HTML5 24-Hour Trainer

Chapter 28. Integrating Advanced Design Elements

HTML5 is, at the moment, the very definition of cutting-edge. Many of the features built into the language are just barely being supported cross-browser. In this lesson, you explore a few of the more tantalizing prospects in HTML5 and CSS3. Looking to add more print-like typography to your sites? Check out the section on the new @font-face CSS property. Need to develop sites for smart phones and tablets? Take advantage of the new media query capabilities in the multiple screen section. Want to add dynamic imaging capabilities to your repertoire? Be sure to read the section on using the HTML5 <canvas> tag. The best news is that all three of these technologies are usable today and definitely prepare you to better handle the future of the Web.

EXPANDING FONT POSSIBILITIES

Type has long been the bane of the web designer's existence—especially those designers who came from the print world. In print, there is a veritable universe of choice when it comes to typefaces. On the Web, designers have been restricted to a very small number of fonts common to the major computing platforms. Worse, you could never be sure exactly what font was being displayed on the site visitor's screen because the CSS font-family property allowed for a number of options.

Happily, using fonts on the Web just got a whole lot better with the @font-face CSS declaration. The @font-face declaration is specified in the CSS3 working draft, but the benefit is so needed, almost ...