As a Web Designer with circa 5 years experience I have read many books and scoured the Web for literally hundreds of hours gathering the best information I could about best practices in Web Design. Here is my definitive list of resources every Web Designer should have on their book shelf/bookmark folder.
CSS Mastery Advanced Web Standards Solutions – Buy from Amazon
Product Description
The Internet abounds with information on CSS based design. However it’s spread across a large and disparate group of sites and can be very difficult to find. The purpose of this book is to pull all this information together in one place, thus creating a definitive guide to modern CSS based techniques. The book can be read cover to cover, with each chapter building on the previous one. However it can equally be used as a reference book, dipping into each chapter or technique to help solve specific problems. This second edition contains: * New examples and updated browser support information * New case studies from Simon Collison and Cameron Moll * CSS3 examples, showing new CSS3 features, and CSS3 equivalents to tried and tested CSS2 techniques.
The Principles of Beautiful Web Design (Paperback) –
Buy from Amazon
Product 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. The book’s full-color layout and large format (8″ x 10″) make The Principles Of Beautiful Wed Design a pleasure to read. Editorial Reviews “The Principles of Beautiful Web Design is a good book to kick start your graphic-design journey. The biggest benefit that I got from this book is the knowledge to learn from great designs as opposed to just admiring them in a state of awe.” – Slashdot.org “Jason is a great writer, and the book is quite easy to read. It’s put together wonderfully, including many full color screenshots and other forms of imagery that make the book a pleasure to read. I’d definitely recommend the book to anyone in Web design.” – MondayByNoon “Jason Beaird covers webdesign in a way that non-designers can understand. He walks you through all of the aspects of design development from initial meeting to finished product. If you are just getting into web development, this is a must read.” – Blogcritics.org “This is a thoroughly practical guide to web design that is very well written: good technical depth in easy-to-understand language with excellent illustrations and graphics that support the text. For many users it will be the only web-design text they will need. For those who want to further advance their skills and knowledge it will provide a sound foundation.” – PC Update “His “Don’t just tell, show!” style makes this book accessible to everyone… It strikes a carefully thought-out balance between describing principles and illustrating them. It is clear and well structured, with practical examples in every chapter.” – Mitch Wheat.
Product Description
Another easy to understand compendium of CSS tips, tricks and hacks for any Web Designers collection of books. The book covers CSS from its most basic to the more technical side. Whatever your level of experience with CSS, this book will be able to help you.
Don’t Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability –
Buy from Amazon
Product Description
Five years and more than 100,000 copies after it was first published, it’s hard to imagine anyone working in Web design who hasn’t read Steve Krug’s “instant classic” on Web usability, but people are still discovering it every day. In this second edition, Steve adds three new chapters in the same style as the original: wry and entertaining, yet loaded with insights and practical advice for novice and veteran alike. Don’t be surprised if it completely changes the way you think about Web design.
Three New Chapters!
- Usability as common courtesy — Why people really leave Web sites
- Web Accessibility, CSS, and you — Making sites usable and accessible
- Help! My boss wants me to ______. — Surviving executive design whims
“I thought usability was the enemy of design until I read the first edition of this book.
Don’t Make Me Think! showed me how to put myself in the position of the person who uses my site. After reading it over a couple of hours and putting its ideas to work for the past five years, I can say it has done more to improve my abilities as a Web designer than any other book.
In this second edition, Steve Krug adds essential ammunition for those whose bosses, clients, stakeholders, and marketing managers insist on doing the wrong thing. If you design, write, program, own, or manage Web sites, you must read this book.” — Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing with Web Standards.
The Web Designer’s Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design: The Ultimate Guide to Themes, Trends and Styles in Website Design –
Buy from Amazon
Product Description
DesignMeltdown.com; is a huge collection of websites organised by a wide variety of criteria. Author Patrick McNeil has catalogued more than 5,000 sites and has chosen the best examples to showcase in book format. The book serves as a source of visual inspiration to web designers to help them see what others have done and how they can adapt those ideas to their own needs.
About the Author
Patrick McNeil is a web designer and programmer for marketing and technology firm TargetScope Inc. His blog, designmeltdown.com, presents trends in web design and provides inspiration for designers by organising the sites thematically.
Product Description
Back and bracing as ever, Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day, Second Edition offers brisk advice, bite–sized tasks, and smart tools to help you increase visibility for your website on the major search engines. In this new edition of their bestselling how–to guide, SEO consultants Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin offer surprisingly easy do–it–yourself techniques as well as the very latest SEO strategies for small, very small, and large businesses, as well as for bloggers and web designers.
From the Back Cover
Put Your Website in the Spotlight
A Step–by–Step Guide
Back and bracing as ever, Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day, Second Edition offers brisk advice, bite–sized tasks, and smart tools to help you increase visibility for your website on the major search engines. In this new edition of their bestselling how–to guide, SEO consultants Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin offer surprisingly easy do–it–yourself techniques as well as the very latest SEO strategies for small, very small, and large businesses, as well as for bloggers and web designers.
- Cut through the trendy jargon to find the “Eternal Truths” of SEO
- Discover the right keywords using the latest research tools and your own gut check
- Get to know your stats and the free stat–collector, Google Analytics
- Optimize your site for search engines and your site visitors so you can be found, then make the sale
- Use the social web to help you reach your business goals, even if you′re not a social networking butterfly
You′ll also find:
- Essential hints, tips, and techniques for everyone from one–person shops to Fortune 500 companies
- Engaging right–brain vs. left–brain discussions about tackling key issues from two unique perspectives
- Real–world “From the Trenches” case studies that illustrate successes to learn from and mistakes to avoid
The Smashing Book – Buy from Smashing Magazine
Product Description
The Smashing Book is a printed book about best practices in modern Web design. The book shares technical tips and best practices on coding, usability and optimization and explores how to create successful user interfaces and apply marketing principles to increase conversion rates. It also shows how to get the most out of typography, color and branding so that you end up with intuitive and effective Web designs. And lastly, you will also get a peek behind the curtains of Smashing Magazine.