The html is just three divs: header, content and footer. Here’s a quick look at the css for the header and footer:

#header {
background-color:#000000;
color:#ffffff;
top:0;
position:fixed;
height:80px;
width:100%;
}

#footer {
background-color:#000000;
color:#ffffff;
bottom: 0;
position: fixed;
height:80px;
width:100%;
overflow: hidden;
z-index: 100;
}

We use position:fixed so that both the footer and header remain in place as the page is scrolled and to keep the position relative to the browser window no matter what positioning the parent element has. Using the offset properties top and bottom, we tell the browser specifically where to position these elements. Using top and bottom on the #content element, we imply a height for the element.

#content {
padding:0;
margin: 0;
top:80px;
bottom:80px;
position:fixed;
width:100%;
overflow:auto;
}

Then if you like, you could use a server side include (SSI) for the content, as I have done here: http://designreverb.com/test_noFrames.php. Here I have the same header, content and footer divs. The content is being called from another page: some_content.shtml. (The page could just have easily been .htm, .php, .html …etc. )

<div id="content"> <p>content</p>
<?php include 'some_content.shtml'?>
</div>

This works great, but you’re ‘test_noFrames’ page will have to be a .php file (test_noFrames.php instead of test_noFrames.htm) like this: http://designreverb.com/test_noFrames.php and http://designreverb.com/some_content.shtml (these url’s ar live so check them out)

NOTE: This has only been tested in IE7 and Firefox 2.0.
Questions? Comments? Lemme know.

The ALA Primer: A Guide for New Readers great compilation of artilces for those with some familiarity with html, css and other basic web concepts.

If you’re going to build a house—or a website—you need the right tools. A List Apart offers hundreds of articles on design, markup, style, accessibility, usability, and more. We’ve selected a few that you might want to start with. (Think of this guide as one of those reassuring brochures from Lowe’s or Home Depot, but about websites instead of ceramic tile.)

ALA’s article runs the gambit from design theory and layout to web standards and server-side code. So give it a browse, you may learn something you didn’t already know.

Yes you read that correctly, after five years of complaints about the old crappy site, I finally had some time to work on the Drake Storm Studios site. Hope you like it. I’m sure there will be tweaks made here and there. Like most designers, I’m never quite satisfied. In case you don’t recall what the old one looked like here’s a comparison.
Old Design:

New Design:

I think it’s way cleaner, not to mention, no tables. I used wordpress to make it easier for me to update, that way, it won’t go stale again. (I hope, LOL). Let me know what you think.

I get asked alot about CSS tabs, and I usually point people to the sliding doors article on alistapart.com, but there are other ways to do it and here’s one of them from our friends at Dynamic Drive.

This is a versatile Tab Content script that lets you organize regular DIV contents on the page into a tab interface, with the desired content appearing when a tab is clicked on. A fully unobtrusive, CSS and HTML based script, it supports much requested features such as default tab selected, persistence of the active tab (ie: when page is reloaded), and multiple Tab Contents on the same page. It’s the ultimate Tab Content script!

ok, so you probably heard about the IE7 beta, you can get that here Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 for Windows XP SP2. (thanks foo)

Haven’t tried it out myself yet, gonna download it. It’s just that I need IE6 to check CSS on sites I develop. Guess I’ll have to drag my laptop into the office.
Also for those who are more daring, an alpha of the new Firefox 2 is out also. Get that here Bon Echo Alpha 2 Milestone

I wasn’t going to post anything regarding the Slashdot.org redesign contest. I figured everyone in the know, already knew. Seems like every design related blog had already posted information regarding the contest.

Well, it seems now the BBC has announced their version of the “Reboot” contest. Only this time they are not going to actually use the winning design as their final one.

“I think it’s worth pointing out from the very beginning that we are not asking people to provide million £ rebranding for us. Indeed we are NOT going to use or commission any designs for the final front page. Yes, we will turn the winning design into the homepage for a day – but that’s as a prize and as recognition for the winning producer’s efforts (and if they really don’t want us to, then we won’t). “

They must have seen the harsh words from many a professional designer who posted to Slashdot about their own contest. Seems that many think that a $4500 laptop is a bit on the lowside of the payment scale for a redesign of such a high traffic site as Slashdot. Slashdot doesn’t even try to defend this. I guess the so-called prestige of having redesigned Slashdot should be reward enough.

Sorry, but no thanks.