[heydon]

Just to clarify, the "layout versus presentation" thing isn't just for its own sake. It's to avoid having to implement design changes in two places (the CSS and the template/backend). By using template logic and classes (CSS hooks) this would be inevitable.

As for the ugliness of the CSS, well... that's what the CSS that works for the purpose looks like. Function over form. I'd recommend _adding a comment_ if you want developers to grok the code.

I must say I find it odd that you think transparency for fellow developers is _more_ important than the actual purpose of the code. Your convenience in maintaining the product cannot be more important than the product itself, surely?