the look and functionality that you require. Whilst working on building a WordPress membership  site using the Wishlist Member Plugin I set out to look for a theme up to the role. Of course any theme would work but I didn’t just want any theme. Here’s the top five that I found that I would be happy to use with a membership site…

The Gazette Edition (Magazine Style)

Gazette Edition by WooThemes

Neoclassical (3 Column Theme)

Neoclassical Theme Site

Metro (Magazine Style 2/3 Colum)

Metro Theme Site by StudioPress

Mimbo Pro (Magazine Style)

Mimbo Pro Theme Site

Gotham News (Magazine Style)

Gotham News by WooThemes

These are all great looking and effective themes that could easily be used alongside a WordPress membership site plugin. You may be able to notice I have a slight preference for the magazine style themes as they allow for a lot more eye catching content to attract and retain your members. I won’t tell you which one I went with, partially because I don’t want to sway your choice. I will say however that I’ve either seen or used all of these themes in real websites and would be happy to use any one on a membership site project.

If you’ve ever wanted to create your own graphics for your website or blog but didn’t want to spend hundreds on expensive graphics software then I have a solution. When starting out often people will turn to stock graphics and website templates. Those that decide to make their own are then usually left with the choice of buying expensive software or paying somebody to do it for them. I know this from experience because I have been one of them.

However I came across this great tool today for making your own graphics. The entire thing is done online so you can work from anywhere on any computer, The best part of all is it’s completely free.

Check out the Free Online Image Editor Here.

If you’ve not used graphics software before you may need to a play around a little to get used to it. Those who have some experience though will see that this has most of the basic tools that are commonly used when editing and creating images. You will be able to make attractive banners and more in no time.

Whilst we are on the subject of Website Graphics, I actually came across another great discovery a couple weeks back. There is a website that offers up literally hundreds of pre-made graphics that you can use on your websites. I actually use some of the graphics in this package myself.

Free Ready Made Graphics for your Website Here