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.