Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/
Magazine on CSS, JavaScript, front-end, accessibility, UX and design. For developers, designers and front-end engineers.
フィード

Decoding The SVG <code>path</code> Element: Curve And Arc Commands
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
On her quest to teach you how to code vectors by hand, Myriam Frisano’s second installment of a `path` deep dive explores the most complex aspects of SVG’s most powerful element. She’ll help you understand the underlying rules and function of how curves and arcs are constructed. By the end of it, your toolkit is ready to tackle all types of tasks required to draw with code — even if some of the lines twist and turn.
4時間前

Meet Accessible UX Research, A Brand-New Smashing Book
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Meet “Accessible UX Research,” our upcoming book to make your UX research inclusive. Learn how to recruit, plan, and design with disabled participants in mind. Print shipping in August 2025. eBook available for download later this summer. Pre-order the book.
3日前

CSS Cascade Layers Vs. BEM Vs. Utility Classes: Specificity Control
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
CSS can be unpredictable — and specificity is often the culprit. Victor Ayomipo breaks down how and why your styles might not behave as expected, and why understanding specificity is better than relying on `!important`.
4日前

What I Wish Someone Told Me When I Was Getting Into ARIA
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
[Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/aria/) is an inevitability when working on web accessibility. That said, it’s everyone’s first time learning about ARIA at some point.
7日前

Creating The “Moving Highlight” Navigation Bar With JavaScript And CSS
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
In this tutorial, Blake Lundquist walks us through two methods of creating the “moving-highlight” navigation pattern using only plain JavaScript and CSS. The first technique uses the `getBoundingClientRect` method to explicitly animate the border between navigation bar items when they are clicked. The second approach achieves the same functionality using the new View Transition API.
12日前

Decoding The SVG <code>path</code> Element: Line Commands
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
SVG is easy — until you meet `path`. However, it’s not as confusing as it initially looks. In this first installment of a pair of articles, Myriam Frisano aims to teach you the basics of `` and its sometimes mystifying commands. With simple examples and visualizations, she’ll help you understand the easy syntax and underlying rules of SVG’s most powerful element so that by the end, you’re fully able to translate SVG semantic tags into a language `path` understands.
14日前

Collaboration: The Most Underrated UX Skill No One Talks About
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
We often spotlight wireframes, research, or tools like Figma, but none of that moves the needle if we can’t collaborate well. Great UX doesn’t happen in isolation. It takes conversations with engineers, alignment with product, sales, and other stakeholders, and the ability to listen, adapt, and co-create. That’s where design becomes a team sport, and when your ability to capture the outcomes multiplies the UX impact.
18日前

Smashing Animations Part 4: Optimising SVGs
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
What’s the best way to make your SVGs faster, simpler, and more manageable? In this article, pioneering author and web designer Andy Clarke explains the process he relies on *to* prepare, optimise, and structure SVGs for animation and beyond.
19日前

Why Designers Get Stuck In The Details And How To Stop
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Designers love to craft, but polishing pixels before the problem is solved is a time-sink. This article pinpoints the five traps that lure us into premature detail — being afraid to show rough work, fixing symptoms instead of causes, solving the wrong problem, drowning in unactionable feedback, and plain fatigue — then hands you a four-step rescue plan to refocus on goals, ship faster, and keep your craft where it counts.
20日前

Designing For Neurodiversity
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Designing for neurodiversity means recognizing that people aren’t edge cases but individuals with varied ways of thinking and navigating the web. So, how can we create more inclusive experiences that work better for everyone?
21日前

Prelude To Summer (June 2025 Wallpapers Edition)
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Let’s kick off June — and the beginning of summer — with some fresh inspiration! Artists and designers from across the globe once again tickled their creativity to welcome the new month with a new collection of desktop wallpapers. Enjoy!
23日前

Reliably Detecting Third-Party Cookie Blocking In 2025
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
The web is mired in a struggle to eliminate third-party cookies, with the World Wide Web Consortium Technical Architecture Group leading the charge. But there are obstacles preventing this from happening, and, as a result, many essential web features continue to rely on cookies to function properly. That’s why detecting third-party cookie blocking isn’t just good technical hygiene but a frontline defense for user experience.
1ヶ月前

Data Vs. Findings Vs. Insights In UX
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
What’s the difference between data, findings, and UX insights? And how do you argue for statistical significance in your UX research? Let’s unpack it.
1ヶ月前

What Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance Can Teach Us About Web Design
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Road-tripping along the line between engineering and spirituality, Robert M. Pirsig’s musings on the arts, sciences, and Quality ring as true now as they ever have.
1ヶ月前

Smashing Animations Part 3: SMIL’s Not Dead Baby, SMIL’s Not Dead
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
While there are plenty of ways that CSS animations can bring designs to life, adding simple SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) animations in SVG can help them do much more. Andy Clarke explains where SMIL animations in SVG take over where CSS leaves off.
1ヶ月前

Design System In 90 Days
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Helpful PDF worksheets and tools to get the design system effort up and running — and adopted! Kindly powered by How To Measure UX and Design Impact, a friendly course on how to show the impact of your incredible UX work on business.
1ヶ月前

Building A Practical UX Strategy Framework
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Learn how to create and implement a UX strategy framework that shapes work and drives real business value.
1ヶ月前

Fewer Ideas: An Unconventional Approach To Creativity
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Remember that last team brainstorming session where you were supposed to generate a long list of brilliant ideas? How many of those ideas actually stuck? Did leadership act on any of those ideas? In this article, Eric Olive challenges the value of exercises like brainstorming and explores more effective methods for sparking creativity to improve design and enhance the user’s experience.
1ヶ月前

Smashing Animations Part 2: How CSS Masking Can Add An Extra Dimension
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
What if you could take your CSS animations beyond simple fades and slides — adding an extra dimension and a bit of old-school animation magic? In this article, pioneering author and web designer [Andy Clarke](https://stuffandnonsense.co.uk) will show you how masking can unlock new creative possibilities for CSS animations, making them feel more fluid, layered, and cinematic.
1ヶ月前

Integrating Localization Into Design Systems
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Learn how two designers tackled the challenges of building a localization-ready design system for a global audience. This case study dives into how Rebecca and Mark combined Figma Variables and design tokens to address multilingual design issues, such as text overflow, RTL layouts, and font inconsistencies.
1ヶ月前

Integrating Design And Code With Native Design Tokens In Penpot
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
The Penpot team is not slowing down on its mission to build a free design tool that not only offers powerful design features but is also well-integrated with code and modern development practices. In its latest release, Penpot, as the first design tool ever, introduces support for native design tokens. Let’s take a closer look at this concept and how you can employ it in your process.
2ヶ月前

Smashing Animations Part 1: How Classic Cartoons Inspire Modern CSS
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Have you ever thought about how the limitations of early cartoon animations might relate to web design today? From looping backgrounds to minimal frame changes, these retro animation techniques have surprising parallels to modern CSS. In this article, pioneering author and web designer [Andy Clarke](https://stuffandnonsense.co.uk) shows how he applied these principles to Emmy-winning composer Mike Worth’s new website, using CSS to craft engaging and fun animations that bring his world to life.
2ヶ月前

Masonry In CSS: Should Grid Evolve Or Stand Aside For A New Module?
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
There were duelling proposals floating around for adding support for masonry-style layouts in CSS. In one corner is a proposal that extends the existing CSS Grid specification. In the other corner is a second proposal that sets up masonry as a standalone module. Well, not until recently. Now, there are three proposals with Apple WebKit’s “Item Flow” as the third option. The first two sides make strong points, and the third one merges them into one, all of which you will learn about in this article.
2ヶ月前

How To Launch Big Complex Projects
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
When was the last time your project wrapped up smoothly — no delays, no surprises, no last-minute compromises? In reality, most UX projects drift as timelines slip, budgets stretch, and features morph. How do we get better at navigating the chaos? An upcoming part of How To Measure UX and Design Impact by yours truly.
2ヶ月前

WCAG 3.0’s Proposed Scoring Model: A Shift In Accessibility Evaluation
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
WCAG is evolving. Since 1999, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines have defined accessibility in binary terms: either a success criterion is met or not. But real user experience is rarely that simple. WCAG 3.0 rethinks the model — prioritizing usability over compliance and shifting the focus toward the quality of access rather than the mere presence of features. Could this be the start of a new era in accessibility?
2ヶ月前

Make Every Day Count (May 2025 Wallpapers Edition)
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
The new month is just around the corner, and that means: It’s time for some new desktop wallpapers! All of them are designed with love by the community for the community and can be downloaded for free. Enjoy!
2ヶ月前

How To Turn Your Figma Designs Into Live Apps With Anima Playground
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
As designers, it’s important to be able to transform visual ideas into concepts within minutes and into fully functional products within hours. Well, today we’re bringing you closer to AnimaApp, an app designed to make your life easier — whether you’re a designer, developer, product team member or entrepreneur.
2ヶ月前

UX And Design Files Organization Template
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Lost in a sea of UX files, docs, PDFs, and scattered decisions across Slack, Dropbox, Notion, and Figma? We talk a lot about organizing Figma, but what about a sensible folder structure for all UX assets? Let’s fix that. Kindly powered by [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com).
2ヶ月前

“Product Kondo”: A Guide To Evaluating Your Organizational Product Portfolio
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
It starts with good intentions — a quick fix here, a shiny feature there — and suddenly, your product portfolio’s bursting at the seams. In this guide, Talke Hoppmann-Walton walks you through a “Product Kondo” exercise to declutter, realign, and spark some serious product joy for both your business and your customers.
2ヶ月前

Boosting Up Your Creativity Without Endless Reference Scrolling
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
While it is clear that creativity is driven by both the left and right hemispheres, an important question remains: how can we boost creativity while keeping the process enjoyable? It may not be obvious, but non-design-related activities can, in fact, be an opportunity to enhance creativity.
2ヶ月前

Building An Offline-Friendly Image Upload System
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Poor internet connectivity doesn’t have to mean poor UX. With PWA technologies like `IndexedDB`, service workers, and the Background Sync API, you can build an offline-friendly image upload system that queues uploads and retries them automatically — so your users can upload stress-free, even when offline.
2ヶ月前

What Does It Really Mean For A Site To Be Keyboard Navigable
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Keyboard navigation is a vital aspect of accessible web design, and a detail-oriented approach is crucial. Prioritizing keyboard navigation prioritizes the user experience for a diverse audience, extending your reach while simultaneously fostering a more inclusive web environment.
2ヶ月前

Fostering An Accessibility Culture
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
While there’s no definitive playbook for building an accessibility culture, Dani shares lessons from his experience in shaping it through habits rather than mandates.
2ヶ月前

Inclusive Dark Mode: Designing Accessible Dark Themes For All Users
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Dark mode isn’t just a trendy aesthetic. It’s a gateway to more inclusive digital experiences, but only if designed thoughtfully. Discover how to craft dark modes that don’t just look good but work for everyone, from those with light sensitivity to machine learning algorithms.
2ヶ月前

Gild Just One Lily
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
“Gilding the lily” isn’t always bad. In design, a touch of metaphorical gold — a subtle animated transition, a hint of color, or added depth in a drop shadow — can help communicate a level of care and attention that builds trust. But first? You need a lily. Nail the fundamentals. Then, gild it carefully.
2ヶ月前

Using Manim For Making UI Animations
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Animation makes things clearer, especially for designers and front-end developers working on UI, prototypes, or interactive visuals. Manim is a tool that lets you create smooth and dynamic animations, not just for the design field but also in math, coding, and beyond, to explain complex ideas or simply make everything a little bit more interactive.
2ヶ月前

How To Build A Business Case To Promote Accessibility In Your B2B Products
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
When passion for accessibility meets business indifference, what bridges the gap? Gloria Diaz Alonso shares how she turned frustration into strategy — by learning to speak the language of business.
3ヶ月前

Building A Drupal To Storyblok Migration Tool: An Engineering Perspective
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
In this article, Edoardo Dusi shares the engineering and architectural choices made by the team at Storyblok and how real-world migration challenges were addressed using modern PHP practices.
3ヶ月前

Blossoms, Flowers, And The Magic Of Spring (April 2025 Wallpapers Edition)
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
The beginning of the new month is the perfect opportunity to give your desktop a makeover. If you’re looking for some beautiful and unique wallpapers to cater for a bit of inspiration this April, well, this post has got you covered.
3ヶ月前

How To Argue Against AI-First Research
Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers
Companies have been turning their attention to “synthetic,” AI-driven user testing. However, as convenient as it might seem, it’s dangerous, expensive, and usually diminishes user value. Let’s take a closer look at why exactly it is problematic and how we can argue against it to make a case for UX research with real users. Part of [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com) by yours truly.
3ヶ月前