1TOUGH LOVE

Like an old man who makes his kids call him sir instead of daddy, IE6 isn’t afraid to tell you when you’ve done something wrong, and then kicks you in the ass about it, even when every other browser tells you that it’s right. In fact, it will even go so far as to implode your website until you identify the problem. Nothing is better than thinking you’ve just coded the perfect website, until you preview something completely different in IE6.

2POPULARITY

Okay, so IE6 isn’t the coolest browser on the block, but it’s presence is still very prevalent. Sad fact is, most people use this browser out of ignorance, because it’s their first (and sometimes) only portal to the internet after uploading Windows XP.

3THE PIONEER

DHTML enhancements, content restricted inline frames, and partial support of CSS level 1, DOM level 1, and SMIL 2.0 were all new functions that came out when IE 6 was born in April of 2001. Thank IE 6 for your precious style sheets!

4PNG, WHAT IS THAT?

It’s always fun to try and use a .png image in your website, because IE6 likes to place a nice blue aura around the area that is suppose to be transparent. There are png hacks out there that manipulate to browser, but just the fact that you have to hack your png’s for your website is a headache all on its own.

5THE DEATH OF NETSCAPE

Before the development of IE 5 & 6, Netscape 4 dominated the Internet with it’s horrible lack of the ability to alter text and images after a page was loaded, and Netscape’s proprietary LAYER extensions as oppose to the superior cascading style sheets. Soon after Microsoft created a licensing agreement with both AOL and MAC, stomping the already wounded Netscape to death under it’s boot-heel. But in Netscape’s last dieing breath, it went open source, thus creating the most used browser on the internet today: Firefox!.

6IE6 IS IMMORTAL

IE6 will never die. Even with IE8 released and dominating the interwebs, IE6 is still in the shadows, haunting the poor websites that never considered it’s constrictions. I have a feeling web designers are going to be pulling their hair over IE6 for a very very long time.

This weeks post I want to talk about following your passions as a web designer and how to get into the industry.

If you have been dreaming of the perfect job that reflects your very passions as a person, I suggest that you just try it. Not saying that you should go freelance right away by any means, but start in baby steps. Start taking a community college course on the subject, and see if you’re still interested after the class is over. If after that you still want to pursue that ambition, take as much extra time that you can to learn the subject consistently. This means taking more courses, buying a couple books and spending a few hours each night writing notes and studying, and actually trying it out! Don’t be afraid to create something for the first time, because once you do this, you’ve already completed the first step.

Here are a few steps I used to get myself in the field

When starting out in any field, surround yourselves with professionals related to that field. The reason being is so you can learn from their experience, have someone to accurately answer your questions, and more over someone to critique your work, and suggest ways that you can improve.

The key to finding any clients when you first start working on your own is identifying your niche. What sets you apart from other designers that are looking for the same target market? Once you do this, you can find others who sell to the same market, but arn’t direct competitors. Once you do this, you can start networking with other people to referral work back and forth, creating a stable stream of clients in your network. I am not a freelance, but I do receive consistent work through this method. I recommend that you go to your city’s chamber of commerce, start talking with others about what they do, and from their start networking with them. A good example of a perfect relationship with a web designer are web programmers, graphic designers, photographers, and social media marketers just to name a few. They all share the same creative market, but arn’t competing each other because their services differ.

If you have any questions on how to get your foot in the door, I would absolutely love to speak with you! Shoot me an email via my contacts page. Maybe I can even add you in my network!

Some #FF Love. Most of these people I interact with daily, so give them a follow. All are awesome!

• @fontburger
• @joshcagwin
• @aaroni268
• @openboxcreative
• @adellecharles
• @kylesteed
• @chatcreative
• @joelbeukelman
• @omgxzombies
• @Marcellpurham
• @joshroyse
• @death2themovies
• @cherub_rock123
• @lopezdesigns
• @theleggett
• @est_1911
• @motbones
• @UDontKnowJackie
• @shaken_blake
• @seotips2go

Music is undeniably a universal language. There have always been variable opinions on which music is “better” than another, but the reality is everyone is inspired by different types of music.

Were it not for music, we might in these days say, the Beautiful is dead. ~Benjamin Disraeli

For me personally, I’m inspired by extremely different types of music depending on what I’m doing. If I am designing something for example, I tend to listen to pianist David Nevue, the Irish music of Loreena Mckennitt, movie soundtracks, and pure instrumentals. When I’m coding or developing something, It’s a completely different story; Stuff like Ensifirum, Amon Amarth, and Children of Bodom blast my headphones. In Flames, Opeth, and Nightwish just to name a few more.

What I want to ask is what music inspires your creativity and why?