Blog #12

Conditional Comments and Networking

Conditional comments are conditional statements interpreted by Microsoft Internet Explorer in HTML source code. Conditional comments first appeared in Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5 browser and are supported through at least version 8.[1]
Conditional comments can be used to provide and hide code to and from Internet Explorer.
There are two types of "conditional comment", downlevel revealed, and downlevel hidden. Examples of code and more info is available at WIKI.

Benefits of Using Conditional Comments

Conditional comments have certain advantages over scripting methods of browser detection.

Low client-side impact.
When a downlevel browser encounters a downlevel-hidden conditional comment, the browser skips over the HTML inside the comment, and the content elements are not parsed, downloaded, or rendered. This saves client machine resources.

No script required.
Conditional comments do not require scripting and DHTML, and when no scripting is used in a Web page, no scripting engine needs to be loaded. Conditional comments are processed during the downloading and parsing phase, so only the content that is targeted for the browser is actually downloaded. Conditional comments can be combined freely with other browser detection techniques.

Separate code from detection logic.
Using conditional comments, script logic can be separated into smaller and simpler segments of code, which are easier to maintain and understand. Plus, code segments are loaded only by the browser version for which they were intended.

Cross-browser.
Conditional comments have been around since Internet Explorer 5, but their use is not restricted to Internet Explorer alone. Conditional comments can be used to customize content delivered to browsers that support conditional comments and those that do not. Get more info right HERE.

Networking Tip: Web designers and copywriters have a lot in common:
We work with clients who need a website.
We help clients who don't know how to start a website.
We offer individual creative services. I know – obvious tip – but they have corporate clients who are willing and ready for referrals. If you don’t like networking or cold calling, copywriters do both with very successful results. Find some copywriters and ask them what kind of design requests they get from their clients. Start the discussion now and clients will follow. Additional specs can be found HERE.

Tid Bits

• Reminder: Marketing s a "social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and values with others." This definition obtained at WIKI.


• Do not assume; ASK! #14--Don't think the colour is right on your screen.. it's not, check a reference. More listed at Funny.


• Quote to live by""What garlic is to food, insanity is to art." -- Unknown

Useful Web Sites

• Throughout my posting process I am constantly researching and coming across many links that are helpful and even some that are not. In addition to your own research it is also a great idea to ask fellow designers about what sites they like to visit as well.
  
  
  



• The first one Jesh had mentioned in our reference list earlier; Methodologie. This site is pretty sweet because it shows you web canvas sizes and the percentage of people that can see in each size. This is a cool tool to check out for our upcoming new website.



• Another site he mentioned that will be helpful for our Photoshop layout is 1st Web. This is a site that has a list of the 90 New and High Quality Photoshop Web Layout Tutorials. Crazy sick knowledge at your fingertips folks!

In Other Graphic Design News

This first site I found while looking for the latest and greatest in Graphic Design. It is an article that was published after interviewing 20 designers. It sums up how these designers charge their clients. Its interesting to find out how different designers charge.

For you photographers out there I came across a site that has some interesting tutorials and information that you might find useful. DPS or Digital Photography School has interesting articles on How to photograph a rainbow, composition tips and photo challenges. I highly encourage checking it out just for fun.

A lil side note: If you are interested in some Thanksgiving wallpapers just visit this site.
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Blog #11

Web Apps

There are a ton of applications out there and more hit the internet everyday. I found a site that lists the top ten apps for 2009 and I thought I would share them with you.

1. Dropbox is a tool that lets you drag and drop files into your Dropbox and then archives them online. This is useful if you don't have a file or image with you while you are on the go. You can just tap into your Dropbox and access your files. Fantastic for showing someone updated designs or roughs.



2. Crazy Egg is an analytic tool that can track what people do when on your site. It will show the info on different graphs and charts for your review. Always good to know what's clickin' chicken!



3. Twitter is one that I listed last week. It is expanding super fast and is a quick way to network. You can get a lot of visitors to your site from Twitter. It will help you give your business exposure.



4. Mail Chimp is an email marketing application that helps you create and control email lists. It can also help you create email campaigns in html and review marketing.



5. Kuler I have mentioned before but it is a great color app that helps you find colors that mesh together well.



6. Carbon Made gives freelancers an opportunity to display their graphic designs. They have over 165,000 portfolios on the site. That is a lot in case you were wondering!



7. Freckle helps you track the progress of a project. It will show you when you were working, for how long and on what project.



8. Icon Finder is an icon search engine that can assist you in locating specific icons. It will also show license and usage information before downloading.



9. Type Tester is another one that I mentioned last week. It will let you try out different fonts side by side. You can can adjust different styles and see the results.



10. PX to EM helps you understand text size and how it works in CSS. You type in your font size and it will convert it for you.

Research other great info like this at WEBDES.

Tid Bits

• Reminder about the z-index rule. It is like dealing cards. The first one you deal out in your html is going to be on the bottom and they stack from there. However the z-index rule will help you to shuffle the order of your cards and stack them differently. I found a site that displays box elements and lets you change the z-index and position and then shows the results of your choices. Don't forget you have to use the position rule with the z-index for it to work.


• Do not take anything for granted. It may not be there tomorrow.


• Quote to live by"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." Pablo Picasso

Useful Web Sites

• Throughout my posting process I am constantly researching and coming across many links that are helpful and even some that are not. In addition to your own research it is also a great idea to ask fellow designers about what sites they like to visit as well. This week I've included a couple sites that Aaron suggested.
  
  
  



• The first one he mentioned while I was searching for apps was Appstorm. This site is Mac based and gives general news and updates on applications as well as reviews, best of the best and even has how to's. Definitely check it out when you have a chance.
  



• Another site he mentioned was Smoking Apples. This is a site that you can use to keep up to date on apps. It provides news and interviews. It has info for the Mac and iPhone and includes a Magazine page and Podcast.

In Other Graphic Design News

This first site I found while looking for the latest and greatest in Graphic Design News. It is just a simple and straight forward article that describes a work-day in the life of a freelance designer.

If you want to test your skills and knowledge of graphic design you can visit this site. There are three different games: The Font Game, the Logo Game and the Munsell Hue Test.

A lil side note: You may already know this but if you are on facebook you can become a fan of PSDtuts if you want. New tuts will then post to your wall when they come out on the web.

Blog #10

Progressive Enhancement

Progressive Enhancement is a strategy used in web design. It's emphasis is accessibility, semantic markup, and external stylesheet and scripting technologies. It utilizes web technology in a stacked order that lets people use the information and usefulness of a web page, utilizing any browser or internet connection. It also gives users with a better bandwidth or better software an improved view of the site.

This is meant to replace the graceful degradation of sites. Graceful degradation seemed to imply that the user should upgrade their software or browser. However this is not always possible and in progressive enhancement the mentality is pretty much the opposite of this idea. Progressive Enhancement utilizes html, with the the lowest common denominator of browser software functionality, and then tops it with usefulness or extras to the prettiness and behavior of the page. This is done by the use of CSS or JavaScript (or others). Almost all are linked from the outside so that browsers with less ability can avoid gobbling up data that is not recognized or would overload the connection. Research further info at Wiki. Found this illustration by Dave Stewart on-line. He also provides an excellent explanation of the overall process based on the diagram of Candy.

Sucker fish navigation is a type of code or script used to make the :hover pseudo class work in Internet Explorer. In internet Explorer this pseudo class only works with links. There are many sites that explain this but I have been to many and am still working towards finding a better explanation. The info I have provided can be ound by goin fishin.

As we are learning CSS and making everything look good we also need to consider typography and how it will be displayed on various browsers. I located a site that will show you how type compares across different screens.
As new fonts are bundled into operating systems, the list of common fonts is updated. Also another key ingredient in our web site will be the navigation bar. I came across a cute little site that shows 45 Inspiring Navigation Menus That You Must See.

Tid Bits

• Reminder about the list of resources that Jesh provided earlier in the semester. One of the sites he had mentioned was themeforest. Right now there is an article on image types and usage in web design.


• Do not underestimate the power of food or a break. You not only need to understand yourself as a designer but what keeps you going. You need to recognize when you need to step away from a project and let it rest in the back of your mind. Also, both our brain and our body need nourishment to flourish and operate fully. The brain and the body work hand in hand and the sooner you understand how yours works the more creative and productive you can be.


• Quote to live by"Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one." Stella Adler

Useful Web Sites

• Throughout my posting process I am constantly researching and coming across many links that are helpful and even some that are not. In addition to your own research it is also a great idea to ask fellow designers about what sites they like to visit as well. This week I've included a couple sites that Jesh suggested.
  
  
  


• I'm sure everyone knows about twitter but did you know that you could follow some of the greatest designers in the world? The following is a list of Jesh's web heroes that he follows on twitter.


• Another site he mentioned was copy paste character. This is a site that you can use while marking up your html. If you forget a special character you can just visit this site and click on the As HTML button then copy and paste it into your document.
  
  


• One last site useful for our graphic design is kuler. This site is all about color and creating your color palette for a project. There are endless possibilities and you can't possibly know them all so check it out.
  
  
  

In Other Graphic Design News

This first site I found while looking for the latest and greatest in Graphic Design News. It is an on-line site dedicated to Graphic Design in the USA. The latest issue is November 2009 and has links to current issues and past issues as well as a gallery of design work.

I also love to promote my brother; not only because we are related but I know he is extremely talented. He is well versed not only in the world of graphic design but music as well. If you would like to check out his music please visit sevendsix He creates his own music and does remixes of other artist's work. You can also become a fan on facebook if you would like. One of my latest favorite remixes is one originally done by Avalon Omega. Sounds tons better than the original! You can also visit youtube and do a search for seven d'six.