HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
CSS Sprites: Useful Techniques, Or
Potential Nuisance?
Louis Lazaris
Ah, the ubiquitous CSS sprites — one of the few web design techniques that
was able to bypass “trend” status almost instantly, planting itself firmly into
the category of best practice CSS. Although it didn't really take o
"
until well
after A List Apart explained and endorsed it, it was discussed as a CSS
solution as early as July, 2003 by Petr Stanícek.
Most web developers today have a fairly strong grasp of this technique, and
there have been countless tutorials and articles written on it. In almost every
one of those tutorials, the claim is made that designers and developers
should be implementing CSS sprites in order to minimize HTTP requests and
save valuable kilobytes. This technique has been taken so far that many
sites, including Amazon, now use mega sprites.
Is this much-discussed benefit really worthwhile? Are designers jumping on
the CSS sprite bandwagon without a careful consideration of all the factors?
In this article, I'm going to discuss some of the pros and cons of using CSS
sprites, focusing particularly on the use of “mega” sprites, and why such use
of sprites could in many cases be a waste of time.
