Category: Tutorial

  • Tired of Refreshing Your CSS Everytime You Make A Change?

    So am I.  I  make changes a lot live on the server (using the Web Dev Toolbar), and I have to hard-refresh every time I make a change.  Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it cuts down on valuable time that could be done… well, not refreshing a page.  There is a way; versioning…

  • Image Replacement Using CSS

    Using images on a design is pretty well necessary in today’s visually stunning web.  However, while images look great, there’s no substitute for text when it comes to Search Engine Optimization.  But is there a way to get the visual effect of an image while still having the SEO benefits of text? With CSS, there…

  • Jeremiah Owyang: The Design Process

    Whoops – it would be nice to actually have an article here, huh? I just finished Jeremiah Owyang’s new blog design, and I have an article on his blog detailing the process and why I did some of the things that I did.  You can check it out here!

  • Displaying Future Posts in WordPress

    If you do like I do and schedule posts ahead of time (especially on the podcast), there’s a way inside of WordPress to show your readers what posts are coming up next: <?php $my_query = new WP_Query(‘post_status=future&order=DESC&showposts=5’); if ($my_query->have_posts()) {     while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post(); ?>         <?php the_date(); ?> – <?php the_title(); ?>    …

  • WordPress Tip: iTunes Integration via last.fm

    So, you’ve got a personal blog and want to integrate your iTunes playlist into WordPress, but don’t just want to say that you’re listening to a CD – you want to display the album art too? WordPress has a few solutions that work great.  The easiest way to do that is by utilizing the “scrobbler”…

  • Creating a WordPress Theme from a .PSD file – Part 5 (footer.php)

    This post is part of the “Creating a WordPress Theme from a .PSD” series for designers to use for theme development. The other posts can be found here: Part 1 – Background / Introduction Part 2 – From .PSD to .HTML Part 3 – WordPress Structure Part 4 – The Header (header.php) Part 5 –…

  • Creating a WordPress Theme from a .PSD file – Part 4 (Header.php)

    Starting with the design concept, we took our WordPress theme from a .psd file to an .html file. Then we started laying the groundwork by commenting and slicing apart the .html file we created into the various .php files. So, what do those various .php files really do?  And what should go in each one? …

  • Creating a WordPress Theme from a .PSD file – Part 3 (The WordPress Structure)

    In our quest to take a WordPress theme from start to finish (Photoshop to Functional Theme), we have reached what most people would call the end of their journey.  We’ve taken our Photoshop file, made the necessary slices and converted it to an .html file. If we wanted this page to remain a static web…

  • Creating a WordPress Theme from a .PSD file – Part 2 (Photoshop File to HTML)

    This is the 2nd part in a series on turning a design done in Photoshop into a WordPress theme.  I’m documenting taking a client’s theme from concept to functional site, showing a brief overview of the steps that I take. When last we met, I had just put the final touches on the WordPress design…

  • Creating a WordPress Theme from a .PSD File – Part 1 (Background)

    A lot of people ask me what process I use to design themes for WordPress, and my answer to that question is the same answer I give to people who ask my design process “in general”: I start with a Photoshop mockup and take it into HTML via Dreamweaver.  The only difference is that I…