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Article:

37 Questions Web Designers/Developers Should Know the Answer To

Oct 25, 2006 (CSS, Web Standards)

  1. What is HTML?
  2. What are the different versions of HTML?
  3. What about XHTML?
  4. Is HTML case-sensitive?
  5. What does the DOCTYPE declaration do?
  6. What is a DTD?
  7. What is the difference between Strict, Transitional and Frameset DTDs?
  8. Which DOCTYPE should I use?
  9. Why should I validate my markup?
  10. Why does HTML allow sloppy coding?
  11. Why does the validator complain about my <embed> tag?
  12. What does character encoding (charset) mean?
  13. What is a BOM?
  14. What encoding should I declare?
  15. How do I insert characters outside the encoding range?
  16. Why do I need to write &amp; instead of just &?
  17. How should heading elements be used?
  18. What are block-level and inline elements?
  19. Can I make an inline element block-level with CSS?
  20. Why are external CSS and JavaScript files a good idea?
  21. Should I use p or br?
  22. What does “semantic” mean?
  23. Should I replace b and i with strong and em?
  24. Why are layout tables considered harmful?
  25. Should I use divs instead of layout tables?
  26. Are tables deprecated?
  27. What is the correct use of the address element type?
  28. What is the correct use of the dfn element type?
  29. What is the correct use of the var element type?
  30. Should I use quotation marks within or around a q element?
  31. What is the difference between abbr and acronym?
  32. Why is <feature X> deprecated</feature>?
  33. Must I have an alt attribute for every image?
  34. What is the difference between class and id?
  35. Why doesn’t id="123" work?
  36. Why doesn’t <a href=My Cool Page.html> work?
  37. How can I include an HTML page in another HTML page?
Do you know the answers?

Tommy Olsson has written an excellent article for SitePoint entitled “Bulletproof HTML: 37 Steps to Perfect Markup.” The article’s title is a bit misleading as it’s not actually outlining any process or steps to being a better designer, as it is answering some common questions regarding HTML. Olsson’s insight is invaluable for those new to HTML or those of us that thought we knew the answers to a few of the questions he poses.

8 Responses to “37 Questions Web Designers/Developers Should Know the Answer To”

  1. Hmmm,

    Good questions…. for a developer.

    I think a designer would be better equipped with questions about colour theory, effective use of the elements and principles of design (line, shape, direction, size, texture, colour, value, balance, gradation, repetition, repetition, contrast, harmony, dominance, & unity, and of course a strong typographic understanding. The answers to these questions would just seal the deal.

    Like I said, a good list for developers, but for a designer the aesthetics should be more important than the appropriate DOCTYPE.

    Cheers

    Michael Cober Mar 10, 2007

  2. Regarding Michael’s comment, I think you’re limiting the duty of a designer when the entry mentioned web designer. Web designers manipulate HTML. It is not a question of developing versus designing. Developers can be web designers, and so can “typical” designers like graphic designers and other aesthetically inclined people. In fact, anybody who comes in contact should read the answers to these questions to understand the Why behind the What.

    As for the article, that was a good spin on the Sitepoint article. Crafty. :)

    ia Mar 13, 2007

  3. Well, they had me at “BOM”… and I still don’t fully understand what it is…

    Julián Rodriguez Orihuela Mar 20, 2007

  4. As the others mentioned I also think this far more Developer biased. Web design can be a broad area, but you still need to be a designer. I’ve seen too many crash and burns from developers who think 100% reasoning equals a good design. Sometimes it works, but you really really have to be and exceptional developer to achieve that.

    I’m more of an all-around designer in every area of design (with this I mean industrial, graphical, web, furniture, game etc.) and I’ve had a good share of battles with the nemesis of designer vs. developer/engineer.

    I mainly think it’s a symbiosis between the two. Designers are here to bend the rules and create something unique. Developers/engineers are there to make it possible and to keep it in balance. It HELPS for both sides to know about the others profession, but should they know it as a reflex? No. It starts to interfere with the process and in worst case scenarious it will cripple it.

    I’ve learned that in a design process (can pretty much be anything from spoons to marketing) it’s a good beginning to use a 50/50 balance between the two, but when the product is getting closer to the final state the balance should be 60-70/30-40 (can be turned any way around you want). 50/50 is compromise between everything and finally leads to mediocre result.

    As for this list, there are very few things are related to design (and most of them are really stretched).

    Calle Grönlund Mar 20, 2007

  5. I like this site, in inspires me to see other web developers and designers make a good job

    Keep up the good work..

    Michael Persson

    Michael Persson May 5, 2007

  6. Good Article i think that it could be better with the correct answers

    Felipe López Jun 19, 2007

  7. Graphic designers are mostly graphics, printing and artistic and creative experts while a web designer are coding experts and have fortunately expert experience in web graphics, loading time, usability and Search Engine Optimization, xhtml and css.. knowledge.

    These are two different jobs and cant be competitive but co-operative supporting each other professionally.

    Michael Persson Aug 9, 2007

  8. awesome articles……:D..very helpful for some designer like me..but should I learn these 37 step questions,mmmm…any designer cannot do that..isn’t it?

    Agus Pelani Nov 12, 2007

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