Reading Web Related Books

I find books to be an invaluable resource to furthering my education as a web designer. There are new or updated versions of books appearing almost on a daily basis. Reading can be a bit time consuming when you are also juggling a couple design projects so using any off time to learn from the leading authors of our industry is time well spent.

Here are a few resources for great reading material:

• Peachpit Books
• Friends of Ed Books
• Sitepoint Books
• O’Reilly Books
• .net Magazine

I would also recommend creating a budget for books if possible. I read and purchase quite a lot of web design and technical books but have found they can get very expensive and very quickly. The upside is that books can be swapped or resold but a simple budget can help to ensure that you have a specific amount to spend on books each month and that it doesn’t get out of control.

Improve Your Skills or Learn Something New

The web is still a fairly new medium and with the huge amount of technologies available there is always something new to learn or ways to improve your current skill set. I find that downtime is the perfect opportunity to take some time to practice/improve the things that I do on a daily basis. Whether it be learning a new technique in Photoshop or Fireworks, creating a personal framework of HTML and CSS files, or just finding ways to improve communication with clients you can use this time to improve your skills to use in your next project.

While improving your current skill set can be valuable to your clients, I also find learning something brand new can be just as beneficial. New skills will also help to increase not only your knowledge, but can also be a great way to increase your income. By being able to provide an additional service you may be able to raise your rates! And who doesn’t want or need a bit of extra income in today’s economy, right?

Interact with Fellow Designers

A lot of folks in our industry work from home or solo in their own firms. While this is a blessing it can also be a curse and become a lonely situation. I recently took some of my downtime and met with a local designer for lunch. I had not previously met or had any interaction with him besides the occasional message on twitter. It was not only a great time but also showed me that I am not the only designer that works very long days and without much outside interaction. It also gave me someone to talk about design with, shoot ideas off of, and maybe even someone to collaborate with in the future.

This was a great way to improve the office morale if you will, but is something I hope to do more of in the future. If you work alone, getting out of the office and meeting with like minded designers can be a great idea.

Of course you can also interact online but I find I can also do this during my normal work days. This also doesn’t require me to leave my computer which isn’t as beneficial in my honest opinion.

Get Away from the Computer

I have come across this tidbit of advice on many occasions. Getting away from your desk or computer is a must for a freelance or solo designer. It can be very easy to work the entire day without even realizing it. Downtime provides the perfect opportunity to take a bit of time off, get out from in front of your monitor, but also remain productive using the previous things I have mentioned above.

Also getting out and having a bit of fun can be a great way to find inspiration for your next project. Just taking your mind off of work and enjoying yourself a bit is a great way to refresh your mind and come up with some great ideas. Your family will love you for it too!! Hint Hint!

Work on Your Blog or Personal Website

As web designers we can be our worst critics. I have yet to find a designer that doesn’t want to rework or improve at least a portion of their personal website. Down time can be the perfect time for experimenting with a new idea or even creating some compelling new content for your personal site or blog.

Sometimes our best ideas come when we as designers aren’t influenced by deadlines, client criticism, or even co-workers or colleagues. This can also give you some time to improve areas of your site that may not be obvious in a visual sense. Improving site performance, planning for new or updated content, or even just experimenting with new ideas can all be a great way to spend any off time you may have.

Final Thoughts

So those are just a few of my suggestions of ways to keep productive in between projects or clients while also improving your web design skills and productivity. It’s very important to not work yourself into burnout but with the web changing at a lighting fast speed it can be hard to keep up. Although, if you do have a bit of down time it doesn’t have to be a stressful or unproductive situation.

Thanks for reading and if you found this article helpful, feel free to drop me a comment and let me know what you think. Also if you have any additional tips or suggestions I would love to hear them!

Of course, my expectations were proceeded and I wasn’t let down!

First off, if you have read any of my past reviews, you will know that I don’t like to give away the full details of any of the books I have read. I think this ruins it for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet. So with that said here are a few of my thoughts on Handcrafted CSS

One Word: Craftsmanship…

The book jumps right into and continues where Dan left off in his previous book Bulletproof Web Design. It has the same type of writing style, where Dan will explain a problem and then give multiple examples of a solution. I really enjoy this approach and it makes the book a joy to read and also gives a bit of insight into how a very talented web designer tackles problems on a daily basis.

Dan does a really awesome job of explaining different scenarios and all the different things that should be taken into account when designing websites while also keeping flexibility in mind. He also refers to being a web craftsman and how its the small details that turn good design into great design.

Progressive Enrichment

This term refers to things we can do to enrich our designs for users who are using the most up to date versions of a browser. With CSS3 on the horizon, Dan goes into detail on a plethora of techniques that can be used today! Now as a true craftsman, he also shows how to create a backup plan for older browsers which helps to ensure the design still works for users who’s browser may not be the latest available.

A lot of really cool techniques are touched on throughout the book. Some I was already aware of but some were new and provided a great introduction to what’s going to be available in CSS3.

Video Edition

There are couple different versions of the book available. I purchased the video edition which comes with a DVD of 10 awesome guidelines. Filmed at Simplebits Studios, Dan goes into detail and shows a wide variety of examples based on these guidelines. The DVD is well worth the few additional bucks in my opinion.

Final Thoughts

Overall I am very impressed and pleased with Handcrafted CSS. My expectations were surpassed and this should have been no surprise! I would highly recommend this book to everyone involved in web design. It will teach you the zen like ways of constructing sites like Mr. Cederholm. (I mean just view source on any of the guys work… it is zen like!!)

Oh no, I almost left out one thing that I really wanted to mention…

Chapter 6

The book also contains a chapter by the equally talented Ethan Marcotte (Chapter 6.). I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but I read this chapter multiple times as to get my head around the entire process. Ethan goes into detail on using fluid grid layouts and I was totally impressed. His process blew my mind and this was one a hell of an addition to the book.

So if you are searching for a great web design book to read, head over and grab a copy of Handcrafted CSS – you won’t be disappointed!

I am thrilled to announce that my application has been accepted!

GAWDS is a worldwide association of professional organizations, web designers and developers working together to promote the use and preservation of accessible design standards. In order to be accepted, an applicant must meet strict accessibility requirements while also demonstrating the proper use of web standards guidelines.

By becoming a member, I hope to help further stress the importance of accessible web design and web standards to clients, colleagues, and other designers in the community. A huge thanks to GAWDS for taking the time to review my work and accepting me to become part of such a great association.

For more information about the association be sure to check out the GAWDS website

Today though I wanted to give back a little something to a few designers that have been outstanding and very helpful recently.

Since I updated my site a few months back I have started trying to participate more in the design community. Now I follow A LOT of designers, whether it be via twitter, RSS, or just by visiting their sites daily. During my journey to get myself out there a bit more there have been a few designers that have been more than friendly and I wanted to give them a bit of a “shout out” if you will.

These designers are listed in no particular order but I wanted to point out this select group out as being very “down to earth” designers. They have been nothing but supportive and a blast to get to know.

Aaron Irizarry – www.thisisaaronslife.com

Aaron I is a great designer who’s blog you should already know. He publishes articles on design, development, and also a weekly video (Friday Vidcast) that should not be missed. He’s always down to chat and interact on everything design related. Also, make sure to submit your site designs to One CSS.

Kyle Steed – www.kylesteed.com

Kyle Steed is a designer that I have recently got to know a little better. Not only does he publish design related articles on his personal site, he has also just launched a new site Chat Creative with the goal of connecting the creative community “one chat at a time”.

Chris Spooner – www.spoongraphics.co.uk

Chris Spooner has to be one of the busiest designers I have met. Not only does he create some awesome designs, the guy runs an awesome design related blog that is updated very frequently. Also be sure to check out Line 25 for even more articles written by Chris.

Chris Wallace – www.chris-wallace.com

Chris Wallace gives back to the design community in a way that is almost mind boggling. Between his awesome wordpress themes, CSS gallery, the all new designmoo and his blog; I am not sure how the guy finds time to sleep! Chris also recently reviewed my site and offered great advice and suggestions, some of which were integrated into this version of my site.

This is by far not a complete list of all the designers that I interact with or follow online. These guys have just been very responsive, friendly, and over all very helpful. They have not only been helpful to me personally but also to the entire web design community, so I thought they deserved a mention.

If you don’t know these guys then get to clicking, check them out, and follow them via all the available outlets. You will not regret it!

I just thought I would share and give a big thanks to .net magazine for a bit of exposure in their awesome magazine.

I have tweaked the design of my site a couple times since the design shown in the magazine, but I am still happy to have been selected! Cheers to .net and if you haven’t checked out the magazine, stop what you are doing and go find the latest issue, RIGHT NOW!

Check out the video review at unmatchedstyle.com

So again, a big thanks to unmatchedstyle and if you haven’t checked out their site make sure to visit: http://unmatchedstyle.com for more site reviews, news, and an awesome podcast. Also make sure to follow them on twitter @unmatchedstyle

Creative Freedom

On occasion something will come up where I am unclear or unsure about a certain aspect of a clients web design needs. This is usually cleared up through a quick email or phone call and then I get back to work. Sometimes though, a client or project manager is also not sure how to address the situation and I will get a statement like: “You’re the designer, you figure it out.”

Whoa, really – I can do whatever I want? This situation while sometimes stressful can be a great feeling. Having a client that trusts, not only my design skills, but also my ability to make the right choice is great. This is what I consider to be creative freedom, the ability to get creative with my own ideas in the field I have chosen for a career. I know there are a lot of workplaces out there where that would be unheard of.

Strict Workflow

On the other hand, some clients have a very strict set of guidelines and don’t want to hear any ideas or suggestions that I may have. This situation sometimes forces us as designers to design/build web sites that aren’t done in a way that we would actually consider to be great design. Of course I do understand that as a designer it is my job to educate clients as to why something may not be the ideal way to do something, but in a few cases I have been told, “stick to the guidelines pixel pusher”. (not in those exact terms of course, but basically.)

Now that is not always the case and sometimes guidelines/instructions prove to be an invaluable asset. Having an outline or guide with all the details allows for a workflow that is not only quick, but also very precise. This usually results in a very quick turn around and a project that was just what the client ordered – minus the freedoms and trust that is enjoyed with creative freedom.

Which Do Your Prefer?

While I do find both positives and negatives in both situations, I have to say it really depends on the client and project as to which I prefer. The more laid back clients tend to enjoy coming up with ideas together and the more strict clients want their exact requirements done to specifics and on time. I guess overall this could just be part of the trials and tribulations of being a web designer, but I would love to hear which one other designers prefer.

So, do you prefer to have some creative freedom or a strict set of guidelines when working on a web design project? Drop a comment below and thanks for reading.

While most of the updates this time are mainly visual, I have a few ideas in the works to help clean up my site even more. Stay tuned for a few more tweaks and updates that I will be adding as time permits.

A huge thanks to Chris for giving me the boost I needed to work on my personal site. I tend to neglect my site because of client work but after getting feedback and suggestions (some of which were very eye opening) I figured I better do something about it.

I hope my changes help out the overall visual appeal of the site, but drop me a comment and let me know what you think and if I am headed in the right direction. This site is always under construction so it would be awesome to hear what others think.

Also make sure to check out Chris’ site and follow him on twitter, or else!

I have just finished reading a great new book called Sexy Web Design by the awesome web designer Elliot Jay Stocks. Although I read a lot of web design related books, I usually don’t write reviews about them but I thought this one deserved a mention.

I am not going to get into the exact details of the book because I wouldn’t want to ruin it if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading it.

What I will say is that this book is one awesome read and really details the process of creating SEXY website designs. There are a lot of tips and detailed descriptions on how to create a stunning design from start to finish in a very professional and structured way.

Elliot covers everything from receiving the first brief from clients all the way up to the final deliverables and everything in between. This book is not a technical reference on how to build websites which was actually one of the reasons I found it so enjoyable to read.

So if you are looking for a new web design related book to read I would highly recommend picking up a copy of Sexy Web Design. It is a quick read and full of some great tips and advice for both rookie web designers and professionals alike. The entire process outlined in the book has definitely helped me to create a more structured approach when working on new designs.

The book is available from Sitepoint and Amazon. You can also learn more about Elliot by checking out his website at http://elliotjaystocks.com

So with that said, I wanted to share a few of my thoughts on how my experience with leaving Photoshop at bay and only working with a text editor has worked out.

I began the project with a set of mockups that were delivered along with a deadline that was going to be a tough one to pull off. Right away I knew that it was time to fall back and try out some advice I read in a recent article that recommended dropping the use of a graphics program and jumping right into the code to help save time.

Now usually I would put together a visual concept and deliver that to the developers that are working on the project. This would normally happen before I would actually begin coding out the HTML and CSS. This time though I was being so pressed for something to see in such a short time frame that I decided to jump straight into the HTML/CSS and to use jQuery in order to give examples of interaction on any given page.

jQuery has been a life saver and I am now a huge fan! I have to say that even though I am not yet fully comfortable with JavaScript the framework has been a joy to work with. While using jQuery I have been able to demonstrate interactions on pages that would have taken much more time with graphic concepts.

With only a very basic understanding of JavaScript I have been able to get a grip on jQuery and in a very short amount of time. I have also been able to keep my HTML and CSS very clean by first creating the document and styling and only using jQuery to show examples of user interaction.

I doubt that I would move to something like this on a full time basis but this time around it has been a great experience and if it fits the project, I would highly recommend it. I also read, watched, or heard (can’t remember which) a statement made by Jeremy Keith (JavaScript Hero) where he said that it’s always better to understand the underlining technology (JavaScript in this case) than to only rely on frameworks. Although he does go on to say that if doing prototypes you should use whatever get the job done.

This statement really made a lot of sense to me and is the reason why I will be spending more and more time to learn the fundamentals of JavaScript but I have to say with quick prototypes jQuery is hard to beat.

Big ups to the jQuery team and if you haven’t checked it out yet, there’s no time like the present.