In Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, Graphics, and Beyond, author Jennifer Niederst shares the knowledge she's gained from years of web design experience, both as a designer and as a teacher. This book starts from the very beginning--defining the Internet, the Web, browsers, and URLs--so you don't have to have any previous knowledge about how the Web works. Jennifer helps you build the solid foundation in HTML, graphics, and design principles that you need for crafting effective web pages. She also explains the nature of the medium and unpacks the web design process from conceptualization to the final result.
Learning Web Design:
- Covers the nuts and bolts of basic HTML, with detailed examples that illustrate how to format text, add graphic elements, make links, create tables and frames, and use color on the Web. In addition to a rundown on each HTML tag, there are tips on using three popular authoring programs: Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe GoLive, and Microsoft FrontPage.
- Explains whether to use GIFs or JPEGs for different types of images and includes important tips on optimizing graphics for web delivery. The book also demonstrates step-by-step graphics creation using three popular web graphic tools: Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Fireworks, and JASC Paint Shop Pro.
- Offers a tutorial on building usable web sites that covers information design, interface design, and navigation systems.
- Provides dozens of web design DOs and DON'Ts, to help you make good web design decisions and avoid common beginner traps.
Unlike other beginning books, Learning Web Design leaves no holes in your education. It gives you everything you need to create basic web sites, and will prepare you for more advanced web work. If you are interested in web design, this book is the place to start. After finishing it, you'll be ready for the author's bestselling companion reference, Web Design in a Nutshell.
