The methods and processes in which professional Web sites are created have not changed much since the first edition of this book. Designers still need to understand requirements, realize the technical pros and cons of layouts, create comps, save images using the correct file types, and test sites similarly to how they have for more than a decade. Some of the technical ways in which these processes are accomplished, however, have changed.
Probably the most significant change that has occurred since the original writing of this book is how the framework of sites is built. Table-based HTML (HyperText Markup Language), now XHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language), designs had been the staple for laying out Web sites for many years. However, this method started making a significant change after the second edition of this book, in favor of Cascading Style Sheet(CSS)-based designs. Such design involves using style sheets to style pages, instead of XHTML table structure, which require more code. This book fully explains the essentials of using style sheets to lay out sites.
In this fourth edition, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is explored, giving the reader a strong basic understanding of how to get sites to rank better in search engines. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) also is explained, hopefully, helping the designer create a more efficient site for the users who are already visiting them.
The goal of this book is still to educate beginning to intermediate Web designers on the various issues involved with Web design. The way in which this is accomplished is through general discussion, case studies, and specific tips and techniques. There are many ways in which designers today create sites. What is included in this design is how A5design, the company owned by the author, has satisfied its clients since the late 1990s.
The book is written in the least technical terms possible. While some technical terminology is always going to be necessary, a lot of it has been simplified or all out excluded to help the reader understand the general concepts and then apply them in an effective, quick manner. My premise is that learning is much easier once the reader gets some momentum going, which is accomplished by not tripping over technical terminology.
This is not to say this book doesn’t deal with specific issues that designers will most likely run into, because it does. Many of the tips and techniques included in this book will be experienced by the reader eventually if he/she does enough Web design.
The tips and techniques included in this book come from many years of troubleshooting, pitfalls, and flat-out stupid mistakes. They have been fine-tuned, however, through creative solutions and technical common sense. After having read through this book, the reader will have a strong understanding of what it takes to create a highly professional Web site.
Contents
- Chapter 1 Overview of Web Development Today
- Chapter 2 Designing for the Past, Present, and Future
- Chapter 3 Things to Consider Before Beginning
- Chapter 4 Enhancing Usability
- Chapter 5 Gathering Requirements and Creating a Comp
- Chapter 6 What Is Needed to Build Mortised Sites
- Chapter 7 Understanding Graphics
- Chapter 8 Creating CSS Designs
- Chapter 9 Case Study: Low-Content CSS Design
- Chapter 10 Case Study: Medium-Content CSS Design
- Chapter 11 Case Study: High-Content CSS Design
- Chapter 12 Case Study: Full-Height Three-Column Layout
- Chapter 13 Case Study: Background-Based Design
- Chapter 14 Case Study: A CSS Form
- Chapter 15 Case Study: Low-Content XHTML Template
- Chapter 16 Tips and Techniques
- Chapter 17 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Chapter 18 Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
- Chapter 19 Customizing the Designs Included in This Book
- Chapter 20 Templates Included on DVD
- Index
Product Details
- Paperback: 912 pages
- Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 4 edition (June 22, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1435457153
- ISBN-13: 978-1435457157
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1.4 inches
List Price: $49.99