Design Philosophy

Web Standards & Accessibility

Beginning with the first version of clarkmoody.com, I vowed to build nothing but standards-based websites. Well-formed code is essential to a portable, accessible site, and I want to make sure every visitor has a chance to see all of the content I have to offer.

When someone visits one of my websites, there are four possibilities I must consider:

CSS & JavaScript enabled
CSS disabled, JavaScript enabled
CSS enabled, JavaScript disabled
CSS & JavaScript disabled

As such, it is my duty to create code that degrades gracefully so that I have the best presentation possible given a user's browsing configuration. If you would like, disable stylesheets or JavaScript and see how the site looks. You should still be able to access all of the content no matter your limitations. As for screen readers and high-contrast browsing experiences, I am working on getting a speech stylesheet setup so that in the future, my site will be unique among the blind-friendly sites of the web.

Clean, Simple

My favorite sites on the web are the ones that present information to me in a clean, simple way. I don't want to see lots of moving, flashing images or sites that unfold from high-tech little boxes. I do want to see sites where the design presents the content in a clear, organized way. It's hard for me to visit sites like nba.com because there are four columns of content! Or places with enormous navs like msnbc.com. Not to mention the lovely 500px-tall ad that I get to see at the top of every few page views. I don't want to see all that mess.

Now I realize that enormous portal sites must struggle endlessly to find a way to present thousands of pages of dynamic content effectively, and a tip of the hat goes to the fearless data managers and programmers in charge of monster sites. But those sites don't really suit my preference. I read my news in RSS form with custom stylesheets and am very much in love with Web 2.0 applications like flickr and Gmail. I would rather read about the latest in technology from Techdirt, Digg, Slashdot, or Engadget than wade through countless articles on CNN and find nothing of interest.

Having such a strong opinion about what I like would be useless unless I put that opinion into action. I give my clients' sites the treatment I've come to enjoy on the web. I strive for simple, open designs that accent the content in a clean, professional manner. External stylesheets allow me to re-create the entire site from one document if I choose to do so later, or if my client requests it, with minimal time involved. In the world of web design, the client comes first. If I wouldn't visit my client's website because of poor design, what's the point? Cleanliness, maintainability, and visual appeal are the bottom line.

January 2007