Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics

Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics

Everything you need to know to create professional web sites is right here. Learning Web Design starts from the beginning — defining how the Web and web pages work — and builds from there. By the end of the book, you’ll have the skills to create multi-column CSS layouts with optimized graphic files, and you’ll know how to get your pages up on the Web.

This thoroughly revised edition teaches you how to build web sites according to modern design practices and professional standards. Lear

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List Price: $ 44.99

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Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition

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 We

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List Price: $ 40.00

Price: $ 22.38

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10 Comments on “Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics

  1. Review by Thomas Duff for Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics
    Rating:
    It’s been awhile since I’ve taken a look at what passes for a beginning web development book these days. I decided to examine Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics (3rd edition) by Jennifer Niederst Robbins. All I want to know is… why weren’t books like this around when I was trying to learn this stuff?

    Contents:

    Part 1 – Getting Started: Where Do I Start?; How the Web Works; The Nature of Web Design

    Part 2 – HTML Markup for Structure: Creating a Simple Page (HTML Overview); Marking up Text; Adding Links; Adding Images; Basic Table Markup; Forms; Understanding the Standards

    Part 3 – CSS For Presentation: Cascading Style Sheets Orientation; Formatting Text (Plus More Selectors); Colors and Backgrounds (Plus Even More Selectors and External Style Sheets); Thinking Inside the Box (Padding, Borders, and Margins); Floating and Positioning; Page Layout with CSS; CSS Techniques

    Part 4 – Creating Web Graphics: Web Graphics Basics; Lean and Mean Web Graphics

    Part 5 – From Start to Finish: The Site Development Process; Getting Your Pages on the Web

    Appendix A – Answers; Appendix B – CSS 2.1 Selectors; Index

    The first clue that things were different is that it’s a full color book. So not only can the code examples be color-coded for clarity, but you don’t get black-and-white graphics that attempt to illustrate a full-color web page. Next, covering XHTML and CSS together means that the reader gets the correct foundation for how to separate content from structure. I personally still have a bad habit of using HTML tags instead of using CSS like I really should. Had I had Robbins’ book when I first learned, I’m inclined to think I’d have fewer bad habits to get rid of. Finally, she hits a sweet spot in covering issues like browser quirks and incompatibilities. It’s not so in-depth that the beginner gets lost, yet it’s detailed enough that even those who have been doing web work for some time will likely pick up or rediscover a few things they didn’t know or had forgotten.

    For those working through the book as a tutorial, there are plenty of exercises that reinforce the skills you’ve acquired. After going through the material, there should be very little in the way of HTML and CSS coding that won’t make sense. The only part of web design that this book doesn’t cover is JavaScript. So if you’re coming to this book hoping to learn how to make your page dynamic and interactive via scripting, you’ll go away disappointed. Personally, I think it was a wise decision to leave that out. The target audience is more likely to want to build a basic page with static content to get started. Throwing programming skills at them might be enough to confuse and discourage, which would be a shame. There’s more than enough material here with HTML and CSS to get plenty of value for your book buying dollar.

    I have a colleague at work who is dipping her toe into the world of web design. She asked me if I knew of any good books to get her started. I’ll be shipping my copy to her, as I’m quite confident this will be exactly what she needs…

  2. Review by Conrad J. Obregon for Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics
    Rating:
    It’s a curious aspect of creating sites for the World Wide Web that its not always clear what the titles of the people who perform the functions necessary to do this should be. When I think of design, I think of determining what a site should look like. Robbins thinks that web design is about coding the documents that will ultimately be displayed in a browser window. That’s what this book is about, and I’ll use her definition in the future.

    Web sites are prepared by creating a document in a form that web browsers can translate into something that can be presented on a monitor screen using a special set of symbols called Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). “Learning Web Design” teaches the reader how to use this language to develop a site.

    The book introduces broad concepts and then shows the specific language necessary to create content, neatly organized into chapters that deal with text, links, images, tables, and forms. Next the author discusses the use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which is the current method of giving form to the content that allows smaller, quicker loading, and easier-to-change documents. Each chapter presents the basic concepts, walks the reader through exercises that apply the concepts, and then presents a review and test to make sure the reader grasps the chapter. Documents to work on are easily downloaded from a dedicated web site. While the lessons provide the basic information necessary to create a web site, Robbins generously sprinkles the chapters with references to web sites that examine more complex issues for those interested in learning more or developing special applications.

    This book teaches web design in as simple and clear a manner as is possible for this topic, and no one interested in learning how to create a web site from scratch will be disappointed.

    The real question is why one might want to learn to create a web site from scratch? Today many web-hosting providers make an on-line tool available that lets people create a basic site. If all you want to do is create such a site, you don’t need to know HTML. However, if you want to provide something more complex, you can create a site by writing the language yourself.

    At the other end of the scale, if you expect to create many sites, you may find it more expedient (but also more expensive) to use software like Dreamweaver. However, while Dreamweaver doesn’t require you to know HTML, it may be easier to use if you understand what’s going on “under the hood.” And even with Dreamweaver, occasionally things get so complex that the quickest solution to a web design problem may be writing in HTML.

    Some experienced web design people say that once you have learned HTML it’s quicker and easier to write it directly. (Occasionally, I think this point of view may be just showing off, but mostly I believe it.)

    There are also some people (like myself) who learned HTML several years ago and have not kept up with changes. In recent years eXtensable HTML (XHTML) (a more precise mark-up language) and CSS have come onto the scene that newer browsers can use to present more effective websites. This book is an excellent way to update one’s knowledge.

    If you find that you need to learn HTML, or XHTML, or CSS, I can’t imagine a clearer text than this book.

  3. Review by Bob barker for Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics
    Rating:
    As from the title, i am a beginner of HTML and CSS. I am reading books to help me have a better understanding of web design when i go to learn Dreamweaver and Flash. If you have read my other review on “Sams Teach yourself HTML and CSS” I bought these two books and i am rating them against one another on how well i learned something since they are the only two books i have read at this time. Because it is alot of info, i will indicate the pros and cons of this book:

    Pros of this book:

    1. The book is in color compared to “HTML and CSS in 24 hours”.

    2. The exercises are fun and there are alot in this book.

    Cons on this book:

    1. I think this book hardly covers any area compared to HTML and CSS in 24 hours”.

    2. This book is over priced for what better quality you get out of the 24 hour book”

    3. Her appendix on code in the back of the book is only 2 pages long, thats a joke compared to how much code is out there and the 24 hour book has 10+ pages of code to help you out.

    4. The chapters arent laid out well.

    Overall, compared to most books, i think this book was ok by only the excerises that were in the book and it to be a decent hands on book. Do i think this book is for beginners, yes, but it only scratchs the surface. If you want a good reference guide, i would recommend “HTML and CSS in 24 hours” because when it is rated between those two books, the other book is soooooo much better, read my review on it to help you better.

  4. Review by Larry for Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics
    Rating:
    So, you want to learn how to design web pages and sites. Well, the title suggests you came to the right place. Did you? In my opinion, yes. The book covers the basics of HTML and XHTML, along with the CSS necessary to show it off.

    It’s amazing how much – and how quickly – web design has changed over the last few years. If you’re new to the party, this book explains the current best practices in a clear manner. If you haven’t kept up, this book will prove to be a good refresher course.

    The text is concise and clean, and the use of colors and a multitude of sidebars really enhance the learning experience. There is a strong emphasis on the separation of content (XHTML) and presentation (CSS), which, as we all know by now, is a good thing.

  5. Review by atmj for Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
    Rating:
    The “show me” what you mean book of web usability review. I particularly like the common sense handling of the main web problems.Some of the key things that are pointed out in this book are:1. Don’t make me think: Basically the web user does not want to venture into a site that requires them to figure it out. It should be self-evident. How do we use web pages: a. We don’t read pages, we scan them b. We don’t make optimal choices, we satisfice c. We don’t figure out, how things work, we muddle through2. It doesn’t matter how many times I click as long as each click is a mindless unambiguous choice3. Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left.The first 5 chapters clearly illustrate the three “Krug’s Laws of Usability” listed above with lots of pictures and examples. Well done.His chapters on navigation and finding your way around are a cookbook on how to do it right. He finishes the chapters with several examples, first asking the reader to look at the examples and then discusses how he feels it should be redone. Excellent teaching tool. Similarly, he broaches the topic of the Home page and how it should be structured and the various forces pulling in different directions. The examples he gives at the end here too are a good teaching tool.The remainder of the book discusses the design processes and the usability tests. These are excellent chapters in the forces at work and it is evident, he has done this many times from the information he has gathered. He provides specific suggestions for web usability testing for various stages of sites as well as for various problems. This is wonderful guidance if you are new at this. He also provides a guideline on scripting and report writing. Nice job.He winds up the book with recommended reading and also providing a website for readers of this book: http://www.circle.com/krugbook/

  6. Review by Andrew B. King for Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
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    A practical Web design usability guide, “Don’t Make Me Think!” is based on empirical observation not exhaustive statistics. Steve Krug’s five years of usability consulting and testing are distilled down to this thin yet gem-filled how-to. Krug observed how people actually use the Web rather than how we *think* they use it, gleaning key usability guidelines. Most folks can’t afford a full-blown usability consult, but they can afford to buy a $35 book. This book shows you how to conduct your own usability tests on the cheap. What follows is a summary of the book’s major rules and observations:1. Don’t Make Me Think!The number one usability rule, most often expresed by users. Web pages should be self-evident, obvious, and self-explanatory. Buttons should have short text and look clickable. The default search for your site should be simple.2. Design for scanning not readingBy observing users Krug found that people glance, scan some text, and click on the first reasonable option (called “satisficing”). People scan Web pages, they don’t read them. We don’t make optimal choices, we satisfice.Here are some things you can do to make sure users understand as much of your site as possible:a. Create a clear visual hierarchy to show relative importance of content (H1/H2 etc.)
    b. Take advantage of conventions
    c. Break pages up into clearly defined areas
    d. Make it obvious what’s clickable
    e. Minimize noise 3. Users like mindless choicesMake each click an unambiguous orthogonal alternative.4. Omit needless wordsGet rid of half of the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left. This is especially important on home pages and
    gateway pages.5. Navigation: Use street signs and breadcrumbsFactoid: The back button accounts for 30 to 40 percent of all Web clicks. Persistent navigation appears on every page of the site and should include the following five elements:a. Site ID
    b. A way home
    c. Search
    d. Sections
    e. Utilities Your navigation should answer these questions:a. What site is this?
    b. What page am I on?
    c. What are the major sections of this site?
    d. What are my options at this level?
    e. Where am my in the scheme of things?
    f. How can I search? 6. Your home page should convey the big pictureWhat is the site about? Use a good short tag line and welcome blurb. Rotate site promotions. Remove everything nonessential.7. Most Web design usability arguments are waste of timeThese “religious debates” consist of people expressing strongly held personal beliefs about things that can’t be proven. All Web users are unique. There are no average users. There are no simple “right” answers for most Web design questions. What works is good integrated design that fills a need, that’s carefully thought out, well executed, and tested.The antidote for religious debate is to ask specific questions and test with real users. The last three chapters of the book show how to perform testing on the cheap with three or four users. I really enjoyed this book, especially Krug’s easy humor. From WebReference.com.

  7. Review by for Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
    Rating:
    This book walks it’s talk. It is written and arranged exactly as a useable web site should be, clear and concise, with scannable (as well as enjoyable) text. The clean attractive design and graphics accurately and efficiently illustrate the text, which is easy to read and to understand. I love the use of cartoon people with thought balloons to suggest how people think while using a web site.There is no clutter of technical gibberish or endless verbose rambling on statistics. The chapter on usability testing takes us step by step through the process and is descriptive and instructional instead of theoretical. Steve Krug doesn’t feel he has to sacrifice creativity, visual interest, individuality, or effective advertising in order to develop a usable web site. “Good tag lines are personable, lively, and sometimes clever. Clever is good, but only if the cleverness helps convey – not obscure – the message.” I can’t agree with those who dismiss this book as nothing but common sense. While I see nothing wrong with publishing a reference and instructional manual that is full of common sense, this book also presents the reasoning behind every method that is suggested. The clashes between designers, programmers, and advertisers are explored and addressed. While I agree that the simple and obvious conclusion is that the focus should be on the user, it is refreshing and helpful to find a book which distills information from all of the varied and opposing developer viewpoints, and applies to them to that end. The book is, after all, subtitled “A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability.” Also, like most common sense, it isn’t really so obvious until after someone has pointed it out to you.Here are a few things you won’t find in this book, which makes it all the more effective and convincing. You won’t find anything that claims this is the “right” way to design web sites. There will be no discussion of business models or predictions for the future of the web. The best omission of all is that there is no bad mouthing of poorly designed sites. According to Steve Krug “Designing, building, and maintaining a great web site isn’t easy. It’s like golf: a handful of ways to get the ball in the hole, a million ways not to. Anyone who gets it half right has my admiration.” This book gets it more than half right.

  8. Review by for Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
    Rating:
    As a web designer that owns my own domain, I had purchased Jakob Nielsens Wed Design Usability book and loved it. I thought nothing could top it, but then I was in a book store and picked Don’t Make Me Think up. It had some high-power reviews of the book on that back cover. When I opened this book up, I understood why. This book talks about Web Design as and ways to understand why a site needs to be design to the specific user the designer has in mind. Highly respect design expert Roger Black writes the forward. I remember buying a book of his years ago called Websites That Work. While a beautiful book, it was before its time and lacking what Krug has written into this book. I’d recommend this to anyone who has purchased Nielsen’s book. It refreshing that there is actually credible suggestion out there.

  9. Review by for Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
    Rating:
    “Don’t Make Me Think” is incredibly clear, concise, and helpful – as well as surprisingly enjoyable. Every web designer or developer should read it and take its message to heart. I develop web sites at an e-business solutions provider, and these are the kind of issues I tackle every day. I am reading three industry-related books and ten industry-related magazines on any given day, and I managed to make it through this book in lightning speed. Kudos to author and editors for creating such an easy-to-swallow dose of usability advice, and for adding excellent sprinkles on top in the form of good-natured humor throughout and a resource section at the end.Web design is a young field, and because of that, many people who design web sites today have no formal training in web or interface design. A background in print design or technology is a great start, but not sufficient when it comes to creating a usable web site. It is crucial to take usability into account when creating a site that you want people to interact with – ESPECIALLY when you want people to buy something from your site.This book provides a terrific outline of usability issues, as well as a look into usability testing, in a very accessible and encouraging manner. Anyone involved in designing or developing web sites can benefit from it. Especially if you have never conducted a usability test and don’t realize how average people (ie, non-web-savvies) interact with a web site – this book will open your eyes to some vital information which will help you create better, more usable sites.

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