Design with flair — on the Web!

A startup called Typekit allows freedom to design with any font you want online &mdash as long as you own the font itself. How groovy is that? Finally, we are free! No more Verdana, Arial... headaches, heartbreak.

via Slate.com

PDFs! For designers! Online!

Exclamation point! Okay, maybe that’s a bit more excitement than warranted for yet another ‘list’ post. But, Positive Space Blog’s “30 Essential PDF Documents Every Designer Should Download” is actually worthy of exclamation points.

Well, maybe just one.

Anyway, the 31 (!) PDFs are divided into 5 categories: Resources; Web Development & Programming; Presenations; Freelancing & Income; and PDF Collections.

Enjoy.

via popurls

GoLive has GoneDead

Do you use GoLive? Probably not, but if so, then it’s time to start using something different. The demise of Adobe’s GoLive (finally) has been widely reported, but for the brief scoop read Macworld’s “Adobe discontinues GoLive.”

via various

Really clean typography…

…on a Web page.

And, it’s all in HTML and CSS.

That’s right, people. We can have elegant typography on the Web.

I have no idea what this Seed Conference is about, but just looking at their Web page gives me hope for the future of Web design.

via Daring Fireball

Flickrvision

via popurls

Do you use Flickr? I use it a lot when I'm pressed for time to create topic-specific graphics. Via Creative Commons license, many Flickr users grant rights to their photography for non-commercial use.

Using the search tool to find specific images is fine for work, but what about when you want to relax? With Flickr?

Flickrvision.

Just try it.

Ever want to wear XRAY specs?

What would you see if you looked at your web page? Its skeleton? In this case, its CSS backbone.

If you edit or create your own style sheet, study other style sheets, or just wish you had started knowing what that was all about already, you must check this out.

XRAY

There's info about browser compatibility, but I can tell you it's seamless on today's Safari for the Mac.

See that XRAY button in the middle of the page? Drag it into your Bookmarks Bar. Yeah. Really. Then go to a page you want to XRAY. Pick any page, it really doesn't matter. Then click on that Bookmark Bar XRAY link.

A window appears. Follow the instructions. Suddenly you're in a world where code talks to you while showing you what it does.

Click the x in the upper right hand corner of the dialog box to come back to the world of the living.

Wrangle Type Design for a Style Sheet

Found a handy dynamic interactive type renderer to help you see what those various standard OS typefaces are capable of if given the right leading, tracking, word space and decoration treatments.

Visit Typetester to quickly see and compare on screen.

Neat-o.

Attractive… Charts?

via Smashing Magazine via popurls

Do you use Flash? (Me: A little.) Do you design charts? (Me: Sometimes.) Do you design dynamic charts in Flash? (Me: Wow, I never thought of doing that.)

And, with my mediocre Flash skills, I would never attempt making a dynamic chart in Flash.

Enter amCharts, the work of a seemingly lone, Lithuanian Flash developer. I won’t go into the details—Smashing Magazine already did: Attractive Online Diagrams, Charts And Maps. When you’re done reading about it, you can go to amCharts and download away.

Animator vs. Animation

I saw this animation over a year ago and got a kick out of it then. Many of you have probably seen it before but if you haven't, then you'll be entertained. I found it to be very clever - if you've ever worked in Flash you'll get an extra laugh. And, there is a sequel (although, I think the first one is still the best).

Animator vs. Animation

Animator vs. Animation II

"Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us"

Am I the last one to see this cool video? Very interesting…



youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g

Google Office

via Macworld

No, I don't mean Google (verb) Office (direct object). I mean Google Office—like Google’s answer to Microsoft Office. Actually it’s called Google Docs & Spreadsheets BETA (catchy, right?) and you can read more about it at Macworld. I’ve played with this Google Documents & Spreadsheets BETA a little bit and it has some interesting features. If anyone wants to try editing a shared document remotely in real-time, give me a jingle at calixton@youknowwhere.edu.

Yes, it’s not really design-related but everyone’s just coming back from vacation so it might be a while before the “design” posts come back in full force.

(First July post!)

Got coprolite?

via an e-mail to Webnet from Claudia Morgan, Web & Multimedia Coordinator, HRB Communications, UCOP

Sometime back I asked for questions to ask prospective web designer candidates. I received a number of good suggestions (thanks!) and have been asked by other members of this listserv—who were also hiring—for a list of these suggested questions.

Well, I want to add to the list an article I found (with the introduction):

The Web Professional Test
I’m of the mind that those of us who are Web professionals should be tested as part of qualifying for our jobs. Just as writers and others are.

The days are over (in truth, they never really started) when it worked to equip the inexperienced with WYSIWYG editors and turn them loose on the Web.

Web professionals need to perpetually cultivate a broad and in-depth skill set. If you are not motivated to do this, you quickly become a technological coprolite.

And while the specifics depend to some extent on the size and composition of the Web team, the more you can offer, the better.

So in addition to the usual interview questions, here is how I would test: More >

Let's discuss amongst ourselves. Do you agree with Rose Pruyne?

Safari, Windows, Apple, Microsoft, font rendering

via popurls

Now that Apple has made their Safari Web browser available for Windows (Why? Macworld proposes at least two reasons), you can see on-screen font rendering Apple-style vs. Microsoft-style side-by-side.

To see the comparison, you’ll have to be using Windows XP or Vista and have downloaded the respective Safari 3.0 beta. Then, just launch Safari and Internet Explorer, go to the same Web page and compare. Side-by-side.

Or, you can just read this article at Joel on Software.

Google Maps sees all…

…in even greater detail.

This one’s probably old news by now, but in case you haven’t been checking the Interwebs lately, the latest cool/privacy-shatteringly-frightening tool to come from Google is Street View.

Street View is part of Google Maps, and before you can say “Oh yeah, I saw the satellite photo thing, like, a year ago” let me point out that Street View was just launched this week. And, before you can ask “Okay, smart guy, if Street View isn’t the satellite photo thing, then what is it?” let me provide you with two links:

• Goofy Google Tour of Street View
• Street View of Where I’m Blogging from

Reactions in the office have ranged from mildly amused to completely horrified to consumed with chafing and rage (though that may have nothing to do with Street View).

Grade Your Website

via del.icio.us via popurls

Do you build Web sites and pages? Do you toss and turn restlessly in bed at night, wondering if your code is XHTML-valid, accessibility-compliant, and current-browser-friendly? Do you gnash your teeth and rend your garments when you get an e-mail complaining that there’s something wrong with your Web site?

If so, you need to ease up a little.

In the meantime, you can use some of the 31 Free Online Tests compiled in one handy-dandy post at Aviva Directory. The 31 tests are broken into 5 categories: Code Validation; Accessibility; Speed; Browser Simulators; and, Search Engine Optimization.

Now you have no excuse for non-valid, non-compliant, non-friendly, gnash- and rend-inducing code.

Web accessibility 101

via Debra Goldentyer, Webnet:

Join us on Tuesday, May 29, for what's sure to be an interesting conversation on Web Accessibility.

Date: Tuesday, May 29

Time: 12 noon to 1:30 pm

Place: 150 University Hall. NOTE ONE-TIME CHANGE OF VENUE

Speaker: Dianne Walker, Project Engineer, IST, and the Web Accessibility Group

Topic: Web accessibility at Berkeley

Why does it make sense to (re)design your website with accessibility in mind early in the process? In the words of one campus web developer:

• You're going to be changing all that code anyway as part of the redesign; why not do it the right way, and start from the ground up with accessible practices?


• Adhere to web standards, and accessibility will be almost automatic. Plus, your site will be far less likely to encounter problems with current or future web browsers.


• Making your site as accessible as possible to disabled visitors also means improved accessibility for web crawlers, spiders, and bots. The likely result: Improved rankings with Google and other search engines.


• If you follow best practices like semantic markup (using the proper HTML element for each type of content) and separating content from design (via CSS), you may have a higher learning curve at the beginning if you've not done this in the past. But future site changes will be vastly easier because of the structure you will have put in place. In fact, if you plan things right, you could completely change the appearance of your site next year or next month without having to open and modify any of the pages; just tweak the CSS stylesheet.

Easier site changes? Less time and therefore less expense? Yes. And you get accessibility too? What? Doing the right thing saves money? YES! So, why not make your website accessible?

WebAccess, the campus web accessibility group, will review Section 508 standards and W3C guidelines on web accessibility as well as the campus commitment to technology accessibility. Then they'll take you though a WebAccess clinic, where they'll be evaluating a newly designed campus website from an accessibility point of view.

Helpful links to get you started:

(Re)designing your website with accessibility in mind:
istpub.berkeley.edu:4201/bcc/Spring2007/993.html

Tips for improving web accessibility:
istpub.berkeley.edu:4201/bcc/Fall2006/927.html

Tips for improving web accessibility — round 2:
istpub.berkeley.edu:4201/bcc/Spring2007/991.html

Got a conflict? Can't be there? Contact Dianne Walker, WebAccess Lead, for more information.

Drupal update

via Tao Starbow, Webnet

First the big news: Bowing to popular demand, we are moving the meeting time to lunch. This should allow a lot more people from campus to be there.

When: Wed., May 23rd, Noon to 1:30pm

Where: 290 HMMB (directions)

What: The Berkeley Drupal Users Group (BDUG) is a place to come learn, teach, and network about the Drupal content management framework. Everyone is invited, both on-campus and from the local community. (I am still looking for a good place to post an announcement where students will see it. Any suggestions?)

For more information: see drupal.citris-uc.org (work-in-progress)

The first BDUG meeting went very well. There was a good mix of skill levels and communities (on-campus users, IT support folk, local contractors, etc). We spent some time going around the room and introducing ourselves, then had an open Q&A period, and then had a couple of impromptu presentations. Seems to be a good format, and we will stick with it until something better comes along.

We might be able to swing some food for the meeting, so please RSVP if you are interested in lunch.

See previous post here.

Last of the CS3 reviews?

Are these the last of the Macworld reviews of CS3 products? I’ve actually lost count. In any case, read up on Fireworks CS3 and Contribute CS3 for Mac OS X. (If you know of reviews on the Windows version, put ’em in the comments.)

Interesting university web sites

via Allison Bloodworth on Webnet

Just ran into this really interesting website on university website designs that I thought might interest folks: www.edustyle.net.

Click here to go directly to Cornell University's home page.

UC Berkeley site makes CA’s SOTW

This just came to my attention, but earlier this year UC Berkeley’s own department of Spanish and Portuguese Web site was picked for Communication Art’s Design Interact Site of the Week (Week of January 29th, 2007). You can read the Design Interact analysis in their Site of the Week archive, but from a UC Berkeley identity standpoint I was pleased to note the following:

• Use of University Oldstyle in the site’s logotype


• Use of the UC Berkeley signature


• Use of the UC Berkeley seal*

All-in-all the department of Spanish and Portuguese site looks great, is in line with W3C and usability standards, and for the most part includes the main identifying components of UC Berkeley’s identity guidelines. If only all our Berkeley sites—including this one—looked so good. ;-)

*Why an asterisk? Because the trademarked Berkeley seal is typically used for promotional and merchandising purposes. In the case of Web sites, the University of California seal in conjunction with the Berkeley signature should be used.