Fark CSS Redesign

Two years ago I redesigned Fark.com with a CSS layout and some tweaks. Here it is again for your enjoyment. Feel free to take the source code and make your own Fark.

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In Dallas This Weekend

So Scrivs will be bringing his pimp status to the city of Dallas this weekend and was wondering what spots do I need to checkout for the night life? I am meeting up with Garrett some time so I can kick his ass in some pool and talk about everything but web design and would like to hear if you have any suggestions.

I will be down there for something called the Southeastern Regionals where the best amateur soccer teams get together and play. Winner goes to the national finals. Yeah, I’m that good.

I could give everyone Garrett’s cell number so you could call him if you wish to meet up with us, but he probably wouldn’t like that.

Successful Design

There is no such thing as perfect web design, but what constitutes a successful design? I know an easy answer might be that “whatever makes the client or user happy” is a successful design or where “the goals of the company are fulfilled.” But is it really that easy? I think when you break it down to just clients and customers you are forgetting one major element, the designer.

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The Monday Rip

One complaint or suggestion if you will, is the lack of effort I believe you put into the top navigation bar or the choice you made, of course. The black a:hover on a dark red background is really not pleasant to the human eye. The font also, is not a success. Certainly, you can come up with a more effective combination of elements. A somewhat graphical navigation bar could not hurt, as the rest of the site is clean and crisp.

So let’s open it up to everyone. What do you think the navigation could use? Might as well ask what else the site can use besides graphical flair. It’s Monday, so let’s rip into Scrivs’ site.

The Hardest Part

For me the hardest part of any project, be it programming or web design, is actually getting started. It is always difficult looking at a blank screen and just expecting myself to go. Where do I start? Will it work? Am I doing the right thing? These are the kind of questions that initially hold me back. Sometimes it might take days before anything actually gets done. I can have all my sketches and my plans and my diagrams, but still all I see is the blank screen.

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Essential Books

To follow up on my post concerning your Knowledge Portfolio I thought it would be nice to gather what you find to be the essential books that any programmer or designer should have. Here is what I have come up with so far.

• Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach To Web Usability
• Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web
• The Elements of Typographic Style
• Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative
• Envisioning Information
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
• Grid Systems in Graphic Design
• Universal Principles of Design
• Thinking With Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students
• The Design of Everyday Things
• Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things
• The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master

How about you?

Knowledge Portfolio

In their book, The Pragmatic Programmer (recommended for anyone that programs), Hunt and Thomas refer to something known as the “knowledge portfolio”. They call it a portfolio because they believe it should be invested in over time. You should always invest in your portfolio so that it grows and never becomes an excuse for holding you back. In the computer industry, or any industry for that matter, if you are not growing you are not moving.

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:focus and :not

This an old entry that I am resurrecting since I am sure many of us need a reminder of these two useful CSS classes.

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Traits For Running A Business

Whether you wish to become a freelancer designer, start your own firm or media empire or simply run your own lemonade stand, there are certain traits you should possess if you want to become successful. Obviously these are not all the traits required to become successful and you might get away with missing one or two, but these are just some of the things I have experienced over my short lifespan that I thought were needed.

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Ajax Is The New Flash

Ajax (let’s not argue about naming) represents the next cool technology for web designers. Yes it has been available for years, but not until Google started using it has it gotten this much attention and been spread so rapidly amongst the community. However, just like Flash this creates a lot of issues for users of the web.

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