There’s been a lot of buzz lately around a new CSS framework called Blueprint. It’s basically a collection of resources pulled together from other sources: Khoi’s grids, Richard’s vertical rhythm, Eric’s reset and more.
Some people—including contributors to the CSS—have expressed their reservations about the non-semantic class names used in the framework. That’s a valid concern but, as Simon pointed out in the comments to Mark’s post, you don’t have to restrict yourself to those class names: you can always add your own semantics to the markup.
I don’t see myself using Blueprint. It just seems too restrictive for use in a real-world project. Maybe if I’m building a grid-based layout that’s precisely 960 pixels wide it could save me some time, but I’m mostly reminded of the quote apocryphally attributed to Henry Ford about the Model T:
The customer can have any color he wants so long as it’s black.
Unless I’m creating cookie-cutter sites, I don’t think a CSS framework can help me. That said, I think a framework like Blueprint has its place.
At Clearleft, a lot of our work involves wireframing. Every Information Architect has their own preference for tools and formats for creating wireframes and prototypes: some use Visio, others Omnigraffle. James and Richard usually start with paper and then move on to HTML, CSS and even a dab of JavaScript.
This results in quick wireframes that illustrate hierarchy, are addressable and allow for a good level of interaction. Creating HTML wireframes requires a different mindset to creating documents intended for the Web. You don’t have to worry about cross-browser CSS, bulletproof markup or unobtrusive JavaScript. With those concerns out of the equation, the benefits of using cookie-cutter code really come to the fore.
So while I might have reservations about using a JavaScript library on a production site, I’d have no such qualms when it comes to generating a quick prototype. The same goes for Blueprint. I think it could be ideally suited to HTML wireframes.
I may be a bit of a control freak, but I’d no sooner use a CSS framework for a live site than I’d use clip art for images. I firmly believe that creating good markup is a craft that, like good design, takes time. It may seem unrealistic to some, but I don’t want to compromise that quality without a very good reason.
That’s my hard-nosed attitude when it comes to creating documents for the World Wide Web. If the documents are intended purely as wireframes for internal use, then my attitude softens considerably. Then I think a framework like Blueprint could really shine.
17 Shares
# Shared by Daniel Schildt on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 6:34pm
# Shared by TJ Pitre on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 6:35pm
# Shared by Chris Ferdinandi ⚓️ on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 6:36pm
# Shared by Scott O'Hara on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 6:38pm
# Shared by Rasmus Fløe on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 6:38pm
# Shared by Tim Baxter on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 6:41pm
# Shared by Corey Megown on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 6:57pm
# Shared by (((Niels Müller))) on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 6:57pm
# Shared by LucitheR 🌈 on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 7:11pm
# Shared by Thomas Puppe on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 9:57pm
# Shared by Brian Carstensen on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 10:21pm
# Shared by yuanchuan on Thursday, August 17th, 2017 at 11:33pm
# Shared by Jeremy Wynn on Friday, August 18th, 2017 at 12:42am
# Shared by Ariel on Friday, August 18th, 2017 at 2:23am
# Shared by Lucy Sloss on Friday, August 18th, 2017 at 8:19am
# Shared by David Lewis on Friday, August 18th, 2017 at 12:13pm
# Shared by Christof on Saturday, August 19th, 2017 at 9:29am