Why Web Standards? And what is Standards Compliant Design?

First, web standards are nothing new. They've been around since the web started. In fact it is the reason that any browser works on the web -- because there is a set of standards which tell the browser how to work.

The problem is that many older browsers don't properly conform to the standards. Namely they don't interpret Cascading Style Sheets properly. So web developers have had to devise clever workaround schemes for these bad browsers. Like every other web developer we also used messy tables and frames and other tricks to create our designs. These types of sites are notoriously difficult and expensive to maintain. And, as more browsers come on the market it is harder and harder to design for everyone.

Well, enough is enough. We feel that our clients will be better served with Standards Compliant Designs. These sites will last longer into the future, be cheaper to maintain, and will shine as older sites dim. There are plenty of free browsers that fully support Standards (Explorer 5.5, Opera 5, Netscape 6). In fact with Standards every browser and web device (whether old or new, handheld, braille, etc.) will be able to access your content simply by altering or removing the style sheet. They may not see your beautiful, elegant design, but they will be able to view the site - and that is what is important.

Find out more about the Web Standards Project.

And if you aren't running an up to date browser, we strongly recommend you go download a copy of:

Opera 5.11 (our personal favorite, slim, elegant, powerful, easy to use - what more can be said)

Internet Explorer 5.5

Netscape 6