It is clear that this is a problem not unique to me. There have been many attempts made to make the experience a better one. From Safari’s built in Reader mode to Readability, designed to ‘zap online clutter and save web articles in a comfortable reading view’.

Focus Mode

The purpose of these systems is to remove the other distractions of adverts, additional links or related stories. At a much deeper level, Information Architects understood this whilst building their iA Writer they created what they called Focus Mode:

Thought goes into writing, not using: Focus mode allows you to think, spell and write one sentence at a time. This lowers the temptation to cross edit and keeps you in the flow.

I like the idea of keeping people ‘in the flow’ and so created a very quick mockup of a ‘focus mode’ for reading posts, not just writing them.

http://prandall.com/experimental/focus-mode/

This could be made into a JS snippet, or as an idea for someone to use on their own site.

Because the script uses :hover this wouldn’t currently work on a phone, but I’m open to suggestions.

“We decided to recommend a straightforward sans serif font. Predictably, this recommendation was greeted by complaints. It was too generic, too mechanical, too unstylish, too unrefined. I had trouble responding until I added two more elements to the presentation.”

Does this look stylish to you? Does it communicate anything about fashion or taste?

The next slide…

Now what do you think?

It worked every time.

I’ve really enjoyed reading this book so far, and because they are short essays, you can pick it up and read a section in just a couple of minutes.

In short, if you don’t know what it means, it is the idea of a site design that changes its layout depending on the device screen size that is viewing it.

With smartphones and tablets being so popular in the last few years, many more people are browsing the web on these devices, and providing an optimum design for these devices makes sites more engaging, easier to read and better suited to the device.

In my latest project I am working on at HigherSites, the project allowed me to work on some responsive web design, and here is a little demo, showing how the site will look on smaller screens, such as those on an iPad or iPhone:

Also, RWD means Rear wheel drive to most people (or is it just me?!) so I would refrain from referring to responsive web design as ‘RWD’.

A collection of good links on responsive web design

• A List Apart article by Ethan Marcotte
• The book of the same name by Ethan Marcotte
• A showcase of sites implementing a responsive design

In the end, you are what you consume. And if you’re not doing your share of creating, you’re like a vegetable soaking up the sun in preparation of one day being harvested. By advertisers.

A healthy balance

Of course no one can just consume, or just create – a balance must be struck. There are numerous inspirational design sites, and you can find yourselves endlessly trawling through hundreds of brilliant shots on dribbble, but the key is to not let consumption get in the way of creation.

Not enough time? Make time!

I find myself filling up my day with my 9-to-5 work at HigherSites, but i’m actively looking for time outside of this to work on my own things; this blog, my portfolio, another venture to further my craft.

It’s all too easy when you say you are too busy to be a consumer, just watching this TV show, or browsing the latest must-see website

So, stop reading this post, and don’t just consume, create!

It’s about what feels right… design was always something I felt I wanted to do.
To this day I tend to go with what feels right, as opposed to going with current trends, especially within design.

There is a lot to be said for going with your gut instinct, although having reasons to back up your decisions always help when you are showing a client, because when they say ‘it doesn’t feel right’ it usually means back to the drawing board for you!

I was really proud to be featured in this months edition of .net magazine. As it is the world’s best-selling magazine for web designers and developers, to be a part of the magazine was a privilege and an honour.

Every month, 3 designers take part in a build-off; armed with the same brief they have creative freedom to design a website and talk about their process. As a subscriber for over a year, it has always been my favourite part of the magazine which I always flick to straight away when the magazine lands on my door.

How Twitter helped my land the gig

I have followed a number of the .net mag team on twitter, and when @danoliver talked about some new editorial for the magazine I replied and said I was interested in getting into a future issue. They obviously saw something in me and after sending over some of my work they offered me a place in the next issue.

Naturally I have bought another copy, and showed all the guys at work. I’m just a little proud to say the least, and I can now say i’m a .net magazine featured designer.

The design called for centerally aligned list item links, and there could be 3, 4, 5 or more links. Initially I was stumped as to how to create this effect. I had considered a left margin to create the illusion of centre aligning for each possible number, but I knew there was a better way. I’m always aiming for a solution that works in the older browsers too, and this includes IE6. I don’t know why I do it to myself, especially as it apparently only has less than a 5% market share nowadays.

The Example

I’ll cut to the chase; here is the HTML and CSS.

http://prandall.com/experimental/centre-ul/

So How Does It Work?

On the UL, I am centre aligning the text, effectively making all the content aligning this way. That’s the real key to it, second only to display:inline on the LI, because a float will push everything to the left.

Below is all the CSS you need


ul{text-align:center;}
li{display:inline;}


Simples!

It is inevitable then that these new and shiny capabilities will catch a web designer’s eye (especially after years of browser constraints) but are we turning our eagerness to use the latest styling techniques into a world of monotonous and similar designs?

A Screenshot Showing Some Modern Design Trends

It’s worth saying that there are some great sites being produced at the minute. Something I hope to write about in a future post.

I’m a Magpie Designer Too!

This post isn’t without a sense of irony, i’m all too well aware of as this site features many of the effects i’m talking about. I’m clearly a magpie designer too!

In a years time things will probably calm down when “the next thing” arrives, whatever it is.