Blog Style Overhaul

A CSS Metamorphosis

Over the next few days I'm going to be re-skinning this blog using a design from Open Web Design, a fantastic resource for real purdy CSS templates and lovely graphics.

I've always considered the story of web-page creation to have three tasks (to use Agile vocabulary):

• Make it work
• Make it standards-compliant (so it works everywhere)
• Make it pretty

While I generally have no problem putting together functional, standards-compliant HTML and CSS, the "make it pretty" stage requires a skillset (and/or side of brain) that I am the first to admit I completely lack.

The design I'm starting from is called Colourswirls by Metamorph - the original design is here. I love the contrast and the crisp design, but it was a little too flowery for my taste, so I dropped the elaborate corner motifs. I also did a little bit of colourspace-tweaking to get the palette from light-blue into my preferred purple. For these tasks I always find myself turning to Paint.NET, the best .NET application I've ever seen in the wild - indeed one of the best Windows apps ever, and it's free. I've never quite got along with The Gimp, no matter how I try.

Hope you enjoy the new look.