The Principles of Beautiful Web Design

The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
by Jason Beaird

The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
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Book Summary Information

Author: Jason Beaird
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-02-07
ISBN: 0975841963
Number of pages: 180
Publisher: SitePoint

Book Reviews of The Principles of Beautiful Web Design

Book Review: The Best Book on Web Design
Summary: 5 Stars

Being a programmer and not designer I have always found it difficult to understand design topics like color, layout, composition and so forth when it comes to designing websites. I have purchased books in the past but they always assume the reader has a design background of some sort. I thought I'd never find a book that assumed no design knowledge but was not a "dummies" book. Well my search is finally over.

This great book by Jason Beaird covers everything in web design from web page anatomy to color theory to texture and typography. The thing about this book is that the author explains everything in simple explanations that are clear and concise with beautiful screenshots and illustrations.

The book starts off with layout and composition which entails: Grid Theory, The Rule of Thirds, Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Balance, Unity, Proximity, Emphasis, Contrast, etc. Lots of good stuff that makes for relaxed easy reading that really makes you understand how to place images and text on a web page. He also covers the basic web layouts such as left and right column and three column. Other layouts such as fixed and liquid and hybrid are also discussed with nice examples. A great chapter that is better than anything I have ever read before in other books.

The next chapter is a very complete discussion on colors. Jason goes into detail about the main colors and what they are usually associated with. For example, the color orange is thought to promote happiness represent sunshine, enthusiasm and creativity. The color blue has been found to calm people and conveys a sense of stability and clarity. Is that why Microsoft's website uses it so much? Also covered is the color wheel, color schemes (triadic, split-complementary, and tetradic). A lot of fancy words that I never understood until reading this chapter. An eye opener for me about colors.

Texture is covered next and how web designers can give a web site a distinctive appearance beyond just picking colors for it. Shapes, volume and depth, light and shadow, patterns all are apart of making a web site "feel" something to the visitor and should not be overlooked. Of course this requires a little graphic skills but nothing too complex.

Typography is then covered and everything you ever wanted to know about fonts is explained. From text replacement (sIFR) to web safe fonts to spacing and alignment to all kinds of examples of different types of fonts.

The final chapter is on imagery where the author explains to the reader the real power of how images can make or break a web deign. Ask yourself these questions about images you want to use on your web page: Is it relevant? Is it interesting? Is it appealing? The author also goes through sites where you can get free and commercial stock images and the downfalls of each.

A great book for anybody who really wants to learn more about design. This book has been sold out for a few weeks and has been one of the most popular books from Sitepoint in quite a while.

A must buy!!

Summary of The Principles of Beautiful Web Design

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 web design 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

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