Along with the adoption of Drupal as LevelTen’s recommended CMS/development framework, comes the need for best practices for Drupal design themes. Whether the design theme is pre-designed or is created from scratch, there are several things to keep in mind. LevelTen has some advice that can be extended to designers, developers, and management teams, when choosing a template or custom designing for Drupal or a similar CMS platform.

“No-Budge” Rules

• Flexible Interior Pages

  Interior pages must be able to handle varying amounts of content. One of the features in Drupal or a similar CMS, is the ability to create multiple pages and different amounts of content. It is up to the design theme to support this.

• Use Web-Safe Fonts

  This is a general best practice for web design, but it is important to note. We've had a few times that designs have come back with content font that looks great in the comp, but could not be used when the design was chopped into HTML. Designers should be wary of what font type they use outside of static images because you want to be sure the design is going to translate to the final version. For more information on what is defined as "web-safe," you can view Wikipedia's article.

“Bend Them Once You Know Them” Rules

• Avoid overlapping design elements/transparent layers

  Generally, the more the layout can be broken out into blocked sections, the smoother it will be for the developer to integrate into Drupal. If the designer wishes to use overlapping and/or transparent elements, it is recommended to first consult the developer to ensure the overlap will not prevent smooth integration into Drupal.

• Avoid navigation menus requiring javascript

  Simple navigation supports Drupal's feature of easily customizing navigation menus.

These are just a handful of guidelines to go by or at least be aware of when designing or managing a Drupal project. Rules may need to be stretched depending on the client's needs, but being aware of potential problems is the goal. Thanks to Dustin Curry for heading the effort to define these best practices.