Introduction

a way to turn design ideas into reality.

valid markup and still save on file sizes by ditching excess HTML and images. In short, you can do what any professional web designer should: create maximum impact with minimal resources.

At a basic level, a developer can learn all there is to know about CSS syntax and the technical limitations of the technology. But let's never forget that code merely implements the design. At its heart CSS is a visual language, and with that comes the need to understand, at least in some small way, how to use design principles with CSS.

With that in mind, this chapter explains how to design with CSS. Specifically, this chapter describes several methods for capturing attention through CSS-enabled techniques, including how to lead the eye with contrast, use excessively large text, create word balloons out of quotations, and use different image formats to create cohesive presentations.