2012

2012 has been a whirlwind to say the least, and looking back it’s safe to say I kept myself busy. Here’s a look at what I was up to in 2012.

January

A Tel Tale Sign – a reminder to web designers that mobile phones are indeed phones
Test on Real Mobile Devices without Breaking the Bank – a look into how to procure testing devices on the cheap

February

Launched WTF QR Codes with Craig Villamor. It turns out we weren’t the only one who abhor QR codes, and the site gets picked up by a bunch of different publications.
Responsive Navigation Patterns – Easily the most popular post on my blog, this article looks at the various ways the web community is handling navigation
Better Numeric Inputs for Mobile Forms – how to pull up a more user-friendly virtual keyboard for numeric inputs

March

For a Future Friendly Web published on A List Apart alongside the great Stephanie Rieger. It’s an honor to contribute to a publication that’s taught me so much over the years.
Content Parity – In which I talk about giving people what they want, regardless of how they happen to access the web. Thrilled to see the term show up throughout Karen McGrane’s brilliant book Content Strategy for Mobile. I also discussed it further on net Magazine.
Responsive Web Design: Missing the Point – One of the most popular posts on my blog this year. I discuss the real reason responsive web design matters and why it’s not just a buzzword or fad.
Planting a Seed to a Responsive Future – In which I discuss how dedicated mobile sites can be valuable stepping stones towards a future-friendly web strategy. This post was initially hypothetical, but soon after the BBC, People Magazine and more have adopted this approach.
I’m interviewed on The Next Web about my work with WTF Mobile Web and WTF QR Codes
I talk a bit about emerging Retina displays and what to do about them. Things get discussed further on other sites like Net Magazine and Zeldman’s site.

April

Published Creating a Mobile-First Responsive Web Design, an in-depth tutorial and accompanying demo on Google’s HTML5 Rocks website
I had a lot of fun talking future friendliness and more on the Non-Breaking Space podcast.
Published 5 Responsive Web Design Pitfalls to Avoid for Net Magazine.
Fought for content parity in Designers Respond to Nielsen on Mobile alongside Josh Clark and Karen McGrane in Net Magazine.
Focused Creation, Ubiquitous Distribution – I take a stab at further debunking the whole “native vs web” bullshit debate. Exploit each channel’s unique capabilities.
I attend Breaking Development Conference as a sponsor and publish my notes. View the blog archives for the full list.
On Personal Branding – a change of pace, I talk about what it means to create a strong personal brand.

May

Had a blast speaking at Mobilism in Amsterdam. Here’s the video and slides
Stuck around Amsterdam then traveled to Spain with my wife. We had a blast!
Anatomy of a Mobile First Responsive Web Design – I take all my annotations from my mobile-first responsive design demo and tie them all together in one post.

June

I travel to Cape Cod for Mobilewood 2 with the Future Friendly gang, including some new faces. We discussed how to fan the future-friendly flames, and the result is a wonderful addition to the site. I also got to play Sweet Home Alabama around a campfire with a bunch of Norwegians, so that was something.
How Much Does a Responsive Web Design Cost? – The answer is $13.47.
I launch a responsive web design newsletter, which may be making a comeback in 2013. We’ll see.

July

My wife and I move from New York City to Pittsburgh, PA. Big life changes are underway.

August

I have the great honor of speaking at An Event Apart, where I give a talk called Beyond Media Queries: Anatomy of an Adaptive Web Design
Separate Mobile Website Vs. Responsive Website: Presidential Smackdown Edition – I wrote an article for Smashing Magazine highlighting the differences between Barack Obama’s responsive website and Mitt Romney’s separate mobile website. Hilarity ensues. Not really, but it was a fun article to write!
Complex Navigation Patterns for Responsive Design – I take a look at various ways of handling multi-level navigation for responsive designs
I was interviewed in Net Magazine about Future Friendly thinking and more.

September

Launched This Is Responsive, an open source collection of patterns, resources and news for people making responsive websites.
I travel to Germany to speak at Smashing Conference. It was easily the most fun I’ve ever had speaking. I even dropped a pretzel on the ground and then ate it. Don’t believe me? Watch the video.
I had a blast speaking at Breaking Development Conference in Dallas. I discussed the differences between the presidential candidates’ mobile web strategies, and had a blast doing so. Slides are here.
I was interviewed on Shop Talk Show with Chris Coyier and Dave Rupert. We talked about all sorts of good stuff. Those guys are true blue.

October

I had a lot of fun in front of a hometown crowd at Web Design Day talking again about Obama’s and Romney’s mobile web strategies.
Claustrophobic – My thoughts on these new-fangled sites and their fixed positioned sidebars.
I traveled to the Jersey Shore to speak at Asbury Agile

November

I had the opportunity to present for Google Developers Live on separate sites versus responsive sites
I launch a redesigned Brad Frost Web. It’s still a bit rough around the edges, but that will be taken care of soon.
Device Fatigue – I talk about how exhausting it can be to try to stay up to date on the latest and greatest devices. That’s why I try to focus on broader trends instead.

December

The Mobile Book is released, featuring my chapter on Responsive Design Patterns.
Had a blast in Hawaii speaking at InControl Conference and CSS Dev Conf.
Immediately after coming back from Hawaii, I traveled to The Netherlands for the wonderful InspireConf. I gave a talk called Death to Bullshit, which was a tremendous amount of fun. You can check out the video here.

Here’s to 2013!

2012 was an extraordinary year full of lots of changes. 2013 will no doubt be extraordinary as well. I’m making a big career change and setting out to work for myself doing a combination of consulting, front end design, workshops, speaking and writing. I’m sure I’ll keep myself busy.

Thanks for an amazing year!