Designing for the Web the Practical Way

About a week ago I was fortunate enough to sit in on a discussion about web design being held by a group of design students. The group had been brought together in order to help share information about designing their online portfolios. One of the students – and a previous intern – had asked me to attend to help explain web design to the group. Obviously I was flattered by the request, but also dumbfounded about how to describe such a vast subject in a short amount of time. Aside from mentioning my newest project The Personal Web Design Degree I decided that recommending Mark Boulton’s book A Practical Guide to Designing for the Web was the best approach.

That is where I start this review – one of many to come – with my most genuine of referrals. Mark has created what should be considered the fundamental starting point of any web design education.

Regardless of your role in creating web sites, you will find value in this great book. Mark has created a resource that covers every single aspect of creating websites from accounts to creative. While he may not get into the details of actually developing a site (which is a good thing) he somehow manages to pack an entire career’s worth of knowledge and experience into 264 pages.

A Refreshing Approach

The number one thing that impressed me about Designing for the Web it that it is almost entirely about design, not development disguised as design. Rather than side more on development, Mark teaches the reader about the principles of design and how they are applied to the web. Not only does he do this, but he manages to do it in the clearest and easiest to approach way I have ever witnessed. It is this approach that makes this book a vital resource for design students, developers looking to learn about design, and seasoned professionals looking to review the fundamentals. If you fall into any of these segments I fully recommend that you purchase your copy ($17.55 PDF / $42.40 print) or at least visit the product page and download the sample PDF.

Quick Review

Most Relevant To:

1. Design Students wanting to learn web design
2. Developers looking to learn design basics
3. Seasoned pros who want to put together a solid design process

Most Valuable Takeaways:

1. The overall discussion about creating a successful design process.
2. In-depth discussion about grid systems and typography
3. Chapter 25 “Bringing it all Together,” which takes an extremely practical approach to comprehensively explaining the practice of web design.