Web site design currently in production

I am wearing my a techie hat today as I write this, but as a web designer it is vitally important to keep up with internet technology trends.

One area currently receiving some attention is the development of web sites that are laid out not using HTML tables but rely solely on CSS ( cascading style sheets). There are pros and cons for both layout approaches but some sites really lend themselves to the new CSS approach.

Take blogs .. most blogs (including this one) are defined entirely with CSS code..not a table tag in sight.

We currently have a site in production for a local St Louis author who wishes to have a professional blog developed for his “opinions” and are creating the site using CSS layout.

mrbison

St Louis Web Design: Inspiration

As a web designer keeping my designs fresh and avoiding the “formula trap” where everything I create looks the same is very important.

Inspiration comes from many avenues but it always starts with the client .. interpreting their ideas, listening to their goals and objectives, gaining an understanding of their business and market position.

But inspiration comes from more suprising avenues too:-
– flicking through a magazine
– a particular song
– I even once had a flash of inspiration while filling my car up with gas..was it the smell of the gas or something else!

St Louis web design company : Money saving tip

Here is an easy way to save money and conserve energy.

Configure your computer to “hibernate” automatically after 30 minute of inactivity and it will turn off in such a way that it does not have to re boot when you resume work.

In Windows Hibernation is activated through the power management tools in the control panel. On a Mac the same thing can be achived using the energy settings under system preferences.

Dell Flat Panel monitors and text

As a web designer and business owner it is important to keep the hardware of my company up to date. Computers over three years old are gracefully retired and replaced.

I recently purchase a new Dell and selected a flat panel monitor when customising my options. It arrived in record time and I am now in the process of loading it with software and generally getting it ready to “go into production”

I have to say when I first got it all hooked up and turned it on I was very disappointed with the monitor. I had it set at my usual monitor resolution of 1024 x 768 but the text was fuzzy, blurry and just not good at all. I fiddled with the setting of the monitor, I fiddled with the setting in “control panel” but nothing I did improved the situation.

I did a Google search and it looked as a lot of people were in the same boat. I was ready to call Dell.

But comparing my old monitor with my new one I noticed that the screens were not the same dimension. My old monitor had an aspect ratio of 4:3 while the new one has an aspect ratio of 5:4. This explained my problem. You have to match the aspect ratio of the monitor with the aspect ratio of the dispay settings. No wonder I was getting distorted text.

The more common aspect ratio is 4:3 but it appears that many of the new flat pannel monitors have the 5:4 aspect ratio…. which expains why there seems to be so many people having the same problem as me.

A 4:3 aspect ratio monitor will dispay properly if the control panel(dispay) is set at one of the following

  • 800 x 600
  • 1024 x 768
  • 1152 x 864
  • 1600 x 1200

While a 5:4 aspect ratio needs the dipay set at

  • 1280 x 1024
  • 1600 x 1280

I am glad to say my problem was fixed by setting my monitor display to 1280 x 1024 through my control panel.

Get inspiration with “designer” welsh air

You’ve heard of designer clothes, designer watches ..now how about designer AIR

Apparently there is someone in Wales (UK) selling air from the welsh valleys to Expats longing to breathe a little freshness! .. at 24 pounds per bottle

Next time I need a little inspiration for my web designs and graphic creations maybe I should order a bottle of my home country Welsh mountain air!

How can the air from such fantastic countryside not be invigorating!

valley