Product Description

This text offers new and experienced web designers theory and practical examples that demonstrate the theories discussed. Each aspect of website creation is given coverage from planning the site to building the pages, to adding search, e-commerce, and security features.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #683549 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 872 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There are plenty of books on how to write HTML, and in fact Thomas Powell has already written one (HTML: The Complete Reference. This title is about the harder task of Web design, including planning the content, working out the overall layout of the site, making pages compelling and easy to use, and avoiding the numerous pitfalls of Web development. It is nevertheless a hands-on book, and the author assumes some knowledge of HTML, stylesheets, JavaScript and simple image manipulation. The idea is to help Web authors design and evaluate their work, with the focus firmly on the user's perspective.

After a general overview of usability, the author looks in detail at site navigation, including hyperlinks, indexing, and designing effective search facilities. For example, there are several pages on different kinds of rollover effects, with example code and a discussion of pros and cons. The next part covers page design, and tackles tricky issues such as fonts and colours on the web, and how to include forms and other interactive features.

A separate section on Web technology looks at browsers and browser detection, different versions of HTML and variants such as XHTML and XML, server-side and client-side programming, and the use of plug-ins, ActiveX and Java for rich client features. There is also a look at site management and how to make sense of usage logs. A short section covers future directions such as Web access from devices other than personal computers. The book closes with a series of appendices, covering site design principles, evaluation procedures, and references for fonts and colours. With plentiful examples, insights and suggestions, this is a great read for developers who know the technology but are unsure how best to put it all together. --Tim Anderson

From the Publisher
Design, build, and maintain dynamic Web sites that balance form and function. Inside you'll find thorough explanations of effective site architecture, layout, and navigational features, and discover how to add graphics, links, and multimedia. Also learn to handle privacy and security issues with respect to site design, and program dynamic Web applications.

From the Back Cover

The Ultimate Resource on Web Site Design Theory and Practice.

Plan, build, and maintain dynamic Web sites that balance form and function. Web design expert Thomas Powell provides thorough explanations of effective site architecture, layout, and navigational features, and describes how to add graphics, links, interface widgets, and multimedia. You'll also get complete details on enabling search and e-commerce capabilities, handling privacy and security issues with respect to site design, and programming dynamic Web applications.

- Gain a solid background in Web design theories and techniques
- Plan site architecture with respect to user-centered design and navigation
- Learn how to plan, specify, and build large web sites
- Format text and add links, icons, and imagemaps
- Integrate Web GUI widgets, such as windows, forms and pull-down menus
- Add images GIFs, JPEGs, PNGs animation, audio, and video
- Learn core Web technologies, including HTML, CSS, and XML
- Optimize for global search engines and design for local search engines
- Program Web applications using JavaScript
- Select appropriate hosting environment for fast site delivery

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Customer Reviews

Simple on the Surface, but Complex Underlying Concepts
A quick first glance at this book would suggest that it deals with simple design issues, which it does clearly and concisely. However the more you delve into the book the more complex the concepts become. The writer does this in a gentle manner, avoiding jargon and pitching it perfectly between the web design beginner and professional.

Buy this book if you are designing a medium to large internet site, you will need to read it, its not a book that you can dip into easily without knowing your way around. But once you have read it you will carry many of the concepts around with you for a very long time.

A formal approach to web site design
I have many books on raw html, xhtml, xml, javascript etc but this is the first book that shows how to put all these technologies together for effective web site design and creation. The result is a formalised and structured approach to site building, without all those flashy, annoying graphics.

Everything you want to know anout web design in one place
When I started teaching myself about web design I couldn't find a decent book on the subject anywhere. I ended up with about four books which together answered the questions I had been asking. Then I discovered this book. It has all the information I wanted in one place. So save yourself some time and buy just one book, not four.