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It actually does not seem too long ago that I received my University diploma (in Visual Communications at the University of Art and Design in Offenbach, Germany). But when I think about what has changed since then, about everything I experienced and learned, it seems more like an eternity ago. When I look back at…
CSS can get quite complicated too, and with ever more demanding web designs the stylesheets grow longer and more elaborate. Sass (short for Syntactically Awesome Stylesheets) offers a solution: with variables and nested rules, for example, writing CSS becomes a lot easier.
To make getting started and working with Sass easier, Dan Cederholm (founder of Dribbble, blogging at SimpleBits) has written an easy to follow guide with tips and tricks in his new A Book Apart book “Sass for Web Designers”.
For everyone who has not dared to try Sass yet, or has not worked with it much, the book’s appealing layout and relaxed, easy language make a great introduction. If you want to start right away, the ebook is 9 US dollars, and there is also a very nice bound edition for 18 US dollars plus shipping.
The latest A Book Apart release, “Design is a Job” by Mike Monteiro (Mule Design Studio in San Francisco), is especially interesting for designers and web designers who want to learn more about dealing with clients, billing their design work, the working process as a designer, or collaborating with other freelancers. The second chapter, “Getting Clients”, can be read online as a sample on A List Apart. You can order “Design is a Job” as an ebook (9 US dollars) or paperback (18 US dollars plus shipping) on the A Book Apart website. Enjoy the read :)
The little books from A Book Apart are always a highlight for web designers and developers, so we were especially pleased about the current offer to buy the two newest titles, “Designing for Emotion” by Aarron Walter and “Mobile First” by Luke Wroblewski, as a bundle. The ebook versions of both are available for 15 US dollars. We have not worked through our copies completely yet, but the texts read well and the language is never too complicated. We think the books are a clear recommendation for every web design fan.
The book “PARCOURS Existenzgründung für Designer” by Sophia Muckle, published by Verlag Hermann Schmidt Mainz, is in my view a must-have for every creative mind planning to go self-employed or already working as a freelancer. It gives practical answers to questions about finding clients, pricing, law, taxes and insurance. The book (in German) has been with us since we started our own business and its advice has helped us many times.
