CutePixel

This week’s Design in Theory and Practice column ties everything we’ve learned about the principles and elements of design together. Moving from theory to practice, Joshua David McClurg-Genevese analyzes eight CSS Zen Garden designs. You know they look good—now find out why.

In his third Design in Theory and Practice column, Joshua David McClurg-Genevese gets down to the brass tacks of designing for the Web. If you’re a new or traditional designer thinking about exploring the world of Web design, dive into this primer on resolution, browsers, Web-safe color, graphics compression and fonts.

Without a grounding in traditional design principles and elements, designing for the Web can be an arbitrary exercise. Dig into Joshua David McClurg-Genevese’s second Design in Theory and Practice column and get a grip on the real tools you can use in the practice of Web design.

Take a step back from the nitty-gritty of style sheet jigs and alpha-channel jogs to examine the defining principles of your profession. After all, Web design is part of a much larger world of design. If you’ve been getting by on gut feel, here’s your chance to make your projects even stronger with a primer in design basics.