octoberland - Tips and Tricks
LocalConnection: Hot Flash-on-Flash Communication
Written by craig coffman
How many of you Flash developers out there have had two separate movies in an HTML file and wished they could talk to each other? I know I have. On several occasions. I know that you can go the JavaScript route and use fscommands. But, frankly, to me they are hassles to put in place. If for no other reason because you have to use an entirely different scripting language. Wouldn't it be nice if this could all be done in lovely actionscript? Well, in some cases at least, it can.
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Cutting Edge Creative
Written by craig coffman
I am wondering if people really know what cutting edge is? I do not profess to have the answer, but I can certainly see what is not. That is, there are many people making a living off the concept of being 'forward thinking' and such. In my opinion, all they are really doing is finding a bit of clever design, or a style, and lifting it. Sure, sure, sure. All things have been done before and nothing is new and blah blah blah. However, that does not mean that someone is cutting edge simply because they mimmic another style. They are cutting craftsmen, perhaps.
Add a commentMisteps on the path toward web standards?
Written by craig coffman
I have been told by friends about the typo in the title. It is intended. Just a small (unfunny, apparently) joke. I am keeping it
This article points out some interesting ideas of how we are, perhaps, not helping the web by following standards. Now, this is not to say that standards should be avoided, but that we are possibly not implementing them in the best fashion. More correctly, by simply hearing the W3C, or some other Web Standards group say what we should be doing, we need to do more than just listen. We need to pay more attention.
Add a commentWeb Typography and You
Written by craig coffman
Danger Graphics just posted a link to an article on typography I have in my bookmarks, but had not read in over a year. I adore type, and think it is a widely misunderstood and often abused element of design. Type has the ability to create drama in a layout. Good type will convey tension, ease of reading, and style. Bad type will just be words, hopefully legible, on a page. To forsake the importance of type, especially on the web, is a mistake that really no one should make.
Add a commentThe Problem with Web 2.0
Written by craig coffman
Here is a confession: I hate visiting most web sites. There, I said it. I find them overwhelming and typically they just add more tension and nervousness to my day. Even the really good content sites. I have stopped looking at sites with 'good design' (as mentioned in another post). I am not really too interested in seeing the advertising. I simply feel like most sites cram their pages full of useless crap. I suppose this is the part where I shoot myself in the foot, as I hope to gain a readership to octoberland. Anyway, forward with my rant.
Add a commentInteractive Design? Really?
Written by craig coffman
Okay, perhaps it is just me but has anyone working in the interactive field really thought about that idea? Interactive. Perhaps that is accurate, but it is more so about isolation. Really, let us think about this.
Add a commentWeb Design Inspriations
Written by craig coffman
Yesterday a colleague of mine asked me what sites I liked. At first I told him google and all music guide. My answer was based on sites that I think are useful and return information I am interested in without really mucking-up the works. But this was not the question he meant.
He then asked from a design point-of-view, which sites do I like. Offhandedly I said my site (this referes to a previous design). Then I thought about it. I could not really think of a site that I like the aesthetic of. Scary thought for a web designer. Or is it?
Add a commentCSS Universal Selector Trick
Written by craig coffman
Okay, I am going to try and not just re-link to other people's posts without adding my own two cents, but this one does not have much room to expand (short of in its' uses). It is, however, an extremely awesome tip for you .css coders out there. The universal selector '*'. NOTE: you do not need the quotes, just the asterisk.
As this brief article shows, this little addition to your .css opens up a myriad of opportunities, and even fix some things that you used to have to 'hack.'
Not too shabby for a simple one character addition.
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