webword's Full Review: Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton - Web Style Guid...
As a Corporate Webmaster and university professor, I can tell you that The Web Style Guide is an invaluable reference manual. It is based on the online version of the book, which you can find here:
--> http://info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual
The book is written by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton. Patrick is a design instructor at the Center for Advanced Instructional Media at the Yale University School of Medicine. Sarah is a multi-media applications specialist in Curricular Computing at Dartmouth College. Together they bring the online version to print.
I've taught several semesters of web design and development at a local community college. I chose this book because it is short (about 160 pages) and it is incredibly easy to digest. The "rules" are easy to follow and understand. For busy students, this is an excellent book to work with.
But, it is also good for folks that want to know more about visual design, page design, page layout, site development, use of graphics and color, and more. There is a strong emphasis on usability and user-centered design. The goal is to design around the user, not to create fat, bloated pages that load slowly. And, you want to concentrate on the details that help your users, not corporate Vice Presidents.
I think that the examples are excellent. In virtually every chapter, there is something useful to learn from the sites that they analyze. They don't go into great detail, but they do offer plenty of suggestions. There are enough tips to help you in virtually any circumstance.
At first glance you'd think that this book is only for beginners. But, that's not really true. Many web designers think that flashy graphics and a cool design are the goals. But, the Web Style Guide will make you think twice about your web site. You are forced to think about your audience at virtually every step. That is beautiful. It keeps you honest and it keeps you focused on the right things.
Here is simplified version of the Table of Contents:
Preface
Process
Interface Design
Site Design
Page Design
Typography
Editorial Style
Web Graphics
Multimedia
References
Index
Illustration Credits
As you can see from the Table of Contents, the book does not cover everything under the sun. But that is fine. This is a hit and run book. It is meant to be a quick learning tool and occasional reference book.
I recommend this Guide to fellow web developers, students, web designers, and online marketing professionals. Usability specialists and information architects won't learn too much though.
The textbook, Web Style Guide : Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites, by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton, available in Paperback. Publish...More at Textbooks.com
Offers advice for creating Web sites and pages that use the classic principles of design. Author: Patrick J. Lynch Publisher: Yale Univ Press Paperbac...More at Staples
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