My latest work is a set of six vector icons created around a camping theme. In this article I’ll discuss my design process and the fruitful collaboration with the client.

You might have heard about Semantic Code. It’s a coding best practice whereby, for example, one wraps block content in a block element (div, p, etc.), inline content in an inline element (span), lists in list elements (ul, ol), you get the drift. This might seem obvious but thanks, or rather, because of the flexibility offered by style sheets some web developers ignore the intrinsic inline or block nature of HTML elements because they can change it via CSS. So a <span> element can be made to be a block, a <div> can be turned into an inline element and so on. This malpractice conflicts with the very nature of HTML: it is a language and its function is to describe the contents of a web page. Ignoring that is not only foolish, it also makes for a more confused and less interconnected Internet, and we don’t want any of that. Writing semantic code means using HTML elements the way they were intended.

Now if code is poetry then why not take it to the extreme? How about Romantic Code? Say you’re creating a website for your girlfriend or a family member. Wouldn’t you like to add a personal touch to your code? Let’s get maudlin!