CSS Discussion
The value of CSS for graphic artists is beautifully demonstrated at the www.csszengarden.com website. It shows some amazing sites designed with CSS. Another related site: http://www.mezzoblue.com/zengarden/alldesigns/ says there are 963 designs - all using the same content, but just changing the external cascading style sheets. The sites allow you to download the sample html and css files and ex;lore the differences and similarities. Text in the site content explains:
"CSS allows complete and total control over the style of a hypertext document. The only way this can be illustrated in a way that gets people excited is by demonstrating what it can truly be, once the reins are placed in the hands of those able to create beauty from structure. To date, most examples of neat tricks and hacks have been demonstrated by structurists and coders. Designers have yet to make their mark. This needs to change."
The linked sites demonstrate many different examples of visual effects created using css:
http://www.csszengarden.com/?cssfile=044/044.css shows use of diagonal elements to add an unusual element to a website.
http://www.csszengarden.com/?cssfile=096/096.css shows interesting effects of apparent faded panels over a darker image as background for the text.
http://www.csszengarden.com/?cssfile=/192/192.css&page=0 shows effective use of background images and a variety of font styles, sizes and placement which would not be possible to achieve without CSS.
Often the sites seem to be especially appealing because of interesting use of background images or combinations of multiple bg images. I think potential in ths area is one of the benefits of CSS.
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Experiment creating an internal style sheet and exporting the styles to an external style sheet:
Four score and seven yars ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Four
score and seven
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A css-p site: http://www.carpettherapy.com/
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