In the world of web, techniques, standards, and tools are always in flux; so, for anyone working in the digital sphere, it is essential to stay in the loop with industry developments, be informed on available technologies, and to keep the curiosity alive. Earlier this year our Front-End Developer, Nicole, and Designer, Jillian, travelled down to San Fransisco for Smashing Magazine's 2-day annual conference. As you can imagine, they had an excellent time taking in keynotes from industry leaders and partaking in the standard sight-seeing around town - so we wanted to know what stood out to them over the course of the conference and in their work over the last 7 months; what gets them jazzed about the work they are doing in 2017.
Q: What's new in web design for 2017?
Nicole: The Introduction of CSS Grids
CSS Grids is a new tool for front-end developers to use that allows us to make more functionally solid and versatile websites. The user ultimately won’t notice a difference, but for us it is a totally exciting, new way to style the structure of a website.
It really showcases the evolution of the web; tables to floats to grids.
“It’s the best thing since sliced bread. It makes me super excited to do what I do. It is an amazing development that has emerged in my career and I’m stoked to have this as a tool.” - Nicole
Jillian: The Importance for Designers to Understand Code
It is becoming increasingly more important for all web designers to understand the code upon which a website is built. Designers need to keep pushing those limits and continually strive for the creation of better - and cooler - websites and apps. Your visual layout should never be developed in isolation from the actual HTML markup. Ultimately, web designers in 2017 must be able to think beyond the aesthetic and be able to understand how the code can be used to bring their vision to life.
“When you aren’t designing with the web in mind, you lose out on the massive possibilities that the web is capable of and what you can actually do.” - Jillian
Asking Our In-House Experts
Are you curious to hear what we think about the niftiest web-tools, strategies, and practices this year? oh, well please do get us started! We would love to hear from you, drop us a line below!