Transcending CSS (Book Review)
When you first receive a copy of Andy Clarke’s finely crafted book transcending CSS: the fine art of web design you immediately appreciate the design work that went into it’s authoring. The cover has a senusal gritty texture that opens well in the hands, like a fine wine; the pages are shed wide and open, like a pirate’s prostitute (excuse the image there); and, at the end of the day, the information is made as abundantly available to the reader as though one were walking through an apple orchard at harvest plucking occasionally and randomly to eat your fill. This is a coffee table book in many ways and one which will invite several re-readings over the next few months. Not the least to revisit the design inspirations supported by a gorge of quality photography.
Edited by Molly Holzschlag and with a preface by Dave Shea transcending CSS comes from the champions stable, so we’d expect no less than a solid run from a known performer on the day (more horse talk)… and it does deliver. It asks you to forego some older ideas about what best practice web design should aim towards and states very clearly why aiming for the lowest common denominator is the wrong approach. The myth of pixel perfection across browsers severely limits our ability to provide good experiences for those browsers capable of supporting advanced features. The advised approach is called, unsurprisingly, transcendent CSS.
The principles of transcendent CSS are simple:
- not all browsers see the same design
- use all available CSS selectors
- use CSS3 where possible to look for the future
- use JavaScript and the DOM to plug the holes in CSS
- avoid using hacks and filters
- use semantic naming conventions and microformats
- share your ideas and collaborate with others
Transcending CSS is split into four main sections - discovery, process, inspiration and transcendence. So it addresses the process as well as the practical elements of the craft of web design. It’s one I recommend for keeping around the office simply for reference, inspiration and to pass onto new associates as the need arises. And it’s just bloody nice to hold while you watch television and browse in the advertisement breaks.
