Unfortunately, this misperception can lead to CSS being taken for granted, or even overlooked to some extent.
What do CSS developers do?
Lets start with the basics.
Why is CSS so important, and what exactly are CSS developers supposed to do?
CSS is a specific language, and as such, it cannot exist on its own.
It requires HTML to make sense.
So, the first thing CSS developers do is write HTML code.
Writing tidy HTML always matters
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The body of the HTML document shouldnt be bloated, either.
The overall design often determines how we organize various HTML components.
CSS developers work closely with designers, and not every designer uses the same tool to provide the design.
Using a good naming convention, likeBEMorOOCSS, should prevent writing bloated HTML or unmaintainable CSS code.
JavaScript is everywhere
Some components should be interactive, like modals or tooltips.
That often requires a good grasp of JavaScript, not deep JavaScript, butJavaScript events and DOM handling.
However, new features such as CSS variables, CSS grid, or evenFlexboxrequire some time to master.
Then, theres net net app support, which can still pose a problem even today.
Flexbox might be supported in IE11, but then again, it might not work as expected.
Knowing how to avoid these problems is part of a CSS developers job.
Thankfully, the community is very helpful, and sites likeFlexbugsorGridbugscan save a lot of time.
You could supercharge your code with linters, minifiers, babel, or PostCSS to transpile the code.
Every single feature has its specificity, limitations, problems, and solutions.
Theres a significant number of CSS properties and values, and one cannot know everything.
Fortunately, our tools help us there, especially code editors and dev tools.
Failing is the best way to learn.
If you have never tried to override the Bootstrap class, then you would never learn about specificity.
If you have never tried to fix the float problem, you would never learn about the box model.
Sometimes, the solution is simple, but just asking a question is hard.
When compared to other languages, you cannot ask why my loop won’t go.
Cascade is the best feature in CSS, and it should work for you, not against you.
Some developers get around it by inventing custom approaches likeCSS-in-JS.
If you pack your CSS in the encapsulated environment like React, you cannot use it elsewhere.
I doubt this is the approach you want in your scalable platform.
Why do you need a CSS developer?
Most frontend or even full-stack developers could write the CSS code.
CSS developers should respect coding standardit is essential for maintainability and scalability of the project.
Choose which naming convention to use throughout the project.
Establishing a naming convention early on can help developers produce better and more organized code.
Decide how to handle indentation, selector types, shorthand properties, units in CSS.
For example, avoid using pixel units if the coding standard proposes the usage of rem units.
Sometimes this leads to having helper classes that could be used across the whole project rather than individual pages.
Organize your CSS code
CSS developers should organize their code and create a meaningful structure for everyone.
When using tools like CSS processors, CSS developers should document the process of generating the compiled code.
If required, CSS developers can create style guides.
Style guides can be a reference when creating new pages or deciding how to approach existing ones.
Style guides can contain color palettes, typography rules, coding standards, and even static pages.
There are no limits, except the budget and your imagination.
Many of these features are not easily manageable by all-around developers.
CSS developers write HTML and JavaScript code, too.
That means asset delivery is the responsibility of the CSS developer.
None of these techniques are easy to implement, and there is no silver bullet.
Lets give a shot to agree and acknowledge the CSS developer as a proper role once and for all.
