Responsive Design and Web Typography
with
Nick Sherman
The ability to design and build websites on your own is extremely fun, satisfying, and empowering. For graphic designers in the 21st century, understanding how websites work has also become essential, with more and more design and publishing happening online.
(For)who(m)?
Print designers who want to learn more about web design
Web designers who want to make comps with working code instead of static images
Web developers who want to revisit the basics from a designer’s point of view
DIY publishers who want to produce their own web-based content
Anyone who wants to brush up on the latest developments in web design fundamentals
What?
Learn about the basics of responsive design, web typography, HTML & CSS standards, typeface selection, and more.
Get first-hand, guided experience writing code, with explanations about how it all works.
Code a small-scale web project yourself, from scratch.
Where?
Online meetings via Zoom (participants will need a computer with a reliable internet connection)
When?
Thursdays, Oct 1 to Dec 10 (Nov 26 excluded), 2020
12–3pm, NYC time
Why?
The ability to code your own web projects is satisfying, empowering, and fun.
Even if you don’t plan to use code professionally, a better understanding of the mechanics behind websites helps you design them more effectively and communicate with developers more clearly.
Being able to prepare a web design comp with working code means less reliance on developers to interpret your design.
Writing your own code provides design freedom you can’t get from canned templates or WYSIWYG design tools.
How?
Informal lectures
Q&A sessions
Live demos
Coding exercises
Lesson plan outline (subject to change)
Week 1
- Discussion: Meet and greet, foundational concepts, historical preamble
- Begin Function & Form exercise
Homework: Finish Function & Form Exercise
Week 2
- Review Function & Form exercise
- Discussion: Tools, best practices, HTML & CSS, web standards
- Begin HTML & CSS exercise
Homework: Continue HTML & CSS Exercise
Week 3
- Review HTML & CSS exercise
- Discussion: Responsive design, progressive enhancement
- Begin Responsive exercise
Homework: Continue Responsive Exercise
Week 4
- Review progress
- Discussion: Finding & choosing fonts, Group Project
- Q&A, work in class
Homework: Finish Responsive Exercise, prepare materials for group project
Week 5
- Review Responsive exercises
- Discussion: Web fonts in depth
- Begin Group Project
Homework: Continue on Group Project
Week 6
- Review progress
- Discussion: Advanced layout techniques
- Q&A, work in class
Homework: Continue on Group Project
Week 7
- Review progress
- Discussion: More advanced layout techniques
- Q&A, work in class
Homework: Continue on Group Project
Week 8
- Review progress
- Discussion: Web hosting, server-based functions, multi-page sites
- Q&A, work in class
Homework: Continue on Group Project
No class 11/26
Week 9
- Review progress
- Discussion: Testing, optimization
- Q&A, work in class
Homework: Finish Group Project
Week 10
- Review Group Project
- Discussion: Publication
- Wrap-up, remote pizza party
About Nick Sherman
Nick Sherman is a typographer, web designer, typeface designer, and typographic consultant. He runs HEX Projects, a company that makes fonts and websites, and is a founder and designer of Fonts In Use and v-fonts.com.
A graduate of the Type@Cooper Extended Program in typeface design at The Cooper Union, Nick is also creative director and web designer/developer for their Typographics design festival. He is a member of the Future Fonts platform and has served on the board of directors for the Type Directors Club, the Adobe Typography Customer Advisory Board, and the artistic board for the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum. A List Apart has published his writing on responsive design and web typography, and he occasionally talks and teaches classes on those topics.
Previously, Nick has worked at Font Bureau, Webtype, and MyFonts, directing web design and promotional material for digital typefaces. He graduated with honors from the Graphic Design program at MassArt in Boston, where he has also taught undergraduate typography, typeface design, and letterpress printing. Originally from Cape Cod and Boston, he is also a skateboarder, pizza enthusiast, printer, musician, and classic horror film buff.