Content Nest

Get Your Learn On

Content Nest — Sat, 01 May 2010 19:30:17 +0000

Whether you’re a web design newbie or a seasoned vet, educating yourself on the tools of the trade is of the utmost importance. Here is a list of a few of our personal favorite places to get our learn on.

Envato
The Envato Network includes a wealth of websites that we are constantly referring to. Whatever aspect of web design and development you’re looking for information on, Envato has a website for it. Looking for snazzy tutorials on Photoshop, vectors, or designing for the web? Tuts+ is an excellent resource. Want to maximize your efficiency, skills, or sanity as a freelancer or in any line of work? Try FreelanceSwitch or WorkAwesome. Even if you just need a little inspiration, try Creattica to view the latest in design.

Lynda
Lynda.com is a massive tutorial website. It does require a membership of at least $25/month or $250/year, but it has taught us so much that the small price is more than worth it. Lynda has a network of dozens of tutors that create videos to teach you any computer subject you desire, from ActionScript to XML. There are almost 800 tutorials that you can watch at your own pace (try double speed if you’re in a hurry!). The site is especially useful if you sign up for the premium membership to get the tutorial files. This allows you to work alongside the tutorial and really get the most out of the experience.

Tutorial9
Tutorial9 is a completely free resource to learn about Photoshop, photography, and the web. It is comprised of a simple, easy to navigate blog interface with well-written, step-by-step tutorials. A nice feature of Tutorial9 is that most of the lessons contain resource files or a demo of the finished product, which I believe is essential to the learning process.

Smashing Magazine
Smashing Magazine is the first website we bookmarked when starting out professionally in the web design world. Smashing collects only the most innovative and informative articles on all aspects of web design, including graphic design, interface design, and coding. Smashing Magazine also hosts the Smashing Network, which aggregates the best posts from the top web design blogs across the internet.

WPBeginner
We spend a lot of our time working with WordPress, and WPBeginner is a fairly new resource for basic information about designing with and for WordPress. It is targeted at WordPress beginners, but there is no harm in an experienced designer brushing up on WordPress tricks, tips, and hacks with these thoughtfully written tutorials.

This by no means is a comprehensive list of all the best places online to learn the trade of web design, these are just the ones we refer to day-to-day. If you have any other resources to share, leave a comment or drop us a line @contentnest on twitter!

Perfecting CSS with Firebug

Content Nest — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:59:06 +0000

Here at Content Nest we usually view the web through Safari–but while we were developing the new and improved website we relied heavily on Firefox for one reason: Firebug.

Firebug is the Firefox plugin developed by the browser’s makers, Mozilla, that allows a web designer to check every aspect of their site from within the browser.

With Dreamweaver on one side and Firebug on the other (with your favorite FTP client hiding in the background) perfecting your CSS is a breeze. Trying to figure out which element buried deep within your code is causing that text to be a few pixels out of line? Simply hit “Inspect” and click on the element. Now you know, even down to the line in the specific stylesheet.

Now I think I want to increase the margin between the titles and the paragraphs on the footer. So I just click on “10px” by margin-bottom and hit my up arrow. The element moves in real time and I can find the sweet spot to place my element, and know exactly which line of code to edit.

I want to see what this page looks like without the checkmark bullets… If only there was a quick way to strikeout an element without making any permanent changes…

Well, that’s easy with Firebug. Simply hover next to the element and click the baby no smoking sign. This will disable that property. Clicking the icon again magically brings it back.

Firebug also makes it easy to inspect the margin, padding, and borders on your page. It uses a color-coded model which make it easy to see the difference between margin and padding.

The last of the many features of Firebug I’d like to showcase is a great learning tool for the novice. Perhaps you don’t know all of the possible values for a certain property. Click on the value and hit up and down, and it will cycle through each possible value while showing you its effects in the browser.

Those are just a few of the fabulous tools that Firebug has built in, and that’s just for CSS. It is a must-reccomend for any web developer, whether they be a seasoned vet or are just starting out.

The New ContentNest.com!

Content Nest — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:29:26 +0000

Welcome to the new and improved ContentNest.com. As we’ve been developing our skills and client base we decided the website was in need of an overhaul. We also decided that we need to be a part of the design community. Content Nest needs some content. I know I sift through a multitude of web design and web development blogs and tweets every day, why not add our voice to the din?

So what do you have to look forward to?

Peering inside the mind of a small start-up web design company.
Insightful analysis of topics pertinent to the design community.
The exchange of tricks, tips, and ideas scoured from across the interwebs.
Whatever else we happen to find interesting.

Check back often for some great web design and development information and insight. We’re always looking to learn and grow, so be sure to share with us as well!

Bryan Herta Autosport

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:46:54 +0000

Founded by veteran driver Bryan Herta and noted race engineer Steve Newey, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) debuted in Firestone Indy Lights competition in 2009. Herta, an accomplished racer, garnered Skip Barber Formula Ford, Barber Saab and Firestone Indy Lights championship titles prior to graduating to IndyCar competition in 1994. Amongst his career highlights is a third-place finish in the 2005 Indianapolis 500. Newey’s racing career spans over 20 years and includes design and race engineering positions in Formula One and winning the 1992 Champ Car World Series title as the race engineer for Bobby Rahal. He was also instrumental in assembling both the Patrick Racing and Mo Nunn Racing teams.

Osage

jennifer — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:03:45 +0000

Osage Band originally was named ‘Within Three’. Towards the end of our eighth grade year we were officially a band. We then changed the name to ‘Osage’, in honor of the street that I (Jon Michael) grew up on. Our first rehearsal was on my deck upstairs next to a horrible smelling trash can. It was then, that not only we completed our first song (Break the World) but we realized we would be doing this for the rest of our lives. Our first performance was October 23, 2007 at a private birthday party in Denton, Texas. Our first venue performance was May 6, 2008 at Fat Daddy’s in Lewisville, Texas. We began recording at Reeltime Audio Studio October 6, 2008 and completed the recording of our first album Summer of 2009. First cd released March 11, 2010.

Osage

Joshua In Africa

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:05:04 +0000

Joshua David is a freelance photographer who grew up in a small town in Texas. In March of 2010 he will be helping build a school in Kenya. Joshua’s plan is to raise more money by collecting change, selling his pictures, and spreading the word about what is going on while he is in Africa. Doing what it takes to make a change in Africa.

Joshua In Africa

Open Range Cattle Company

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:41:40 +0000

Nothing beats the taste of a Grassfed Black Angus Steak from Open Range Cattle.

Our Black Angus Beef is all natural and 100% grassfed. Using the methods of our grandfathers, we provide a safe, healthy, great-tasting beef for our customers. We are very proud of this and look forward to serving you.

Open Range Cattle Company

Budd Sales

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:12:04 +0000

Budd Sales is a Manufacturers Rep firm; the primary business is the matching of customers with specific solutions. We can assist in areas of metal stamping and machining, plastic molding, fasteners to meet your production and assembly requirements.

Budd Sales was formed in 1997 by Tom Buddenbohn, following 20 successful years of representing Fastener, Stamping and Converting and Die Cutting firms.

Budd Sales’ Website

Daniel Herrington

admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:02:39 +0000

Daniel Herrington is a 22-year-old up-and-coming American Indy Lights driver from North Carolina. He has competed in 13 Firestone Indy Lights Series races and posted seven top-10 finishes. In 2008, Herrington competed in eight Indy Lights races with Michael Crawford Racing (4 starts) and RLR Andersen Racing (4 starts). He hopes to build on those experiences under the tutelage of team owner Bryan Herta.

Daniel Herrington’s Official Website