Eric A. Meyer
Eric A. Meyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Alma mater | Case Western Reserve University (BA in History, minors in artificial intelligence and astronomy, 1992) |
| Occupation(s) | Consultant, author, speaker |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Employer | Igalia |
| Known for | Promotion of web standards, CSS advocacy |
| Spouse | Kathryn Meyer (née Fradkin) |
| Children | 3 adopted children |
Eric A. Meyer is a prominent American consultant and author specializing in web design, widely acknowledged for his promotion of web standards, with a particular emphasis on CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), a fundamental technology for managing the presentation of HTML. He has written numerous pivotal books and articles on CSS and is a regular speaker on its practical implementation. Meyer is currently employed by Igalia.
Personal life
Born to Arthur and Carol Meyer, Eric also has a stepmother named Cathy. He completed his undergraduate studies at Case Western Reserve University in 1992, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History, complemented by minors in artificial intelligence and astronomy.
He is married to Kathryn Meyer (née Fradkin) and together they have three adopted children. Tragically, in 2014, their second daughter, Rebecca Alison Meyer, passed away from a brain tumor on her sixth birthday. In her honor, the CSS color #663399 was designated "rebeccapurple" and incorporated into the official CSS Colors palette.
Career
Between 1992 and 2000, Meyer held the position of hypermedia systems manager at Case Western Reserve University. In 1998, he collaborated with volunteers to create the influential CSS1 test suite, which allowed developers implementing CSS to verify and enhance their software’s compatibility. That same year, he became involved with the Web Standards Project and helped establish its CSS Samurai (CSS Action Committee), a coalition working closely with browser manufacturers to advance CSS support.
Since 1997, Meyer has contributed as a columnist and, starting in 2000, gained recognition as an author and frequent speaker at conferences focused on CSS, solidifying his status as a leading figure in web design.
From 2001 until 2003, he served as Internet applications manager at Netscape. Presently, Meyer offers consultancy through Complex Spiral Consulting and is one of the founding members of the Global Multimedia Protocols Group.
He also developed the S5 format, an XHTML-based slideshow framework, releasing version 1.1 into the Public Domain in 2005.
In 2008, Meyer endorsed a proposal by Microsoft concerning Internet Explorer 8, which emphasized backward compatibility modes to properly render invalid HTML.
Meyer’s current professional affiliation is with Igalia.