Pixel Perfect Design

If you know me then you probably already know I’m a perfectionist. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is bad, but it definitely helps.

Right now, I am finishing two projects at my work where I’m responsible for web UI. That means a lot of coding in HTML/CSS and JavaScript but also putting a lot of attention to visual appearance. And there is where my perfectionism shows up. I found myself deliberating on moving an image one pixel in either way, aligning panels, elements, caring about white space, character spacing, proper font use, and a lot of other things. 

And that’s fun! I really like this part of a project when almost everything is done and I can focus on making small adjustments which could make a huge difference. Think of MacOS X. Guys at Apple already admitted they have a special group working on each software product release, which analyzes the application pixel-by-pixel ensuring the UI is laid well. And if you have ever seen an application made by Apple then it’s obvious they do their work perfectly well.

And that’s super cool. That’s making a difference. That’s what I really love doing!

PS) If you want to know what software I use for tweaking the visual appearance then here’s a list: Firefox + Firebug + Pixel Perfect + Pixie (Mac “software” magnifying glass).