The idea behind the project:

There are 32 places in America named Berlin and the objective is to collect true stories about these Berlins in the form of video, text and images. The idea is to create a space for collaborative storytelling, in which participants can share their stories as well as contribute perspective to the stories of others. If all goes well the plan is to pick the 12 most interesting stories and make an episodic feature film!

The Brains

Gabriel & Pati (www.ks12.net) have worked really hard to spread the word, not only locally here in Berlin Germany, but also to as many people as possible in the Berlins throughout the United States. The site and idea for the project, along with their passion and drive are something that is a true inspiration to watch and be involved with.

The Braun

I also had the chance to work with two great developers that did their best to teach me more about programming and how each bit of the site worked while I styled the bits with CSS. A huge amount of props go out to Tom Hartnell (www.thomashartnell.com/) & Gavin Norman (www.stillstream.co.uk) who both whipped the site into submission and are doing things with code that are truly amazing.

I am thrilled that the beta site is up and running and ready for participants to start submitting their stories. I can’t wait to see what gets submitted and I can only imagine how awesome the film will be. It is a really creative idea and one I strongly believe will be a success!

If you haven’t checked it out yet, get over to www.postcardsfromberlin.com to learn more about the project and how to participate! Also make sure to check out this little easter egg, it’s a great little creative bit that we all agreed had to be on the site.

Upfront expectations in other industries, are you nuts?

If I need my car repaired or my house painted, I would never ask a mechanic or a contractor to fix or paint anything before meeting and establishing a plan and budget before work begins. So why does this happen time and time again to web designers??

Now this could fall under the spec work debate but to me it’s a bit more than that. Why is the problem with designers and not so much for other areas of the web?

I could be wrong and it probably happens, but most clients would never ask a developer to build a prototype or ask a SEO to provide keyword research up front with no contract or budget agreed upon. Although within the design sector, it’s no problem asking for a graphic concept, HTML, or CSS up front in order to prove ones skills or to win work. In some cases this happens even before any information or understanding about a company or product is ever discussed or proper research has been done.

It’s based on a lot of misconceptions

Just like a mechanic or paint company, designers work and rely on business to earn a living or pay employees. This is just like any other type of business and includes a lot more than people think. The common misconception is that anyone can do web design and all we do is make things pretty.

Well painters (the canvas type) also make things pretty but I am sure people would never ask them to make one brush stroke up front. Previous works and experience would be the reason for selecting a specific painter for the job, right!? You would never ask a doctor to do a surgery, or a pilot to fly you somewhere without explaining what’s wrong or where you want to go, right? You would also want to know their experience and that they are qualified for the job, right? Would you ask the pilot for a test flight, or the doctor for a test surgery? NO!

This should be the case within the web design industry as well! Our experience, previous work and ability to deliver on time should be what clients are interested in, not how well we can use an image editor with no information or understanding of a their needs. This often causes good designers to look bad and clients to receive work that isn’t top notch according to their specific needs.

I know educating clients and co-workers from the beginning is the way to help solve this issue and a lot of it is due to a misunderstanding of web design as a whole. Educating about spec work also helps, but I thought comparing it to other real life industries would help to point out what people are really asking for, when asking for design work in advance.

I just wanted to touch on that but there are many other areas of misconception so be sure to check out the original article..

Thanks for reading and if you would like to add anything or have something to say, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me.

I thought this would be not only extremely fun, but an awesome opportunity to contribute to the book. The selected designs will be published in the book along with being added to a demonstration website. So I popped open Photoshop with no real idea of what I would do, but after a bit of playing around I came up with a card for the “Shades & Staches Detective Agency”.

So, huge thanks go out to Mr. Clarke for the opportunity to contribute and for selecting my card to be included! I really enjoyed participating in such a fun idea.

Make sure to check out all the selected card designs and look out for the new book!

Great variety of content coverage

The amount of content that is covered by each author in the Smashing book was one of the aspects that pushed me to order. From typography and color to marketing and server set up, there is plenty to keep you well informed and updated on the latest best practices. And the full color pages are clean and well laid out.

Each chapter is written by a different author and I suppose they were chosen because of their expertise in a particular area of web design. Some of the information included may already be somewhat obvious to veteran designers but I found many small tidbits of information that were not only helpful, but were things I previously did not know.

The following are the chapters contained in the pages of the Smashing Book:

• User Interface Design in Modern Web Applications
• The Art and Science of CSS Layouts
• Typography: Rules, Guidelines and Common Mistakes
• Usability Principles for Modern Websites
• The Ultimate Guide to Fantastic Color Usage
• Optimization for Websites
• Design to Sell – Increasing Conversion Rates
• How to turn a site into a Remarkable Brand
• Learning from Experts – Interviews and Insights
• The Smashing Magazine Story.

So as you can see there are a wide variety of areas that are covered throughout the book. I really enjoyed the last two chapters which include interviews with industry leading designers and the story of how Smashing Magazine came to be. To get advice and tips from some of the best designers in the industry was a great addition and the insights were very helpful.

The actual story of Smashing Magazine is amazing and they give readers a peek into how the guys started, how they grew the site, the process of finding content and authors and just how much hard work is put into deliver the massive amount of content on a daily basis.

Unique Packaging

The book arrived in the post and at first glance I thought they had just wrapped the book in some clear plastic wrap and mailed it off. Once I pulled off the packing wrap I figured out the book was actually inside of a box that looks exactly like the book itself. I have ordered my share of design books online and this one was the first to come in such a unique package. Not to mention it will keep the book safe from my two year old which is always good, right?

You should pick up a copy

This book would make a great Christmas gift, but would also be a great self purchase. The authors spent a great deal of time on each of their chapters and the advice is flying at you from the time you open the front cover.

Make sure to visit Smashing Magazine for ordering information.

I hope this review is helpful and please feel free to leave a comment below if you have something to say. Hopefully by using some of the new tips I learned from the book my site will benefit and maybe even load a bit faster!

Over the years authors such as Drew McLellan, Jeffrey Zeldman, Andy Clarke, Jason Santa Maria, and Tim Van Damme (just to name a few) have written helpful articles and tutorials which are almost as good as any Christmas present could be. At least for a geek like myself anyway!

So hop over to 24ways.org and get your dose of Christmas cheer and learn something amazing in the process. You won’t regret it and it may just get you in the spirit of the holidays! I know it does it to me!

Reading Web Related Books

I find books to be an invaluable resource to furthering my education as a web designer. There are new or updated versions of books appearing almost on a daily basis. Reading can be a bit time consuming when you are also juggling a couple design projects so using any off time to learn from the leading authors of our industry is time well spent.

Here are a few resources for great reading material:

• Peachpit Books
• Friends of Ed Books
• Sitepoint Books
• O’Reilly Books
• .net Magazine

I would also recommend creating a budget for books if possible. I read and purchase quite a lot of web design and technical books but have found they can get very expensive and very quickly. The upside is that books can be swapped or resold but a simple budget can help to ensure that you have a specific amount to spend on books each month and that it doesn’t get out of control.

Improve Your Skills or Learn Something New

The web is still a fairly new medium and with the huge amount of technologies available there is always something new to learn or ways to improve your current skill set. I find that downtime is the perfect opportunity to take some time to practice/improve the things that I do on a daily basis. Whether it be learning a new technique in Photoshop or Fireworks, creating a personal framework of HTML and CSS files, or just finding ways to improve communication with clients you can use this time to improve your skills to use in your next project.

While improving your current skill set can be valuable to your clients, I also find learning something brand new can be just as beneficial. New skills will also help to increase not only your knowledge, but can also be a great way to increase your income. By being able to provide an additional service you may be able to raise your rates! And who doesn’t want or need a bit of extra income in today’s economy, right?

Interact with Fellow Designers

A lot of folks in our industry work from home or solo in their own firms. While this is a blessing it can also be a curse and become a lonely situation. I recently took some of my downtime and met with a local designer for lunch. I had not previously met or had any interaction with him besides the occasional message on twitter. It was not only a great time but also showed me that I am not the only designer that works very long days and without much outside interaction. It also gave me someone to talk about design with, shoot ideas off of, and maybe even someone to collaborate with in the future.

This was a great way to improve the office morale if you will, but is something I hope to do more of in the future. If you work alone, getting out of the office and meeting with like minded designers can be a great idea.

Of course you can also interact online but I find I can also do this during my normal work days. This also doesn’t require me to leave my computer which isn’t as beneficial in my honest opinion.

Get Away from the Computer

I have come across this tidbit of advice on many occasions. Getting away from your desk or computer is a must for a freelance or solo designer. It can be very easy to work the entire day without even realizing it. Downtime provides the perfect opportunity to take a bit of time off, get out from in front of your monitor, but also remain productive using the previous things I have mentioned above.

Also getting out and having a bit of fun can be a great way to find inspiration for your next project. Just taking your mind off of work and enjoying yourself a bit is a great way to refresh your mind and come up with some great ideas. Your family will love you for it too!! Hint Hint!

Work on Your Blog or Personal Website

As web designers we can be our worst critics. I have yet to find a designer that doesn’t want to rework or improve at least a portion of their personal website. Down time can be the perfect time for experimenting with a new idea or even creating some compelling new content for your personal site or blog.

Sometimes our best ideas come when we as designers aren’t influenced by deadlines, client criticism, or even co-workers or colleagues. This can also give you some time to improve areas of your site that may not be obvious in a visual sense. Improving site performance, planning for new or updated content, or even just experimenting with new ideas can all be a great way to spend any off time you may have.

Final Thoughts

So those are just a few of my suggestions of ways to keep productive in between projects or clients while also improving your web design skills and productivity. It’s very important to not work yourself into burnout but with the web changing at a lighting fast speed it can be hard to keep up. Although, if you do have a bit of down time it doesn’t have to be a stressful or unproductive situation.

Thanks for reading and if you found this article helpful, feel free to drop me a comment and let me know what you think. Also if you have any additional tips or suggestions I would love to hear them!

Of course, my expectations were proceeded and I wasn’t let down!

First off, if you have read any of my past reviews, you will know that I don’t like to give away the full details of any of the books I have read. I think this ruins it for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet. So with that said here are a few of my thoughts on Handcrafted CSS

One Word: Craftsmanship…

The book jumps right into and continues where Dan left off in his previous book Bulletproof Web Design. It has the same type of writing style, where Dan will explain a problem and then give multiple examples of a solution. I really enjoy this approach and it makes the book a joy to read and also gives a bit of insight into how a very talented web designer tackles problems on a daily basis.

Dan does a really awesome job of explaining different scenarios and all the different things that should be taken into account when designing websites while also keeping flexibility in mind. He also refers to being a web craftsman and how its the small details that turn good design into great design.

Progressive Enrichment

This term refers to things we can do to enrich our designs for users who are using the most up to date versions of a browser. With CSS3 on the horizon, Dan goes into detail on a plethora of techniques that can be used today! Now as a true craftsman, he also shows how to create a backup plan for older browsers which helps to ensure the design still works for users who’s browser may not be the latest available.

A lot of really cool techniques are touched on throughout the book. Some I was already aware of but some were new and provided a great introduction to what’s going to be available in CSS3.

Video Edition

There are couple different versions of the book available. I purchased the video edition which comes with a DVD of 10 awesome guidelines. Filmed at Simplebits Studios, Dan goes into detail and shows a wide variety of examples based on these guidelines. The DVD is well worth the few additional bucks in my opinion.

Final Thoughts

Overall I am very impressed and pleased with Handcrafted CSS. My expectations were surpassed and this should have been no surprise! I would highly recommend this book to everyone involved in web design. It will teach you the zen like ways of constructing sites like Mr. Cederholm. (I mean just view source on any of the guys work… it is zen like!!)

Oh no, I almost left out one thing that I really wanted to mention…

Chapter 6

The book also contains a chapter by the equally talented Ethan Marcotte (Chapter 6.). I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but I read this chapter multiple times as to get my head around the entire process. Ethan goes into detail on using fluid grid layouts and I was totally impressed. His process blew my mind and this was one a hell of an addition to the book.

So if you are searching for a great web design book to read, head over and grab a copy of Handcrafted CSS – you won’t be disappointed!

I just thought I would share and give a big thanks to .net magazine for a bit of exposure in their awesome magazine.

I have tweaked the design of my site a couple times since the design shown in the magazine, but I am still happy to have been selected! Cheers to .net and if you haven’t checked out the magazine, stop what you are doing and go find the latest issue, RIGHT NOW!

Check out the video review at unmatchedstyle.com

So again, a big thanks to unmatchedstyle and if you haven’t checked out their site make sure to visit: http://unmatchedstyle.com for more site reviews, news, and an awesome podcast. Also make sure to follow them on twitter @unmatchedstyle

Creative Freedom

On occasion something will come up where I am unclear or unsure about a certain aspect of a clients web design needs. This is usually cleared up through a quick email or phone call and then I get back to work. Sometimes though, a client or project manager is also not sure how to address the situation and I will get a statement like: “You’re the designer, you figure it out.”

Whoa, really – I can do whatever I want? This situation while sometimes stressful can be a great feeling. Having a client that trusts, not only my design skills, but also my ability to make the right choice is great. This is what I consider to be creative freedom, the ability to get creative with my own ideas in the field I have chosen for a career. I know there are a lot of workplaces out there where that would be unheard of.

Strict Workflow

On the other hand, some clients have a very strict set of guidelines and don’t want to hear any ideas or suggestions that I may have. This situation sometimes forces us as designers to design/build web sites that aren’t done in a way that we would actually consider to be great design. Of course I do understand that as a designer it is my job to educate clients as to why something may not be the ideal way to do something, but in a few cases I have been told, “stick to the guidelines pixel pusher”. (not in those exact terms of course, but basically.)

Now that is not always the case and sometimes guidelines/instructions prove to be an invaluable asset. Having an outline or guide with all the details allows for a workflow that is not only quick, but also very precise. This usually results in a very quick turn around and a project that was just what the client ordered – minus the freedoms and trust that is enjoyed with creative freedom.

Which Do Your Prefer?

While I do find both positives and negatives in both situations, I have to say it really depends on the client and project as to which I prefer. The more laid back clients tend to enjoy coming up with ideas together and the more strict clients want their exact requirements done to specifics and on time. I guess overall this could just be part of the trials and tribulations of being a web designer, but I would love to hear which one other designers prefer.

So, do you prefer to have some creative freedom or a strict set of guidelines when working on a web design project? Drop a comment below and thanks for reading.