Category Archives: Design

Follow me on twitter

After couple of days I got some free time. So the first thing I did was skinned my twitter with my blog theme. And it came nicely.

So now my life-streaming habit with twitter is in my own style. And the best thing is today I’ve post my first tweet in Sinhala.:)

twitter.jpg

Twittering through IM made it simple, so follow me :)

Feeds In My Google Reader

Here another list from me :) this time it’s all about feeds which I have added to my Google Reader to read whenever I am free. Actually now I am addicted to Google Reader and these feeds. This list is bit long and it’s containing around 78 valid feeds.

Here I have sorted out the list in alphabetical order. This will contain feeds about Web Standards, Accessibility, Usability, User Experience, Web 2.0, Personal Blogs, Technical and Technology, Design Resources and some great online journals regarding web and it’s new trends. This is very helpful for me to keep my self updated on time.

If anyone know any good feed that I have missed here, feel free to add it via a comment.

Speedup your site by optimizing CSS

What is CSS?

Styles sheets define HOW HTML elements are to be displayed. Styles are normally saved in external .css files. External style sheets enable you to change the appearance and layout of all the pages in your Web, just by editing one single CSS document!

CSS is a breakthrough in Web design because it allows developers to control the style and layout of multiple Web pages all at once. As a Web developer you can define a style for each HTML element and apply it to as many Web pages as you want. To make a global change, simply change the style, and all elements in the Web are updated automatically.

[Introduction to CSS]

Why Optimize?

Well for two reasons mainly. It helps you get smaller CSS file sizes and better written code. The way the optimizer works actually lets you decide how much compression you want. From super compressed (virtually unreadable and editable by a human being) to visually pleasing. I prefer the standard setting because it gives you a little of both.

Another cool feature is that it helps you with shorthand coding. I am by no means an expert at CSS. I do not have all the shorthand methods memorized (yet!). For those of you using Dreamweaver, like myself, you’ll find that it likes to use longhand code. By this I mean putting each separate rule on its own line. This can get tedious copying and pasting it make a small change. A lot of that stuff can get consolidated into one line, like backgrounds and borders.

So your main reasons for wanting to optimize are to make sure your CSS files are clean. There is a certain art form in clean and concise code. And I’m not even a programmer and I can see that. I’m an artist, so this tool really helps speed things up.

[Why Optimize?]

CSS Optimization Tips

CSS Shorthand
Shorthand properties can be used to set several properties at once, in a single declaration, instead of using a separate declaration for each individual property. As you’ll see, this can save a lot of space in your CSS file.

CSS Optimizing/Formatting/Compressing Online Tools

Flags by Colours

Using a list of countries generated by The World Factbook database, flags of countries fetched from Wikipedia (as of 26th May 2007) are analysed by a custom made python script to calculate the proportions of colours on each of them. That is then translated on to a piechart using another python script. The proportions of colours on all unique flags are used to finally generate a piechart of proportions of colours for all the flags combined.

Check it out here »

FullCodePress | International site in a day competition

FullCodePress is a series of web competitions – the brainchild of the people at Webstock and WIPA. In essence it’s a geek Olympics!

The concept is simple. Web teams take each other on, at the same location, to build a complete website in 24 hours. No excuse, no extensions, no budget overruns.

The first event will be held in Australia on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 August 2007 between Australia and New Zealand. In 2008 there will be a worldwide challenge for any interested countries – to be held in Wellington New Zealand. We’ll also be facilitating and encouraging competitions within individual countries.

Check out the FullCodePress website »

11 Great Color Legends by COLORlovers

Some colors become huge successes early on and then fade off into obscurity… while other colors go the distance and become international icons. Here COLOURlovers look at 11 of the great color legends…

Read the article here »

A List Apart – The Web Design Survey 2007

ALA hosting The Web Design Survey 2007

Designers, developers, project managers. Writers and editors. Information architects and usability specialists. People who make websites have been at it for more than a dozen years, yet almost nothing is known, statistically, about our profession. Who are we? Where do we live? What are our titles, our skills, our educational backgrounds? Where and with whom do we work? What do we earn? What do we value?

Read more about the web survey

The Web Design Survey 2007