Smashing Meets: Two Free Online Events for the Web Community

Smashing Magazine is hosting Smashing Meets, a pair of free online meetups on May 18th and 19th, 2020, designed for people who build for the web. The events focus on front-end and UX topics, with sessions on everything from performance to accessibility. Organized in collaboration with global communities, the meetups aim to replicate the atmosphere of an in-person gathering—speakers, interactive sessions, and social opportunities included, though attendees will need to supply their own pizza.

What to Expect

Each meetup features a structured but relaxed format:

  • Three 30-minute interactive talks from experts, each followed by a short Q&A session.
  • Breakout rooms with collaborative design and coding challenges hosted by friendly communities from around the world.
  • A quiz show with prizes up for grabs.

Two Dates for Different Timezones

To accommodate a global audience, Smashing Meets offers two separate sessions. Pick the time that suits you best, or join both:

  • May 18 at 1:00 PM PDT
  • May 19 at 2:00 PM CEST

Day 1: Monday, May 18th Speakers

Building With JAMstack: Keeping UIs And APIs Aligned — Phil Hawksworth

Phil will discuss techniques for working with serverless functions, proxies, and Jamstack tools to build projects with confidence, keeping user interfaces and APIs in sync.

Accessible Typography — Mark Boulton

Mark shares practical advice on using a chosen typeface accessibly, covering aspects of type design and the finer details of typesetting.

Creativity In Cross-Cultural Innovation — Yiying Lu

Yiying explores how integrating creativity into product design, messaging, and delivery can generate more business and cultural value, bridging gaps between art and tech, business and culture, and East and West.

Day 2: Tuesday, May 19th Speakers

Fun With Browser And Sensor APIs — Mandy Michael

Mandy demonstrates simple code examples that use browser and sensor APIs, from a practical Light Sensor API implementation to more playful combinations, showing the tools and resources needed to create engaging effects and visualizations.

Hello, Subgrid — Rachel Andrew

Rachel introduces Subgrid, walking through use cases and example code, along with thoughts on where CSS Grid may be headed in the future.

Accessible Typography — Mark Boulton

Mark returns for a second session of his practical talk on making the most of your typeface choices from an accessibility perspective.

Spaces are limited and registration is open now. Sign up is free, so grab your spot before the events.