“In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.” ~Thomas Jefferson

Now you’ve got to admit when a web developer sees a statement like this, he can’t help but nod his head in agreement. I’ve been thinking about this for a while.

People relate to art in many ways, some more positively than others. In the respect of web design, its a whole new ballgame. From outright lack of understanding/respect/priority by clients to the latest in Web 2.0 designs, it really pays to understand how you can deliver the product that catches the customer without bending beyond breaking point. Graphic Designers must improve their current skills and learn new ones to stay relevant in the industry. In other words, if design is like swimming in the ever changing currents, be a slick salmon.

Developement on the other hand, is rock solid. Provided you have an understanding of what needs to be done (and how to tell the computer to do it), you can more or less do anything.  Years and years of experience isn’t something you wake up one morining and throw away. Instead of completly new technologies (though this is still the case) we are seeing more revolutionary ways of solving problems using  currently existing languages and technologies (an example of such a case is Web 2.0). If you make an error that evaded being red-flagged, it’s only a matter of time before it manifests itself in a 1000 size version. As a friend of mine said, “evolution, not revolution” - meaning? Get your code right the first time and spent the rest making it better.

It just goes to show how Code and Design are much more similar to a 2 faced coin - both sides are too important for one to play tail.

In the earlier days of learning CSS, I was stumped by a constantly nagging problem - why can’t one have an equally simple means of deploying a 3 column layout without using tables? Two columns are easy using the float attribute left and right, but things got tricky when it was 3 and above. After a brainstorming session, I found an efficient way to do this.

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As a web designer/developer, one of the most important (and equally frustrating) aspects of the web is your project to conform to the most ubiquitous browsers. Internet Explorer 6 (Win Xp), Internet 7 and Firefox come to mind. While Firefox is perhaps the most popular standards compliant browser, Microsoft’s buddies still have a quirk or two. So when I read about Google’s chrome, I just had to see for myself, besides being on the lookout for new trends. Read the rest of this entry »

A lot has been happening for a while now, and i think the time is right to put you up to speed.

First off - I was talking with one of my mentors. He set up a site where webmasters across Africa can meet and discuss under one umbrella: Webmasters of Africa

My mentor is primarily a seasoned web developer, whose advice over the years has truly changed my life in the web design section for the better. So when i received his last newsletter from his site, It only made sense to offer him a redesign - absolutely free. Sure - I had the free time.

It turns out that what started as a means to sharpen my skills turned out to be much bigger Read the rest of this entry »

NYSC Camp experience was one-of-a-kind. Meeting so many new people and being isolated from the rest of the world for the better part of a month gets to you sooner or later. Thanks to technologies like GSM you loved ones are only a dial away. But what if you’re expecting a mail from promising client? And the nearest cybercafé is a 3hr odyssey?

Whenever one’s on the go, its instinctive to want to keep track of the constants in his/her life. The only thing that seems to step up this increasingly important task is your phone or PDA. Hence, are you “on the go” compliant?

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can become a better web traveler - on the go.

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Ok. You’re done. The last piece of code for your web app is complete. You’re ready to launch that website that you’ve spent day and night to materialize. You’ve crossed every “t” and dotted every “i”, but at the end of the day, you draw a blank on where to host it.

Considering it’s usually the last step that people take to consideration, it pays think about this first hand before you even strike that first keystroke in for your website. Below is a checklist you can use to find out which webhost is best for you. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes you want something now. It can’t wait. Now. While experience can be gold in a particular field, more importantly is that the resultant time to complete a task should be shorter. An web applications are now exception.

From time to time one might have needed a ready made solution deployed as soon as possible. This is where A CMS comes in. Having a CMS that one is conversant in not only reduces work and deployment time, but saves costs/time in the long run, for both sides. But the question is: Which one? Here are some ideas to help you out Read the rest of this entry »