Category: creativity

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Accessibility client services creativity Design development Publishing Standards

Appreciating web design; setting type

We have what we think is a special issue of A List Apart for people who make websites.

  • Every responsible web designer has theories about how best to serve type on the web. In How to Size Text in CSS, Richard Rutter puts the theories to the test, conducting experiments to determine the best of all best practices for setting type on the web. Richard’s recommendation lets designers reliably control text size and the vertical grid, while leaving readers free to resize text.
  • And in Understanding Web Design, I explain why cultural and business leaders mistake web design for something it’s not; show how these misunderstandings retard critical discourse and prevent projects from reaching their greatest potential; and provide a framework for better design through clearer understanding.

Plus, from October 2001, we resurrect Typography Matters by Erin Kissane, the magazine’s editor, who is currently on sabbatical.

[tags]webdesign, css, textsize, type, typography, sizingtype, sizingtext, understanding, typedesign, architecture, newspaperdesign, posterdesign, bobdylanposter, erinkissane, richardrutter, zeldman, jeffreyzeldman, alistapart[/tags]

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creativity film glamorous Ideas style writing

Proposed Catch-Phrases for the Next Bruce Willis Film

  • E-I-E-I-O, motherfucker!
  • Hi-ho, the motherfuckin’ dairy-o, motherfucker!
  • Anchors aweigh, motherfucker!
  • Hinky dinky parlez-vous, motherfucker!
  • Skip to my loo, motherfucker!
  • A tisket, a tasket, motherfucker!
  • Pocket full of posies, motherfucker!
  • The cheese stands alone, motherfucker!

[tags]catchphrases, hollywood, screenwriting, scriptwriting, brucewillis[/tags]

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A List Apart client services creativity Design Ideas industry Publishing

Staying creative

Everyone is creative. But some stay that way longer. Sooner or later, most people charged with designing, writing, illustrating, and the like find their stores of invention running low. Inspiration pays fewer calls. The well of originality produces only echoes. Ultimately, the very urge to create—the thing that got them into this business when their parents advised them to study dentistry—shrivels and fades.

Or so I have read.

A List Apart illustrator Kevin Cornell is no stranger to the problem of becoming and staying motivated, and in his new ALA article, coincidentally entitled Staying Motivated, he shares his process for doing just that.

Also in Issue 243 of A List Apart, for people who make websites:

We say potato, our client says po-tah-to. Clients and those who serve them come from different backgrounds, possess different skills, and often seem to speak different languages. To work around these differences, many of us use a metaphor- and simile-driven shorthand. The site should work “like Amazon,” with features “like Expedia.” It should be “like Basecamp” and “like Wikipedia.”

This language of comparison can help bridge the knowledge gap, but it can also create false expectations and frustration on both sides of the client/designer relationship. Can you master the metaphor without falling prey to its pitfalls? Jack Zeal thinks you can, and in Design by Metaphor he shares tips on using the technique to keep clients engaged but not unhinged.

Pretty good, right? But there’s more. In Editor’s Choice, from 16 August 2002, we proudly revive 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web by Mark Bernstein—the classic article on updating daily content to grow community and keep readers coming back.

I should reread that one myself.

[tags]alistapart, creativity, inspiration, jackzeal, kevincornell, designbymetaphor, clientservices, ebay[/tags]

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