A quick post before the Christmas break.

I recently came across Pearl Crescent Page Saver and I can see that it will be another useful tool to be used in 2008 when I’m working on template designs. Rather than just producing an image of what is visible on the screen, as happens with normal screenshot programs, it will include the whole of the web page. There’s also an option to run it from the command line, so it would be possible from a single command to create a batch file (or similar shell script)  to capture a range of templates that I’m working on.

I’ve found that it has been very useful for documenting the evolution of templates & I can see that it will be handy for comparing different versions (e.g. how a template looks as plain HTML/CSS pages and when it is integrated into a system, or…

I’ve been struck again how often web designers go for the “baby bear” option when creating visuals for a new look & feel. We’re just going through the early stages of a templating job for a client so have been reviewing a set of visuals that have been produced, before we make them into static web pages & then integrate into a content management system.

Now there’s nothing wrong with trying to present a design in the best light, but it’s important that in showing everything so that it’s “just right” that you don’t lose sight of what will be the reality of the life of your website.

I think there are three main issues that come into play here. The first is that there are still remnants of print-based thinking around. Sometimes it’s not just the Photoshop files that are static, but also the thinking that’s behind it. When…