Heydon Pickering
Inclusive design consultant | Creator of the lobotomized owl selector
About
Heydon Pickering is a utilitarian designer and inclusive design consultant based in Norwich, UK. He works with The Paciello Group and Smashing Magazine, focusing on accessible and efficient web development practices.
Known for his innovative approaches to CSS and HTML, Pickering invented the lobotomized owl selector, a CSS technique that has influenced how developers approach spacing and layout systems. Beyond his technical contributions, Pickering has made unique marks on web standards - he contributed a crocoduck illustration to the W3C HTML5 specification.
His speaking engagements at events like Beyond Tellerrand in Berlin and Düsseldorf demonstrate his commitment to sharing practical approaches to inclusive design. His work emphasizes writing less code to achieve better results, challenging developers to think critically about complexity and maintainability in their projects while ensuring accessibility remains a core principle of web development.
What Heydon Talks About
Writing less damned code: reducing complexity in web development
Flexbox and modern CSS layout techniques
Inclusive design principles and accessible web development
Practical CSS solutions and innovative selectors
Utilitarian approaches to web design and development
Featured1 with video
Writing Less Damned Code
Examines how removing unnecessary code is more effective than optimization. Code that don't exist is infinitely performant. Explores front-end patterns that should be eliminated in favor of simpler, native solutions.
| Event | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|
| CSS Day | 2019 | Amsterdam |
| Beyond Tellerrand Düsseldorf 2019 | 2019 | 🇩🇪Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Beyond Tellerrand Berlin 2016 | 2016 | 🇩🇪Berlin, Germany |
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