I recently posted a tweet that poked fun at the relationship between designers and the W3C (the organization that creates web standards like HTML and CSS).

I feel bad for the W3C. For years we begged for gradients, so they gave us gradients. So what do we do? FLATTEN ALL THE THINGS.

— Nick Pettit (@nickrp) June 14, 2013

Thinking Outside the Box

For decades we’ve meticulously sliced up images to create rounded corners, shadows, gradients, and ornate detail. The W3C added these features to the CSS standard and many web designers rejoiced as browser support followed, because it meant that we didn’t have to rely on images anymore. However, the recent flat design trend has made these celebrated features much less relevant. From Windows 8 to iOS 7, corners are becoming square, gradients are becoming flat, and drop shadows are being dropped completely. Any artistic field is like a pendulum swinging back and forth, so we’ll see a resurgence of these CSS tools someday soon (and they’ll be used in a whole new way), but the present is looking very flat indeed.

That said, the W3C hasn’t been asleep at the wheel. Very recently they introduced the first draft of the CSS Shapes Module. This is a fantastic step forward in technology, but it’s a giant leap for web design. Today, web pages are made entirely of rectangles. Web designers have found many clever ways to hack around this and make it appear otherwise, but it’s never easy. Popular techniques include slicing up images or coding up some clever CSS, and impressive as these are, they’re stretching browser technology to its limits. These franken-shapes can be very difficult to work with because, although they look like irregular shapes to us, the browser sees them as boxes. By contrast, the CSS Shapes module is a straightforward method for creating true polygonal shapes. You can create triangles, hexagons, stars, and just about any other polygon you can image. They’ve also included properties and values that allow for circles and ellipses. As if that weren’t enough, they have also added the ability for text to flow around the edges of shapes; a design tool that print designers have enjoyed for ages. Below is an example image from the W3C:

Try CSS Shapes Today

CSS shapes are brand new and browser support will take some time, but if you’d like to play with shapes right now, check out Bear Travis’ Polygon Drawing tool. In order to use it properly, you’ll need to install Google Chrome Canary and then enable the experimental WebKit features flag under chrome://flags. Indeed, browser support is scant right now, but that will come in time. In the tool, you can drag around some handles on a polygon and see the code that it generates. Here’s an example shape with the accompanying code:

polygon(66.67px 200.00px,133.33px 315.47px,266.67px 315.47px,333.33px 200.00px,266.67px 84.53px,133.33px 84.53px)

A Revolution

For web designers, this is huge. It means that we can literally think outside the box and move beyond the rectangular landscape that has defined the web for so long. It’s hard to fully visualize the future use cases, but we can look to magazines and print designers to get an idea of how this might be used in the immediate. This welcome disruption to the status quo comes at the perfect time. Flat design drops many of the elements and principles of art in favor of emphasizing simplicity through color and composition. I believe a newfound emphasis on shape will be the perfect complement to this aesthetic in the coming years.

The post The CSS Shapes Module will Revolutionize Web Design appeared first on Treehouse Blog.

• Apply (Deadline: July 1)
• Additional information: www.TheIHS.org/journalism

The U.S. Department of Education is currently seeking applicants for Fall 2013 internships. As you may know, this program has been developed for students to gain practical training and hands-on experience that will help them meet their educational and professional goals.  These internships are unpaid positions, but all interns are eligible to receive transit benefits and school credit may be provided upon request.

The Department of Education (ED) is the place where you can explore your interests in education policy research and analysis, or intergovernmental relations and public affairs, or even work with social media while learning about the role Federal Government plays in education.

If the above appeals to you, then an internship at ED may be right for you. Not only will an internship at ED provide an opportunity to learn first-hand about federal education policy while developing a variety of other skills, including writing, researching, communication and time-management skills, but interns also participate in group intern events, such as brownbag lunches with ED officials, movie nights and local tours. One of the many advantages to an ED internship is the proximity to some of the most historic and celebrated sites in our nation’s capital, all accessible by walking or taking the metro.

ED is accepting applications for Fall 2013, starting June 1^st through July 15^th. If you are interested in interning for the upcoming fall term, there are three materials you must send before being considered for an interview:

A.    A cover letter summarizing why you wish to work at ED and stating your previous experiences in the line of education, if any. Include here what particular offices interest you, keeping in mind that due to the volume of applications received, you may not be awarded with your first-choice office upon acceptance.

B.     An updated resume.

C.     A completed copy of the Intern Application.

Once these three documents are finalized, prospective interns should send them in one email to StudentInterns@ed.gov with the subject line formatted as follows: Last Name, First Name: Fall Intern Application.

(Note: For candidates also interested in applying specifically to the Office of General Counsel (OGC), please see application requirements here)

An internship at ED is one of the best ways a student can learn about education policy and working in the civil service, but it is not limited to this. Your internship at ED is where you will develop crucial workplace skills that will help you in whatever career path you choose, and it is also where you will meet fellow students like yourself, who share your passions for education, learning, and engagement.

Every week we feature a set of comics created exclusively for WDD.

The content revolves around web design, blogging and funny situations that we encounter in our daily lives as designers.

These great cartoons are created by Jerry King, an award-winning cartoonist who’s one of the most published, prolific and versatile cartoonists in the world today.

So for a few moments, take a break from your daily routine, have a laugh and enjoy these funny cartoons.

Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below as well as any related stories of your own…

Whatever works

Left, right team

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Can you relate to these situations? Please share your funny stories and comments below…

Ventography Script Font by Måns Grebäck – only $15!

The history of the creation of the 35^th state, West Virginia, was the topic of conversation at a Lunch with Books Program presentation at the Ohio County Public Library, held on Tues., June 19. According to David Zimring, history instructor at UMBC, it was described as “Secession in favor of the Constitution.”

Zimring recounted the series of events that led to western Virginia seceding from Virginia at a time when the nation was becoming increasingly divided about the constitutionality of slavery. “West Virginia’s leaders needed to convince the federal government that West Virginia statehood was a legal and necessary measure that helped the Union,” said Zimring.

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