Writing

• More Responsive Answers

  Justin Avery, who curates the Responsive Design Weekly newsletter, asked me four questions as part of his December Interview Series. Here are my answers.

• Exploring the Causeway Coast

  After attending Build in Belfast last month, Chris Armstrong gave Ethan Marcotte, Chris Shifflet and myself a tour of the Causeway Coast which, as the name suggests, is home to the famed Giant’s Causeway.

• Skyfall

  Fifty years after the release of Dr. No, James Bond returns in Skyfall, the twenty-third instalment of the longest continually-running film series in history.

• Trimming the Fat

  Website optimisation can be a cruel game; everything has a number that begs to be reduced, but doing so requires a lot of experimentation, research and testing. And when you’re playing with the last hundred or so kilobytes, there’s little reward for your effort.

• The Web Aesthetic

  At the beginning of this year I was struck by a realisation, prompted in part by the discussions around responsive images but also the artistic ingenuity of the image optimisation techniques being used by Jeremy. How might the visual aesthetic of the web change if we were to acknowledge its nature and embrace its constraints?

• Dessie

  A page on my website, dedicated to a cat.

• Thoughts on Adobe Edge

  Adobe recently announced a new suite a products and services for web developers, called Adobe Edge. .net Magazine asked me to provide some thoughts.

• The Web Aesthetic

  When every device begs to be connected, it has become easier — almost necessary — to accept the adaptable nature of the web. Responsive web design is an emerging best practice, and our layouts are becoming more flexible. But often, innovation is focused on technical implementations while the visual aesthetic remains ignored. To put it another way, we’re embracing “responsive” but neglecting the second part: “design.” Now is the time to seek out an aesthetic that is truer to the medium.

• My Life as a Games Maker

  They say change is as good as a rest. With early morning commutes, a distinctive uniform and interaction with the general public, volunteering at the London 2012 Paralympic Games couldn’t have been further removed from the desk-bound job I’d become weary of.

• Material Thinking

  Earlier this month, Team Clearleft headed up to London for a day of design related exhibitions: Bauhaus: Art as Life at the Barbican and (after a ride across the city on a ‘Boris Bike’) British Design 1948-2012 and Heatherwick Studio: Designing the Extraordinary at the V&A.

• Now That The Games Have Gone

  The last two weeks have been amazing. I tried my best to sample as much ofthe Olympic fever as I could, but with so much going on, the spectacle was overwhelming. So much to see, so little time to see it.

• Once In A Lifetime

  Olympics happen once every four years. Most are unlikely to ever experience them in their own country. I get shivers whenever I see banners with the Olympic Rings on them. This is once in a lifetime event, and I intend to make the very most of it.

• Flying The Flag

  Andrew Mitchell, the International Development secretary, has unveiled a new logo that will appear on overseas aid provided by his department; be it grain packets, schools or water pumps.

• Flipping The Bird

  With a worsening financial crisis and continued destruction of the world’s natural resources, there are undoubtedly more important things to worry about than Twitter’s slightly tweaked bird logo. Yet here we are.

• Kiwibank: Standing Up for Something New

  Banks aren’t the most likeable organisations, but I’m developing a soft spot for Kiwibank, a New Zealand-based bank competing against larger Australian-based rivals. Their latest advertising campaign suggests they’re willing to stand up for something new “and even a bit crazy”, and in the world of banking, a responsive website is just that.

• Inspiring Nobody

  Rather than showcase British interactive design talent, the biggest cultural event of our generation has been represented online by an uninspired mess that flies the flag for the status quo.

• Marathon Man

  Although I spent much of April writing a tutorial for .net Magazine, I did enjoy a brief respite while I ran the Brighton Marathon. Yep, it’s been quite the month.

• Build a Responsive Website in a Week

  Since returning from San Francisco, much of my spare time has been spent writing a tutorial for .net magazine. Published as part of their Responsive Week, this is for developers who want to learn about responsive web design but don’t know where to start.

• The Journey

  A new pair of jeans, the reignited love for a city and an inevitable answer to a surprisingly surprising question. Just some of the artefacts collected during two weeks in America.

• On The Road Again

  Once again, I’m in Austin for SXSW Interactive; the forth time I’ve attended an event I find easy to disparage. Yet this is the first stop on a trip that will take in several hundred miles of Interstate highway between here and San Francisco; two points of familiarity on an itinerary that promises to be anything but predictable.

• DuckDuckGo

  Not a week passes without there being a controversy involving Google. If they’re not pilfering a Kenyan business directory, then they’re jumping into bed with opponents of net neutrality or subverting default cookie settings. Even if you ignore these concerns, it’s hard to deny that their search engine is starting to suffer too. Fortunately, there’s an alternative.

• Middle Class Memories

  Heritage Lawn was an embarrassingly lavish name for a desperately average cul-de-sac. Yet, in and around a maze of opulently named cul-de-sacs, a few areas of wilderness remained.

• Offscreen Magazine

  Offscreen is a new magazine edited, produced and beautifully designed by Kai Brach, focusing on the personalities behind the pixels — in a good way.

• A Day in the Life Of… Paul Robert Lloyd

  Interaction designer at Clearleft and design lead at Fontdeck.