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Web DesignHere is a selection of books and software which I can recommend - perhaps you'll find something useful here? Book List
Software ListNote: Unlike books, Amazon.co.uk can only deliver software to the European Union and a few other countries (at the time of writing this, these other countries consist of Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway).
Books
Synopsis: This work provides an update to the HTML mark-up standard for amateurs and professional Web designers. It covers HTML tags and scripting, while also showing how to apply the language to create both simple and complex Web pages. 
An earlier edition of this book was the one that helped me to get started writing HTML and creating my first website. It wasn't at all heavy - very light-hearted in fact - but it explained the basics of HTML in simple, easy to understand detail. Read the review of 'HTML 4 for Dummies' The Complete Idiot's Guide to Javascript, 2nd ed
After writing straight HTML for a year or so, I realised that I needed to learn Javascript. Although it's possible to create perfectly good web pages without it, it does add some very useful functionality, as well as making some very neat effects possible, like buttons that change when you move the cursor over them. I needed a really basic beginner's book, and this one fitted the bill perfectly. It didn't assume any prior knowledge of programming or programming concepts, and explained everything in words of one syllable without being at all childish or condescending. Unfortunately, this book has now gone out of print, and there doesn't appear to be a later edition available. I contacted the publisher to find out if one is planned, and they replied that there wasn't at present, which is a real shame, and I don't understand why they've dropped this title from the extensive 'Idiots Guide' range. You could try your local library or a second hand bookshop - it's well worth trying to get hold of a copy of this book if you are a beginner and want to understand the basics of JavaScript. I've also suggested an alternative beginner's Javascript book below - JavaScript Goodies, by Joe Burns - which has received good reviews.
Synopsis: This work contains tutorials, techniques and answers to questions that the author is asked the most by the public via his web site.
I've read some really good reviews of this book. If you're looking for a book to get you started on Javascript, this one is well worth considering.
Synopsis: JavaScript is a powerful scripting language that can be embedded directly in HTML. It allows you to create dynamic, interactive Web-based applications that run completely within a Web browser; you don't have to do any server-side programming, like writing CGI scripts. JavaScript is a simpler language than Java. It can be embedded directly in Web pages without compilation, so it is more flexible and easier to use for simple tasks like animation. However, although you can write reasonably robust and complete Web applications using JavaScript alone, JavaScript is not a substitute for Java. In fact, JavaScript is a good client-side complement to Java; using the two together allows you to create more complex applications than are possible with JavaScript alone. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide provides a thorough description of the core JavaScript language and its client-side framework, complete with sophisticated examples that show you how to handle common tasks, like validating form data and working with cookies. The book also contains a definitive, in-depth reference section that covers every core and client-side JavaScript function, object, method, property, constructor, and event handler. This book is an indispensable reference for all JavaScript programmers, regardless of experience level. This third edition of JavaScript: The Definitive Guide describes the latest version of the language, JavaScript 1.2, as supported by Netscape Navigator 4 and Internet Explorer 4. The book also covers JavaScript 1.1, which is the first industry-standard version known as ECMAScript. The new features of JavaScript 1.2, which are likely to be embodied in a later ECMAScript standard release, are clearly indicated, so that you can use them as appropriate in your scripts.
Once I had learned the basics of Javascript, I realised that I needed a more extensive Javascript reference book. I don't think it would be possible to produce a better one than this. Published by O'Reilly, it lives up to O'Reilly's reputation for excellence in content and usability. I mostly use the reference section, but when I need a fuller explanation of how to use a particular function, the main section of the book comes into its own. I wouldn't recommend this book as an introduction to Javascript (unless you're already familiar with other programming languages), but as a reference book it's excellent. It's one you'll continually refer to as you develop your Javascript skills.
Synopsis: This guide to creating cross-platform Web applications includes references for H tags, CSS style attributes, browser document objects, core JavaScript object and the latest versions of Navigator and Internet Explorer.
I needed a reference book that would provide the information I needed to better understand how to work with both. And I found this book. It's an extremely useful guide and reference book to integrating HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Read the review of 'Dynamic HTML'
Synopsis: This reference contains information an experienced Web developer needs to use XML on established and new Web sites. This text is divided up into five major parts. The first teaches the fundamentals of XML language, with emphasis on the creation of XML pages and their publication on the Web. It also discusses rules for creating "well-formed" XML documents and using UNICODE to create documents in other languages. Part 2 discusses Document Type Definition (DTD) documents. Part 3 covers the various style languages that can be used in conjunction with XML to define the appearance of documents. Part 4 explores a number of supporting technologies, many still in the proposal stage, including XLinks, XPointers and RDF. The CD includes all source code, a complete XML site, all relevant approved W3C specifications and a selection of useful development and display tools.
I started working on some simple XML documents and applications, and although I was able to understand some of the basics from the W3C specifications, I realised I definitely needed something that explained it in a bit more detail! In particular, I needed help in understanding how XSL worked, and how to transform an XML document into, for example, an HTML document. Within half an hour of sitting down with this book, the pieces started to fall into place, and I was up and running. Read the review of 'XML Bible'
Synopsis: A step-by-step guide to project management of Web sites. This book consists of visual case studies of what worked, why and how. The author seeks to show readers business planning, budgeting and collaboration. There is also information on business-related issues for clients and developers. There are chapters on net equity, partnering, business practices, and the four-phase process of Web production. Also included is a complete Web site contract that can be universally used.
While I was learning how to create web PAGES, I was gradually creating a web SITE on the intranet where I work. That website was like Topsy -- it just 'growed and growed', and increasingly I felt at a loss as to how to structure and manage it better, how to judge if it was "successful", or how to ensure that people provided the content needed for some of the pages. Then I came across this book which is packed with useful information and advice about how to go about creating a website (particularly if you are doing it for someone else, eg a client, organisation or department) that will be effective and successful. It focuses on applying project management techniques and processes to the task, and contains real life case studies illustrating the points made. I wish I'd had this book when I started out! Read the review of 'Secrets of Successful Websites'
Synopsis: This guide shows how to apply principles of architecture and library science to design cohesive Web sites and Intranets that are easy to use, manage, and expand. It covers building complex sites, hierarchy design and organisation, and techniques to make your site easier to search.
I bought this book in autumn 1999, and in some ways it has been the most solidly useful and enlightening. I was about to embark on a complete redesign of the department website I managed, and to be honest, I'm not sure how well that would have turned out if I hadn't had this book to draw on for inspiration! It's another of the excellent O'Reilly books. As the department website had grown, the original structure had proved less and less able to cope with the growing range of content, and I had been struggling with the task of restructuring and redesigning it. I decided to take one of the online courses offered by the HTML Writers Guild which looked like it might help, and this was the required textbook for the course. I completed the redesign of the website in February 2000, and felt much more confident that I knew what was doing as a result of both the course and having this book to draw on! You don't need to know anything about information architecture or library science to enjoy and understand this book -- it's well written and easy to read and follow, and will prove invaluable if you need to design the structure and navigation flow for a website that is likely to either start out big or grow over time. Read the review of 'Information Architecture for the World Wide Web'
Amazon.co.uk Review: There are nearly 750 million people with disabilities world-wide, and the Internet provides a realm in which most of them should be able to participate to the benefit of all. Systems developed for the use of the average citizen in the everyday world often abridge the rights of the disabled, excluding them by making access difficult, cumbersome, unrewarding or even impossible. But more and more design experts recognise that in the wired world there is an opportunity to correct this injustice, though careful and thoughtful planning is necessary. Web Accessibility for People With Disabilities provokes ideas on how a Web site for which you have responsibility can and should be made accessible to the whole community rather than unfairly restrictive. This book introduces to all the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), launched to raise the awareness of accessibility issues on the Internet and to encourage corrections. Positively, laws and standards for accessibility are being formulated and invoked. Tips, tools, specifications and language (scripting) enhancements to make your Web site accessible abound in this practical book, and the author supplies details of sites from all over the world that can give advice, evaluation, or sometimes just service as a good example. -- Wilf Hey
I now work as a consultant for a major charity, advising companies on the need for greater accessibility in web design, and on how to achieve this in their own websites. This is an excellent book, and one I recommend to the companies I work with. Here are links to lists of more books on web coding and design, which are available from Amazon UK:
Software
Amazon.co.uk Review: Paint Shop Pro is one of the most popular image editing packages in the world, due in large part to its magical combination of low price with powerful features. Paint Shop Pro is a fully featured digital darkroom in the same mould as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photo Paint. Version 7 adds a raft of new features for retouching digital images, creating business graphics and producing interactive Web graphics. Paint Shop Pro's vector shapes--introduced in version 6--have been enhanced and now support gradients, textures, and patterns on stroke and fill commands. New image editing features include auto-enhance, which adjusts colour balance, brightness, saturation and hue to improve picture quality with a single click. New filters for noise, scratch and dust removal, together with automatic red-eye removal make picture restoration easier than ever. You don't need a separate vector application to create business graphics--Paint Shop Pro's enhanced vector drawing tools provide everything you need. New align, distribute, arrange, group and resize commands, and snap to grids and guides makes for quick and accurate positioning of graphic elements. And there are over 20 new artistic and lighting special effects to experiment with. Webmasters will appreciate Paint Shop Pro's new Web features which include image slicing, image maps, Javascript rollovers and file optimisation with browser preview. As usual, JASC's excelent Animation Shop 3 is included with which you can create gif animations from layer-based Paintshop Pro images. Productivity and ease of use enhancements and a new 'getting started' guide all go to make this one of the best value power packages for image editing. -- Ken McMahon
I've used Paint Shop Pro for several years now, for all my graphics - even some for print rather than web - and as far as I'm concerned it's the best graphics program around. It's a lot easier to learn than Photoshop and an awful lot cheaper. While Photoshop is definitely the package to get if you are going to be doing a lot of high resolution print graphics, Paint Shop Pro will do everything you need and more if you are designing graphics mostly for web use.
Amazon.co.uk Review: Whether you're a big-shot coder or a fledgling newbie, HotMetal Pro 6.0 will help you set up the Web site of your dreams. You don't have to know anything about HTML to start working, but the more you know and learn, the more cool features you can add--and with HotMetal's self-study courses and reference guides, you can achieve any level of mastery you want. You can begin by attempting some WYSIWIG editing and powerful wizards to customize templates to your liking--or you can dive into the HTML source and tweak each line to perfection. The Asset Manager helps you drag and drop features using JavaScript, DHTML and other advanced techniques without writing a line of code, and the powerful Site Management tools will help you test and fix your site with ease. Graphics, animation, database information and streaming media will all fit wherever you want using HotMetal's simple visual architecture. Additional software tools are included to help you move from the design table to the live site--WS_FTP Pro 6.0, Ulead PhotoImpact SE, browser software and more. When you've designed and tested your site, push one button to publish it (or just changes) directly to the Web based on your ISP information. Once you've mastered the wizards, you can move on to the advanced features--but be ready for some heady work. Though the training materials are good, some of the material is just too complicated for the dilettante. Don't let that scare you away from this powerful software, though; anyone can devise a beautiful, professional-looking Web site using HotMetal Pro 6.0. -- Rob Lightner, Amazon.com
This probably isn't the package to start out on if you don't know any HTML at all, but once you begin to learn some HTML and how web pages work, HotMetal Pro is an excellent website design and management tool at a very decent price. Well worth a look.
Amazon.co.uk Review: Dreamweaver is one of the few visual web design tools to find favour with actual web professionals. Designers want fast tools generating code for multiple platforms, along with the ability to hand-tweak the underlying HTML--this is exactly why Dreamweaver is popular. It is a well-behaved package that combines rich template features with the ability to enter your own custom code. Version 4.0 is a further improvement in this respect, with an enhanced syntax-highlighting code editor and an optional split view for seamless switching between graphic editing and HTML coding. The heart of Dreamweaver is the page designer with its floating tool palettes and drag-and-drop insertions. The Assets panel makes it easy to reuse images, links, animations and other elements, with the added benefit that editing a library item changes it automatically wherever it is used. Though a very capable editor, two features really make it shine. The first is its integration with external editors such as Macromedia's own Fireworks 4 for web graphics and Flash 5 for vector-based animations. The other killer feature is expandability, with thousands of free add-ons available from Macromedia's site. Existing users will find Dreamweaver 4.0 a great upgrade. Along with the improved code editor, it boasts an excellent Java-based script debugger, integrated access to O'Reilly reference material on CSS, HTML and JavaScript, built-in Flash buttons and text effects, a table-based layout view and a team development tool in Visual SourceSafe. If that wasn't enough, there's also the option to incorporate Ultradev 4 for dynamic database access. -- Tim Anderson
I use Dreamweaver at work now, and while the price makes it unlikely that I'll be buying it for personal use, it's an excellent tool for anyone needing a professional level website design and management package. It has the added advantage that Macromedia are hot on accessibility, and are working to ensure that this software will help designers to produce more accessible websites - can't be bad!
Amazon.co.uk Review Dreamweaver 4.0: Dreamweaver is one of the few visual web design tools to find favour with actual web professionals. Designers want fast tools generating code for multiple platforms, along with the ability to hand-tweak the underlying HTML--this is exactly why Dreamweaver is popular. It is a well-behaved package that combines rich template features with the ability to enter your own custom code. Version 4.0 is a further improvement in this respect, with an enhanced syntax-highlighting code editor and an optional split view for seamless switching between graphic editing and HTML coding. The heart of Dreamweaver is the page designer with its floating tool palettes and drag-and-drop insertions. The Assets panel makes it easy to reuse images, links, animations and other elements, with the added benefit that editing a library item changes it automatically wherever it is used. Though a very capable editor, two features really make it shine. The first is its integration with external editors such as Macromedia's own Fireworks 4 for web graphics and Flash 5 for vector-based animations. The other killer feature is expandability, with thousands of free add-ons available from Macromedia's site. Existing users will find Dreamweaver 4.0 a great upgrade. Along with the improved code editor, it boasts an excellent Java-based script debugger, integrated access to O'Reilly reference material on CSS, HTML and JavaScript, built-in Flash buttons and text effects, a table-based layout view and a team development tool in Visual SourceSafe. If that wasn't enough, there's also the option to incorporate Ultradev 4 for dynamic database access. Fireworks 4.0: Fireworks is a dedicated web graphics application. You can create both vector and bitmap images, optimise them for web pages, and add numerous special effects for export to HTML. The starting point is a familiar range of drawing and painting tools--shapes, lines, brushes, pens and selection tools. In the default vector mode these create editable, scaleable objects, and in bitmap mode they paint pixels. Fireworks supports layers and masks, overlaid virtual surfaces you can edit independently, enabling a wide range of stunning effects. There is also a library panel where you can store graphic elements for reuse. A key feature for web designers is optimisation. Fireworks 4.0 offers optimal control over the trade-off between quality and size with "2-up" and "4-up" views permitting original and altered versions to be compared. There is also strong support for GIF, JPEG and PNG image formats, and for hotspots and slices--techniques for mapping or dividing an image to accommodate HTML features. Integration with Macromedia's Dreamweaver 4 is better than ever: Designers can export to Dreamweaver, or alternatively launch Fireworks from Dreamweaver, edit the image then save it back with all Fireworks-specific details preserved. -- Tim Anderson
I haven't used Fireworks, but I've heard nothing but good about it, and those who do use it love it, so it must be doing something right! The Dreamweaver / Fireworks combination is excellent value, and will certainly provide you with a top quality, professional software package that will handle most of your web design needs. |
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