Get better at building websites
Hey friend,
Long time no chat! I’ve been bad and haven’t sent an email in a while, I’ve been trying to do the balancing act that is starting something new (will-myers.com) but maintaining my current obligations and alas, email newsletters went by the wayside.
We’ll I’m now back and I have a lot of updates for you, so let’s jump in!
COOL THINGS AROUND THE WEB
Stripe gets a fresh coat of paint, Stripe.com
Man oh man do I love Stripe, not only do they have a nice product, but their design is super sleek, unlike some other financial products I know of ( *cough* paypal *cough*). They recently updated their design and it’s worth a peak. Heavy use of bright colors and box-shadows.
MacOS has a new design, Apple.com
A new operating system for Apple, macOS 11 Big Sur, will be launching later this year and with it comes a new design language. Whether you love Apple or hate them, their designs have a MASSIVE influence on web design trends. Again, many bright colors here, as well as faded-glass-like opacities. So check out the link to see their new Human Interface Guidelines (read: design).
CSS Entities, W3Schools.com
Think of these as like emoji’s for CSS. Great for changing out the bullets in lists using the “content” property.
NEW & UPDATED PLUGINS
I have a few new plugins available and a couple updates to existing plugins. Updates to existing plugins are free for those who have already purchased them.
Blog Post Banner Image Update (Free & $10)
I’ve updated this plugin to now work in Squarespace 7.0 Brine Template. I’ve also made it a LOT easier to mange the image focal point. The free version is fantastic, and the paid version gives you some great additional styles.
Split Section Plugin Update ($10)
So I initially tried to make this plugin completely CSS-based, but CSS just has it’s limits. So I rebuilt it from scratch using jQuery and it works beautifully. If you haven’t checked it out yet, give it a looksee. My favorite part, the sticky scroll sections.
Search Bar in Header in 7.1 (Free)
I’ve added a few more styles, positions, and tweaks for this one.
Change the Background Color on Scroll (Free)
This was a fun one to build. If you’re interested in getting into javascript, jQuery and that whole mess of code, try to install this on a site and play around with some things. Testing & playing around like that is the best way to learn. Shoot me any questions if you bump into anything.
Tabbed Content (Free & $10)
Here is a great tabbed content plugin that will work in Squarespace 7.0 & 7.1. If you’re interested in learning how to build a tab section yourself, I’ve provided the code for you to learn and tweak. I also have a paid version that does all the heavy lifting for you AND looks good if you just want a quick and simple way to get this feature on your site.
Breakout Images in Squarespace 7.1 Blog (Free)
Breakout images, like we have in Squarespace 7.0 Brine Templates, aren’t available yet in Squarespace 7.1, so I created a plugin that will expand images and videos in a blog.
LEARN CSS
I’m working on a course, CSS for Squarespace (placeholder name), that will help designers become proficient in understanding and using code. This is going to be an extensive course that will walk you through everything step by step, with tons of examples and best practices. If you’re interested in something like this, I’d love to hear from you about what’d want to see in this course.
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
Is there a feature on a website you’re trying to replicate? Are you running into a problem with something? Send me your questions & examples of what you’re trying to replicate and I’ll see if I can build it.
As always, I love hearing from you, so don’t hesitate to reach out about anything.
Keep Building,
Will