The power of images isn’t just about improving website conversion.

They can transport us. Sometimes in space, sometimes in time, often in perspective.

I was still teaching Physics back in 1997, at a Technology School in Canterbury which was very forward-looking, and had two full labs of internet-enabled computers. This was also the time when NASA’s Mars Pathfinder was beaming back data and pictures from the surface of Mars. It remains one of my unforgettable moments in history.

As much as the tag has been a bit limiting in the modern responsive era, it was still sufficient back in 1997 to enable classes of pupils and me to stare wide-eyed in wonder, as we got to view the surface of another planet through the eyes of the Sojourner rover as it explored Ares Vallis on the northern hemisphere of Mars.

Much has changed since 1997. Those pupils will have grown up to be 30-somethings. The Internet has grown up to become a ubiquitous aspect of our daily lives, and our devices have evolved from desktops to luggables to the truly portable, pocketable and wearable. Finally, that humble tag is undergoing a growth phase. It’s perhaps entering into that difficult teenage stage, but is displaying so many signs of it’s future potential.

I’m thrilled to announce that Five Simple Steps have published my pocket book: ‘Practical Responsive Images’: http://www.fivesimplesteps.com/products/practical-responsive-images

In this pocket guide we’ll consider the cost and value of images, review image formats and historic practices, and explore some of the new features and tools available to us, such that we can be in a position to undertake a practical approach to responsive images.

It can often be easier to learn by doing, so most code examples are made available for you to review and experiment with via a zero-install live coding environment. My hope is that you will quickly be able to see how you might start to exploit the new approaches in your own projects.

I really hope that you find the book useful and interesting, and would appreciate any feedback you might have.

 

 

– Mars image source from NASA: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/imp/pan/prez.html