Sam Hampton-Smith
Sam is a designer and illustrator based in Scotland, UK. He splits his time between art and design, motion and video and writing for various creative titles. He has written a book about web design, Pro CSS3 Layout Techniques and contributed to typography book, Fonts and Typefaces Made Easy.
Latest articles by Sam Hampton-Smith
![Papercut diagrams showing aspects of colour theory](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wxFG3Hx94r34LJ3yZhghQf-320-80.jpg)
Colour theory: a complete jargon-free designer's guide
By Sam Hampton-Smith last updated
Everything you need to know about colour theory.
![10 great WordPress plugins for designers](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kRGdMpiKQ4EsFeAmBpxnL3-320-80.jpg)
12 great WordPress plugins for designers
By Sam Hampton-Smith last updated
Plugins for adding analytics, events, speed and more to your site.
![page layout](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cbf49c33fa8efa07592ba51c2fca2766-320-80.jpg)
The 7 secrets for creating balanced page layouts
By Sam Hampton-Smith published
The essentials of page layouts for print or digital UIs.
![A woman holds up a blank card, wondering how to design a business card](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a9YnaxAJRx3tMkMmS7DMhG-320-80.jpg)
How to design a business card: 7 top tips
By Sam Hampton-Smith last updated
Discover how to design a business card that makes a lasting impression.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wTVZGqY6xaizWWYbhXYHgH-320-80.jpg)
Design a stunning letterhead: 10 expert tips
By Sam Hampton-Smith last updated
A beautiful letterhead can make all the difference to the success of your branding. Here's how to make one.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XJM7wCATiAvzYUUhwiqgTo-320-80.png)
The 15 best free Photoshop Scripts
By Sam Hampton-Smith last updated
You know about Photoshop actions – well, scripts can do so much more. We've rounded up 15 of the best.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UbHeNb8ZHMF9ysY42QTbUC-320-80.jpg)
How to colour-match your print projects
By Sam Hampton-Smith last updated
Get your colours in print to match what appears on screen.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ade12969a17e885ed320ae7153d655a0-320-80.jpg)
The designer's guide to grid theory
By Sam Hampton-Smith last updated
Why grids are the invisible glue that holds a design together.
![Free ebooks for designers: The shape of design](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/87K8fQbhyT6n5gv2fLqRrL-320-80.jpg)
20 free ebooks for designers and artists
By Sam Hampton-Smith last updated
Inspirational free ebooks for both beginners and pros.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdtZ2MGj9zTjp3uV6NPRxm-320-80.jpg)
35 incredible dataviz tools
By Brian Suda, Sam Hampton-Smith published
Take the hard work out of creating charts and infographics with these tools.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4h2tjb4mqu4Wh6aez7wexW-320-80.jpg)
10 reasons to be happy you're a designer
By Sam Hampton-Smith published
Designers have a lot of things to feel happy about. Here are 10 for starters.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yi8PceEHXfM3k8q5siYZXW-320-80.jpg)
The 8 biggest typography mistakes designers make
By Sam Hampton-Smith published
Type might look simple, but it’s still possible to get it very wrong.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9CXTrNjaHsPQsWJBHUiTUK-320-80.jpg)
The designer's guide to Gestalt Theory
By Sam Hampton-Smith published
Use the Gestalt principles to make your designs more coherent.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/689204f99e5d38cbda6eda401b427a3a-320-80.jpg)
30 Photoshop secrets to improve your skills
By Sam Hampton-Smith published
Power up your skills with these 30 Photoshop secrets that will increase your productivity overnight.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/0185f2f5fa8408576e893c9e94a96c12-320-80.jpg)
10 things you wish you'd been told about the design industry
By Sam Hampton-Smith published
Why didn't anyone tell us when we were starting out? We list 10 must-know truths about working as a designer.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ut6ZCMjEp5yz9hLmr3WCsP-320-80.jpg)
9 things designers do that they'd never admit
By Sam Hampton-Smith published
Designers have secrets they don’t want to get out. We kiss and tell.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d0ea14edac9f7ed0b8e731f31542f1d9-320-80.jpg)
Get started with kirigami
By Sam Hampton-Smith published
Kirigami is a fantastic art form that requires nothing more than paper, a knife and your imagination. Follow our getting-started tutorial to learn the basic techniques.
Get the Creative Bloq Newsletter
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.