Font Awesome Icon Reference Poster

iconsAre you a fan of Font Awesome? I am, it’s perfect for web developers who want to spice up their layouts with vector icons, large or small. They download fast (being a font) and look great. Version 2 is in the works with even more icons.

I’m always having to load up the page and look up the list to find the class name for a given icon. Weary of that, I thought I’d make a handy print guide. See, print isn’t dead!

Download the PDF poster here, and go get Font Awesome today.

Source: fortawesome.github.com

I enjoyed watching this to see how pros like Josh Hemsley design websites. To my relief, it’s not that different (lots of time in Photoshop).

I do wonder if some of the steps I see (for example, making the alternate theme colors) might be faster in an app like Adobe Fireworks. I used to use Fireworks back in the day (when it was Macromedia Fireworks - yes, I am that old), and I really loved its balance of vector & bitmap tools; the find-and-replace anything (colors, fonts, etc.); use of symbols (like master objects) and document-wide frames, or states (great for creating storyboards).

Designing websites is a lot of work, period!

Source: obox-design.com

Slow Wordpress sites? W3 Total Cache to the rescue

I’m in a season of Wordpress site development, and like any new platform* I’m learning the ins & outs of it. One of the areas I’m keen on from experience is site loading & interaction speed; a fast-responding site keeps users engaged, more likely to stick around, and reduces frustration.

Any database-driven CMS (content management system) can suffer from slow load times and buckle under heavy loads (such as being Fireballed). Advanced caching of the database, site files, and compression can radically reduce load times for users, as well as reduce server load if you write some well-linked epic masterpiece or big scoop.

While generally, site optimization happens near the end of the process, it’s something that’s been on my mind and I wanted to have a plan in place when we launched (yes, I’m working on something… will show you soon!).

The Wordpress community seems to love the W3 Total Cache plugin. I’ve tried it, and WOW. What an amazing improvement. The pages spring to life like they’re built into my computer or something. An incredible difference, especially considering that sites load a lot more scripts, fonts and the like these days.

*Most of my CMS experience is with Expression Engine. While I like developing on that platform, the current client requirement is for Wordpress. It’s kinda like the Windows of the blogging world. Worth learning, however.

Source: w3-edge.com

Tweaking Tumblr Themes & Catching Elephants

I’ve certainly no plans to catch any elephants, but it’s sure a fun name for a theme. I decided to try it out after checking out Scott Mcclellan’s Tumblr site. Scott’s the editor of Collide Magazine and a sharp writer.

I made a few tweaks here & there - Tumblr makes it easy if you know what to do. Their template design is straightforward, and most of what I wanted to do is with the CSS.

I created a custom logo, made the rounded corners more round, darkened the background and did some spacing adjustments. I might try another font (I’d like to master web-font embedding), but I like the result in general.

It’s fun to play with the desktop design (Tumblr lets you change themes like my 4-year-old daughter changes dresses: constantly!), but I do wish you could tweak the mobile theme. That’s where the action really is.

Source: catchingelephant.com

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