Let’s walk through the steps of creating a PHP function that will convert a MySQL date (2002-06-03) and turn that into a real world date. That way, if you ever use the date type of MySQL, you can use easily convert that date as you call it in your PHP code. It’s a small function that is driven almost solely by the substr function built into PHP. (more…)
Typography is one the most important aspects of design and, yet, is one of the most commonly overlooked. Good typography is essential for good design in any medium. The key to good typography on the web is legibility. By choosing the right font or combination of fonts, using contrasting colors, proper alignment and spacing, you can achieve cleaner, more dynamic, and more effective websites. (more…)
Adobe Photoshop is the most important piece of software for a designer. Not because it does amazing things but instead because it provides a basis for understanding how most design software works. The method in which photoshop uses layers, applies filters and lets a user manipulate pixels is one of the most important things a designer can understand. It is because of this that we will be going over photoshop and most of its functionality piece by piece. (more…)
If you’ve ever styled a HTML site using CSS (which is the only way to go if you ask us at chickenBeak) you’ve probably had somebody look at your site using Internet Explorer 5 for the Mac. If this happened to you, I imagine you found yourself boggled at the fact that this browser really didn’t like your code at all, chewing up and spiting out the site looking like a bad piece of seaweed.
IE5 for the Mac is not a browser I ever recommend to be used by anyone. However, It’s not our place as the web designer to tell a client what browser they should be using. In fact, the only time I’ve seen somebody using the browser is when he or she was forced into it one way or another. Despite security risks, no support, and Microsoft not even serving it to the public, it should be hard to come by. But there are still some Internet apps that run only on the unique non-standard features of IE for the Mac. (more…)
Having covered the uses of stylesheets and the means to implement them in
HTML in my last article, I will now address some useful formatting techniques
and discuss some of the most invaluable and helpful styles for creating superior
websites. (more…)
Let me start off by saying the Tween Class is one of the best built-in features included with Flash. Simply put, the Tween Class is the tool that a designer needs to create Flash websites and animations that are smooth and complex. So without further ado let us enter in to the mystical world of the Tween Class. (more…)
This tutorial is intended to be more informative than instructive, detailing
a number of key terms and concepts that are crucial to the understanding of
CSS. This article is presented as a starting point for those just entering
the realm of web design or for those who are just now wishing to enlighten
themselves. (more…)
Ever need to resize an image on the fly? When presenting images on the web people use various methods to display products to the viewer. Using JavaScript, you can resize an image for a preview, for design purposes, or for many other reasons. (more…)
To many beginners Flash animation consists of using the timeline to create shape tweens or motion tweens. This method of animation is all well and good however when it comes to creating advanced websites animation with actionscript is the only way to go. (more…)