Articles by Smashing Magazine from July 2012

   Addy Osmani for Smashing Magazine, 2012....

When writing a Web application from scratch, its easy to feel like we can get by simply by relying on a DOM manipulation library (like jQuery) and a handful of utility plugins. The problem with this i...

   Android is an attractive platform for developers, but not all designers share our enthusiasm. Making an app look and feel great across hundreds of devices with different co...

Android is an attractive platform for developers, but not all designers share our enthusiasm. Making an app look and feel great across hundreds of devices with different combinations of screen size, p...

   As iOS, Android, and Windows 8 take the Web to smaller screens, designers are adopting techniques to make their websites usable on handheld devices.Responsive Web designs p...

As iOS, Android, and Windows 8 take the Web to smaller screens, designers are adopting techniques to make their websites usable on handheld devices.Responsive Web designs present different formatting ...

   I sincerely believe that the user experience community should add game design to its toolbox of competencies. If were truly committed to creating satisfying user experience...

I sincerely believe that the user experience community should add game design to its toolbox of competencies. If were truly committed to creating satisfying user experiences, then theres no reason why...

For years you have been searching for it. You hear the question being asked in your dreams as you go on an Indiana-Jones-type-crusade to find the answer. When the answer comes to you, you know that th...

   For years you have been searching for it. You hear the question being asked in your dreams as you go on an Indiana-Jones-type-crusade to find the answer. When the answer co...

This tutorial explains how to create a WordPress bookshelf plugin that displays books on a shelf like Smashing Magazines eBook page. Some key WordPress functionality will be showcased throughout the t...

   This is our sixth article in a series that introduces the latest useful and freely available tools and techniques, developed and released by active members of the Web desig...

   This is our sixth article in a series that introduces the latest useful and freely available tools and techniques, developed and released by active members of the Web desig...

This is our sixth article in a series that introduces the latest useful and freely available tools and techniques, developed and released by active members of the Web design community. The first artic...

   One of the visual effects that is a mainstay in my Web design toolkit is theletterpress effect. Used properly, its a quick way to make text blend better with the layout, as...

Every now and then, we look around, select fresh free high-quality fonts and present them to you in a brief overview. The choice out there is enormous, so the time you need to find them is usually tim...

   Every now and then, we look around, select fresh free high-quality fonts and present them to you in a brief overview. The choice out there is enormous, so the time you need...

   We have lots and lots of good stuff here for your weekend reading pleasure in the Smashing Daily, like some thoughts about the first transatlantic communication cable, and ...

One of the visual effects that is a mainstay in my Web design toolkit is theletterpress effect. Used properly, its a quick way to make text blend better with the layout, as if it were machine-stamped ...

   The term responsive design  has gathered a lot of well-deserved buzz among Web designers. As you probably know, it refers to an easy way to dynamically customize inter...

   You’ve presented the new website and everyone loves it. The design is crisp, the code is bug-free, and you’re ready to release. Then someone asks, Does it work ...

The term responsive design has gathered a lot of well-deserved buzz among Web designers. As you probably know, it refers to an easy way to dynamically customize interfaces for different devices and to...

Whenever we set code to screen, we must follow some sort of logic. You may well be the only person who understands that logic, but you still make the effort. The reason we follow standards and practic...

You’ve presented the new website and everyone loves it. The design is crisp, the code is bug-free, and you’re ready to release. Then someone asks, Does it work in Japanese?You break out in...

   Oh hai Smashing Magazine!  Thats one of the dozen ways that Flickr welcomes its users upon signing in every time. Its an easily overlooked detail, one that the service...

Oh hai Smashing Magazine! Thats one of the dozen ways that Flickr welcomes its users upon signing in every time. Its an easily overlooked detail, one that the service would work without flawlessly. Ye...

We love to tell users that they have done something wrong. We have error messages for everything from poorly formatted telephone numbers to incorrect logins. But what about our user’s successes,...

   We love to tell users that they have done something wrong. We have error messages for everything from poorly formatted telephone numbers to incorrect logins. But what about...

I recently spoke with a prospective client who started the conversation by saying that he had called usbecause he was unhappy with his websites current design and development team. Questioning what ab...

   I recently spoke with a prospective client who started the conversation by saying that he had called usbecause he was unhappy with his websites current design and developme...

   Howdy, folks! Welcome to the new incarnation of Smashing Magazines Q&A. Its going to work like this: you send in questions you have about CSS, and at least once a mont...

Howdy, folks! Welcome to the new incarnation of Smashing Magazines Q&A. Its going to work like this: you send in questions you have about CSS, and at least once a month well pick out the best ques...

_Earlier this week we published two articles by Louis Lazaris: one on why old browsers are holding back the Web and another encouraging Web users to upgrade their browsers and use modern browsers othe...

   Mobile users and mobile usage are growing. With more users doing more on mobile, the spotlight is on how to improve the individual elements that together create the mobile ...

Mobile users and mobile usage are growing. With more users doing more on mobile, the spotlight is on how to improve the individual elements that together create the mobile user experience.The mobile u...

   Earlier this week we published two articles by Louis Lazaris: one on why old browsers are holding back the Web and another encouraging Web users to upgrade their browsers a...

If youre using Google Web Fonts on your websites, then theres a very good chance that 1 in 5 visitors are seeing faux bold and italic versions of your fonts even if you correctly selected and used al...

   The way you present your product or service is essential to its success — or at least it could be if you know how to do it right. On the Web, like anywhere else, the ...

The way you present your product or service is essential to its success or at least it could be if you know how to do it right. On the Web, like anywhere else, the first impression you make on people...

   If youre using Google Web Fonts on your websites, then theres a very good chance that 1 in 5 visitors are seeing faux bold and italic versions of your fonts — even if...

Shopping. Social networking. Emailing. Reading. Finding directions. Banking. Researching. Those are some of the most common tasks people perform on the World Wide Web. You’ve probably done all o...

   Shopping. Social networking. Emailing. Reading. Finding directions. Banking. Researching. Those are some of the most common tasks people perform on the World Wide Web. You&...

Because of how far certain Web technologies like HTML5 and CSS3 have brought us, many would say thatfrom a Web platform perspectivethe future is now. Sounds like a clich, I know. At the very least, it...

   Because of how far certain Web technologies like HTML5 and CSS3 have brought us, many would say that—from a Web platform perspective—the future is now. Sounds l...

   Web design has evolved dramatically in recent years. Better browser support and innovative design techniques are changing the way we design websites. In fact, weve become q...

   Despite a great deal of mobile innovation, many creators of financial apps still copy their interface patterns from the desktop Web, even though these patterns are not as w...

Despite a great deal of mobile innovation, many creators of financial apps still copy their interface patterns from the desktop Web, even though these patterns are not as well suited to the mobile spa...

   Today I get to write about something close to my heart: documentation. The emails I love the most start with, Ive got this new product. Please, document it!  I get a l...

   Good Web designers know what many others might not realize: that creating a truly beautiful website requires care, time and craft. And similar to how a craftsperson molds t...

Good Web designers know what many others might not realize: that creating a truly beautiful website requires care, time and craft. And similar to how a craftsperson molds their creation by combining r...

   Many people think of PHP, Ruby on Rails or Python and Django when choosing a language to create a new website or when choosing a language to learn to get that exciting new ...

Today I get to write about something close to my heart: documentation. The emails I love the most start with, Ive got this new product. Please, document it! I get a lot of pleasure from learning about...

   As interface designers, were often required to demonstrate the look and feel (and interactions) of the interfaces we design. We often begin with a series of flat images, an...

As interface designers, were often required to demonstrate the look and feel (and interactions) of the interfaces we design. We often begin with a series of flat images, and while these may be pixel p...

Serifs, sans serifs and scripts. In theory not a bad typographic palette to play with, but when it comes to practice, the options are always far fewer. [Links checked March/10/2017]One member of that ...

   Serifs, sans serifs and scripts. In theory not a bad typographic palette to play with, but when it comes to practice, the options are always far fewer.One member of that st...

   Serifs, sans serifs and scripts. In theory not a bad typographic palette to play with, but when it comes to practice, the options are always far fewer.One member of that st...

   Serifs, sans serifs and scripts. In theory not a bad typographic palette to play with, but when it comes to practice, the options are always far fewer.One member of that st...

Many people think of PHP, Ruby on Rails or Python and Django when choosing a language to create a new website or when choosing a language to learn to get that exciting new job. .NET, however, seems to...

We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a mat...

   We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sour...