Browser Prefixes aren't as Evil as you Think
July 7th, 2010 — Comments Off
Eric Meyer’s excellent thoughts on why browser prefixes are not as bad as some people make them out to be and I completely agree.
Read more...So the next time you find yourself grumbling about declaring the same thing four times, once for each browser, remember that the pain is temporary. It’s a little like a vaccine—the shot hurts now, true, but it’s really not that bad in comparison to the disease it prevents. And in this case, you’re being vaccinated against a bad case of multi-year parser hacking and browser sniffing. We suffered through that long plague once already. Prefixes will, if used properly, ward off another outbreak for a long time to come.
Taking a Break
April 7th, 2010 — 13 Comments
Inspect Element has been up and running for about ten months now. Hopefully it has provided you with enough useful information which you’ve been able to apply to your own work and improve what you do. It certainly has helped me improve my own work which was one of the many goals I set out before I started.
Simulate Realism with CSS3
February 16th, 2010 — 35 Comments
CSS3 is here to make our lives easier as web designers and developers. While it’s not something we can always rely on heavily for layout purposes just yet, we can use it to enhance certain aspects of our designs by spending a considerably less amount of time doing so.
However, CSS3 has not been created for the sole purpose of making it easier and quicker to create a website but also so we can create much better sites than we ever could with CSS before. Here are a few examples of how CSS3 can improve the web.
Read more...Tools and Resources to Improve your Typography on the Web
February 4th, 2010 — 13 Comments
Typography on the web has previously been confined to a set of web-safe fonts due to their dependance of being on every computer but now that has changed. It’s one of the most satisfying and rewarding aspects of web design when you get it right but can also be one of the most difficult to do so. Here are some tools, resources and free fonts to help you on your quest for quality typography.
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Code a Backwards Compatible, One Page Portfolio with HTML5 and CSS3
January 25th, 2010 — 51 Comments
HTML5 is the future of web development but believe it or not you can start using it today. HTML5 is much more considerate to semantics and accessibility as we don’t have to throw meaningless div’s everywhere. It introduces meaningful tags for common elements such as navigations and footers which makes much more sense and are more natural.
This is a run through of the basics of HTML5 and CSS3 while still paying attention to older browsers. Before we start, make note of the answer to this question. Do websites need to look exactly the same in every browser?
View Demo | Download Files (.zip)
15 Stunning and Fresh Premium WordPress Portfolio Themes
January 19th, 2010 — 10 Comments
A benefit of building a portfolio using WordPress is you have the ability to use the powerful blog features alongside your portfolio. A blog discussing your work or more about your processes and inspiration will add to the personality and allow potential clients to get to know you more increasing the attractiveness of you as a web designer. WordPress can also act as a more than adequate CMS for displaying your portfolio work.
Call to Arms for Web Designers: Make Simplicity the Trend for 2010
January 15th, 2010 — 47 Comments
When designers talk about web design trends, more often than not, they’re referring to a visual design style such as letterpress or gradients but a trend doesn’t have to be something you see.
So this doesn’t mean you have to resort to using a minimalistic design to achieve simplicity in web design. Far from it. Applying simplicity to your websites or designs can be as simple as removing unnecessary elements or by reducing the steps it takes to complete a specific task.
We live in a world where technology is becoming more and more advanced but the way we interact with it is becoming more and more simple. The current example are touch screens and the impending release of tablet computers. When you look at what touch screens are doing for usability, you realise they are removing any intermediate devices (keyboards and mice) and allowing you to interact with the device directly. A great example of making something easier through simplicity.
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