There are several tactics for deciding where to put breakpoints in a responsive design. There is the rusty idea that they should be based on common screen sizes, but this doesn’t scale well. There are no “common” screen sizes. Another popular tactic is to create a breakpoint wherever the layout breaks.
This sounds much better. But it still leaves us with the question, How do you determine whether the layout is broken? One logical answer is to look at classic readability theory and to define our breakpoints based on that.
Read more...
One of the most famous interfaces in sci-fi is gestural — the precog scrubber interface used by the Precrime police force in Minority Report. Using this interface, Detective John Anderton uses gestures to “scrub” through the video-like precognitive visions of psychic triplets.
After observing a future crime, Anderton rushes to the scene to prevent it and arrest the would-be perpetrator. This interface is one of the most memorable things in a movie that is crowded with future technologies, and it is one of the most referenced interfaces in cinematic history.
Read more...
We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a matter of fact, we’ve discovered the best one—desktop wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd. This creativity mission has been going on for over five years now, and we are very thankful to all designers who have contributed and are still diligently contributing each month.
This post features free desktop wallpapers created by artists across the globe for March 2013. Both versions with a calendar and without a calendar can be downloaded for free. It’s time to freshen up your wallpaper!
Read more...
A Web developer is never through with learning new skills. So many new techniques crop up over a year, that keeping up to date can be quite challenging, especially with the usual workload Web developers have on their plates.
An enjoyable, speedy way to find out about all the new developments of the year, is to visit Web design and development conferences and workshops. These events not only deliver a huge load of information in a short period of time, they're also great for networking with like-minded professionals.
Read more...
As of today we’re pleased to announce Typeplate, a free-range and open-source typographic starter kit that will hopefully help you build beautiful, text-rich websites. The word on the street is that the Web Is 95% Typography, so as we hurtle towards the future, we think there’s still a lot we can learn from five centuries of history.
Typeplate is the result of this exploration of our typographic heritage. We made Typeplate because we weren’t satisfied with existing Web frameworks.
Read more...
Before 1998, the birth year of CSS Level 2, form elements were already widely implemented in all major browsers. The CSS 2 specification did not address the problem of how form elements should be presented to users.
Because these elements are part of the UI of every Web document, the specification’s authors preferred to leave the visual layout of such elements to the default style sheet of Web browsers.
Read more...
In the past few years, we've been working hard to publish only the best in quality industry knowledge, and have decided to finally create a series of workshops to immerse participants in full days of learning and networking with leading experts. Drop by our offices to learn, schmooze and gain master skills!
The workshops will take place at Smashing Media’s Headquarters where tips and industry secrets will be given directly from some of the most well-respected names in today's digital world. Get your workshop tickets now!
Read more...
Layout, for both print and screen, is one of the most important aspects of graphic design. Designs that extend across multiple pages or screens, whether containing large or small amounts of type, must be carefully controlled in a way that is enticing and is easy for all to access.
Careful control of visual hierarchy is a key aspect of the design decisions we have to consider. In this article, we will look at how frequently type needs to be broken down into different levels, such as topic, importance and tone of voice.
Read more...
It’s time to stop thinking about the Internet and online communication in the context of a device, be it desktop, tablet or mobile. Advances by Google and Apple have heightened consumer expectations, which now require stricter focus from us to create seamless online communications — communications that work everywhere and that get their point across.
We need to embrace a device-agnostic approach to communicating with connected consumers and forget the idea of a "mobile Internet". There is only One Web to experience.
Read more...
