Richard Strucke

There is something beautiful about that title. Something that sings in your ear. Maybe it’s a bit of magic you had never thought possible, or maybe, just maybe, it’s something come true which you had wished for your whole professional life, that is, if you are a web designer from the 90′s.

While listening to 5by5′s Big Web Show I ran across the site for the interviewee, Andy Rutledge, which lead to a post about Big Brand 1080px Design and going wider than the current 960px web design layout craze. Somewhere in the post I came across the w3schools browser stats and that’s where it slapped me in the face..

“Today, most computers are using a screen resolution of 1024×768 pixels or higher”.

Initially you might say, “big whoop, I’ve been using a 1024 or higher resolution for years”.. Agreeingly, so have I. And yes, we’ll always need to be mindful of other/smaller devices (mobile, tablet, etc) viewing our webpages — not only computers. The difference now is more than 90% of ALL users are using a 1024 or higher resolution as well, and that’s great news. We can finally, and now confidently, shake that 1024px layout monkey off of our back.

The trend of increasing monitor sizes and resolutions will continue to grow, and if you listen closely, every once in a while you will hear a muffled cheer at each milestone. First it was the initial hurdle of 800px wide, and now the even larger 1024px wide resolution. Known or not to the outside world, this is indeed and once again an exciting time for web designers.

I often find myself reusing code snippets, spending a fair amount of time referencing good coding and layout practices I have (or others have) used in the past, researching the latest improved ways to do the same old thing. What now feels like ages ago, and while investigating new HTML5 implementations, I came across a code base that I’ve since used in several projects.

Enter HTML5 Boilerplate brought to you by the venerable Paul Irish and open web vigilante Divya Manian. I think the website says it best:

HTML5 Boilerplate is the professional badass’s base HTML/CSS/JS template for a fast, robust and future-proof site.

Chock-full of the latest and great HTML5, CSS, and JS goodness to get you started on future web projects. Even better, if you are building a project in WordPress, there is also a HTML5 Boilerplate WordPress template available on Github.

It’s saving me time, it’s a great project, and I figured I’d help spread the word. Enjoy.

Some designers are more strict than others when it comes to grids and layout design on the web. One thing is certain, and common between every designer I’ve ever met, if there is a less laborious way to achive the same precise outcome when it comes to grid design — we’re all in! To that end, say hello to Gridulator »

When building a site have you ever wished you had a simple way to add placeholder images? If you said yes, it looks like you’re not alone. (more…)

I’m forever on the hunt for trade tools that make a job easier, faster, and more interesting. In my quest for better browser dev tools I’ve come across a few great Safari extensions. Here’s the short list, a few choice add-ons to evolve Safari into a better web development weapon. (more…)

If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for a way to increase productivity, and cut build time when creating or updating websites. Keeping track of styles throughout multiple stylesheets can get time consuming, not to mention burdensome. Enter the @media rule which allows you to pull your screen, print, or handheld css styles together and into one stylesheet. (more…)

To sum up all the wisdom inside Microsoft, they have announced that Outlook 2010 will use the Word HTML rendering engine. Essentially, throwing web standards under the bus, mocking accessibility, and making HTML email render worse than it did in 2000!

In some respects, the news is almost laughable. But once that giggle wares off, and reality sets in, you realize a large majority of users are going to be stuck with an email application that renders HTML worse than it did a decade ago. That’s right, Microsoft is moving backward in time when it comes to application development.

[F]or the next 5 years your email designs will need tables for layout, have no support for CSS like float and position, no background images and lots more. Want proof? Here’s the same email in Outlook 2000 & 2010.

Why would anyone use such a ridiculous email application, you ask?
To be frank, most working users don’t have a choice. But we all do have a place to speak out and let Microsoft  hear our request to make a change!

There was a time on the web, in a not so distant past, when JavaScript was considered the voodoo scripting language of all that is sinister on the internet. A corrupt, and evil force, marked as the magic language of criminal hackers, scam artisits, even the doorway to viruses, worm attacks and pornographic popups — Oh My! (more…)

Every now and again, I visit the Fuct site to see what Erik’s been up to as of late. Without surprise, a defiant, yet moving video “intro page” was in my face and making a sharp statement. Its brilliant, but that’s not what I’m on about here. Today I also came across a feature on the Google search results page, a link to “Skip Intro” following the main page link (see: search result Yuasa).

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