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While a lot of people are out to optimize their sites/blogs, most everyone seems to skip over CSS. I have been spending some time looking at CSS Optimization tools today. I wanted something free, online, and easy to use. And of course, something that worked. There are actually quite a few websites that fit the bill, and some of them are easier to use, produce more friendly code, and others are a bit harder to use, but can produce amazing results.

Writing CSS is very much like having sex. Not everyone does it the same way and there is no particular “right” way to do it. I guess for me the similarities actually end there, seeing as writing CSS is something I do every day whereas having sex is…anyway I digress. The W3C have set the standards but beyond this, writing CSS is down to an individual’s preferences. Here are 5 little tips and ideas I’ve adopted in the last 6 months that you can use to make your CSS more streamlined, maintainable and easy to read. Written by Jon Disclaimer: The CSS example files are exactly that. They are not meant to be fully functional CSS documents. Class names in the CSS files are named merely so that you may visualise the document in your head (because there is no accompanying html), not because I condone the naming convention in them.

1) Make a table of contents At the top of your CSS document, write out a table of contents. For example, you could outline the different areas that your CSS document is styling (header, main, footer etc). Then, use a large, obvious section break to separate the areas. Not only does this make your CSS look neater, but when it comes to making quick adjustments to certain areas of your website at a later date, finding the corresponding area in your CSS will be much easier. View Example File 1

3) Isolate single properties that you are likely to reuse a lot If you find yourself using a single property a lot, isolate it to save yourself repeating it over and over again and also enabling you to change the display of all parts of the site that use it. View Example File 3

Architecture (the kind that uses steel and glass and stone) is also an apt comparison—or at least, more apt than poster design. The architect creates planes and grids that facilitate the dynamic behavior of people. Having designed, the architect relinquishes control. Over time, the people who use the building bring out and add to the meaning of the architect’s design.

Web design is the creation of digital environments that facilitate and encourage human activity; reflect or adapt to individual voices and content; and change gracefully over time while always retaining their identity.

Great web designs are like great buildings. All office buildings, however distinctive, have lobbies and bathrooms and staircases. Websites, too, share commonalities.

There are many tutorials out there on how to create your own image gallery. There are simple ones made from pure CSS, and there are complex ones using css and javascript. By the end of this article you will have the information necessary to start building your own photo gallery. The first tutorial is from cssplay and is one of my favorites around. They have a very elegant and simple image gallery. Your images are separated into different sections (people, plants, animals, etc) and all your images for each section listed nicely underneath. As you hover over each image it expands double it's size so you can take a better look at each image before you view the full version. The interface is very clean and simple to use, I recommend taking a look at this one.

First out is text-stroke, a new (and non-standard, so not for real-world use) CSS property that can be used to control the fill and stroke colours as well as the stroke width of text. A description and a couple of examples are available in Introducing Text-Stroke.

Features:Submit websites? NoSubmit CSS Templates? YesRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? NoSite Functionality: 5/5Comments: CSSZenGarden is one of the first in it's class and showcases talent through customizing stylesheets to fit the site's design.2. StyleGala.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? YesSite Functionality: 5/5Comments: Style Gala not only showcases design but also brings resources into the mix, providing a great community for web designers./3. CSSRemix.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? YesSite Functionality: 5/5Comments: In my opinion, the best gallery showcase of CSS websites there is in terms of allowing people to interact.4. CSSReboot.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? YesSite Functionality: 5/5Comments: This site is more competitive than the others and submitting a site isn't as easy as the rest. But for what it does, it's great.5. CSSTux.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? NoComment on websites/designs? YesSite Functionality: 4/5Comments: Design is great, showcase is simple yet elegant.6. CSSMania.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? NoSite Functionality: 4/5Comments: A site with great functionality but commenting would be nice.7. CSSImport.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? YesSite Functionality: 4/5Comments: Another great showcase of design and talent, definitely a site you should check out.8. CSSDrive.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? YesSite Functionality: 4/5Comments: Great functionality, not the best design though.9. UnmatchedStyle.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? YesSite Functionality: 4/5Comments: They don't give quite enough room for effective showcasing, but overall it works.10. CSSBloom.comFeatures:Submit websites? YesSubmit CSS Templates? NoRate websites/designs? YesComment on websites/designs? YesSite Functionality: 3/5Comments: CSSBloom is based on WordPress, looks like a blog, but works well.Notable Mentions 11. CSS-Galleries.comFeatures:

One point = 1/72 of an inch One pica = 12 points One em = The distance horizontally equal to the type size, in points, you are using. Eg. 1em of 12pt type is 12pt. (Thanks to Joe for correcting me on this.)

A general good rule of thumb is 2-3 alphabets in length, or 52-78 characters (including spaces).

Your leading should increase proportionally to your Measure. Small Measure, less leading. Wide Measure, more leading.