"Hello, This Is the Brain. No More Today, Please!"

[the_gneech]

Well, I've been using a plunger to cram my brain full of info about building webpages with Cascading Stylesheets (CSS, as opposed to CCS, which is Cardcaptor Sakura) all day, and my brain is officially filled to capacity until some of it gets absorbed. So I need to stop and think about something else for a bit.

(Not that I would object to filling my brain to capacity with Cardcaptor Sakura, either, but I've already watched all the episodes released in the U.S. so far, and the next disk doesn't come out until November the somethingth, so there's not much I can do on that score. Yue is due to show up! Yay, Yue! Yue's cool.)

(Wow, that was a heck of a parenthetical tangent, wasn't it? Fortunately, this one is much smaller.)

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, stylesheets! Well, I've been studying for the dual purpose of using them at work, and in preparation for the much-pondered and oft-delayed SJ site redesign. I still don't have a design I'm really happy with ... there are a handful of sites that appeal to me and that are influencing my thoughts on the subject one way or another, which include:

• Kevin and Kell (crisp design, integrates the strip beautifully)
  
  
• Toonapalooza (just plain cool all around)
  
  
• LiveJournal (fancy that!)
  
  
• Cooner's site (I like the integration of his art with the design)
  
  
• Marathon story page (Content-heavy, design-light ... but the design really reinforces the flavor of the content)
  
  
• Glassdog's Web Design Pages (just cool generally)
  
  
• Greystone Inn (needs a little tweaking, but has some very good ideas)
  
  
• Huh? (solid design, if flaky content ;) )
  
  
• ForkInTheHead (wonderfully kitschy!)
  
  
• David Rumsey Map Collection (ooooooh, perty!)
  
  
• Encyclopedia Mythica (clean, crisp, cool)
  
  
• Manhattan Connection (very stylish!)
  
  
• 5Tigers (tigrish color scheme works well)
  
  
• Webmonkey (hip without bashing you over the head with it like, say, Wired...)
  
  
• Kaliber10000 (great googily-moogily, that's a lot of content! but it doesn't look busy...)

Part of the problem, of course, is that my contract with Keenspot requires that certain elements get put in there, not the least of which is a banner ad which can, without notice, be replaced with a MEGA-BANNER-AD which is friggin' huge (I'm sorry, 728x90 is too big for a banner ad). No matter what I do, I need to keep that bar across the top, at least one banner ad, and the Keenspot Newsbox ... so I need to come up with a design that those things won't kill.

Anyway, it's time to head out of here for now, so CYA later!

-The Gneech

Comments

[malver.livejournal.com]

Been planning for a long while to learn a lot more about CSS myself. The online tutorials I've located don't seem to be much help (or perhaps I've just been applying the information in them improperly...), so I think I'll soon go to check out a book at the library that was written by someone on my list (whose posts I actually started getting into largely for other reasons; didn't know he'd written about coding until later. I won't say anything further until I've read and can at least semi-review it, though...)

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Have you tried the Webmonkey (http://www.webmonkey.com) tutorial? I found it very helpful. -TG

[malver.livejournal.com]

I've heard it referred to (waves to a certain Noxis, though she may not see this entry) but didn't know what it was. Gotcha - thanks. Will see if I can't try both...

Best source for design ideas...

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

*grin* You know how I recommend things that are just outside the 'norm' for learning about how to build stuff?

Here's another suggestion like that.

When I worked for a company that created Web pages (Synapta, alas, now out of business), the single best book about Web design wasn't, strictly speaking, about Web design at all. I think you'll like it...

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. If you don't have it, read it in the library.

Re: Best source for design ideas...

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

I have that and have read it. :) It does have some cool stuff, but he thinks way too much of his own opinion. -TG

[pholph.livejournal.com]

*self plug* Or how about YNA where I use CSS to manage the different look-and-feel themes. (Go to "My Preferences" under the quick launch bar, and play with the Themes setting there if you want to see.) */self plug*

If you need a hand with CSS, just ask.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Oooh, nifty fun-ness! :) And I may very well just do that. ;) -TG

[jadedfox.livejournal.com]

How is it that Jeff Darlington manages to opt out of so many of these nasty add thingies?

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

He moans and whines about it. ;)

Actually, I could opt out of them too ... but it would hurt KS, and since I do hope for KS to return to profitability sometime in the not-too-distant future, I would rather keep the ads there. TANSTAAFL, and all that.

-The Gneech

Will you indulge my curiosity?

[chef-troy.livejournal.com]

How long were you drawing "Suburban Jungle" before your readership was big enough for you to get 'Spotted?

Re: Will you indulge my curiosity?

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Actually, Suburban Jungle predates Keenspot by about a year and a half, if I remember correctly, and was invited in at the founding. I had worked with Gav previously on the first Fright Nite Crossover Special, and SJ was one of the top furry comics on the web at the time (being the third furry webcomic after Kevin and Kell and Newshounds to make it into print). I didn't join right away, more due to lack of time to work on the site than anything else; when I finally did get signed up, I discovered that Vince had also made the plunge, and Class Menagerie started on KS something like the week after I did. :)

A better person to ask about the process of "moving up" would probably be extremely talented and super-nice Albert Temple (http://www.genecatlow.com), who not too long ago made the shift from KSpace to KSpot. I was lucky enough to get in on the ground floor, so to speak.

-The Gneech

[chastmastr.livejournal.com]

I have CCS fansubs up to the end of the series... :)

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Well technically, Laurie does have the entire run of the series on an import from Hong Kong ... but I want to watch them as they're "officially" released to the U.S. market ... spreads it out more. :) -TG

[chastmastr.livejournal.com]

Huh? I thought you'd seen all of them already?

How far have you seen up to?

Hmmm...