The Bootstrap Way
http://gty.im/3320582 I Love Bootstrap 3 Sometimes I read posts from haters of Bootstrap – a CSS website framework – and feel like I must not be one of the cool kids because I’m such a raving fan of it. Do those knocking down Bootstrap know something that I haven’t experienced? Bootstrap has a sizeable community of supporters though, and if something is proven to work well and save time, count me in. Let me focus on design and content while Bootstrap takes care of the rest – like insuring my work will be responsive across different screen sizes. And to address it’s common complaints: No, not all Bootstrap sites have to look alike. Adding or modifying a few classes of CSS if necessary still saves more effort while removing any worry over its effect on the webpage overall in my experience. The Bootstrap site allows designers to make quite a few modifications to the styles anyways before downloading it. Move to Bootsrap 3 If you have a site built on top of Bootstrap 2, it’s time to bite the bullet and migrate to Bootstrap 3 – it’s so much better at providing responsive features to tackle smaller screens. With Bootstrap 3, gone are the days of just stacked content on mobile devices. It is truly a mobile first philosophy and we can now layout columns where we want them – from phones to tablet views. It will take time and careful consideration when migrating to BS3 because there have been many changes to the original class names found in BS2. The changes though are easy to learn for devs, and for the most part, make sense. The effort and cost is worth it too. It will save time as you continue to add new content to your site. If you are contemplating a new website, why not start with BS as a foundation because there are plenty of developers familiar with it and able to offer support. This framework can even be used on CMS sites such as WordPress. From personal experience, BS3 is a solid choice for a site.
Please Keep Using Twitter Bootstrap
Bootstrap Foundation [Update]: This site was flavored with Bootstrap 3 but is now Foundation 6 built. (more on that later) Let’s be honest : A great many of us like sites that pop. Starting from a foundation that is quick to implement and solid on the standards allows us to build something that can shine from mobile to desktop – quickly. Twitter Bootstrap is a great foundation that allows developers and designers to begin a site on a well thought out foundation. I won’t spend time on the technical reasons why Bootstrap rocks, but want to address why it might be good to forget those who tell the web, “Please, stop using Twitter Bootstrap.” Ok, designers have an eye for detail and quickly get bored. However, just because a foundation begins with some common eye candy – like a dark navbar, large hero area or Helvetica Neue – doesn’t mean that creativity stops there, or should stop there. From my personal experience, Bootstrap is fun to work with and quick to adapt in many situations – from hand-rolled sites, boxed and ready to go Initializr solutions or WordPress layouts. Starting from a standard Bootstrap foundation, the real creative work can begin. You can do whatever you want with that navbar and some solutions on the web allow you to customize it in different ways – or just tackle the CSS/LESS yourself. A Bootstrap site does not have to look like a Bootstrap site. Take a look at some of these sites: Built With Bootstrap Here’s one I’m playing with: skyrisere.com Bootstrap is just a starting point. It saves time with the fundamental stuff and frees up the creative juices for making a site look however you want it to look. Times New Roman does not describe what Bootstrap is or needs to be. A good designer, can make anything pop. Some look only at the surface and not the possibilities though. Bootstrap offers much in the way of possibilities. Please keep using Bootstrap – it will lead to more interesting sites as you play with the look. If you’re not feeling the love, there’s nothing that prevents us from mixing it up. Helpful Links Initializr Theme Generator Buttons Snippets Shoestrap for WordPress Styles
WordPress – The Bootstrap Markdown Way
I enjoy writing. When I want to escape the world of HTML and CSS, I go to markdown. I’ve written elsewhere about my markdown fetish, such as here: My Advice: Learn Markdown – teaneedz.
Being Griddy With Foundation
For A Responsive Website I spend a good part of my day working in a grid. A modern website often relies on a framework that allows it to adjust to any screen size. This is the essence of building a responsive site.
How Cards Break UX
Designers need to stop and really look at the often horrible state of cards as used almost everywhere on the web and in apps. From Google, Twitter and almost any hand-rolled website there are designers who think that they are on the bleeding edge of UX. They've preached the benefits of cards — those boxes of content wrapped in often rectangular boxes of padding and borders — for so long, that everyone believes it's the chosen path of UI.
