Progressive Enhancement: A way to pull IE forward?
November 9th, 2008There’s been quite a bit of chatter these days about Progressive Enhancement, or Progressive Enrichment, depending on which definition you prefer. Either way, after years of lowest-common-denominator designing for IE 6 and worse, IE 5.5, it’s an exciting time for CSS designers. I wonder if this is a way for designers to pull Internet Explorer forward, rather than by looking backward to the installed user base. By showing a site’s best colors only in browsers that support tricks such as RGBa or border radius designers can, if they choose, create a virtual penthouse suite for the Safari, Firefox and Opera users out there. Using IE? Sorry, you don’t see the rounded corners. A new way to coax Microsoft forward? Just a thought.
Tags: css, design, internet explorer
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Housing Works
October 22nd, 2008Everything these guys touch turns to design gold. I’m sure this has already been blogged about just about everywhere, but it’s just so beautiful: Housing Works. It solves so many design challenges head on. Love it.
Tags: css, design, happy cog
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Pixels & Ephemera
October 18th, 2008Web design is a maligned field. Maligned because it is by nature a visual medium everyone can see, but not always understand. How often do you hear the phrase “I’m not designer…but I think…” or, for artists, the popular variation “I’m no artist…but everyone can have an opinion.” Really? Can you? Other disciplines or fields of study have litmus tests. In sports we have the execution of physical mechanics, combined with natural ability and experience. There are tangible things that separate us from them. We can enjoy sports, play them, be part of the sport, but when I play tennis I’m under no illusion that my opinion or play on the court matters as much as that of Rafael Nadal or Roger Fedderer.
In Web site development, unless we’re interested in looking under the hood, we don’t see how it works. Either it works, or it doesn’t. We can ‘feel’ if an application is responsive and reliable, and to be sure, there is beauty, artistry and creativity in software development – this is not a post pitting development vs. creative direction.
What designers do is mysterious, ephemeral, and does have requirements for critique. To have equal opinion just by virtue of the fact that you can see what’s in front of you is akin to becoming a music critic on account of the two ears attached to your head. It involves gut instincts that can’t be taught, constant practice and introspection. By all means, engage, have an opinion and critique, but remember this one thing: good design is hard.
Tags: design, rant
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AEA Chicago
October 11th, 2008Off to An Event Apart in Chicago tomorrow. Last year’s conference I attended was a great experience, and a great chance to get my creative batteries recharged. Here’s hoping for more good times this year.
Tags: design
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Social cork board!
October 8th, 2008Intriguing idea – thanks to Joe Alba for the link. Great community ad / social space idea, or just cutsey Web 2.0 sharing? Either way, it’s slick.
Tags: design, links
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Post Number One
September 25th, 2008Writing the first post is an overwhelming thing. Like an artist staring at a blank canvas, but somehow less noble. Hopefully I can edify, vent and in general share my thoughts on design in a way that is at least somewhat interesting to anyone who takes the time to read what I write. With that said, thanks for stopping by!
Tags: design, welcome
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