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CSS Framework Basics Build a Website with Bootstrap Building the Form and Button Panel

Posted by Xander Taylor
Xander Taylor
12,390 Points

Styling discussion

I would love to hear Gil (and anyone else) talk about the process of coming up with the styling. I think all the videos I've watched on treehouse do a great job of talking about how to add style via CSS and coding but they don't really talk about how they arrive at the values that they input. How is it that you determine -500px is the right margin for such and such and this element needs 32px of padding, but only on the bottom. For me, these are the decisions that I have the hardest time figuring out. I play around with Chrome Dev tools, adjusting things in a guess and test fashion. I am not a designer. I never have comps/wireframes to work off of. Maybe that is part of the discussion as well? Can anyone weigh in here?

Thanks!

Jeff Busch
Jeff Busch
19,287 Points

Hi Xander,

Just as you are doing much of it has been determined through experiment and testing.

Xander Taylor
Xander Taylor
12,390 Points

Dang... I was hoping there was some elegant solution... some time-saving tip I hadn't yet been exposed to :(

1 Answer

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

> I never have comps/wireframes to work off of.

So make up your own wireframes and annotate them to their exact sizes.

Xander Taylor
Xander Taylor
12,390 Points

True... but that feels more like design than development. Am I wrong about that? Should I be more interested in this than I am?

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

I'm reminded of the concluding quote of a blog article I read a while back, I think it offers some good perspective.

"This right here, this is the job. What kind of work were you expecting?"

from: https://the-pastry-box-project.net/wilson-miner/2013-june-15

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

> Should I be more interested in this than I am?

Every developer needs a basic understanding of many things outside of writing code.

Understanding the basics of visual design and the basics of UX are one example. If you are freelancing you also need an understanding of business stuff. You don't have to like doing the more business and design like parts of making websites, but it is part of the job.

Xander Taylor
Xander Taylor
12,390 Points

Ok. I can dig it. That blog article is poignant. Thanks for sharing.