CSS Can Be Beautiful

Comments

6 responses to “CSS Can Be Beautiful”

1. 

   July 7, 2003

   MikeyC

   I pretty much gave up on trying to come up with an original design as there is no way I can compete with some of the truly incredible work submitted thus far.

   So I figured that I would just have fun and maybe get something into the “themes and look-alikes” section. Hopefully it makes it: http://www.zeit.ca/zenzilla/
2. 

   July 8, 2003

   Dan

   Hi Mikey,

   Don’t be so quick to give up! :-) I had the same thought until I saw Douglas Bowman’s submission, and it inspired me to kick my brain into gear and try some ideas — I don’t think it worked out too poorly ;-)

   Here are some ideas to help your creative process: experiment with stock photography (the Stock Exchange is a good, free resource) and typography, and don’t worry about the layout to begin with. Find a style, a “look” that combines colors, photography and typography just working with the title (CSS Zen Garden) until you hit on something you like, then simply expand on that theme.

   You can also try quick-sketching: Find a napkin, or half a piece of paper, and draw 10-second layouts, no larger than 2inches square (this prevents you from getting into too much detail). Try to fill up the page with as many drawings/variations as you can in under a minute, and then pick two or three layouts which seem to catch your eye, and expand on those in Photoshop.

   The best time to challenge yourself (and your design skills) is when you are pretty sure you can’t come up with anything good. If you can overcome that feeling, you will produce work you will be very proud of.

   You obviously have the CSS-layout concept down pat, so spend a few nights experimenting, and don’t be afraid to delete and start over (but do save anything you spend more than 10 minutes on in Photoshop — it might inspire you in part the next day :-)
3. 

   July 8, 2003

   Sunny

   Yeah I have started making small sketches too! Often I am reading magazines, or watching television, and a cool layout pops into my mind. So I just do a quick sketch so I can get back to it.

   But I wish I had more time! As a full time student, its virtually impossible for me to devote time to my interest in web design. But then something like Golden Mean and Not So Minimal inspire me to string together few moments to enjoy my newest hobby!

   Thanks for the inspiration!
4. 

   July 13, 2003

   MikeyC

   Dave is back from his honeymoon and was kind enough to add my submission to the “themes and look-alikes” section of the Garden.

   http://www.csszengarden.com/?cssfile=http://www.zeit.ca/zenzilla/001/001.css
5. 

   July 16, 2004

   popups

   First time reading this blog, just wanted to say hi.
6. 

   July 23, 2004

   Helen

   Well, today most designers begin with the semantic coding structure of the site, and then use CSS to present the design as they wish. In fact, the creativity is limited to some extent, the prior concept of design is moved aside. I don’t approve of it. To my mind, it is necessary to develop design first and then to create semantic structure.

   Helen, web-designer