I made some updates to this site today.

It’s been almost two years since I set about building my own blog from scratch: partly because I wanted to get started blogging, and partly to teach myself CSS and modern HTML (having last built a site at 14 years old using frames, and then tables). I didn’t want an entire redesign from scratch, so I kept the basic paper-on-wood look, but cleaned it up a bit. The above image is the Photoshop draft of the last version.

I figured it was time for a lick of paint for two reasons: firstly, I’d like to blog more (though we’ll so how long that lasts); secondly, it’s been a long time since I’ve done any web design and the skills needed a workout before I forgot everything.

All in all, I enjoy this kind of work. Solving a niggling problem in CSS feels great, like figuring out the solution to a particularly tricky puzzle. I’m sure my code is full of hacks and inefficiencies (and likely redundant rules for the old version), but I view the effort of coding this site as an education in basic web design. Emphasis on basic.

Powered by ExpressionEngine, font replacement by Cufón using Glypha, and using the iPhone GUI of Leehan + Tax. Indebted to Envato’s From Photoshop to HTML for teaching me how.

Posted by Dave Molloy in •Tech

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