r2*blog

How many designers out there have run into this situation before? I know I have.

This animtion has been floating around for a little while now, I decided to repost it for those who haven’t seen it yet. I’m not sure where it came from originally, props to the creator!

After researching a little on how to go about constructing an HTML email template I have come to one conclusion, “that sh*tz whack!” I thought designing things to display properly in all browsers was difficult, now I find out that most email clients are light years behind their big brother browsers when it comes to CSS support (if they support it at all).

Oh well, that’s what I get paid for - to solve problems (and if I’m lucky, make it look pretty).

Here’s a list of resources I’ve come up with to begin my research:

• How to Code HTML Email Newsletters
• HTML Email Tips for Web Designers
• Using CSS with HTML Emails
• CSS and Email, Kissing in a Tree
• HTML E-Mail Client Program Summary
• How HTML Code Affects E-Mail Deliverability
• A beginners survival guide to designing, coding & delivering HTML email (PDF)

As I was saying, I’ve only done a little research so far. If someone out there has some better advise to offer, please leave me a comment.

For now, I’m off to that wonderful world of tables and in line styles!

When in the heat of a deadline and you’re expected to throw together a layout, you don’t really want to be bothered with opening up unnecessary programs that just might slow down the whole process…

Here’s a couple of ways you can avoid opening photoshop just to add a gradient or get a color for your CSS file.

• A List Apart has a way to create a gradient of any color or size with a .png or two.
  (don’t worry, they have a way to get it to work for IE6)
  Super-Easy Blendy Backgrounds
• For you OSX users out there, here’s a widget that will give you a quick and easy way of converting Hex values to RGB, CMYK or HSV.
  (or the other way around of course -don’t worry, it appears to offer a Windows alternative)ColourMod

Someone at work asked what design sites I check out on a regular basis. After writing them back I thought the content was something I might share with those of you who who actually read this blog. So, here is my quick list of what I think you should check out on the web as far as design (and other junk) goes:

Here are the top 3 that I read on a regular basis:

1. alistapart.com - it doesn’t get much better than this. Some of the industries top designers/engineers giving top notch advice (for free!)
2. thinkvitamin.com - again, top notch advice from those ones who wrote the books and make it happen
3. wisdump.com - very simple look and feel, very in depth advice

If you are ever bored, feel free to poke around my del.icio.us bookmarks or my bloglines.

and of course, there’s always my outdated website - r2witco.net

enjoy