Cells are the structural and functional units of all living organisms. They are also the functional units of all websites and print work.
Even a simple business card is created using cells. It is the cell structure that determines that everything lines up:
| Tel: | 954 | . | 9999 | . | 3333 |
| Fax: | 954 | . | 3333 | . | 9999 |
| Email: | jj@ tsdg.com | ||||
| Website: | www.tsdg.com | ||||
When printed, it looks like this:
| Tel: | 954 | . | 9999 | . | 3333 |
| Fax: | 954 | . | 3333 | . | 9999 |
| Email: | jj@ tsdg.com | ||||
| Website: | www.tsdg.com | ||||
I would probably work a lot harder than I have for that example by trying to see if the periods could all line up. Each cell has its properties set individually. Some will be left-aligned, some right, some centered. Height, width and spacing above each word or symbol, below each word or symbol - and to either side.
So imagine the conversation:
Client: Add my toll free number and change my email address to jackie(at)tangledspider.com
Me: OK, I'll schedule it for tomorrow.
Client: But it's such a simple change, it will only take a couple of minutes.
Actually, it could take several hours.
On something like a menu, it may be composed of thousands, if not tens of thousands of cells. The cells keep everything in place.
Sometimes, it seems that people think that graphic design work is all done in Word document and that spaces are created using the space bar!
If you show prices on your menu, they will be in cells like this:
| $ | 22 | . | 99 |
For every price, the dollar sign, the dollar amount, the period and the cents will be in their own individual cell and each will have its individual properties set by hand.
Cells are even more important on a website. Your website viewers will be accessing your site using a variety of browser / platform combinations. (We test for about 70, including cellphones). The ONLY thing that ensures that your site works in all these variations is the cell structure.
Don't underestimate the importance of cells.
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