Do you use CSS frameworks in your designs?

I've done both, but in looking back the only thing gained from using a framework was the basic html element styles being defined at the get go and the requirement to follow a grid strictly. These can both be achieved through well-written code and a reset style sheet.

It feels too much like designing with tables all over again.

I'm not in favour of using CSS frameworks for projects, mainly because I think they add to much clutter to the code and a lot of presentational naming.

I think they can be useful, though, for quick mockups. And I do believe that after a while all web designers end up having their own framework that works well for them and is adaptable to their own projects.

But I'm willing to discuss the subject with anyone that wants to try to convince me otherwise! :)

I like the principle of CSS frameworks but I don't understand their practical use in a final project.

All write-ups I have read or tutorials I have seen say that they are great for mock-ups and proof of concepts but shouldn't be used in a final design. So what is the point? It seems like doubling your efforts if you use one for a fully functional mock-up, only then to strip out or change all the non-semantic tags and edit your CSS files accordingly.

Usually. I always use Eric Meyer's CSS Reset, and the 1KB Grid Framework. It only provides basic layout functionality

My "framework" just consists of the reliable way I've completed projects in the past because I kept noticing a few of the same things going into projects. Its only a few extra rules along with a css reset.

sometimes in a pinch I throw something together with something like Blueprint, but then I usually remove half the bloat before finalizing the project.

My standard method is just to use my own framework based on bits of resets and typography that I've gleaned from past projects.

everyone has their own way of coding and using resets. the nice thing about frameworks is that the naming convention and basic code base remain the same. this is imperitive when working in multidisciplined teams... ie my programmers and designers are always on the same page.

we use a modified blueprint for all our sites.

I used to be a strong advocate of css frameworks but they have their place and time. For instance I would normally use grid 960 and tripoli together and bang out a quick project but it soon became apparently that I was really stuck in terms of what I could do with grid 960. The last few days I started working on my blog design again and 960 screwed me over good so I ditched that and tripoli was giving me a horrible base line grid so I ditched that, in the end its probably better off to hand code everything yourself and borrow bits and pieces of what you need.

It really depends on the project.

It depends on the type of site. I don't think this is a "yes" or "no" black-and-white situation. Right now I'm designing a newspaper template and I'm using a grid. CSS grids make perfect sense for newspaper sites. Not only because newspaper sites contain a ton of content AND they must be highly readable. Also, newspaper sites tend to be maintained by many people. A grid helps to streamline site maintenance by adding pre-defined column widths. The web team only needs to learn the column widths. Makes it easier to develop a style guide.

For other types of sites, a grid may not be necessary. It all depends on the type of site, the people who are going to maintain it and the NUMBER of people who are going to maintain it.

I've never used frameworks either. There's more freedom, flexibility and satisfaction in using your own structure and codes. And it takes discipline, courage and time to learn someone else's structure which is particularly the reason why I haven't tried a framework yet

But I kinda agree that using frameworks is very much relevant on a heavy-grid layout. I worked on a heavy grid-site a couple of weeks back - without a planned structure, you can really have ugly codes.

I need to find time to start using a framework soon!

The only framework i use is the reset one from Mayer, except from that i use my own css tags which i reuse most of the times.

Only if I have to becuase a developer has decided it's the easiest and quickest way to get soem code up.

I love the idea that frameworks exisits but to overide the styles with a design you actually want is a nightmare. You probably spend as much time overiding that you would do creating form scratch.

I build from scratch every time, with the exception of my own reset css which is modified from meyer's reset.

I have been using the 960 Grid System (http://960.gs) for all my work recently. It is very flexible as you can break the 960-wide design into 12 or 16 columns. It just removes what can be a very time consuming step from building from the ground up.