Website Review of CSS Zen Garden
CSS Zen Garden, at first glance, made very little sense to me. Out of curiosity, I clicked on it before really getting into this lesson. With links that seemed to be broken, along with the downloads toward the top of the page, frankly, this website created some confusion in me; I thought, “Oh no, what is this lesson going to get me into?”. As I proceeded through the lesson though, I found myself understanding this website more until finally, I decided to link one of my previous “hands on practice” pages to the downloaded .css file. Now CSS Zen Garden had my attention!
From what I can tell by looking at the website and reviewing the many variations created by others, is that this is a web designer’s playground. This website makes it possible to see what CSS can do with the same HTML file. I have to wonder how long it has taken some of these expert web designers to learn how to manipulate the CSS coding language and to make these webpages work and appear as they do. Although all of the designs are noteworthy, I would have to say that “Steel” by Steffen Knoeller is my favorite. The animations have me quite intrigued.
CSS Zen Garden has much more than what can be seen at first glance. Don’t get me wrong, admiring the finished artwork is great; as an artist myself, I am quite drawn to this site, but the actual point is in the educational and creative opportunities for any and all web designers. There is also a partnered book called “The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web” available for purchase for those looking to dig deeper into this website. As I learn more about website coding and increase my understanding, I will be sure to revisit this website over and over. I am hopeful that someday soon, as I go back into CSS Zen Garden that it will serve as a resource into my understanding of CSS programing and capabilities. Who knows, maybe someday I will be able to contribute my own creation there.