Practical Layout Workshop With Andy Clarke

I had already made my peace with missing out on Andy’s workshop, but “thanks” to Covid he had to postpone and I was back in the game! This was huge for me because Andy’s influence on my perception of and approach to web design and graphic design in general cannot be overstated. I have been following Andy’s work for almost 20 years now; from his book Transcending CSS—that I have bowed to in an earlier version of this blog and whose Revisited edition can be read online—to his more recent masterpiece Art Direction for the Web. And all his blog posts, podcasts, and talks inbetween.

Why?

Because Andy is one of the few people who is not satisfied with the status quo of web design. Who brings terms like art, art direction, graphic design, editorial design, creativity, and fun back to the table. Who finds—and teaches to find—inspiration for layouts in the weirdest places, like comics, wrestling posters, or magazines from the ’70s. Who introduced me to fascinating designers like Bea Feitler, Karl Gerstner, and Willy Fleckhaus. Who is partly responsible for my current Bauhaus-mania.

I am deeply thankful for his fight to bring the magic and whimsy back to a profession that seems to have lost its spark.

So, naturally, his workshop was right up my alley: It was a well-balanced mix of slides, practical sessions in Sketch, and historical/cultural background for his approach to layouts on the web. He encouraged us to pop questions into Zoom’s Q&A chat and answered them in a timely manner. (He even said my name and tongue-in-cheekily promised me a prize for mentioning mobile/small viewports first! Oh the starstruck-ness!) For the concluding Q&A session he opened the floor for questions via audio. All in all, Andy spent almost two and a half hours with us, which—at the price point of 69 quid—is damn great value!

I already knew most of the grid theory and layout techniques from his books and talks. The added value for me was the opportunity to witness Andy’s thought process during the hands-on Sketch sessions and to get a glimpse into his repertoire of inspiration. With Andy, I am less interested in down-to-the-detail CSS tutorials than in absorbing the ever-present creativity. Less “Here Are All the Properties of CSS Grid,” more Getting Creative With Images in Long-Form Content.

I had a great time! The vibe of the whole thing was very mellow, almost familiar. And Andy is such a cool and classy lad that even the small technical difficulties in the beginning did not attract any negative attention.

I learned about this workshop via Andy’s RSS feed. I highly recommend you follow him, too.