visual enlightenment for the web

Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS, combined with lean markup can deliver stunning visual design using much less code than older HTML-driven layouts and provide far more efficiency and flexibility for the designer. Inspired by the creative possibilities of this approach to Web design, Dave Shea created the CSS Zen Garden (www.csszengarden.com). The idea was simple and elegant: Take some well-written HTML and invite designers to apply their CSS skills to create wildly imaginative designs, and then post the underlying CSS code on the site for others to study and use. From its humble beginnings in 2003, the Zen Garden has grown to include nearly 150 designs from around the world and has set the standard for high-quality Web site design using CSS. In The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web, renowned Web designers Molly Holzschlag and Dave Shea walk you through 36 of the most inspiring designs in the Zen Garden.

Here are just a few things you'll find in the Garden:

• Examples of stunning CSS-based Web designs
• Tips for using typography to enliven a design
• Clever CSS hacks and techniques plus how to future-proof your CSS
• Secrets of CSS from top Web designers and developers
• Efficient use of graphics for faster Web page downloads