Thanks to all our family and friends for your well wishes. Things will be slow around here as we adjust to having a newborn but I will do my best to get you all some photos as soon as I can.

Upfront expectations in other industries, are you nuts?

If I need my car repaired or my house painted, I would never ask a mechanic or a contractor to fix or paint anything before meeting and establishing a plan and budget before work begins. So why does this happen time and time again to web designers??

Now this could fall under the spec work debate but to me it’s a bit more than that. Why is the problem with designers and not so much for other areas of the web?

I could be wrong and it probably happens, but most clients would never ask a developer to build a prototype or ask a SEO to provide keyword research up front with no contract or budget agreed upon. Although within the design sector, it’s no problem asking for a graphic concept, HTML, or CSS up front in order to prove ones skills or to win work. In some cases this happens even before any information or understanding about a company or product is ever discussed or proper research has been done.

It’s based on a lot of misconceptions

Just like a mechanic or paint company, designers work and rely on business to earn a living or pay employees. This is just like any other type of business and includes a lot more than people think. The common misconception is that anyone can do web design and all we do is make things pretty.

Well painters (the canvas type) also make things pretty but I am sure people would never ask them to make one brush stroke up front. Previous works and experience would be the reason for selecting a specific painter for the job, right!? You would never ask a doctor to do a surgery, or a pilot to fly you somewhere without explaining what’s wrong or where you want to go, right? You would also want to know their experience and that they are qualified for the job, right? Would you ask the pilot for a test flight, or the doctor for a test surgery? NO!

This should be the case within the web design industry as well! Our experience, previous work and ability to deliver on time should be what clients are interested in, not how well we can use an image editor with no information or understanding of a their needs. This often causes good designers to look bad and clients to receive work that isn’t top notch according to their specific needs.

I know educating clients and co-workers from the beginning is the way to help solve this issue and a lot of it is due to a misunderstanding of web design as a whole. Educating about spec work also helps, but I thought comparing it to other real life industries would help to point out what people are really asking for, when asking for design work in advance.

I just wanted to touch on that but there are many other areas of misconception so be sure to check out the original article..

Thanks for reading and if you would like to add anything or have something to say, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me.

I thought this would be not only extremely fun, but an awesome opportunity to contribute to the book. The selected designs will be published in the book along with being added to a demonstration website. So I popped open Photoshop with no real idea of what I would do, but after a bit of playing around I came up with a card for the “Shades & Staches Detective Agency”.

So, huge thanks go out to Mr. Clarke for the opportunity to contribute and for selecting my card to be included! I really enjoyed participating in such a fun idea.

Make sure to check out all the selected card designs and look out for the new book!

My year will start off with a bang with the addition of a second son to our family. It’s a very exciting time and I cannot wait to meet him. Past that it already appears that this year will be full of big changes and for which I am hoping will be for the better.

On a professional level, I hope to interact with more designers and developers while also trying to improve my skill-set by learning something new over the coming year. On top of that I will be working to improve my service to both new and current clients. Overall though I think I am most excited to see what new projects become available this year.

I would also like to write much more in 2010. While I am still wet behind the ears when it comes to blogging, I have decided not to give up just yet. If you have any helpful web design blogging advice, please drop me a comment! Just please don’t tell me to make “Top 10″ lists! I am much more interested in writing helpful/useful content because there are already plenty of lists in the web design community. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy these list of resources, I am just not interested in creating them.

So a big cheers and farewell to 2009! I truly hope the start of a new decade is going to be prosperous for everyone involved in web design! Best of luck to everyone, now get back to work and make something great happen!

Great variety of content coverage

The amount of content that is covered by each author in the Smashing book was one of the aspects that pushed me to order. From typography and color to marketing and server set up, there is plenty to keep you well informed and updated on the latest best practices. And the full color pages are clean and well laid out.

Each chapter is written by a different author and I suppose they were chosen because of their expertise in a particular area of web design. Some of the information included may already be somewhat obvious to veteran designers but I found many small tidbits of information that were not only helpful, but were things I previously did not know.

The following are the chapters contained in the pages of the Smashing Book:

• User Interface Design in Modern Web Applications
• The Art and Science of CSS Layouts
• Typography: Rules, Guidelines and Common Mistakes
• Usability Principles for Modern Websites
• The Ultimate Guide to Fantastic Color Usage
• Optimization for Websites
• Design to Sell – Increasing Conversion Rates
• How to turn a site into a Remarkable Brand
• Learning from Experts – Interviews and Insights
• The Smashing Magazine Story.

So as you can see there are a wide variety of areas that are covered throughout the book. I really enjoyed the last two chapters which include interviews with industry leading designers and the story of how Smashing Magazine came to be. To get advice and tips from some of the best designers in the industry was a great addition and the insights were very helpful.

The actual story of Smashing Magazine is amazing and they give readers a peek into how the guys started, how they grew the site, the process of finding content and authors and just how much hard work is put into deliver the massive amount of content on a daily basis.

Unique Packaging

The book arrived in the post and at first glance I thought they had just wrapped the book in some clear plastic wrap and mailed it off. Once I pulled off the packing wrap I figured out the book was actually inside of a box that looks exactly like the book itself. I have ordered my share of design books online and this one was the first to come in such a unique package. Not to mention it will keep the book safe from my two year old which is always good, right?

You should pick up a copy

This book would make a great Christmas gift, but would also be a great self purchase. The authors spent a great deal of time on each of their chapters and the advice is flying at you from the time you open the front cover.

Make sure to visit Smashing Magazine for ordering information.

I hope this review is helpful and please feel free to leave a comment below if you have something to say. Hopefully by using some of the new tips I learned from the book my site will benefit and maybe even load a bit faster!

Over the years authors such as Drew McLellan, Jeffrey Zeldman, Andy Clarke, Jason Santa Maria, and Tim Van Damme (just to name a few) have written helpful articles and tutorials which are almost as good as any Christmas present could be. At least for a geek like myself anyway!

So hop over to 24ways.org and get your dose of Christmas cheer and learn something amazing in the process. You won’t regret it and it may just get you in the spirit of the holidays! I know it does it to me!

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!