Magic numbers like z-index: 99999 are guesses. How I set up z-index tokens in CSS variables, pair a modal with its backdrop using calc(), and use isolation to keep a component’s layering inside the component.
AI raised the floor on production, and that changed what designers are actually paid for. Here is where human strategy still decides the outcome, and why judgment now carries the accountability.
The Smashing Magazine wallpaper set for March 2026, including the Cascade Style Sheet design, plus the add_image_size code I use so high-res art does not slow down a WordPress theme.
Jason Stockill built his son’s racing site himself, then handed it to a design service once it needed a WooCommerce store, a newsletter and a championship history. What changes when a site stops being a brochure.
WordPress sites carry more digital weight than they need. This post covers dark-first themes, lighter image formats like AVIF, and trimming the “digital fat” that slows sites down and drains batteries.
A streak is not a counter you increment. Notes on the psychology that makes streaks work, the timezone and race condition bugs that break them, and why grace mechanisms belong in the design from the start.
A 2MB GIF spinner is a network request competing with the content it is covering. Inline SVG loaders skip the request entirely, scale without blurring, and inherit theme colors through currentColor.
A pyramidal hexagon grid used to need JavaScript and negative margins. Modern CSS does it with grid auto-placement, sibling-index() and some triangular-number math, plus a fallback for narrow screens.
Mental health apps need more than clean code. This is the empathy-centred UX framework I use: progressive onboarding, low-stimulus interfaces, and a retention system that does not punish a missed day.
Agentic AI features need more than a good prompt. These are the patterns I use to keep users in control: intent previews, an autonomy dial, an action audit log with a working undo, and escalation when the model is not confident.