web design books

Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works

2007-05-22T23:56:00.000-07:00

Author: Kelly Goto
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Year: 2004
Pages: 296
ISBN: 0735714339

Anyone who has managed the process of developing or redesigning a Web site of significant size has likely learned the hard way the complexities, pitfalls, and cost risk of such an undertaking. While many Web development firms have fantastic technical expertise, what sets the topnotch organizations apart is the ability to accurately manage the planning and development process. Web Redesign: Workflow That Works directly addresses this crucial area with a specific, proven process. This brief but important book lays out a specific five-step strategy--called the Core Process--that can always be applied to the development of Web sites and fine-tuned to almost any type of project. Each step--defining the project, developing site structure, visual design and testing, production and QA, and launch and beyond--contains three related but distinct tracks. The text begins with a brief overview of each of the steps, then delves deeper into each with detailed explanations as well as specific forms and project-management strategies. This book does not cover back-end, server-side programming. Instead, it focuses primarily on the visual, conventional components of a Web site. Authors Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler compiled this book in an attractive, easy-to-read format. This process guide uses numerous full-color screen shots to illustrate site examples, as well as plenty of site diagrams and sample forms. The book even has a companion Web site with downloadable forms in PDF format to put the Core Process into immediate action. --Stephen W. Plain

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Web Design on a Shoestring

2007-05-22T23:53:00.000-07:00

Author: Carrie Bickner
Publisher: New Riders Press
Year: 2003
Pages: 250
ISBN: 0735713286

With the struggling US economy, many businesses have had to implement steps to curb expenses and pinch pennies. One of the first areas to feel these cutbacks is the web site design and development group. Employees have been asked to fill roles previously held by other employees due to staff reductions. At the same time, these remaining employees are expected to execute robust and efficient mechanisms for their corporate web sites on a tight or non-existent budget. Developers and designers are looking for shortcut tools to get there. It's all about getting more bang for the buck. Web design on a Shoestring is the tool these web site developers and designers need. It reveals all sorts of free or inexpensive resources that are available but unknown. More specifically, Carrie Bickner shows you how any individual can do the things a team of web professionals are often brought in to do. Learn how to create a pennywise plan so that you avoid being nickled and dimed to death later. Find out the best ways to test your web sites efficiencies and functionalities. Understand the most effective content management systems, and the commercial products to use or avoid - all with no dollars being spent.

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2007-05-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

Author: Jeffrey Zeldman
Publisher: New Riders Press
Year: 2003
Pages: 456
ISBN: 0735712018

Standards, argues Jeffrey Zeldman in Designing With Web Standards, are our only hope for breaking out of the endless cycle of testing that plagues designers hoping to support all possible clients. In this book, he explains how designers can best use standards--primarily XHTML and CSS, plus ECMAScript and the standard Document Object Model (DOM)--to increase their personal productivity and maximize the availability of their creations. Zeldman's approach is detailed, authoritative, and rich with historical context, as he is quick to explain how features of standards evolved. It's a fantastic education that any design professional will appreciate. Zeldman is an idealist who devotes some of his book to explaining how much easier life would be if browser developers would just support standards properly (he's done a lot toward this goal in real life, as well). He is also a pragmatist, who recognizes that browsers implement standards differently (or partially, or not at all) and that it is the job of the Web designer to make pages work anyway. Thus, his book includes lots of explicit and tightly focused tips (with code) that have to do with bamboozling non-compliant browsers into behaving as they should, without tripping up more compliant browsers. There's lots of coverage of design and testing tools that can aid in the creation of good-looking, standards-abiding documents. --David Wall

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Designing with Web Standards (2nd Edition)

2007-05-22T23:47:00.001-07:00

Author: Jeffrey Zeldman
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Year: 2006
Pages: 432
ISBN: 0321385551

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Web Portfolio Design and Applications

2007-05-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Author: John Dimarco
Publisher: Idea Group Publishing
Year: 2006
Pages: 304
ISBN: 1591408547

Scholars and students are searching for information on what a Web portfolio is, what it is not, what to put into a Web portfolio, and what technical skills are needed to succeed in the process. Web Portfolio Design and Applications provides a combination of theory, pedagogy, and practice to help enable faculty and students across disciplines to explore creating a Web portfolio. This book provides research conclusions, case studies, and hands-on technical processes, which allow people of all levels to develop a personal approach to creating a Web portfolio. Web Portfolio Design and Applications is designed for anyone who has an interest in Web portfolios and electronic portfolios. John DiMarco is a professor, trainer, consultant, writer, and digital media expert who has 10 years experience in training and education. Professor DiMarco provides expertise in educational technology, digital art, design, marketing, continuing education, and professional development. John teaches courses in mass communications and animation at St. Johns University. He also holds adjunct professorships at NYIT and Nassau Community College. He recently held the position of Assistant Professor of Digital Art and Design and Interactive Multimedia at Long Island University, C.W. Post in New York.

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Blog Design Solutions

2007-05-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

Author: Phil Sherry
Publisher: friends of ED
Year: 2006
Pages: 376
ISBN: 1590595815

Blogging has moved rapidly from being a craze to become a core feature of the Internet--from individuals sharing their thoughts with the world via online diaries, through fans talking about their favorite sports teams or music, right up to serious business minds discussing industry futures. And that includes you, right? If you haven't got a blog already, you want to start one, and want to find out how. If you have already got one, you want to know how to customize it, and make it look cooler than everybody else's. In either case, this is the ideal book for you. In this book, a team of renowned web designers take you through the ins and outs of putting together great blogs. They waste no time harking on about the philosophy of blogs, or the community behind them. Instead, they get straight to the practical details, showing how to set up a basic blog in some of the world's most popular blogging engines -- Movable Type, ExpressionEngine, WordPress, and Textpattern. With your blog set up, they then show you how to build great looking, usable layouts for your blog. The last chapter even shows you how to build your very own PHP/MySQL-based blog engine!

Chapter 1: The "Web Log"
Chapter 2: Creating a Local Test Environment for Your Blog
Chapter 3: Movable Type
Chapter 4: ExpressionEngine
Chapter 5: WordPress
Chapter 6: Textpattern
Chapter 7: Write Your Own Blog Engine

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Web Design For Dummies, 2nd Edition

2007-05-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

How many times have you visited a Web site and thought that you could do a better job if only you had the knowledge and skills? Or perhaps you have a great idea for a Web site but don’t know how to get started? What was once exclusively a task for professionals, Web designing, has become more accessible to amateurs, thanks to loads of handy software. With Web Design For Dummies, you will be able to design your own Web site like a pro.

Web design requires many programs to make a Website attractive and fun, including:

Using Web editors like Dreamweaver
Image editing tools like Photoshop elements
Drawing utensils like Illustrator
Background markup and scripting languages like HTML and CSS

This fun guide covers all of the topics that every aspiring Web designer should know. This book offers advice on:

Designing for your audience
Building a solid framework for easy navigation
Creating appealing graphics that work with the site
Choosing the proper type and colors
Tweaking the HTML to make everything work correctly
Applying next-step technologies including JavaScript
Parlaying your skills into paid work

With expert guidance from Lisa Lopuck, a pioneer in interactive media design and the Senior Producer at Disney, you will be creating superb Web pages that will charm and impress all of your visitors!

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