WP Builds

On the podcast today, David Waumsley and I go a journey through the evolution of web typography! We both admit to feeling a mix of intrigue and intimidation toward typography, traditionally seen as the realm of design experts. We start by acknowledging the historical constraints of web typography and the relevance of its principles, despite the shift to the digital age. We then get into modern practices, such as responsive design and the shift from pixels to rems. We also explore new web typography features, including font size adjust, kerning, and scroll animations, while emphasising the significance of accessibility and internationalisation, particularly for non-Latin languages. Fluid typography and its benefits, like proportional font size changes, are highlighted, along with tools such as the Utopia CSS generator for creating cohesive designs. The practicalities of ensuring readability through proper spacing and underlining are also explored. We wrap up with a look at the shift from system fonts to the abundance of Google Fonts, highlighting the importance of readability and clarity in contemporary web design. For anyone interested in the nuances of modern web typography and responsive design, this episode is for you.

The WordPress news from the last week which commenced Monday 24th June 2024. You can find it here: https://wpbuilds.com/2024/07/02/this-week-in-wordpress-300

In podcast episode #378 of WP Builds, Aaron Edwards discusses his DocsBot AI, a chatbot plugin designed for WordPress customer support. Edwards, former CTO of WPMUDev, shares his journey into AI, highlighting his work on the Imajinn plugin and his pivot to developing DocsBot AI. This AI-based SaaS integrates with various content sources to train custom bots, automating customer ticket responses while ensuring GDPR compliance. The episode covers the technical aspects, integration capabilities, pricing, and future potentials of AI in customer service, making it a valuable listen for WordPress developers and business owners seeking to streamline support workflows.

The WordPress news from the last week which commenced Monday 17th June 2024 with Remkus de Vries, Birgit Pauli-Haack, Birgit Olzem. You can find the show here: https://wpbuilds.com/2024/06/25/this-week-in-wordpress-299

Today we discuss advancements in web image standards and new CSS features. Topics include object fit, aspect ratio, border images, filters, clip path, mask-image, and backdrop filters, which offer alternatives to traditional image editing tools like Photoshop. The episode also covers HTML and CSS considerations, such as img and picture elements, alt tags, and loading attributes. New image formats like WebP and AVIF are examined, along with the use of SVGs for accessibility and performance benefits. Go listen...

In Podcast #376, guest Piccia Neri, a seasoned designer and long-time collaborator with WP Builds, discusses the evolution of her career and the critical role of accessibility in web design. Initially a book designer, Piccia adapted her skills to the digital age, emphasizing accessibility as essential for good UX. The episode explores the importance of starting web design with content and typography, driven by ethical considerations and upcoming legislation like the European Accessibility Act. Piccia shares actionable insights on accessible typography, HTML structuring, and how accessible design can boost SEO. Listeners are offered valuable resources, including a free accessibility primer and workshops.

The WordPress news from the last week which commenced Monday 27th May 2024. You can find it here: https://wpbuilds.com/2024/06/04/this-week-in-wordpress-298

Today we're talking to Marcel Bootsman from Kinsta, discussing Kinsta's static site hosting. We get into the benefits, technical nuances, and environmental sustainability of static site hosting, highlighting its potential to enhance WordPress website speed and efficiency. Marcel explains how Kinsta leverages Cloudflare's global infrastructure and discusses the complexities involved. The conversation also touches on the developer expertise needed and the possibility of integrating dynamic elements into static sites. Kinsta's static hosting emerges as a cost-effective and high-performing alternative to traditional methods, offering insights on getting started and associated costs.

So this is like no podcast episode I've ever done. Normally it's me talking to one, perhaps two, other people... but not today! A few weeks ago I was on a call with Adam Warner and Marcus Burnette from GoDaddy, and we were trying to come with fun ways to celebrate the 21st birth of WordPress, which is on May 27th 2024. This podcast is the result. It's 21 voices from the WordPress world who recorded themselves speaking about their experiences of WordPress; the software, the community, the things that it's enabled for them. And it's wonderful. It's varied, it's interesting, it's encouraging, it's fun! I truly hope that you enjoyed this episode, I enjoyed making it!

Once more we bring you a podcast hijack in which the No Script Show takes over the WP Builds podcast, perhaps for the last time? I confess that I'm enjoying this new project very much indeed!

We get into some of the new features that have been added to CSS and what they enable you to do, and how widely supported they are.

If you've not listened to the previous 9 episodes, then you won't know that your browser is getting more capable and instead of hacking things together with frameworks and scripts, we can now do many of the 'cool things' with just a smattering of CSS.

But what are these CSS things, and how do they allow the user of a web page to have some control in what they see, and how do they enable you, the website builder do do things with less dependencies and in shorter amounts of time?

Listen to find out...