“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”
– Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn
Author: Bobby Kilpatrick
Read the Frickin’ Manual
On a recent episode of the NPR podcast “How I Built This,” billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban described how he got his first job in the software business. With no experience in software, he managed to land an interview at a small company called Your Business Software.
SVGO – A Handy Command-Line Tool for Compressing SVG Images
I recently wrote a series of posts about image optimization and the importance of reducing image file sizes on websites (Part 1, Part 2).
When it comes to optimizing images, there are many techniques and tools available. One of my favorites is a tool called SVGO, short for SVG Optimizer. As you might guess, SVGO is a tool for optimizing Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) images.
Read more on SVGO – A Handy Command-Line Tool for Compressing SVG Images…
Tips for Improving Web Typography
Typography is one of the most important aspects of designing a website. Good typography can improve reading comprehension and usability, while poor typography can make even the best site difficult to use.
Fortunately, there is a lot of low-hanging fruit when it comes to this area. By following just a few key rules, you can greatly improve even the worst web typography.
Read more on Tips for Improving Web Typography…
An Introduction to Website Image Optimization – Part 2
This post is the second in a two-part series on the process Atomic Object uses to optimize images for the web. To review, our basic image optimization process at Atomic follows these four basic steps:
- Eliminate unnecessary images
- Choose the appropriate image format
- Scale image to the correct dimensions
- Apply compression
Read more on An Introduction to Website Image Optimization – Part 2…
An Introduction to Website Image Optimization – Part 1
Image optimization is the process of reducing image file sizes as much as possible while maintaining an acceptable level of visual quality. It can be a complex topic; there are endless ways to optimize images for the web, and the best technique for a given image depends on its content and context.
In this two-part series, I’ll offer some compelling reasons about why you should use image optimization, and I’ll cover our approach for choosing techniques.
Read more on An Introduction to Website Image Optimization – Part 1…
How to Vertically Middle-Align Floated Elements with Flexbox
I recently discovered a very simple Flexbox-based solution to a problem that has given web designers and developers issues for years.
Read more on How to Vertically Middle-Align Floated Elements with Flexbox…
Create a Local Copy of a Website with HTTrack
I’ve recently been experimenting with HTTrack, an open-source utility that makes it possible to download a full copy of any website. HTTrack is essentially a web crawler, allowing users to retrieve every page of a website merely by pointing the tool to the site’s homepage.
From the HTTrack homepage:
“[HTTrack] allows you to download a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all directories, getting HTML, images, and other files from the server to your computer. HTTrack arranges the original site’s relative link-structure.”
I thought I’d share my experience with it.
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Sweat the Details, Land the Job
In the past few months, I have become very involved in the hiring process here at Atomic’s Ann Arbor office. We’re still relatively small compared to our Grand Rapids counterpart, and we’re actively looking to add people to our team. (Apply here!) Read more on Sweat the Details, Land the Job…
Creating Scroll Animations with Waypoints and Animate.css, Part 2
This spring, I detailed how to use CSS and Waypoints.js to create animations that are triggered as a user scrolls down the page.
In this post, I’ll show you how to reverse those animations to hide the content as the user scrolls back up the page. Read more on Creating Scroll Animations with Waypoints and Animate.css, Part 2…