Hello,
I'm Mervi Eskelinen!
An artist, nerd and sorcerer, dedicated to make world softer and better for everyone, and to get you to make more art. Make art, change the world!
CSS for web designers
A couple of years ago I was asked to "code" a website, which layout was designed by someone else. The layout was pretty, but it was clear the designer didn't have a clue on what lies under the hood of a site. Designer hadn't had a single thought for usability and accessibility. Everything, including the text on the little info boxes on the bottom of the page was supposed to be made with images. And the site was designed to be fixed width but also fixed height. It might have worked as a Flash site. Maybe. Fortunately in this case the person who had been asked to code the site was also capable of doing some redesign.
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I managed to fix some of the main problems. I had to take the little info boxes and change them from images to text. And since I knew how to make them look pretty with CSS, I could do it. I had to make the layout work with all the different content types and pages as well as with constantly changing content of variable length. That was when I finally realized why someone who doesn't have a clue on how a website is built shouldn't even make layout for one. At least not without someone with the knowledge by their side through the whole process.
Recently someone on Twitter was looking for a top level web designer with CSS skills. After a while I got curious and asked did they find the person they were looking for. The answer surprised me: They hadn't found any top level web designer who would (dare to) touch CSS. What? Really?
This answer might have been okay by me right in the beginning of 21st century. Back then designers designed and coders coded. But then things started to change. W3C worked hard to spread the word. Soon came css Zen Garden and all the CSS showcases. CSS should be taken seriously by graphic artists, pointed css Zen Garden out. It wasn’t supposed to be a thing restricted for coders anymore. The design and implementing the design weren't different jobs anymore.
Now that I think of it, my studies on digital media didn't include much CSS. And why not? Because it's easy? Because everyone who does any web design can and will do it? Apparently not. I have learned my mad CSS skills by doing. And using online references, such as W3Schools. This method has worked for me, but since there are still web designers who can't or won't do anything with CSS, shouldn't something to be done?
CSS is something anyone who calls herself a web designer should be able to work with. At least she should know the basics, but preferably enough to be able to style websites with it. It’s not that hard and it’s pure lazy and lame not to learn it. If you can't or won't, maybe you should think of another job. Or at least don't think of yourself as a top level web designer.
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