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Buy the popular Contract Killer template

Clarify what’s expected on both sides to help build great relationships between you and your clients. Contract Killer is plain and simple and there’s no legal jargon. It’s customisable to suit your business and has been used on countless web projects since 2008.

Filed in Contracts

Layout Love. How and why I built it

I wanted a simple set of layout modules I could call on for design projects, so I developed my own. I call them Layout Love and rather than keep them to myself, I’m offering them to everyone to use which I hope will encourage people to make layouts which are more interesting.

Filed in Design templates

Announcing Transcending CSS Revisited

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. Transcending CSS Revisited is available to read online for free, with a new foreword by Rachel Andrew.

Filed in Books

52 weeks of Inspired Design Decisions

A weekly series of 52 website designs, influenced by inspiring art directors and graphic designers. Learn about the background to each design, the techniques and technologies used to implement it, and how it might inspire more compelling, creative design for the web.

Filed in Design

The story behind Art Direction for the Web

It took much, much longer to produce, and is itself much, much longer than I’d planned, but my fourth book, Art Direction for the Web was published by my friends at Smashing Magazine. Here’s the story behind how it happened.

Filed in Books

(Data) Protection Racket

Updated: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) templates can cost hundreds of Pounds, so I thought I’d turn my hand to writing a GDPR data protection and privacy policy in the spirit of my Contract Killer. This GDPR template is available to buy.

Filed in Contracts

Latest posts

Naming layout components

I know some people swear by frameworks and I do understand why, although my work rarely needs them. I also appreciate why some people find the grids component in frameworks useful. But, to me, including a framework just for its grid has always seemed excessive. Particularly when there are other ways to develop reusable layout components which are far less generic, but no less flexible than a framework.

52 weeks of Inspired Design Decisions #26 — Lester Beall

Throughout 2020, I’ve committed to designing 52 designs for a series of Inspired Design Decisions. This is week 26 and my design this week was inspired by Lester Beall.

Lester Beall was an American modernist graphic designer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Beall moved to Chicago to study and from there to New York. From his farm in Connecticut, he worked on covers and posters which often featured his distinctive use of photomontage.

52 weeks of Inspired Design Decisions #25 — Erik Nitsche

Throughout 2020, I’ve committed to designing 52 designs for a series of Inspired Design Decisions. This is week 25 and my design this week was inspired by Erik Nitsche.

Erik Nitsche was born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1908 and was a pioneer in the design of books, reports, and other printed materials. In 1955, Nitsche began working as art director at engineering company General Dynamics where he designed a 420-page book on the company’s history entitled Dynamic America.

52 weeks of Inspired Design Decisions #24 — Dan Friedman

Throughout 2020, I’ve committed to designing 52 designs for a series of Inspired Design Decisions. This is week 24 and my design this week was inspired by Dan Friedman.

Friedman was an American graphic and furniture designer. He studied under Armin Hofmann at the Ulm School of Design and became a major contributor to the new wave typography movement. While working at Pentagram until 1984, Friedman designed letterheads, logos, and posters. Sadly, Friedman died of AIDS in 1995 in New York.

52 weeks of Inspired Design Decisions #22 — Emmett McBain

Throughout 2020, I’ve committed to designing 52 designs for a series of Inspired Design Decisions. This is week 22 and my design this week was inspired by Emmett McBain.

McBain was an African American Graphic Designer who’s work highlighted themes of the African American community and helped bring a positive image of African Americans to the mainstream. He designed impactful advertising, during the Civil Rights era and a series of iconic album covers throughout the sixties and seventies.

#blacklivesmatter

Buy Inspired Design Decisions magazines

While articles about how to use CSS Grid and Flexbox are common, when and why to use them is hardly ever discussed. Very few people are taught design fundamentals or see inspiring examples to learn from. Through my series of “Inspired design decisions“ magazines, I plan to change that.

52 weeks of Inspired Design Decisions #12 — Armin Hofmann

Throughout 2020, I’ve committed to designing 52 designs for a series of Inspired Design Decisions. This is week twelve and my design this week was inspired by Swiss born graphic designer Armin Hoffman who is now 99 years old.


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About Andy

Hello. I’m Andy Clarke, a well-known website designer and writer on art direction and design for products and websites. I help businesses to deliver engaging customer experiences and unique designs.

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Hire me. I’m available for coaching and to work on design projects.