A CSS introduction for designers

I recently started giving a CSS course for designers as part of the GTA Mac Users Group. The classes consist of a handout, presentation, demo and questions and answers. These classes are directed toward designers who may need to use CSS occasionally and to those who wish to get started with CSS, no programming experience is required.

The first class was part of May 2013 meeting and provided an overview of the following topics:

• Why CSS was developed and why you should use it?
• What is CSS and how do you add it to a site?
• What is the Cascade?
• How do you write CSS  and what is its syntax?
• How do you target specific pieces of content?
• What are the CSS Versions currently in use?

The notes and example

The notes for the first class can be found at https://silvermapleweb.com/CSS-Course/CSS101/CSS101.pdf

The files used in the example are available at:

• The styled example: https://silvermapleweb.com/CSS-Course/CSS101/styled.html
• The unstyled example: https://silvermapleweb.com/CSS-Course/CSS101/unstyled.html
• The style sheet: https://silvermapleweb.com/CSS-Course/CSS101/stylesheet.css

Coming up

This month’s meeting on Thursday June 13 will continue where we left off last month. I will be discussing specific CSS2 styles relating to layout, colours and fonts. These are the styles that make up the bulk of most stylesheets. A later class will discuss what is new in CSS3.