Posts about Writing

Back in 2005, my friend Drew started a Christmas advent calendar website and asked me if I’d write something for it. Of course, I agreed, and my first 24ways article was “Z’s not dead baby, Z’s not dead.” It was a short piece how z-index and positioning in CSS could “be used to create designs which ‘break out of the box.’ This year, I returned that topic in what will be my fifteenth and final article for 24ways.

I wrote my first book, Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web design, way back in 2006. It became a success and since then I’ve had countless people tell me it was influential in their careers. For example:

I wrote Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web design, way back in 2006. As I explained, writing my first book was a challenge, personally and professionally.

One message I wanted to put across when writing my new book was that there are already examples of art direction on the web, in products and on websites. I wanted to showcase some examples in a series of case studies.

Over on 24ways, my fourteenth contribution in as many years is a tongue-in-cheek look back at how we developed websites when I started my company in 1998. In ‘Designing your website like it’s 1998’ I explain how I would’ve developed a design for ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles,’ one of my favourite Christmas films.

On a change from the usual date–for the past eight years I’ve been published on 23rd December—I’m back on 24 ways again this year with a new article about Designing Imaginative Style Guides.

I doubt that anyone except me and 24 ways creator Drew MacLellan have noticed, but since my original Contract Killer in 2008, I’ve had an article published by 24 ways every year on the same day, December 23rd. Even after seven years, I don’t take that spot for granted and I was really chuffed when Drew asked me to write again this year.

The new Hardboiled Web Design Fifth Anniversary Edition is now available to buy from Smashing Magazine, in a beautifully printed softcover book and all ebook formats. I also have a bit of a confession to make.

When Mark Boulton and I were planning the first edition of Hardboiled Web Design, we both knew who we wanted to illustrate the cover, Kevin Cornell. Kevin’s interpretation of the hardboiled detective theme was so perfect that I couldn’t have imagined anyone else illustrating for Hardboiled.