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The Principles of Beautiful Web Design 3e Paperback – 27 June 2014

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 98 ratings
Edition: 3rd

The Principles of Beautiful Web Design is the ideal book for people who can build websites, but are seeking the skills and knowledge to visually enhance their sites. This book will teach you how to: Understand what makes "good design," from discovery through to implementation Use color effectively, develop color schemes, and create a palette Create pleasing layouts using grids, the rule of thirds, and symmetry Employ textures: lines, points, shapes, volumes, and depth Apply typography to make ordinary designs look great Choose, edit, and position effective imagery And lots more...This easy-to-follow guide is illustrated with beautiful, full-color examples, and will lead you through the process of creating great designs from start to finish. The third edition of this book has been greatly revised and now features: Updated and expanded coverage of mobile and responsive web design (RWD) A new sample project New sections on user interface and icon design Common user-interface patterns and resources
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From the Publisher


Chapter 1: Layout and Composition

An awareness of design relies heavily on understanding the spatial relationships that exist between the individual components of a design. The layout chapter kicks off the design process by investigating possible page components. With these blocks defined, we discuss some tools and examples that will help you start your own designs on a solid foundation. To wrap up this discussion, we’ll examine Knoxville Reflexology, a real client project that we’ll be following as an example through each chapter.

The Principles of Beautiful Web Design

Designing Great Web Sites is Not Rocket Science

This book comprises the following five chapters. You can read them from beginning to end to gain a complete understanding of the subject, or skip around if you only need a refresher on a particular topic. If you’re squeamish about choosing colors, feel uninspired by a blank browser window, or get lost trying to choose the right font, this book is for you. I take a methodical approach to presenting traditional graphic design theory as it applies to today’s website development industry. While the content is directed towards web programmers and developers, it provides a design primer and relevant examples that will benefit readers at any level.

Chapter 2: Color

Perhaps the most mysterious aspect of design is the topic of color selection. Chapter 2 sheds light on this as we delve into both the aesthetic and scientific aspects of color theory. Armed with these simple guidelines, and some tips for creating harmonious color combinations, you’ll see how anyone can choose a set of colors that work well together to complement the overall message of a website. Finally, we’ll learn how the palette for Knoxville Reflexology was chosen.

Chapter 3: Texture

An aspect of web design that’s often overlooked, texture is the key to creating designs that stand out. By understanding how the individual elements of texture function, you’ll learn how to use points, lines, and shapes to communicate and support your site’s message on a number of levels. We’ll then get to see firsthand how subtle textures helped shape the identity and character of our example website.

Chapter 4: Typography

The importance of typography is undeniable. Type is everywhere, and understanding the mechanics of written language is essential for any visual designer. In this chapter, we’ll dive beneath the surface of this rich topic, exploring the basics of the letterform, and investigating various typeface distinctions.

Chapter 5: Imagery

The necessary companions to any well-designed site are the images and illustrations that grace its pages. In the final chapter, we’ll discuss what we should look for in the visual elements that we use on our pages, and locate sources of legitimate supporting imagery. Of course, finding the right image is often just the beginning. We’ll also learn some image-editing basics before we see the final steps in our example project.

Product description

About the Author

Jason Beaird dual-majored in graphic design and digital media at the University of California Florida. When he's not working on websites, he enjoys disassembling electronics and using them in his artwork. Jason writes about his adventures in design and technology on his personal site, jasongraphix.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Slightly Foxed Limited; 3rd edition (27 June 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 220 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0992279445
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0992279448
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20.32 x 1.91 x 25.4 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 98 ratings

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Jason Beaird
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Jason Beaird dual-majored in graphic design and digital media at the University of Central Florida. When he's not working on websites, he enjoys disassembling electronics and using them in his artwork. Jason writes about his adventures in design and technology on his personal site, jasongraphix.com.

James George is a professional web designer from the United States, who is passionate about the field of design. He loves connecting with other designers and developers. James enjoys working closely with clients and businesses to create powerful, beautiful web design solutions.

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4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
98 global ratings

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Top review from Australia

Reviewed in Australia on 13 February 2018
Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed this as a resource for those looking for a foundational guide to web design... this will open the doors to delving deeper.... very well written

Top reviews from other countries

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Santiago O
3.0 out of 5 stars Some useful tips, but overall modest
Reviewed in Canada on 22 June 2020
Verified Purchase
The formatting is odd. Had some useful tips but overall is a modest book. Has trouble forming a cohesive theory of design. Lots of fluff in between the useful tips as well.
Uriel Vidal
5.0 out of 5 stars Útil para newbies
Reviewed in Mexico on 5 June 2017
Verified Purchase
Antes consideraba que con que una aplicación fuera funcional sería suficiente y que la funcionalidad siempre va siempre antes que lo estético, sin embargo, siempre estamos inmersos en el diseño, no solo de diseño web, sino en presentaciones, documentos para el trabajo y escuela.

Soy una de las personas que le cuesta mucho trabajo el escoger colores que funcionen, las letras me parecen iguales y usaba cualquier imagen que encontrará primero, y es precisamente para este tipo de personas a las que va dirigida el libro, presenta conceptos muy claros y básicos del diseño, además de que da consejos útiles y herramientas. Sé que habrá tendencias muy nuevas, como lo explica con el círculo de colores, pero como dije es básico para personas que no no están familiarizadas con el diseño.

Recomendable y seguro como lo usaré frecuentemente como libro de referencia.
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Indiana James
5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE Web design book you need
Reviewed in France on 18 May 2019
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I am halfway through the book and I have to say, there is everything you need to know about webdesign aesthetics. This could actually be the only book you really need. It will prepare you to analyse and understand why you would go for this style rather than another, you get to know why some designs work better than others. A must have for every junior designer, or student. Not recommended for experienced ones who already know all these things. However, there are precious useful web links to discover.
Kevin McDaniel
2.0 out of 5 stars Does not provide examples of good design
Reviewed in Japan on 8 April 2019
Verified Purchase
This book provided plenty of examples of web design to support its theses, but honestly none of them look good enough to make me want to listen to its advice. One of the case studies features an atrocious orange and purple design for a site about monkeys (?) that seems totally inapplicable to what a real website one of us might want to design would be like. I later designed a website about a year after reading this, but nothing stuck with me enough for me to still remember it a year later. Next time I design a site, I would consult more modern examples than this dated tome.
Anton J Jansen
5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelous design bible
Reviewed in the United States on 23 November 2015
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This is one of those books that satisfies all my needs at once. I've given it 5 stars, but please multiply them by 5. There's absolutely nothing in this book that I can complain about. The only problem is that I bought a lot of other design books in the past; what am I going to do with them now?

First off, I am a very difficult customer. I look at a book from many different angles - especially books that are supposed to teach me something. I usually have a problem or two or more with most books. The cover and the content SEEM of value, but upon opening the book one realizes very quickly that it's just a waste of money. This book, however, explained to me in ONE text everything I ever had to research on the Internet. Then I had to sift through thousands and thousands of results, and this book narrows it down to personal favorites. That's okay - after having read the book written by a pro, it's just very obvious that his preferences and judgement are better than mine.
One of my favorite topics in the book was the discussion about color psychology and text. I've read plenty of books on these - they were all boring and the author explained nothing. In this book it was like having a face-to-face discussion. And, that's only ONE example.

In short: if you're looking for something comprehensive, that teaches you MORE than what it claims, and gives you resources to study, AND teaches you how to look at your own designs critically, then you've found the answer in this book. You can look at something else, but believe me, I've most probably bought them already, and they don't get close to what is offered in this comprehensive package.
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