Editing CSS Zen Garden

{{short description|World Wide Web development resource}}

{{Infobox website
| name            = CSS Zen Garden
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| screenshot      = <!-- Deleted image removed:  [[File:Zen garden-en.JPG|450px]] -->
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| url             = {{URL|http://www.csszengarden.com/}}
| commercial      =
| type            =
| language        =
| registration    =
| owner           =
| author          =
| launch_date     = May 2003
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}}

{{CSS}}

The '''CSS Zen Garden''' is a [[World Wide Web]] [[Web development|development]] resource "built to demonstrate what can be accomplished visually through [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]]-based design." It launched in May 2003.{{sfn|Shea & Holzschlag|p=2}}

Style sheets contributed by [[graphic design]]ers from around the world are used to change the visual presentation of a single [[HTML]] file, producing hundreds of different designs. Aside from reference to an external CSS file, the HTML markup itself never changes. All visual differences are the result of the CSS (and supporting imagery).

== History ==
CSS Zen Garden brought five designs at launch.

The website was inspired by a CSS-related contest from [[HotBot]], by web developer Chris Casciano's experiment called "Daily CSS Fun", as well as the [[Web Standards Project]]'s efforts to get CSS adopted more widely by designers.{{sfn|Shea & Holzschlag|p=13}} Considered "one of the best-known and most inspirational projects to come out of to the web standards movement," {{sfn|Kennedy|p=95}} the site has succeeded at "raising aesthetic standards on the web and enriching web design."{{sfn|Kennedy|p=105}} The noted web standards advocate [[Jeffrey Zeldman]] observes: "Hundreds of designers have made their mark -- and sometimes their reputations -- by creating Zen Garden layouts, and tens of thousands all over the world have learned to love CSS because of it."{{sfn|Zeldman|p=137}}

CSS Zen Garden has  been translated into several languages and inspired similar sites in other languages.

In February 2005, ''[[The Zen of CSS Design]]'' ([[Peachpit Press]]) was published by CSS Zen Garden creator [[Dave Shea (web designer)|Dave Shea]] and web designer [[Molly Holzschlag]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawson |first=Bruce |title=An interview with Dave Shea, the CSS Zen Gardener |url=https://www.dmxzone.com/go/5442/an-interview-with-dave-shea-the-css-zen-gardener/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608105013/http://www.dmxzone.com/ShowDetail.asp?NewsId=5442 |archive-date=2007-06-08 |access-date=2007-06-05 |website=DMXzone.com |language=en}}</ref> The book is based on 36 designs featured at the Zen Garden site.

Active development of the site stopped in April 2008. However, on May 7, 2013, for the site's tenth anniversary, Shea opened up submissions again, focusing on [[HTML5]], CSS3 and current design principles.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://mezzoblue.com/archives/2013/05/07/10_years/ |last= Shea |first= Dave |author-link= Dave Shea (web designer) |title= 10 Years |work= Mezzoblue |accessdate= 2013-05-07 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130509060513/http://mezzoblue.com/archives/2013/05/07/10_years/ |archive-date= 2013-05-09 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
There are currently 218 listed designs for the Zen Garden.

== See also ==
*[[Web standards]]
*''[[A List Apart]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{Cite book

| last = Kennedy
| first = Helen
| title = Net Work: Ethics and Values in Web Design
| location = New York
| publisher = Palgrave Macmillan
| isbn = 978-0-230-23140-5
| date = 2012
|ref={{sfnRef|Kennedy}}
}}
*{{Cite book
| last1 = Shea
| first1 = Dave
| last2 = Holzschlag
| first2 = Molly E.
| title = The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web
| location = San Francisco
| publisher = Peachpit Press
| isbn = 978-0-321-30347-9
| date = 2005
| ref = {{sfnRef|Shea & Holzschlag}}
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/zenofcssdesignvi00shea
}}
*{{Cite book
| last = Zeldman
| first = Jeffrey
| title = Designing with Web Standards
| location = Berkeley
| date = 2007
| edition = 2nd
| publisher = New Riders
| isbn = 978-0-321-38555-0
| ref = {{sfnRef|Zeldman}}
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/designingwithweb0000zeld_0
}}

== External links ==
* {{official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140831121826/http://www.mezzoblue.com/zengarden/alldesigns/ CSS Zen Garden 'All Designs' List] – access to hundreds of archived designs submitted to the site
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140901221830/http://mezzoblue.com/ Mezzoblue] – creator Dave Shea's blog on web design issues

{{DEFAULTSORT:Css Zen Garden}}
[[Category:Computing websites]]
[[Category:Cascading Style Sheets]]
[[Category:Collaborative software]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2003]]