Converting mock-ups to Drupal themes

SESSION OVERVIEW
Themeing is often called a black art as it appears to rely heavily on the gut-instinct of the themer. However, often what appears to be a gut-check is actually the analysis of a handful of factors. The purpose of this session is describe a practical workflow for how to approach turning a mock-up into a theme using design and user requirements as sign posts. The session will begin with a discussion of the requirements that affect themeing decisions, then pull these requirements into a usable workflow, and end with the real-time development of themeing strategies for three different mock-ups.

TRACK
Design and user experience

AGENDA

• Discuss requirements have the greatest impact on how a theme is constructed (Case studies to be references are in this section include HarvardScience, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and the Berkman Center.)
• Types of mock-ups: difference types of mockups present different types of challenges
• Flexibility: some sites must be yogis while others just need to be able to touch their toes
• Drupalness: some sites exude drupal-like qualities while others do anything but
• Control issues: the pros and cons of being a markup control freak
• Logic: sometimes you need to let your theme pick-up where the modules left off
• How can all these contributing factors be wrestled into a usable guide for theme construction?
• What to do when you are handed mark-up and can’t change a thing
• Use the previously discussed workflow to develop themeing strategies for three different mock-ups

GOALS
By the end of this session, participants should be able to look a mock-up and come up with a solid strategy for how to go about building a theme with confidence.

RESOURCES
An basic understanding of a theme’s components will be assumed.