Howdy matey? How have you been? How is web design for you? Is it too hard to learn the tags, elements and whatnot, or are you having a great time? Does the code seem scary at times, or was it just me?
Today, we are going to learn CSS, or rather we will show you where you can learn CSS online. What’s CSS again? CSS is short for Cascading Style Sheets, and it’s nothing but a presentation language web designers use to define how HTML elements are displayed.
According to Codecademy.com, CSS is what gives “…your HTML pages their beautiful appearance.” It covers everything from backgrounds, colors, fonts, heights, widths and margins amongst others.
It goes without saying, therefore, that you must first acquaint yourself with HTML to take full advantage of CSS. The two go together – always, and their respective flavors (at the time of writing) are HTML5 and CSS3.
With that out of the way, where can you learn CSS online, so you won’t have to get off the couch or leave the luxury of your home?
Codecademy
Codecademy is where you want to go to learn everything code. Their HTML and CSS course is no exception. They serve the course via a simple and fun interface that makes learning HTML and CSS as easy as pie.
You start the lesson right away, you don’t need to sign up, or – if you’d already signed up in the past – sign in. You earn badges as you go along, but you must sign up/in to save your progress. You’ll have fun with the Codecademy HTML and CSS course that’s a guarantee.
W3Schools
I often frequent W3Schools.com when I want to learn new CSS tricks myself. And that’s because the site has one of the best CSS tutorial on the web.
The tutorial teaches CSS and CSS3, comes with an online editor, and hundreds of examples as well as quizzes. You can even get your very own diploma certificate for less than $100! The tutorials are, of course, 100% free.
HTML Dog
I won’t lie to you, I started my web design lessons at HTML Dog. I got to HTML Dog from another website, where I was learning C++. That’s right, I was fascinated with C++ long before I could write my first page, but enough about me.
Back to HTML Dog. This was my foundation – the foundation of the HTML + CSS skills I boast of today. They offer easy-to-follow and practical guides on HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
You learn the latest CSS3 techniques, play around with bare-bone examples, and indulge in a one-of-a-kind reference section that will leave you ready for the world. Twitter @htmldog
Shay Howe
Shay Howe’s website is a marvel, and his HTML and CSS course, well, that’s just out of this world. As soon as you load the course, you’ll get the feeling you’re in for some good-good learning.
It’s relaxed, written like a blog post, but packs a punch as far as teaching HTML and CSS is concerned. Your lesson starts immediately you land at learn.shayhowe.com.
HTML.net
First, they will let you know creating websites is easy stuff. One statement later, you are met with awesome tutorials on HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript. They also have forums where you can discuss everything web development.
HTML.net is ran by Andreas Astrup, Joachim Cohn Jacobsen, and Jonas Astrup. It is owned by BITMA that operates out of Copenhagen S, Denmark.
Tizag
Tizag is a simple website that’s dedicated to beginner web programmers looking to learn the latest web techniques available. If you want to be a better web designer, Tizag is the place you to be.
Their CSS tutorials are easy to comprehend since the tone used is friendlier than what you’ll find on other websites of its caliber. Everything is explained step by step to ensure you make the most of each tutorial.
CSS Zen Garden
If you’d like to learn by example (or by following the path set by the masters), you need to compliment your CSS course with CSS Zen Garden, a one of a kind resource that opens your eyes to the beauty of CSS design.
In ways unimaginable, you will learn how to play with various CSS designs, that you test on an example HTML file provided freely. Zen Garden shows you CSS in action, giving you the chance to appreciate its unbridled power.
CSS Play
The combined work of Mr. and Mrs. Stu Nicholls, CSS Play “…has been around since 2005 and is now at the forefront of CSS development.” It’s a huge collection of CSS experiments and demos that make learning CSS easier and a lot more fun.
It’s listed on W3c.org and covers everything from menus, boxes, cross-browser compatibility, and layouts among others. The demos such as the Tic-tac-toe game are so much fun, you won’t get bored. I spent a few minutes on CSS PLAY messing around with the demos, and I must admit it’s addictive.
CSS Basics
No other CSS tutorial website could spot a laid back design yet provide so much insight into the world of CSS. CSS Basics is where you go to learn the basics of CSS – how to use CSS to separate your content from its presentation.
The course is easy to follow, what with a great table of contents that loads each course immediately to the right. With CSS Basics, you’ll become a pro in no time.
Microsoft Virtual Academy
Perhaps you don’t fancy reading tutorials on CSS3 or even HTML5. How about watching your way to becoming the next web design pro? In an interactive video series that spans across 21 episodes, Bob Tabor teaches you the basics of HTML5 and CSS3 in an easy to understand way that will leave you craving for more.
I watched a few episodes, and I must confess that it’s not everyday you come across such as great video tutorial on HTML5 and CSS3. What are waiting for? Go check out the tutorial.
Bonus : Google
Want to find the next best CSS3 tutorial? Start your search on Google. The first result is exclusively picked from the myriad other tutorials out there to ensure you get the best resource for your needs.
Just go to Google and type “CSS tutorial” or “Where to learn CSS online”. You can even get really specific with your searches, so yeah, nothing is to hold you back.
Now You…
Did we leave out your favorite CSS learning resource? Bring the fight to the comment section!
