Customer comments on this selection.
 Working for this "Dummie"
Good book. Was suggested by a local web designer for learning the basics. Only thing is, this prof. designer who suggested the book doesn't use "wireframes" which is a MAJOR part of the book. I haven't attempted a design yet, but will soon. The book is informative and not boring, so I'd suggest it for that reason.
I will add another review after I finish it and work with the local designer on learning to design.
Hope this helps.
Good web design project management book
I didn't realize how non-technical this book would be when I ordered it - I was looking for something that would take me hands-on into creating a web page. I am a seasoned program manager of software and graphics projects, but nonetheless found this book instructive. Projects all have some commonality in their management, and then some specific expertise according to the type of project. This book covers the web design aspects very well. It is also a good foundation for anybody starting out on a web design project, the more so if there are more people involved in the project.
I'd strongly recommend this to project managers embarking on a web-related project. If your project involves many contributors, and you're not experienced in project management, you should train up on project management generalities too.
Good, but outdated
This book is pretty good for someone who wants to learn the basics of the process of web design as well as plenty of useful tidbits of information.
However, the main problem is that this book is in sore need of an updating. For example, the author uses Internet Explorer for Mac which was discontinued over five years ago. Or there are references to Macromedia software programs (which are currently owned by Adobe) and so there will be some differences in current versions. Also, in this day and age when open source software like Inkscape and the GIMP are options, they should at least have some mention. The status of current Mac OS X-available software, as well as other modern tools and software programs for that matter, are also outdated. Other basic info, such as the support level for PNG, the existence of SVG, common screen sizes, current Mac screen resolutions, new HTML technologies, current printer prices and features, etc., are outdated, so take everything with a grain of salt, and make sure that you already have some basic knowledge of modern technology.
Nevertheless, although I have bought several Dummies books relating to building websites, this is my favorite. It's fun to read, very understandable, and is IMO indispensable for someone who wants to design a really good website.
For coding, though, there is only limited information. The W3Schools website or special books for HTML/CSS/PHP/Java are needed for that.
And a note to the author: "Lorem ipsum" is not Greek. It is written in a non-classical form of Latin used for what is called "Greeking". Let's hope for a 3rd Edition, huh?
 Solid
This book is very solid. It does not emphasize HTML, etc., but is good for more general ideas about what makes sense for layout of pages, etc.
 Great, Until I Got Lost....
Let's face it, if you've chosen this book, you admit to having little to no knowledge about web design. In other words, you admit you are "dumb" when it comes to the topic, and hope that the author understands you need to start from point zero and go to one-million by the end of the book. This author did a pretty good job in the first half of the book. I actually started a little website on my computer and was learning the "html" language feeling good about my brain accepting the new in-load of material. Then suddenly, half-way through the book the "basics" seemed to turn into the "real" material as if the reader should know by now what "1 + 1" was and that now it was time to move to quadratic equations. I tried to read over and over what she was attempting to convey, and do what I was supposed to on my little website. Something about the type of software use and the multi-dimensions in cyberspace that I was to grasp didn't grasp me at all (or I didn't grasp it but it slipped out of my hands). If you don't get the concept on page 1, you should not proceed to page 2. So when I encountered this "block" I never got passed it. The book is still waiting for me to figure out the second half.....like I'll need a face-to-face class to get to that point, and the reason why I bought the book was to avoid an expensive class. I would re-name this book, "....for Intermediates" instead of "Dummies".
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