The following texts can be useful when learning web design. I now design all my sites in valid XHTML and CSS, but you will not find any XHTML-only books in this list. I learned HTML from Lynda Weinman's creative html design (the second edition is dated, but I listed it for nostalgia reasons), and picked up XHTML from various online resources. I don't want to recommend a book based merely on its 5-star rating on Amazon.com. If any of you have an XHTML text that you believe in, let me know.
I design all my sites using Dreamweaver's text editor, but update using the WYSIWYG editor. Dreamweaver and similar programs will aid in building, organizing and maintaining sites, but knowing (X)HTML is vital.
The
Zen of CSS Design
Dave Shea & Molly E. Holzschlag
From Amazon...
"Proving once and for all that standards-compliant design does not equal dull
design, this inspiring tome uses examples from the landmark CSS Zen Garden site
as the foundation for discussions on how to create beautiful, progressive CSS-based
Web sites. By using the Zen Garden sites as examples of how CSS design techniques
and approaches can be applied to specific Web challenges, authors Dave Shea and
Molly Holzschlag provide an eye-opening look at the range of design methods made
possible by CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)."
Eric
Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design
Eric A. Meyer
Considered by many to be the CSS guru, Meyer provides readers with numerous examples of the possibilities of CSS-based design. Topics covered include converting existing html pages to css; styling calendars, input forms, and hyperlinks; and multi-column layouts. This is a meat-and-potatoes book. Flashy designs are not included.
More
Eric Meyer on CSS
Eric A. Meyer
More Eric Meyer is a continuation of Meyer on CSS. Projects include styling a photo gallery; using background images; using lists to create drop down menus (without JavaScript); styling blogs; and creating a design for the aforementioned CSS Zen Garden.
Web
Standards Solutions: The Markup and Style Handbook
Dan Cederholm
From Amazon...
"Cederholm's book explains how to create markup and style, exploring multiple
techniques for handling situations when building with Web Standards. In this
easy-to-read book, each chapter provides "extra credit" sections, giving you
bonus tips and tricks, and empowering you to make better decisions based with
well-rounded information."
Stylin'
with CSS : A Designer's Guide
Charles Wyke-Smith
I haven't received this from Amazon yet, but Zeldman posted a great review on his site.
From Amazon...
"Stylin' with CSS teaches you everything you need to know start using CSS in
your web development work, from the basics of markup of your content and styling
text, through to creating multi-column page layouts without the use of tables.
Learn how to create interface components, such as drop-down menus, navigation
links, and animated graphical buttons, using only CSS - no JavaScript required.
Discover how to design code that will work on the latest standard-compliant browsers,
while working around the quirks of the older browsers."
Designing
CSS Web Pages
Christopher Schmitt
"A very entertaining and instructive approach to building CSS-enabled
web sites. Highly recommended!"
Nick Bradbury, creator of TopStyle and HomeSite
"Christopher shows us how CSS is more important and touches
on more of the Web than we may have realized."
Eric Meyer, author of Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive
Guide
Designing
with Web Standards
Jeffrey Zeldman
From Amazon...
"If ever there were an author who could make web standards exciting, it's Jeffrey
Zeldman. His light and humorous writing style make for such an engaging read.
It's only after you stop reading that you realize how much you're learning. What's
more, you're not just learning -- you're learning from THE ABSOLUTE BEST web
standards guy there is."
Buy
from Amazon.com
creative
html design.2
Linda Weinman & William Weinman
From Amazon...
"Who better to ease you into the detailed world of HTML coding than well-known
Web design instructor Lynda Weinman and her programmer brother, William. This
book's first edition came out over 3 years ago, and the Web has changed a lot
in that time. Novices will appreciate this HTML primer that not only helps in
hand-coding Web pages but also in troubleshooting the HTML generated by WYSIWYG
(What You See Is What You Get) editors like Dreamweaver and GoLive and image/animation
applications like Flash, Fireworks, Photoshop, and ImageReady."
Photoshop
7/ImageReady for the Web
Hands-On Training
Linda Weinman & Jan Kabili
From Amazon...
"When scanning the bookstore for Photoshop titles, it may seem like there are
as many books on how to use Photoshop 7 as there are people to use it. The trick
is to find that one book that addresses your specific needs. For example, if
you want to learn how to create high-quality images for the Web, you can bypass
all of the more general titles in favor of Photoshop 7/ImageReady Hands-On Training."
Buy
from Amazon.com
Macromedia
Dreamweaver MX
Hands-On Training
Garo Green & Abigail Rudner
From Amazon...
"Macromedia Dreamweaver MX Hands-On Training is the latest, updated version of
the highly acclaimed tutorial from leading Web-design trainers Garo Green and
Abigail Rudner. Thousands of readers have learned how to use Dreamweaver by simply
following the step-by-step exercises in this foolproof book. Advanced sections
of the book show how to create interactive, moving elements in your Web site,
and how to download and use the hundreds of free extensions available online
to Macromedia Dreamweaver users."
Buy
from Amazon.com
Recent additions to my portfolio include OSU Trombones, ITF2007, and the Getzen Gazette.
