Product Description

This title presents the dos and don'ts of web entrepreneurship. Did you ever innocently click on a link, only to be directed to a website that pops open a fullscreen window and blasts annoying music from your speakers? Did you ever spend too much time trying to find basic information that was buried deep in a needlessly complex website? Designers of such sites probably didn't consider the comfort and pleasure of the end user. Intelligent web design should be much more common than it is, and this book aims to change that. With chapters by arranged by subject (interface and design, marketing and communication, technology and programming, technical advice, content/content management, and commerce), a clear do/don't structure, and plenty of real world examples of successful websites, this book has all the advice you need to turn your personal or business website into a streamlined and efficient specimen of good design. Your visitors will thank you.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #109502 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Julius Wiedemann was born and raised in Brazil. After studying graphic design and marketing, he moved to Japan, where he worked in Tokyo as art editor for digital and design magazines. Since joining TASCHEN, he has been building up the digital and media collection with titles such as Animation Now!, the Advertising Now series, the Web Design series, and TASCHEN's 1000 Favorite Websites.

Customer Reviews

Disappointing and too flashy
I bought this book shrink-wrapped and I now know why! I was really looking forward to reading this book and I must say that it is a total let down. 90%+ of the sites highlighted in the book are Flash-based. This is not what the title or any of the cover copy implies.

The book doesn't talk about running an online business. It just showcases cool looking Flash sites that appeared on the FWA site - sites designed by designers primarily for showing off to their peers. You only have to look at the CMS section to see how far removed from modern interface design this book is. The do's and don't are totally formulaic and simplistic. "Don't use Comic Sans" is one of the pearls of wisdom you get for your 20-odd quid. Thanks a bunch. If I could set this review in Comic Sans I would.

What about Ajax and Rails technologies and CSS-based sites? Aren't they far more cutting edge? I would argue so - this isn't even discussed. I was hoping for something more in the mould of "How to be a Graphic Designer, Without Losing Your Soul" by Adrian Shaughnessy; this is a brilliant book that follows the day-to-day running of a successful creative business.

This book, however, is one of those eye candy books disguised as an online business manual. It is not for those who want some sage advice from leading industry figures. It doesn't even have an index. Avoid.

Too general guidelines, mostly Flash oriented.
As you read the book you get tired of those simplified Do's and Don'ts. Most of the pointers are common knowledge and have little to none value. Example: on page 252 ( Content/Content Managment - Information) there are following Do's 1. Provide clear navigation 2. Allow room to explore 3. Keep it interesting around every bend. Don'ts -> 1. Overload the layout. 2. Complicate the message 3. Lose focus of what is important to your audience.
The same thing is said in different wording many times throughout the book. The book is good for it's examples , but doesn't really give you anything that you didn't know before.

A must read
Guidelines for Online Success is a book going through different phases of the do's and don't of creating a website. This is not a tutorial on how to create a website but a book filled with tips and examples of websites and also includes top input from the top people from all over the world and is put together by Rob Ford (founder of fwa) and Julius Weidemann(Taschen editor). owners of the top agencies such as Micheal Lebowitz if the Big Spaceship to David Hugh Martin of Fantasy Interactive. In this book all the work shown are award winning and if you visit them and also learn to what the people have to say then maybe you can become FWA site of the day, month or even year.