The Principles of Beautiful Web Design

Book Description

Tired of making web sites that work absolutely perfectly but just don't look nice?

If so, then The Principles of Beautiful Web Design is for you. A simple, easy-to-follow guide, illustrated with plenty of full-color examples, this book will lead you through the process of creating great designs from start to finish. Good design principles are not rocket science, and using the information contained in this book will help you create stunning web sites.

Understand the design process, from discovery to implementation

Understand what makes "good design"

Developing pleasing layouts using grids, the rule of thirds, balance and symmetry

Use color effectively, develop color schemes and create a palette

Use textures, lines, points, shapes, volumes and depth

Learn how good typography can make ordinary designs look great

Effective imagery: choosing, editing and placing images

And much more

Throughout the book, you'll follow an example design, from concept to completion, learning along the way.

Customer Reviews:

Make Your Web Site Stand Out From The Rest.......2007-09-07

'The Principles of Beautiful Web Design' by Jason Beaird is a short (~170 pages) book about an important topic: designing better content for the web. Back in the days when web sites were first developed, you only cared about seeing a few hyperlinks and maybe a few pictures. Design didn't matter because the web was new, it was exciting, and just to be able to connect was sometimes a joy in itself. With Web 2.0 those times have changed. Users not only expect to be able to always get to the content they are interested in, they want the look to be logical and well presented. They want sites and content to make sense, and they want it to be easy on the eyes and on the brain. With this book you will learn the skills necessary for anyone that creates content for the web on how to produce an end result that not only provides the information you want to to the user, but in a way that makes sense.

5 chapters might not seem like a lot, but it's perfect for this book. Unlike a reference manual, this is more of a case study book and the size it just like that last bowl of porridge for Goldilocks: Just Right

With a web design book I would expect the layout to be designed just as well with plenty of color and a nice stock paper. As sitepoint always delivers, I got just what I expected. Not only a book that is fun and interesting to learn and read from, but the above and beyond quality that ia always sitepoint's forte.

If you create web sites or edit existing ones, you owe it to yourself to pick up this book and become a better and designer for the Web 2.0 world.

***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

A 'must' for any collection catering to web designers........2007-09-06

Plenty of books focus on how to build web sites, streamline them, and enhance them - but what about fine-tuning to create great designs? The Principles of Beautiful Web Design covers this, from the basics of a solid design and its implementation to using color schemes, textures, typography, and images more effectively. Chapters cover trends, common pitfalls, and more in a top pick which is a 'must' for any collection catering to web designers.

Superb book for web designers.......2007-08-24

Just read this book and found it a great source of enjoyment all the way through!, the writing style is great and very easy to follow, this book will leave you with new ideas to put into practice, as well as new ways to look at color, typography, and layout, all with great pictures to accompany the examples on the page. even though ive read it, its defiantly going to be by my side the next time I start to design a site.... well done!.

Help in making your sites look great!.......2007-08-23

There are many good books on the technology of creating effective websites but most give relatively little help in how to create the visual basis of your site. This book fills this need beautifully. I purchased this book midway through a college class in web graphics. It confirmed and expanded on what I was learning there.

If you really want to create sites that stand out visually this is a book you should have.

Basics of design I never considered..........2007-08-01

This book dives into the very basics of design. Not web design... but the aspects of making a web design look good. This book will be a good starting point for making your designs look better... not just to you but to your visitors.

The only bad thing I'll say about this book is that it is a bit short. I would have liked to read more from this good book.

Average customer rating:

great for students, good for old hands, priceless for adhoc designers
Sad leftovers from the dark ages...
Not overly sophisticated
i use a lot
A simple, helpful guide

Layout Index: Brochure, Web Design, Poster, Flyer, Advertising, Page Layout, Newsletter, Stationery Index
Jim Krause
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback

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ASIN: 1581801467

Book Description

Idea Index kick-started a revolution in graphic design books, unique in size, feel--and most important--wealth of ideas. Layout Index is the next step, a compendium of layout idea-generators that will help designers explore multiple possibilities for visual treatments each time they turn the page. The visual and textual suggestions are divided into eight major areas, including newsletters, flyers, posters, brochures, advertising, stationery, page layout, and Web pages.

Each of these examples are designed to inspire effective solutions in the viewer's mind, rather than simply give specific answers to design problems. The tone and temperament of the design problems, as well as their solutions, vary from traditional to cutting-edge, from corporate to crazy. Designers will learn to solve their design problems, produce fantastic work and become better, more creative thinkers.

* Both creativity books and layout books are extremely popular
* As proven by Idea Index, the format of this book is a proven winner with designers

Customer Reviews:

great for students, good for old hands, priceless for adhoc designers.......2007-01-04

The whole "index" series is good for jump starting when in a stuck place. For average students it can really be helpful to get them to seek/create more variety in their work. For marketing or PR individuals or students it is a must have. Many individuals may have a cursory introduction to design and yet find themselves having to create layouts and design. The Index Books are a lifesaver.

Sad leftovers from the dark ages..........2006-10-14

This book is at first appearance, visually interesting and consuming. But upon closer look (as in opening it) it's not worth the time, money or breath sadly. The concepts and ideas within this book can be inspiring to thoses who have the time and energy, but overall this book is just a display of bad, kitsch design. My advice? Don't bother.

Not overly sophisticated.......2005-09-06

I bought this along with the Color Index, and I must admit I'm not overly impressed with the ideas in this text.

I will keep it onboard because you -never- know what might spark your creativity, and I must admit there are a few good ideas to jump off from in this book. I donno, I guess I just feel underminded when I flip through this book. It is a bit too kitchy for me (think clip-art-like graphics), and many of the solutions presented in it are too busy and hardly professional.

i use a lot.......2004-12-09

for those who aren't experienced in the in's and out's of page layout and design, this book is a lifesaver. it really gets your creative juices flowing by simply giving you a full range of possible ideas for how you can change up your design. i found it much more useful than the idea book, which didn't really help me with the visual expression part. if you have a concept and you simply want to consider all the possibilities for how you can express it on a page, i recommend getting this book!

A simple, helpful guide.......2004-07-09

Design inspired by this little book leans towards clean & well ordered displays of information. This book provides basics of page building & information distribution.
Beginners will like this book, however, those looking for more complex layout ideas should either work on the existing ideas taking them to the next levels, or peruse other books.

Newspaper Designer's Handbook with CD-ROM

Average customer rating:

The rules of good newspaper design
A must have
Practical and useful for the professional
Awesome Textbook
No customer service

Newspaper Designer's Handbook with CD-ROM
Tim Harrower
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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ASIN: 0072492910

Book Description

The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook is a step by step guide to every aspect of newspaper design, from basic page layout to complex infographics. The new edition is now in 4-color and introduces a new chapter on web design.

This textbook is for journalism students and professionals alike. It is loaded with examples, advice, design ideas, and exercises that teach students how to manipulate the basic elements of design (photos, headlines, and text); create charts, maps, and diagrams; design attractive photo spreads; add effective, appealing sidebars to complex stories; create lively, engaging feature page designs; work with color; and redesign a newspaper.

Customer Reviews:

The rules of good newspaper design.......2007-07-03

Tim Harrower provides a very practical guide to newspaper design. The art of newspaper design tends to be very subjective, so this book lays down some facts and guidelines to put to rest some of the indecisive elements of design.

For a beginner, this is a book that will give you the confidence and understanding to conquer page layout.

The CD gives the novice an even more practical guide than the book can deliver.

One criticism is that the book is printed on light gloss stock and is spiral bound. I am not sure how it was survive rough treatment.

Brian Hurst

A must have .......2007-06-14

When I accepted my first "real" job in journalism as a page designer for a local weekly I was struck by a horrifying thought, I really knew nothing about newspaper design. I had done it before for my college paper, sure, but this was the big time. I needed a refresher course and I needed it fast... Tim Harrower and this spiral-bound book came to my rescue.

Although it was first published in 1989, this book will be relevant as long as newspapers exist, even in this age of computer design. Harrower explains and shows why certain designs are good and bad and he approaches it in a situational, problem-solving format. For example, he explains what should be done when you have to design a page with no art, when you have butting headlines, or two horizontal photos etc. Harrower says that most page designers stumble into the job and from this point of view he explains what exactly, a good design is. This book will always be on my desk.

(I wish my publications professor used this instead of the worthless $105 monstrosity he made us buy (and that we never used by the way).)

So, after some mild freaking out followed by a lot of reading, I can start my new job with confidence thanks to this book.

Practical and useful for the professional.......2006-07-22

I am an editor these days.
I came on this book quite a few years ago when I was a sub. It was recommended to me by an old hand in the newspaper game.
Without doubt, it is the single best aquisition I have made in terms of newspaper design.
In the places I have worked, I have been regarded extremely highly for my layout skills.
This book, with a little creativity, is the basis of almost everything I do in terms of layout.
If you are serious about the newspaper game, get it, study it and then apply what you learn. It will help our career enormously.

Awesome Textbook.......2006-03-19

This textbook is awesome. I've never seen a better textbook. It lays everything out, and makes it simple to understand. It tells you what to do and what not to do in simple language and clear pictures. It's one of few textbooks worth keeping for future use in your career (provided you're going into the newspaper industry)!

No customer service.......2005-10-26

I ordered the hardbound and got the spiral bound, a product worth $12 less. It was then that I discovered there is no way to express a complaint to Amazon: no phone number, no email address, no human help. All that is available is a maze of pre-written web help, none of which includes "credit my account $12, since I don't want to go through the hassle of sending this book back." What's up, Amazon? Don't you want satisfied customers? I spend literally hundreds here each year. This egregious deficit needs to be fixed immediately. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book.

Average customer rating:

Very Disjointed Book, Needs an Editor
very complicated hard to understand
Applied CSS: Review of "The Art & Science of CSS"
Lots of detail and applied website information perfect for practicing designers.
Exceptional CSS Case Study Book

The Art and Science of CSS
Jonathan Snook , Steve Smith , Jina Bolton , Cameron Adams , and David Johnson
Manufacturer: SitePoint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0975841971

Book Description

CSS-based design doesn 't need to be boring. The Art & Science of CSS brings together a talented collection of designers who will show you how to take the building blocks of your web site's design (such as headings, navigation, forms, and more) and bring them to life with fully standards-compliant CSS. This full color book helps you to design web sites that not only work well across all browsers, are easy to maintain, and are highly accessible, but are also visually stunning.

Create truly attention-grabbing headings.

Discover multiple ways to present images effectively.

Use background images to give your site zest.

Build usable and attractive navigation.

Design forms that are stylish and functional.

Learn how to break away from the square box clich ©.

Create funky tables.

And lots more

Customer Reviews:

Very Disjointed Book, Needs an Editor.......2007-10-14

This is not a comprehensive A-Z book on CSS, it is a compilation of seven essay / tutorials by five different authors on specific topics (headings, images, backgrounds, navigation, forms, rounded corners, and tables). This book is much like 7 blind folks describing an elephant and whole swatches of the elephant are left uncovered and undescribed.

It seems to be a trend amongst the tech publishers to put out books with multiple authors, yet very few of them provide any cohesive editing and authorial narrative between sections, of which The Art & Science of CSS is an offender.

Publishers and Editors, please either take a cue from short story and essay compilations and give each author an introduction at the beginning of each chapter, tell my why I should care and what this person can educate me on. If that is not the approach you want take, then have one main author or editor who crafts all the chapters into a cohesive whole with good transitions and point of view.

Sitepoint - Hire an editor who can edit. Pick one main author. Introduce the guest authors at each point where the authorship transitions. Give the reader a cohesive POV.

Amazon leads one to believe that Jonathan Snook is the main author, he is not, but has a few bits on javascript & css in several chapters. I would have liked this book a great deal more if it actually was the Art & Science of CSS with a strong voice all the way through, rather than just a few drill downs into a few topics. Cameron Adams or Jina Bolton both had great written tones & POV, why not have one of them "lead" the reader through the content?

very complicated hard to understand.......2007-10-10

I found the book hard too understand would not recomend I know html but cannot learn css from this book.

Applied CSS: Review of "The Art & Science of CSS".......2007-09-20

Good book, and right to the point. It shows you how to use CSS to create a website that will standout by using simple and clean looking designs. You can get started right away.

Chapters include how to make rounded corners on tables and navigation tabs; the combining of images and text for visually appealing web pages, as well as styling of forms, headings, lists, and page backgrounds.

The book is laid out nicely with the sample code very easy to read and follow. Excellent format. If you want a practical guide for using CSS that zeros in and focuses on the basic parts of a web page (forms, headings, text, navigation, tables, and images), this is a good one. It shows you clearly just what you need to do.

If you want a deeper explanation on CSS elements, I would recommend "Cascading Style Sheets: A Definitive Guide".

Lots of detail and applied website information perfect for practicing designers........2007-09-08

Standards-based design might seem dull but CSS-based design needn't be - and THE ART & SCIENCE OF CSS gathers together designers who show how to take a typical web site design and add CSS to jazz up results. Any college-level computer library catering to programmers and web designers will find this packed with ideas on how to design forms which are attractive and functional alike. From creating eye-catching tables and designing forms to vertical navigation basics, THE ART & SCIENCE OF CSS has lots of detail and applied website information perfect for practicing designers.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Exceptional CSS Case Study Book.......2007-09-05

'The Art and Science of CSS' by Jonathan Snook is another gem in the sitepoint series of books. If you are a web developer, you owe it to yourself to pick up the entire LINE of sitepoint books. Ever since this publishing series came out years ago, I have been one of the main fans of these books. With spot-on design, wonderful writing, great chapter flow, and the right length for the topic at hand, I have yet to find a sitepoint book that I haven't liked, and most I LOVE the moment I start reading them. They aren't just reference manuals, they are books that are meant to be enjoyed, and if you use CSS on a daily basis, you will find this book extremely useful.

This book is broken up into 7 chapters at 200+ pages:

1. Headings
2. Images
3. Backgrounds
4. Navigation
5. Forms
6. Rounded Corners
7. Navigation

That's it. This may seem like not enough content, but if that is what you believe, you are simply ignorant, and like Socrates believed, I also do not think that is a crime.

From images that pop out and make you say 'ahhh' to slick navigation with great backgrounds to forms which really have great curb appeal and make the user want to USE the form in question (an important topic that isn't addressed nearly enough) to creating pretty round corners to tables that jump out at you, this book is G-R-E-A-T.

Fun to read, fun to use, and fun to learn from, another gem from the masters at sitepoint.

***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

Dynamics in Document Design: Creating Text for Readers

Average customer rating:

The resource I keep coming back to...
Not what the title explains
The benchmark in its field
Thoughtful, but overly long and loosely held together
Terribly wordy - lots of deadwood

Dynamics in Document Design: Creating Text for Readers
Karen A. Schriver
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471306363

Book Description

From an international leader in document design, research-based insights about writing and visualizing documents that people can use . . .

This book is for writers and graphic designers who create the many types of documents people use every day at home or school, in business or government. From high-tech instruction manuals and textbooks to health communications and information graphics, to online information and World Wide Web pages, this book offers one of the first research-based portraits of what readers need from documents and of how document designers can take those needs into account.

Drawing on research about how people interpret words and pictures, this book presents a new and more complete image of the readerâa person who is not only trying to understand prose and graphics but who is responding to them aesthetically and emotionally.

Written by document design expert Karen A. Schriver, Dynamics in Document Design features:

Case studies of documents before and after revision, showing how people think and feel about them
Analyses of the interplay of text and pictures, revealing how words, space, visuals, and typography can work together
A fascinating and informative timeline of the international evolution of document design from 1900 to the present

Customer Reviews:

The resource I keep coming back to..........2005-08-10

This book is the most useful one I've found on the subject. Design books of all stripes (document-design focused or otherwise) have a tendency to provide "principles" without ever providing real support for said principles. Books will be loaded with recommendations that may or may not be well supported by data, quantified or at least well documented study results, etc.

Schriver's book does exactly the opposite, and this is why it is longer than many others. It is impossible to read about Schriver's document design principles and not know exactly where they came from. Virtually every recommendation is, for once, well supported by research findings. This book never tells you to do something without first explaining why it should be done.

If you're looking for a short-and-sweet book that conveys the most basic principles of document design ("principles" that may in fact be a designer's personal preferences), this isn't it.

If you're looking for a book that will help you make better design decisions and help you understand why to make these decisions over others, then this is the book for you. After all, it isn't so unusual for professional designers and others in the workplace to have to explain exactly why they've made certain choices over others, and this book can help.

Not what the title explains.......2005-04-26

This book could be cut off to more than half pages it is now. The information is over explained and reader gets bored.

Better luck next time!

The benchmark in its field.......2005-03-06

The reviewers who say this book is wordy and over-long just don't get it. This is not a "how to do it in five easy lessons" handbook. If you find a book like that - burn it! Books like that are usually self-published by amateurs who don't understand the complexities of the field, and they are worse than useless. In fact, they are often filled with advice that has been so oversimplified that it is actually wrong. You CANNOT learn document design in five easy lessons.

Conversely, Schriver's book is a refreshingly thoughtful, well-researched, and comprehensive overview of document design. It starts with the history and philosophy of document design and continues through contemporary needs and trends. It contains especially strong advocacy for usability studies, including documentation of those conducted by the author and her colleagues. It's about time we document creators stopped "blaming the user" and started taking responsibility to make improvements when documents are hard to understand.

Document design is a relatively new field of study, so the comprehensive timeline of its development is a gold mine, especially since no author has attempted it before. This type of in-depth research is sorely needed.

Schriver explains things in a way that is clear and compelling, with lots of thoroughly documented examples and supporting charts, tables, and graphics for clarification. And her research spans several decades, which is invaluable for tracking the evolution of document design. She has produced an unparalleled work which will be the benchmark against which other books are measured for a long time.

Thoughtful, but overly long and loosely held together.......2003-11-22

For an author who believes in giving priority to readers, she actually does a rather poor job considering her reader. She is an academic and as such has the foible of wanting to put all her knowledge on display. So she's done little trimming and condensing of her material into a form that is really useful to readers who want to quickly get to core ideas about document design theory and practice.
The opening chapter abstracts are unnecessarily long, and just repeat what shortly follows in the body of the chapter. While I liked the way she put document design in a social and historical context, this could have been done much more succinctly. The long timeline is too tangentially related to what readers really want to know about, namely document design, to interest many of them. It seems included because the professor did a lot of research and just hated not to have more to show for it than a few succinct paragraphs.
Later chapters presenting the results of various reader response studies are interesting enough, but surely we could move more quickly to the results and their relevance to document design without spending so much time with dry narration of the actual empirical testing.
The theoretical section offers a long overview of theoretical approaches, arguing in favor of a rhetorical approach. Yet the chapters that go on to apply the theory offer advice and conclusions that hardly seem to warrant such a heavyweight theoretical foundation. For instance, the chapter on typography just offers familiar practical advice of the sort one gets in many introductory books on typography. The same is true about the long section about grids. All the opening theory favoring rhetorical approaches yields results that sound very close to the plain old common sense of the non-theoretical how-to craft school that gets debunked in the opening. So she does not end up making a very strong case for the value of her own theoretical approach, and we feel we waded through a lot of theory without much benefit.
In reality, I think she does have a case and she does have some good examples of how attending to the reader through empirical research can improve document design. But her ideas would be much more forcefully and usefully presented in 200 as opposed to 500 pages.

Terribly wordy - lots of deadwood.......2003-01-29

Sorry - I would not recommend this book to a TECHNICAL writer.

This book has 559 pages and could be cut down to maybe 100 pages of useful information. Each chapter has a full page explaining the chapter... if you have to do that, you haven't planned and written the chapter well. A good product sells itself.

It takes the author 5 pages in the preface to explain the book! It also has a lot of side head paragraphs explaining more... explaining the explanations. This book was painful reading for me... I kept thinking "bla bla bla bla bla"

Book Description

Demystifies Web typography by revealing the secrets of professional developers!
Shows how to find, select and implement Web typography that will give any site a slick, professional look!
Demonstrates how to use Cascading Style Sheets and other technologies to control the way type appears on any browser!
Describes how to make beautifully design sites download super-fast.
Shows how to set type that wraps around images and other objects on the page.
Provides professional secrets for increasing type legibility.
Provides recipes for type special effects that will "wow" site visitors and ensure that they come back for more!
Includes real-world case studies and examples from top companies.
Includes interviews with top Web design experts and Web type gurus.

Customer Reviews:

Real help for real designers.......2007-04-26

I'm was pleasantly surprised when I picked this up at the library. I was looking through book and book of dry critiques of like, the 15 typefaces in the Franklin Gothic family, and what century Bembo was introduced. Or there were the ones that used La Bamba and every other overused trendy font that deserve a place on a TGIFriday's menu or a skate-punker's home page on MySpace, and provided flash with no theory whatsoever

But the best surprise is that this book covers things like color theory, contrast, readability (ask any marketing department about that one!) and issues that are critical in good design. So few books, even ones that claim to teach page design, give the universal, real world applicable tips that are found in this little gem. A reviewer below stated that this is a book for beginners. Well, yes, but there are plenty of "advanced" designers who don't know the first thing about practical form AND function design. Just look at every other site online and you'll see that just because you can use Quark, the basics of Photoshop and a web design program doesn't mean you know how to design. It's like one of my favorite lines; "You can teach a monkey to read. You just can't teach him to understand."

I love this book so much I'm actually going to buy it. And that says a lot, being a starving artist and all.

Relevant only to beginners, but still not fun to read.......2006-02-18

The problem with Great Web Typography is that it claims to be for all users, beginner to advanced. I consider myself an intermediate to advanced CSS user with an intermediate knowledge of typography, and I was bored. The book moves very slowly through the benefits of CSS and the basics of CSS, both of which can be learned through ten minutes of reading on the internet, for free.

I can find a basics book fun to read, but I found the style of Great Web Typography frustrating. Generally, I have no problem with differences in writing style, as long as the style is not distracting. But, the writing here contains an annoying weight to it, sometimes making me wonder why Peck included a particular sentence. For example, at the end of a cautionary blurb about graphic text, Peck drops this useless nugget of wisdom, "Learning to create text with no bounds does not give you license to avoid common sense." (139) I'm not sure what that means, as Peck doesn't elaborate, and it made me think she only included it because it sounds catchy.

This bloated style makes reading the book a chore, but even worse than the style are the misspellings, like something is "in an accessable area" (37) or something "is used in a supporting roll" (120). These gaffes become outright funny when Peck advises you to watch your spelling. Even Microsoft Word can catch that first one.

Probably the most frustrating part of this book is how far the visual examples are from the text. When the text mentions a visual example, you have to leave the text, find the example (which is sometimes on the bottom of the page, sometimes on the side of the page, and occasionally, on a different page), view the example, and then find where you left off in the text. This random layout shows a surprising ignorance of how people read a book.

All these things built up, and after getting through half of this book, I returned it.

Nice web-specific font information; great case studies; technically dated.......2006-01-19

I'd been looking for a nice book of web design case studies, and about 1/4 of this book is case studies and interviews. And much of the rest is live mockups to clearly illustrate an important point such as how browsers interpret weight. I enjoyed the interviews and the more design-oriented discussions. And I really enjoyed the author taking us through the design of her own site right down to the grid on paper and basic layout as a case study (though I greatly preferred her work for others displayed in the book). Ironically, the book itself is pretty poorly designed, especially the cover, which violates almost all of the author's advice!

The author's basic advice on fonts is sound. I found it useful to read other books on typography first -- this one won't give you the "classical" education about print fonts. On the other hand, almost everything you know about print fonts can be tossed out the window. The exceptions are letter and line spacing, color and contrast and size. I thought the author did an excellent job of presenting those. There's also a great deal of emphasis on web-specific typography that I just haven't seen elsewhere.

There was a nice discussion of graphic versus HTML fonts, with the author urging the reader to use graphic text for headlines (because of kerning, anti-aliasing and font choice) and for small buttons (because of font choice). In particular, I was fascinated by the in-depth study of Joe Gillespie's crisp, readable pixel-specific fonts such as MINI7 (7 pixels high, all caps, and a perennial favorite on the web for tiny text). Many sites follow these guidelines, but I prefer to use straight HTML. It resizes better.

Another polarizing issue is pure CSS versus table-based layouts. The author uses a mix, as do most design-centric designers. Given portability issues, etc., I remain agnostic on this issue.

There was a lot of discussion of software of the how-to-navigate-Photoshop-version-N's-menus variety. That's already out of date. Most of the case studies are no longer live, or have changed their format considerably. Ditto for a lot of the recommendations on browsers, CSS versions, HTML, etc.

There's also a section on fonts for Flash at the end. Because I don't intend to use Flash, I didn't read it.

I liked this book, but would have liked many more case studies, and much less walking me through menus and CSS.

More than expected..........2004-09-17

I bought this book to learn more about the graphical/visual side of web page layout.

Such as:
- "Which font types and sizes are best?"
- "How do I best divide up whitespace?"
- "How should my headline fonts differ in size and shape from my content text?"
- "What color combinations should I use?"

This book answered those questions and many, many more!

Wendy Peck presents sound methods of typography, page balance, proper use of colors, proper use of graphical text and overall layout in an easy-to-understand way. I was seeing great results on my current project after reading just the first section of this book.

Her design ideas can really help your web sites cross the line from "good" to "professional".

Another surprise in the book is her advocacy of using CSS for content styling. Her in-depth section on CSS styling of links and menus is awesome.

As a "one-person-web-design-freelancer", that needs to know how to do it all, this book is a great addition to my library. I highly recommend it.

More than just typography.......2003-08-29

I found this book to be an extremely worthwhile purchase, even though I didn't find the last third of it very useful.

As someone who was previously familiar with HTML and has worked as a computer programmer for several years, this book very much helped me move beyond the coding aspect of HTML and think more about how to design better looking pages.

Typography is part of the book, but it also covers many other topics like layout, design, how to do rollover menus, and cascading style sheets.

The book does have some inaccurate information. For example, the author said that Comic Sans MS wasn't a safe font to use because it might not be on your user's computer, but according to Microsoft it's on everyone's computer (even Macs) unless they are still using IE 3.0 and Windows 95.

Book Description

This latest addition to Robin Williams' Non-Designers line of books not only defines the principles governing type but explains the logic behind them so readers can understand and see what looks best and why. Armed with this knowledge, and putting into practice the secrets Robin reveals for making type readable and artistic, readers can then go on to create beautiful, sophisticated, professional-looking pages on their computers for output as hard copy or for use on Web pages.

Each short chapter explores a different type secret including use of evocative typography, tailoring typeface to project, working with spacing, punctuation marks, special characters, fonts, justification, and much more. It is written in the lively, engaging style that has made Williams one of the most popular computer authors today. And it uses numerous examples to illustrate the subtle details that make the difference between good and sophisticated use of type. The non-platform specific, non-software specific approach to the book makes this a must-have for any designer's bookshelf - from type novices to more experienced graphic designers and typesetters.

Please note! If you've read Beyond the Mac is not a typewriter then you don't need this book. This book is almost exactly the same as Beyond the Mac is not a typewriter.

Customer Reviews:

A MUST for type lovers.......2007-09-20

Contrary to the reviewer below, this book is most definitely a book about type for non-designers. I too love typography. Mantis neglects to mention, in his diatribe about underlining, that Ms. Williams makes it perfectly clear that a rule (line) integrated into the typographic design is entirely different from the underline feature that you hit with a keystroke. She advocates never hitting that keyboard shortcut, and she is correct. Ms. Williams also makes it clear she is creating guidelines for non-designers who need clear boundaries when they first begin, and that once you know the rules, you can break them with glee. Like Helvetica -- a very skilled designer can override the 1970s look that inevitably comes with Helvetica, just as a very skilled designer can work with art deco fonts and create a new look with them. But beginning designers aren't there yet, so Robin suggests some boundaries.

I found this book to be much more practical for the millions of people who are just discovering that there is more to type than "block text." Bringhurst's book is beautiful and philosophical and something to aspire to, but for nuts and bolts and clear guidelines that work on the page, The Non-Designer's Type Book is a must!

Wonderful intro to the world of type..........2006-02-15

As an avid reader and (some would argue) somewhat-successful writer, I spend a lot of time looking at the printed word. But I don't have a full appreciation behind the effort and thought that goes into how that word gets transferred from writer to reader on paper. Robin Williams has a great book for those of us who are not professionals in the world of typesetting... The Non-Designer's Type Book.

Contents: Centuries of Type; The Art of Readability; The Art of Legibility; Quotation Marks - Or Not?; Hang that Punctuation; Punctuation Style; Shift that Baseline; OpenType & Expert Sets; Small Caps; Oldstyle Figures; Ligatures; Condensed and Extended Type; Display Type; Kerning; Linespacing (leading); Paragraph Spacing; Alignment; Headlines and Subheads; Pull Quotes; Captions; Emphasizing Type; Line Breaks and Hyphenation; Swash Characters; Initial Caps; Typographic Color; Ornaments & Dingbats; Pi & Picture Fonts; Don't be a Wimp!; Evocative Typography; Choose a Typeface; Telltale Signs of Desktop Publishing; Trends in Type; Typographic Terms; Listen to Your Eyes; Font and Product Vendors; Special Characters; Index

It's easy to look at something written and get an immediate impression as to whether it looks good or not. But it's really hard sometimes to know exactly why. Williams demystifies the whole world of print design in such a way that even a novice like me starts to "get it". Her explanation of font styles and when to use what should be required reading for everyone putting words to paper. Just because you can use 10 fonts in a report doesn't mean you should. Going a little deeper, you learn about kerning (spacing between letters) and how that can be adjusted for the best visual results. All of these subjects continue to build on each other, and by the end of the book you have a solid foundation on the subject. What makes the book even better is that her writing style is conversational and somewhat irreverent, and there are an abundance of examples on nearly every page. Even if you already know a particular rule (such as using smart quotes or hanging punctuation), the visual nature of her writing can be used to glean ideas for your own work. Reference and inspiration in a single volume is a hard thing to accomplish, but she pulls it off with ease.

This is another one of those books that will stay close at hand. This will probably be more of a "stay at home" book, as that's where a lot of my writing takes place. But it's guaranteed to get slotted in next to all my other volumes that allow me to make-believe I'm a writer. Great book...

Get the "The Non-Designer's Design Book" instead.......2006-01-17

I'm a big fan of the author, but I feel this is not one of her best books. She clearly illustrates all the important type concepts, but the book felt too long for the amount of information presented.

I love her "The Non-Designer's Design Book" which concisely covers some of the same information. I've recommended the "Design Book" to lots of people but cannot think of anyone I'd recommend the "Type Book" to. I would have preferred it as a quick reference companion to the "Design Book", maybe at half its current size.

Great Guide to help get your message into print........2005-10-08

I have been reading Robin Williams' books since "The Mac is Not a Typewriter" came out.
This author gives great, clear information that will help with the look of anything that you produce in print. (Or on the web)
If you aren't a designer, or aren't particularly artistic, like me, you will benefit from this book because she gives clear examples of how to catch the reader's eye, and gives examples of pitfalls to avoid.
There are also some who are a little too artistic for their own good. This book will help them avoid over-embellishing to the extent that their message doesn't get accross.
A good buy for anyone who has to communicate in print. It doesn't matter if it's ad copy, a report for the boss, or your book, web site or menu.

I don't love typography.......2004-04-25

I generally find typography one of those dry, tedious details I have to know to as part of my job. But THIS book makes it approachable, understandable, interesting, and even entertaining. As titled, this is a book for NON-designers - people who aren't usually interested in this stuff unless compelled to be, and who don't have a lot of time to learn it. If you're looking for something edgier or for "breaking the rules," this is not the book to start with. However, if you're one of those people with a thousand fonts on your computer and only about 3 you ever use, this book will open your mind to the possibilities.

Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists

Average customer rating:

Pass these arguments to your buildSuccessfulWebsite() method!
Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists
Waste of Money
Great text for all webmasters!
Offering 101 checklists for circumventing common problems.

Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists
Shirley Kaiser
Manufacturer: SitePoint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Website Architecture & Usability | Web Development | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

SitePoint | By Publisher | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0975841904

Book Description

Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklistsis the only organized and easy-to-use compilation of guidelines, checklists and tips for building modern, best-practice Websites.

Drawing on dozens of books, studies, and research papers, this book distills not-so-common wisdom into 500 digestible guidelines & checkpoints that can be quickly applied to any Web Development project. Organized by chapter, the guidelines cover everything from color usage & navigation, to accessibility, usability and webpage architecture.

By following all the guidelines, you will develop 100% best-practice Websites, ensuring their projects are built "the right way" from the start. This means the final Website will be:

Cross-browser & Cross-platform compatible
Easy to update & maintain
Usable by even novice Internet Users
Accessible to disabled visitors
Search-engine friendly

As a bonus, all the checklists are downloadable in PDF format, so you can print them out and use them over and over again in all your Web Development projects.

Customer Reviews:

Pass these arguments to your buildSuccessfulWebsite() method!.......2007-09-05

"Deliver First Class Websites: 101 Essential Checklists", by Shirley Kaiser, is a book that provides a complete overview of the many arguments to pass to your buildSuccessfulWebsite() method. Kaiser lists and explains the best practices in the three major components that must coalesce to produce web sites: management, content, and technology. Her management how-to's highlight project fundamentals -- research, logistics of budgeting, marketing, and testing -- and project leadership -- goal definition, scheduling, communication. Websites exist for their content and functionality, and Kaiser instructs on the elements of good website style: making sites usable through proper information architecture, concise writing style, and effective color and graphics. Technology makes websites happen, and Shirley details the requisite knowledge in this area. She covers the best types of code to use, and the best ways to use it. She explains content management systems, accessibility for the disabled, file optimization, and search engine optimization. If you're a webmaster, "Deliver First Class Web Sites" is a must-read.

Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists.......2007-07-18

Deliver First Class Websites is one of hundreds of books on website design. Like the majority of these books (the good ones anyway), Deliver First Class Websites takes the reader step by step through web design from planning and preparing content through design and creating clean code to testing and launching the website. In each section, the author even includes handy checklists so that the web designer can assure that he or she has completed each step in the process.

Although I have read and reviewed countless books on web design, Deliver First Class Websites stood out. Most books of this type approach web design from a purely technological point of view and focus mainly on the code needed to create a good website. I found that this book took a slightly different approach. The goal of a good website as defined by this author was one with good accessibility and flow. Often website designers, and writers of website design books, completely forget that websites are made for people. If these people get frustrated when they can't access information, they will simply leave your site. Thus, good flow and accessibility is vital to a successful website.

Waste of Money.......2007-01-31

Really-if you know nothing about web design, then maybe this is an okay book to get, but for the rest of us it is a waste of money. I am a web designer, and I was looking for something to help me streamline the process and even teach me some things I did not know-BOY was I disappointed! With in 5 minutes of reading this book I found my self saying-great, there's $40 down the tube. I own 5 other books published by site point, and I really do like them, but this one isn't worth the paper its printed on. Anyone who says they respect this author's work should really try raising their standards!

In a nutshell-pass on this waste of paper!!!

Great text for all webmasters!.......2006-11-18

I found Shirley's work to be inspiring, insightful and invigorating! I particularly like the way that she presents information. She has a way of connecting with you that very few authors do well in the non-fiction realm.

I'll be frank, there are like 900 (or perhaps 9000?) checkboxes of "things to do" included in this book. Some are clearly "common sense," like:

"Provide obvious, clear error messages that explain how the user can resolve the error."

...but in practice are so rarely implemented! A couple of weeks ago, I was on the web site of one of the banks that I use. When I tried to access one of my accounts, it presented an error message telling me that I had to log back in due to inactivity. Of course, I had simply clicked on the account and there was no inactivity, but the site had some kind of a problem. The error message was totally irrelevant AND it suggested that the problem was MY fault because I was "inactive."

These kinds of things make a "web experience" either pleasant or terribly annoying. There is nothing worse than a web site that tells you that you're doing something wrong and doesn't explain how or even if there is a way to correct it. Shirley's book should DEFINITELY be read by those in the banking industry! ...and probably anyone else who wants their web site(s) to be encountered without the pain and frustration that comes from poorly considered content.

Shirley provides numerous examples of how to better "align" your site with the needs of users. And, that's what it is really about, isn't it? We don't make web sites for ourselves, we make them for those who visit them. If you're expecting people to visit your web site, you need to read this book. More importantly, you NEED to do what this book recommends. If you're not, you're treating your web users poorly.

One thing that I can definitely say about Shirley's work and that is she recommends that web masters check their server logs for web browsers. I use Linux and Opera and I am very tired of web sites that cater only to IE and Windoze. Her recommendations are useful and relevant, in that one should check their logs to see what kinds of client browsers are visiting their sites. This implies developing content suited to the various browers and testing the web site for compatibility with those kinds of clients. With the ever-growing expansion of web-centric devices and different platforms, it is wholly unacceptable to have floating content sitting over the top of other content particularly in forms where the data fields are REQUIRED for submission.

I was recently on a web site for insurance where a required field (zipcode) was errorneously displayed due to a floating border. Granted, it is difficult to test for the 20% in the "80/20" rule, but I don't do business with those who refuse to consider me, too. If you can't afford to lose the 20%, this book is definitely for you. If you just want to address the 80%, this book is an absolute requirement. If you follow even 10% of the recommendations presented in this book, you'll be a world ahead of where you are now with your web site(s)!

Offering 101 checklists for circumventing common problems........2006-11-07

Learn how to tailor high-quality web sites through others' experiences with Deliver First Class Web Sites, a collection of 'best practice' insights from not just the author's own design background, but from other notables in the field. Checklists for design, usability, accessibility and more touch upon all the common flaws of website design and how to overcome them, offering 101 checklists for circumventing common problems.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Designers Survival Manual: The Insider's Guide to Working With Illustrators, Photographers, Printers, Web engineers and More

Average customer rating:

Covers the basics of how to survive in the profession

Designers Survival Manual: The Insider's Guide to Working With Illustrators, Photographers, Printers, Web engineers and More
Poppy Evans
Manufacturer: How Design Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Desktop Publishing | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1581801254

Book Description

A wealth of insider information for graphic designers collected from vendors illuminates how to get faster, more accurate and less expensive results. Prepress services, paper merchants, photographers, copywriters, illustrators, printers, and web technicians are all included, with information for each provided in quick informed tips.

* This book will appeal to designers of all experience as well as desktop publishers
* Saves designers time and money--the two things they need most
* Invaluable information presented in quick, easy bite-sized pieces

Customer Reviews:

Covers the basics of how to survive in the profession.......2001-11-09

Graphic designers will appreciate an approach which covers the basics of how to survive in the profession. From obtaining strong copy and locating the right illustrator for the job to producing professional-quality photos and preparing digital files, this covers all the details necessary to build professional working relationships with writers, illustrators, Web technicians and others. An essential reference.

Average customer rating:

Before&AfterPageDesign-Great Book!
Dated but Useful
Great tips.
New to design?
Good material for the starting designer

Before & After Page Design
John McWade
Manufacturer: Peachpit Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books

Newspapers & Magazines | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 020179537X

Book Description

Before and After magazine's focus on clarity and simplicity and its insistence on approaching design not as mere decoration but as an essential form of communication have won it legions of fans. If you're among them, you'll welcome the first book from B and A's founder and publisher. John McWade walks his own talk, bringing you a beautifully clear, cohesive, and elegant primer on page design. You'll learn by example how to design single-page and multi-page publications, brochures, and advertisements, applying the principles design professionals live by. You'll also learn how to choose the right font for your project, why one typeface works better than another, and lots more. Best of all, you'll discover how to think visually--transforming the images in your head into documents that communicate effectively on the page.

Customer Reviews:

Before&AfterPageDesign-Great Book!.......2007-09-30

This is a great and helpful book for graphic designers, beginning and advanced. It is a thin book, paperback, not heavy to carry around with you. It's also easy to read and understand. Also a great price/value. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about design. :) :)

Dated but Useful.......2007-07-24

Would rather recommend their beautiful magazine and/or PDF publications which come out irregularly. Every issue is a treat. Take caution however; sadly their customer service treats subscription problems with contempt.

Great tips........2007-06-29

I subscribe to the before & after website and decided to buy this book based on my satisfaction with that membership. The book has great design information. It's so helpful to have the here's what it looked like before and here's how it could be better aspects. It really helps me in my design work.

New to design?.......2006-07-09

This book is wonderful for designers new to design. It teaches you the basics rules and gives plenty of examples (before and after) of how to arrange elements and type.
Very "eye catching" solutions! I am an illustrator & this is a wonderful way to enhance and round out my creativity in my illustrations. A definite must for someone new.

Good material for the starting designer.......2006-02-27

Good book, teaches you the basics of desing this book should be purchased by people that are barely starting.

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