Web Standards Sherpa offers Advice & Best Practices
Among the many web applications online there are dozens that capture our attention every day. Then there are others that seem bizzare or strange until you get up close and find the value within. Web Standards Sherpa is an online tool for receiving critique and tips for best practices. You can submit any site for […]
Simple Open Source CSS Multi-Level Accordion Menu
This beautiful CSS accordion menu is perfect for almost any website. You can download it straight from Codyhouse and even test a demo on the site. It’s all built using CSS with multi-level menus appended inside the navigation. You can fit 3+ tiers of navigation into the one design as needed. All of the code […]
Tools & Resources for Improving your Backend Development Skills
Web development is often seen as a rather simple procedure based solely on the mechanics of HTML & CSS. However the field of web development covers much more than frontend markup with styles. Coding a website often requires scripting with JavaScript, along with support from a backend programming language. Coding on the backend will seem […]
jQuery lightGallery is a free Responsive Lightbox for your Website
With so many plugins under the jQuery umbrella it can be tough to know where to turn. Lightboxes have been around for years but only recently have moved towards the trend of responsivity. Mobile responsive websites are huge and the best plugins are learning to accommodate. jQuery lightGallery is an open source responsive lightbox plugin […]
Using PSD Freebies to Create Fast & Efficient Website Mockups
Building website mockups in Photoshop is a lot like using Q-tips to clean your ears. Not exactly the original purpose but it works great! However unlike the household cotton swab, Photoshop is a large graphics editing program that takes hours of practice to learn even rudimentary tasks. For web designers this process can feel like a hopeless pipe dream.
But one of the quickest ways to start learning Photoshop is by creating your own simple mockups with existing PSD elements. You’ll find yourself editing shapes and colors to fit into a layout while organizing the composition from your imagination. In this post I’d like to share ideas for using free PSD files in Photoshop to get familiar with creating website mockups.
Introduction to Responsive HTML Newsletters with Zurb Ink Framework
The learning process to create an efficacious newsletter is often tiring and difficult. But as you get more comfortable with newsletter design these ideas become simpler and easier. You’ll always need a solid understanding of design principles when creating e-mail notices or newsletters. But you also need to know how to code newsletters in a manner that’s best suited for most e-mail clients.
I’d like to introduce Ink by Zurb which is a responsive newsletter framework. The basic template uses standard HTML tags for creating single-column or multi-column layouts which naturally respond to screen size. It’s all fairly easy to understand once you’ve spent a bit of time playing with the code. I’ll provide a quick walkthrough of the design process and how to use the framework.
Tips & Tricks for Managing Efficient WordPress Websites
One of the easiest CMS engines to learn is WordPress. They have a free service where newbies can sign up to learn the system without committing to a full domain name. Once you get a personal server there are many additional benefits, however it can become more confusing to manage an entire WordPress website. Thankfully there’s a ton of resources online for learning how to utilize WordPress to its fullest potential.
In this guide I want to share a few tips for managing your own efficient & speedy WordPress website. The system may seem confusing at first but it’s really easy to learn with a bit of time. Practicing the backend will make everything else a lot easier to grasp, and this includes customizing plugins or theme files.
50 Free CSS-Only Icons for Website Graphics
Modern CSS trends have blown up so quickly that it can be difficult to keep up with all the new stuff. Online projects which most surprise me involve pure CSS designs for layouts, animations, and icons. There is still plenty of use for icon sprite sheets in the right context. But why not try out modern trends for the users who have upgraded from legacy browsers?
This gallery includes fifty examples of my favorite CSS-based icon designs. Some are animated while others are static interface pieces. These range from general purpose icon sets to character designs created purely within HTML/CSS code. The latter doesn’t have much practical use but it’s definitely a way of showing off your skillset.
Iconex Flat Icons
