A responsive web design writer goes non-responsive?

Right. Here’s the deal.

In early 2012 I started taking responsive web design seriously. My website became a testbed for mobile-first design experiments. By November 2012 I was learning faster than I could experiment. I got a job. I moved to California. I started presenting and writing full time. And this site fell by the wayside.

That will change — plans are in motion for benthinkin.net. You can expect less WordPress and more articles. Until then you can follow my work at ZURB or drop me a line @benthinkin (app.net or Twitter).

Grid roundtable

Designers have used grids to compose pages centuries. On the web, though, using grids is a different story. I asked three experts to lend their insight on the issues and challenges in web layout.

February 5, 2013

# process: critical thinking # process: semantics # published: Treehouse # technique: CSS

Faces

I like semantics. I like new ideas. The two collided when I read a post defending presentational class names. Now I’m thinking there’s a time for both.

February 4, 2013
About ten minutes to read.

# process: customizing # process: semantics # technique: CSS

Page

The web is not paper on computer screens. Its boundaries are more than the ambiguous edges of browser windows and text columns — factors that change with each viewing. I wrote on devising grids from the inside out.

January 31, 2013
About ten minutes to read.

# design: layout # process: problem preventing # published: Treehouse # technique: CSS

Hornbecker

The Nike AO pack for Hipstamatic was available for one month in 2011. I interviewed sports photographer Chris Hornbecker about the odds of re-releasing his namesake lens.

January 21, 2013
About ten minutes to read.

# has: research # published: Hipstography # software: Hipstamatic

Foresight

Designing websites for mobile devices concerns more than layout. As designers build sites that respond to varying screen sizes, opportunities arise to rethink site structures as well. Today we can learn from past assumptions.

January 18, 2013
About ten minutes to read.

# design: accessibility # design: layout # has: infographic # process: problem solving # published: Smashing Magazine

Koci

Instagram, Hipstamatic, Flickr and other photo apps let users add — some would say degrade — images with retro effects. What used to require hours in a darkroom now takes a few taps in iOS. While some argue that gimmicks don’t make art, an assistant professor of new media at the University of California, Berkeley disagrees. I interviewed Richard Koci Hernandez about his views on how iPhones are changing photography.

January 7, 2013
About 15 minutes to read.

# design: aesthetics # has: research # published: Hipstography # software: Hipstamatic

Break

People build websites for many reasons: to reach a wider audience; to sell, promote, or express; to appease peer pressure. Novelty stopped being a reason circa 2001. In its place, we have of course: of course I have a website; of course you have to have a Facebook wall, Twitter account, LinkedIn profile, or Pinterest board; of course we all have email.

January 2, 2013
About ten minutes to read.

# process: critical thinking # process: how-to # published: Webdesigner Depot

Chunky

Professional photographers use professional cameras. But a few now use their iPhones along with their Canons — and they’re taking advantage of apps’ ability to post-process images on the fly. I talked to a fashion photographer about his recent work.

December 29, 2012
About five minutes to read.

# design: aesthetics # has: case study # process: customizing # published: Hipstography # software: Hipstamatic

Flexbox

There are design criteria, and there are technical limits. CSS has plenty of the latter, especially when we make websites that fit mobile and desktop websites. Responsive design of the future looks flexible.

December 23, 2012
About ten minutes to read.

# design: layout # has: snippet # published: Treehouse # technique: CSS # technique: HTML5

Recovery

When my system died, I relied on backups to recover my data. Unfortunately those backups weren’t as robust as I thought. For the next few weeks I compared two online backup services: Backblaze and CrashPlan. Here’s what happened.

December 18, 2012

# has: infographic # has: research # process: problem preventing # published: Smashing Magazine # technique: security