Product Description
Bestselling author Josephy Lowery shows you how to develop effective workflows with Adobe CS products

As the industry standard for everyone from Web developers to creative professionals, Adobe's CS4 offers a collection of the most popular Web and design tools: Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, Fireworks, Acrobat, and more. While it is incredibly convenient to have all these tools readily available in one suite, it also contributes to confusion with managing media from one product to the next.

That's where this book comes in! Popular author Joseph Lowery walks you through best practices for refining, streamlining, and improving your workflow from one product to the next.

• Offers a clear overview of exactly what methods work best when transitioning from one Adobe CS4 product to another
• Demonstrates how to smoothly transition from one CS4 product to another
• Includes step-by-step examples of an exemplary workflow used throughout the chapters so you can watch its progression

With a more streamlined workflow and a better understanding of how the Adobe CS4 products work in cohesion, you're well on your way to making the Adobe suite work for you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Wonderful Manual Easy To Follow and Understand
Perfect for Adobe Creative Suite HOWEVER I now need to upgrade and that is a pain as I learn the last version this suite is made way to expensive by Adobe/Macromedia

Web Workflows
Overall this book is pretty good.It takes the reader through various workflows in order to gain knowledge on how to create ones own layout.The only complaint I have with this book is that when going through the Dreamweaver steps, there are some inconsistencies with the directions.I am very good with photoshop cs4 and the directions for the dreamweaver conversion had many elements that you have to search for through trial and error because I believe the writer uses incorrect terminology and possibly also uses cs3 and cs4 terminology interchangeably.I searched through all the possible buttons and dialog boxes and still came up empty.The book does give you insight into creating a layout but the dreamweaver portion lacks some stuff.That being said, I would recommend getting the missing manual for dreamweaver cs4 as well.

A good start
I have done web design with other programs since 2001, but recently purchased the Adobe CS4 Suite.I have never used the Adobe software for Web design and needed to redo some sites/update them.This book was a good start as it showed me how to use Photoshop, Fireworks, Flash and Dreamweaver.My biggest problem is with the "slicing" in Fireworks.It is really confusing but I am slowly learning how to do it.

The Photoshop Tutorial Site in this book was easy to do and easy to migrate to DW.I learned a lot.

I am still struggling with FW.Making the site in FW was easy to do and I learned a lot of tricks.However, once I have the site completed, I felt I needed more info regarding migrating to DW and also the difference between Pages and States.

I recommend this book for beginners who have a small site with pages that are the same with different info.

I would really like a book that teaches how to export to DW from the other programs (PS, Flash, FW, Illustrator) and make adjustments.Any suggestions would be appreciated.I have bought several books on the CS4 Suite, but would love one that really discusses all the programs and how they work together.Overall, I really recommend this book if you are a beginner to the program.It is an excellent starting point and now I just need to expand on what I have learned.

It's good book about workflow for the web
This is the first book I've read that really focuses on the work-flow of the web creative process. This, of course, focuses on the CS4 products. The information presented shows clearly how to use the CS4 tools so output from one flows into the next leading to the final product from a rough or comp. It covers a number of variations and shows the role of adobe bridge in brings the different tools together.

I think this is an inherently difficult topic to do well. Lowrey has done a great job on his other books, a number of which I own and his authorship influenced my purchase of this book. I think he did about as good a job as reasonably possible on difficult topic and the result is pretty good. I doubt anyone could do really great with this as there are so many ways of approaching worflows.

The book provides good examples and for someone starting with CS4 it provides some good roadmaps for building good habits that will server well over a career in web design. For experienced web developers there are good ideas and things that may enhance existing workflows, but the lens of existing expereince may make these a bit more work to recognize.

Again, a valiant effort on a difficult topic done about as well as it could be.

Good maybe for Photoshop designers otherwise don't bother
This book was really a disappointment. I was looking for some ways to really maximize productivity in a professional Web development environment where we are using the Adobe application stack almost till the end.

Firstly this book is actually hard to read in that the print is often presented on a dark blue background in style more appropriate to a magazine print ad than to a book. Secondly there doesn't seem to be a real flow to it. I already know how to use the individual applications, I wanted to see about ways to maximize and/or automate moving things from Photoshop/Fireworks to Dreamweaver and Flash and eventually to the web. Unfortunately there is little of that.

If you are a Photoshop designer (or a Dreamweaver person) with no experience in the other applications, this may open your eyes a little bit in terms of what you can do, and what you can do to make taking comp to pages and back again as quickly as possible.

But this book is expensive with a glossy treatment that doesn't appeal to me (I'm NOT a designer so you can factor that in).

However, the one thing you can say is that this is the best book out there about this topic since there are none other. So if moving from app to app in an efficient manner is an issue, then it could be worth the price. Someone has yet to write the book for a really automated/sophisticated workflow design using all of the included Creative Suite Tools. ... Read more

Product Description

Smart organizations recognize that Web design is more than just creating clean code and sharp graphics. A site that really works fulfills your strategic objectives while meeting the needs of your users. Even the best content and the most sophisticated technology won't help you balance those goals without a cohesive, consistent user experience to support it.

But creating the user experience can seem overwhelmingly complex. With so many issues involved-usability, brand identity, information architecture, interaction design-it can seem as if the only way to build a successful site is to spend a fortune on specialists who understand all the details.

The Elements of User Experience cuts through the complexity of user-centered design for the Web with clear explanations and vivid illustrations that focus on ideas rather than tools or techniques. Jesse James Garrett gives readers the big picture of Web user experience development, from strategy and requirements to information architecture and visual design. This accessible introduction helps any Web development team, large or small, to create a successful user experience.

Customer Reviews (47)

SLOW!
This product was a book for a required class that I ordered the week of my first class. It was said to get to me within 5-10 days. It has been four weeks! I still have not received my book, and I have had to spend my time in the library every week, when I could have had this book already.

Saved by a Poem
This is a moving story about life in a dictatorship. It is a short play that gets to the heart of the issues that people struggled through during the Stroessner regime in Paraguay. It was an eye-opening experience to read, and I think it would be a great play for any theater to perform.

My review on The Elements of User Experience
Picture this scenario.You have just labored the past couple of days to create, what you feel is, a great website. You have contacted your stakeholder and feel you are ready to implement the design.Flash forward to four weeks later, and you are now scratching your head as to why the intended audience is disconnected from your site.Is it your navigation?Design?Or some other element?Enter this great, little, easy reading book, The Elements of User Experience.

This book is a great starter book for someone new to the user-centered design field.Although it is not very detailed and it is short, it is a winner because it is user friendly, and has the added bonus of how to incorporate these planes into the industry.Every chapter has sections on how to present these documents and information to stakeholders, and how to organize and run usability tests.

Read the entire review at
[...]

This book is awesome
I think this is a great product for getting to know more about web design. I got it because it was a text book, but it is also a book that a lot of people who design web sites, or any interactive product, need to read.

A must have for anyone that plans to make stuff people will use
While the focus is on web design much of the value of this book is presenting a framework for thinking about design. It's really applicable to designing any product. This isn't a set of specific techniques or hand holding you through designing your web site. Rather, it's a survey of how visual artists, interaction designers, engineers, managers, marketing, and other experts come together to create. While this book does give brief summaries of different areas of knowledge useful to designing web sites and software, that isn't the main point. It assumes you are either an expert in one of these fields or have access to one on your team. ... Read more

Product Description
The all-inclusive guide—from theory to practice—for print and Web design

Any well-conceived print or Web design features the dynamic interplay between visual artistry and technical skill. It becomes important, therefore, for the designer to cultivate an aesthetic eye as well as develop a high degree of computer savvy.

By combining basic theory with hands-on technique, Digital Design for Print and Web takes the unique approach of uniting two subjects traditionally approached separately into one complete volume. As a result, you will gain a clearer understanding of the entire creative process, from project management to working with graphics to designing for print and, ultimately, the Web. In this book, you'll find:

• Full-color text and illustrated, step-by-step instruction supported by more than 75 video tutorials

• Coverage of professional software including the Adobe Creative Suite

• A wide variety of inspirational images from well-known designers

• Online full-length project assignments from entry level to advanced

An ideal resource for design students or practitioners, Digital Design for Print and Web will show you to how to create more effectively and guide you on the path toward digital design mastery. ... Read more

Product Description
The dot.com crash of 2000 was a wake-up call, and told us that the Web has far to go before achieving the acceptance predicted for it in '95. A large part of what is missing is quality; a primary component of the missing quality is usability. The Web is not nearly as easy to use as it needs to be for the average person to rely on it for everyday information, commerce, and entertainment.

In response to strong feedback from readers of GUI BLOOPERS calling for a book devoted exclusively to Web design bloopers, Jeff Johnson calls attention to the most frequently occurring and annoying design bloopers from real web sites he has worked on or researched. Not just a critique of these bloopers and their sites, this book shows how to correct or avoid the blooper and gives a detailed analysis of each design problem.

Hear Jeff Johnson's interview podcaston software and website usability at the University of Canterbury (25 min.)

* Discusses in detail 60 of the most common and critical web design mistakes, along with the solutions, challenges, and tradeoffs associated with them.

* Covers important subject areas such as: content, task-support, navigation, forms, searches, writing, link appearance, and graphic design and layout.

* Organized and formatted based on the results of its own usability test performed by web designers themselves.

* Features its own web site (www.web-bloopers.com)with new and emerging web design no-no's (because new bloopers are born every day) along with a much requested printable blooper checklist for web designers and developers to use. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

A great read!
How often, while reading a technical book, do you find yourself laughing out loud?With Web Bloopers, I did, and as much at myself (that "oops!I'd better go fix my site!" feeling...) as at the numerous real-life examples painstakingly collected.I especially enjoyed seeing that the big boys (airlines, retail chains, major publishers, etc.) are just as guilty as us little guys.Mr. Johnson calls 'em as he sees 'em and we're all better off as a result.

Valuable concepts, presented in a fun-to-read way
I saw the author's presentation at SD West 05, and that made me even more interested in reading this book.Jeff obviously understands the material very well, and he explains the issues eloquently.Fortunately, his book is at least as impressive as his verbal presentation.

As a Web/database developer (and small business owner) I have been steadily working my way through his "Web Bloopers" book.It's great stuff, and I enjoy reading it slowly and carefully pondering each issue.The more I read, the more I realize how desperately my own company's Web site needs to be improved.

One of my clients is tasked with improving an intranet site at a large Bay area computer company, and I've just recommended this book to the client.If the senior stakeholders read the book, it's likely to greatly the odds of project success.

Many IT-related books have good ideas.What makes Jeff's book so special is that he makes the learning process so enjoyable, with his interesting and funny real-world examples.

Clueless?
I looked at the sample pages, and saw fig. 1.2 giving an analysis of a website that didn't clearly identify its overall goals , etc. But the page in question was so obviously one of those 'search network' typo-url cookie-cutter sites of domain squatters. It's not a serious site, and anyone with half a clue in web marketing knows this. So even though I've no idea what the rest of the book says, I doubt the writer's judgment and current state of knowledge. I mean, if he can't spot a squatter spam site, what else is he oblivious to?

Expensive, but worth it.......
I'm an auditor, I review other peoples work and decisions.I wanted something to help provide a structure to assess web site quality. I don't want to appear like the Boss in the Dilbert Cartoons but I needed a "soft" introduction - I'm not creative!My home page is sufficient evidence of very limited design skills http://mysite.verizon.net/vze48sdz/.

The cliche "a picture speaks a thousand words" is appropriate for this book.It provides illustrations of good and bad practice to illustrate common mistakes.There may be better books on web design, with more technical guidance, however this book could prevent expensive mistakes that could damage your brand and ruin customer experience.

If you are hiring a web designer, or approving the work of an internal team, this is probably the best book on web design you could buy.The book concludes with a 60 question checklist.

This is a great book to assess the end product and fine tune your site.It should also help avoid making mistakes along the way.It is short on creativity.That's not what I was after, so I'm not disappointed.I like the checklist allot (suppose I have been in audit too long!).

Other usability books are better
I found this book to be a bit lacking. I have read most of the usability books on the market, and this book did not cover anything new. The author did not go into the science behind the bloopers and does not cite any studies that were conducted. Rather, he uses pictures to back up each blooper. The book is 60-70% pictures. The layout of the book made it hard to read, since the pictures constantly interrupted the text flow.

You can find the list of bloopers on the author's Web site and I do not think this book adds much additional value, since most experienced Web developers have already seen examples of each blooper. You can find better descriptions of usability problems by doing a Web search. This book would be appropriate for a new Web designer/developer, or someone who has not already read much about usability.

In conclusion, most Web developers would be better off with the book Don't Make Me Think, a Jakob Nielsen book, or an Information Architecture book. ... Read more

Product Description
Step-by-step guide for Web designers and producers, showing how to execute cutting-edge techniques with Adobe software. Includes tutorials in JavaScript, HTML, GIFs, DHTML, and advanced interactivity features such as sound. Includes detailed color screen shots and other visual aids. Landscape format. Softcover.Amazon.com Review
Web Design Essentials is part of Adobe's Professional Studio Techniques series, which features wide-format books that lie flat on your desk as you work through step-by-step instructions and peruse tips on using Adobe's popular software titles. Books in this series are very well written and illustrated. They tend to stay on the front of the bookshelf for many years, long after version upgrades, often remaining invaluable.

This book concentrates on using Photoshop 5.5, Illustrator 8.0 and GoLive 4.0 to create Web sites, pages, rollovers, batched icons, animations, and many other useful, creative, and up-to-date elements. These tips will not only add spark to your Web design, it will also speed up production time. The techniques are contributed by several professionals using examples from their own projects. This "many chefs" style ensures that the ideas are fresh, clever, and fairly simple, yet still yield big results.

For example, Jason Kottke of kottke.org shows a step-and-repeat trick in Photoshop for building 3-D text without any fancy plug-ins. Florian Fangohr of hotstudio.com explains how to use ImageReady to create droplets: batch-processing drag and drop actions. He also gives a short tutorial on how to create "remote" rollovers (also known as "pointer" rollovers) in GoLive.

Some techniques have uses outside the realm of Web design. For example, Noreen Santini (hotstudio.com) charts out Photoshop's blending modes, and Sandra Kelch (theispot.com) offers a demonstration on using the Magic Wand tool to select and replace colors.

The book organizes tasks into three categories of difficulty, though none should prove troubling to beginners. And some of the tips, especially the animations, aren't clear. These caveats aside, Web Design Essentials makes a handy addition to any studio library. --Angelynn Grant

Topics covered: Selected techniques for using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and GoLive for Web design, including tips on site planning and management, preparing Web graphics and typography, using tables, frames, animations, and rollovers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

I like this book
I don't know if I'd say rush out and buy the book, but it will be helpful in giving you inspiration for your own website designs.

Prompt delivery, good condition
Thanks for sending the book among others that I ordered along with it in good condition, and sooner than I had expected. Its a simple and straightforward book that orients itself around the Adobe package. Good value for money a worth while buy.

Helpful but not for the advanced
This book is a good resource type book for me. I have done web design before. The book has a pretty good Hex/RGB Conversion Chart in the back. It has a nice glossary. It even has a good chart on understanding style sheet attributes. It is not one of my favorites mainly because it was not the kind of book i was looking for. It's good for those who are just beginning and have some knowledge of how to use Photoshop, illustrator, golive, and Livemotion. If you have never touched these programs this is not the book to get. If you have you might find out some things you didn't know. It's a great book for the right price. i would not spend a lot of money on it, I'm cheap like that. However i am keeping mine for the Hex/RGB chart and maybe some later references.

Fabulous book!
I am a print and web designer and I found that this book was really helpful. I liked how the chapters were divided in a logical progression, and how the tips within each chapter were ordered from simplest to most difficult. The tips on LiveMotion were a bit challenging for me, however...I think there could have been some finessing of that section. Nonetheless, the book is lovely to peruse with its colorful and diverse styles of artwork. The layout was clean and I was able to follow along with the tips pretty easily. I agree with the previous reviewers that this book might not be for a beginner, but as an intermediate to power-user, I think the tips, and the book as a whole, were quite worthwhile.

THIS BOOK IS TERRIBLE
I have been in the web design feild for about a year and thought i could add to my abilities to use Adobe products by buying this book.WHAT A JOKE!!It is ridiculously fragmented, the screen shots do not match what you see (I have the current versions and older versions of adobe products), and they dont explain anything.they just list what to do.not WHY you are doing it, or WHAT you are doing, just lists.IT IS TERRIBLE.I spent several hours wasting my time trying to get something useful out of this book before I threw it in the garbage.Unfortunately, I was unable to take anything positive from this book.$... down the drain. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the second edition of David Power's highly-respected PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy. This new edition has been updated by David to incorporate changes to PHP since the first edition and to offer the latest techniques--a classic guide modernized for 21st century PHP techniques, innovations, and best practices.

You want to make your websites more dynamic by adding a feedback form, creating a private area where members can upload images that are automatically resized, or perhaps storing all your content in a database. The problem is, you're not a programmer and the thought of writing code sends a chill up your spine. Or maybe you've dabbled a bit in PHP and MySQL, but you can't get past baby steps. If this describes you, then you've just found the right book. PHP and the MySQL database are deservedly the most popular combination for creating dynamic websites. They're free, easy to use, and provided by many web hosting companies in their standard packages.

Unfortunately, most PHP books either expect you to be an expert already or force you to go through endless exercises of little practical value. In contrast, this book gives you real value right away through a series of practical examples that you can incorporate directly into your sites, optimizing performance and adding functionality such as file uploading, email feedback forms, image galleries, content management systems, and much more. Each solution is created with not only functionality in mind, but also visual design.

But this book doesn't just provide a collection of ready-made scripts: each PHP Solution builds on what's gone before, teaching you the basics of PHP and database design quickly and painlessly. By the end of the book, you'll have the confidence to start writing your own scripts or--if you prefer to leave that task to others--to adapt existing scripts to your own requirements. Right from the start, you're shown how easy it is to protect your sites by adopting secure coding practices. ... Read more

Product Description
Expression Web is Microsoft's newest tool for creating and maintaining dynamic Web sites. This FrontPage replacement offers all the simple "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" tools for creating a Web site along with some pumped up new features for working with Cascading Style Sheets and other design options. Microsoft Expression Web For Dummies arrives in time for early adopters to get a feel for how to build an attractive Web site. Author Linda Hefferman teams up with longtime FrontPage For Dummies author Asha Dornfest to show the easy way for first-time Web designers, FrontPage vets, or users of other Web design tools how to get results from Expression Web. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

the name says it all
It is not a read cover to cover book, but when there is a question it is answered in simple words.

On time
The book was clean and arrived very quickly,I was hoping for a little more detail in the content of the book

Absolutely helpful
I'd been trying to use a book from Microsoft, but it didn't help much.I got this book, and I was able to work on my website much more quickly.I'm not completely done yet, but I couldn't be as far as I am without this book.I give it high marks.

Expression Web 4 Dummies
I like the Dummies series so I expected to like it.It provided an easy format for me to learn Expression Web.Good book

Good info for first time users
This book may seem a bit redundant for frequent users of FrontPage as there are many similar GUI features.

However first time users of Expression Web or limited FrontPage users will find many helpful tips, tricks and quick facts for using Expression Web.

Well worth reading ... Read more

Product Description

• Be inspired by 10 web design lessons from 10 of the worlds best web designers
• Get creative with cutting-edge XHTML, CSS, and DOM scripting techniques
• Learn breathtaking design skills while remaining standards-compliant

Customer Reviews (20)

A Useful Reference Book
I sometimes find it difficult to follow books like this with multiple authors, but I really found this one to be useful.Each chapter in this book is written by a different author; each one covering a different topic with easy to follow examples.Although I found this book to be useful, I did find at times that the colors on every page were somewhat distracting.

This book falls apart in about a week and is unusable.
I am fairly careful with my books. This one started falling apart almost immediately. I'm now left with a book that looks increasingly like a pile of leaves. Nice looking book but it's pretty much unreadable.

Nice Project Based Book
Easy to follow style, nice tips, project based. Nice reference to have on the shelf and to build skills.

A rare resource: Anecdotes with code!
I'd highly recommend this to any intermediate-level web designer: Someone who knows the basics of XHTML and CSS, but could learn a lot from reading real stories from professionals about problems they've encountered and the solutions they used. This glossy, nicely-designed book is rich in both inspiring graphics and clean code.

Great case studies
This book is well written, easy to read, and does a great job of walking you through their case studies. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Super Simplistic: really a teaser for other "In Easy Steps" Books
I read the positive reviews on this book and decided to buy it, since it was only $10 and I needed some help with web design. I was severely disappointed, and so were the other two people I loaned it to. First, this book is almost insultingly simple. If you really know absolutely nothing (and I mean NADA!) about what a web site is and how it works, it will be a good starting point for you. If you have even passing knowledge of the web and how it works, you will waste your time. Second, the book contains no actual specific, hands-on information or tutorials. It is an idea book. It offers lots of common sense, often repetitive, generalprinciples of web design, but this is mostly common sense, and all of it could be picked up from online web tutorials for free. The book also features a strange dichotomy: it assumes the reader knows zero about even the most basic web functions, yet it also assumes for the most part that the reader is art of a corporate team building a business website. The book would do far better to assume one or the other, but if it assumes the latter, then the book is madly mismatched to its audience. Finally, while this book only cost me $10 (for information I already knew or could find out for nothing), it is sprinkled with little advertorials for half a dozen other "In Easy Steps" books: HTML, Dreamweaver, Java, XML, etc. In other words, this book will NOT get you to a functioning web site. To do that, plan on dropping another $50 or so on other titles from this company. Why not just buy a solid, honest how-to book in the first place? What the book does get you is endless, repetitive admonishments to "not be different just for its own sake" (basically--follow the normal rules unless you have a good reason not to) and lots of general and incomplete discussions of design concepts. This books is far too general and far too incomplete for anyone but a complete web illiterate.

More than I expected
This book was not what I was expecting when I bought it, it was more than I expected.It was easy to read and understand and very informative.I suggest this book for anyone who is at the beginning stages of designing your website.

A concise but rewarding introduction to web design for the beginner.
This is the best introductory computer book that I have read. Whenever I need to learn a new computer system, language or technology, I like to begin with a less complex book that isn't too overwhelming. This is the practice that I have followed over the past 25 years. Over that period of time I have read several introductory and advanced computer texts. In just under a couple hundred pages, the book is concise but not a word is wasted. The book is full of valuable information, suggestions and references to additional information outside of the text.

The author doesn't just focus on the basic principles of creating a web page or site. He touches upon topics concerning the planning, design, marketing and composition of a web site that I found most rewarding and valuable in reading the book.

Good Overview for Newbies
I just read this book and was impressed.I've been in the business for about 11 years and this book, while more for beginners will help me with how to explain some basic web things to my clients.It covers a lot of the basics and it is more comprehensive than other books that focus on either the tech side of things, the marketing side of thing, or the graphic/aesthetic sides of things.In this book, you'll get the basics of design, usability, info architecture, marketing, SEO, and more in an easy to read and scan book. Plus, there are a lot of handy resources included.

If you;re thinking about getting into web design or if you are starting to work with a web designer or a design firm, this would be a great book to help fill in blanks in the technospeak.

Always useful
I'm no web design expert and although little was new to from this book I've still found it invaluable and am constantly referring to it. It's easy to use and attractive. Mostly it will help make sure you don't forget anything and for beginners it will set you on the right path.

I think that this book does much more for inspiring beginners to do something more than an ugly squared web page too. ... Read more

Product Description
Here's an indispensable source of practical advice and creative inspiration for anyone designing screen-based communications-from Web to CD-ROM and beyond. From Jack Davis, co-author of the award-winning Photoshop Wow! Book, this book covers the conceptual process, design fundamentals, and essential interface components. It includes over 50 case studies and more than 600 full-color examples of highly successful and creative interfaces for marketing, sales, education, and portfolio presentations.Amazon.com Review
This outstanding full-color guide teaches you how to applydesign principles to the creation of on-screen interactive media--primarily Web sites and, to a lesser extent, CD-ROMs and floppy-diskpresentations. The authors first provide an overview of what you needto consider when creating a Web site or any other multimediaproject. They discuss production methods and teach you how to defineyour purpose and audience; decide on your project's organization,content, and navigation; and assemble, test, and market your finalproduct. Next they delineate the various interface elements you needto consider, such as buttons, backgrounds, typography, animation,images, video, and audio, and they discuss the trends in each area,such as the decreasing popularity of beveled buttons and theincreasing popularity of 3-D graphics, interactive help, and userfeedback. The following chapter is devoted to teaching you five basictenets of good design, including clarity, consistency, andcontrast. The following chapters show you successful Web sites andCD-ROMs in the areas of marketing, entertainment, education andtraining, publishing, portfolios and presentations, and sales. Thesecase studies show lots of graphical elements along with explanationsof why certain approaches work and others do not.

There's verylittle emphasis on the tools you need to accomplish the design of yoursite or CD-ROM. But, where such information is relevant, the authorsmention the Windows and Macintosh products designers used to create aspecial graphic or effect, or products frequently used in general,such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Flash. Unlike other books inthe Wow! series, the focus here is not on software how-to tips but ondesign tips, so just about anyone--whether beginning designer,creative director, production manager, or marketing professional, forexample--can learn what's important in planning, designing,finalizing, and updating good sites and CDs. One thing that'sconsistent with the series: each topic is addressed in one or twopages, so you get a quick glimpse into each topic and therefore aneasy way to browse to find whatever might interest you. The includedhybrid CD-ROM comes with demonstration versions of WYSIWYG andstandard HTML editors and full versions of Netscape Communicator 4,Internet Explorer 4, Macromedia Shockwave and Flash, RealPlayer, andGIF and other Web utilities. --Kathleen Caster ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Lamest design book I've ever seen
I was required to buy this pointless little book for a college class I took several years ago and I still regret wasting money on it. It had no substance whatsoever. Every once in a while I'd see a nice little blurb about information architecture or page layout, but it was 99% fluff. Everyone stoped bringing it to class after the second week, because the only times it was useful were those rare occasions when we had designers block and needed to jack someone else's full-color idea.

Now I am the kind of person who likes to horde all kinds of books, but I sold The Web Design Wow Book at the campus bookstore (only got a couple bucks for it because, surprise, it was never used in any other classes) because I was embarrassed to have it on my shelf.

People learning how to design interfaces or looking for inspiration would be much better off with something like Web Pages That Suck or Edward Tufte's Envisioning Information.

Outdated
This book is useful for one thing... an interesting historical perspective on the web.
Published in 1998 (thus written in 1997) this is a a 7-year old book. MUCH has changed since that time, and leaving this in print without a new edition is disgraceful on the part of both the authors and publisher.
I guarantee that 90% of the websites they use as examples have completley changed their interface and design since this book.
In fact, many of the examples they show are hopelessly confused and chaotic front pages, that may have worked as a novelty back in the day, but will not have staying power with modern-day web surfers.
They are dozens of new and much better books on the market for the moeny... "Home Page Usability" and the incredible "Design of Site"s are two of my favorites.

book was ok not what I expected.
The book was not that great source it was ok but the condition of the book was excellent. Thanks

Not bad, but VERY outdated!
I ran into this book while looking for the best thing out there in terms of Web Design. Well, this book is just 4 years too old, unfortunately. Some of the examples, yes, they made sense... but they lack some of the elements that have come to the forefront of the field in the past few years. I was amazed that it was still in the shelves, in fact! If you want an EXCELLENT and current (as of this writing) book on the topic, get yourself a copy of "Web Redesign: Workflow That Works" by Kelly Goto, Emily Cotler. You'll be happy if you do!

This Book Is Not Good
I do not understand the reason they chose to tie the title to web design only, since the book addresses CD-Rom and multimedia projects also. Furthermore, this book is too simplistic to be really helpful. I read the first half and only scanned the rest of it. With all the good materials on web design, I could not afford to waste my time on this one. The pictures of web home pages disseminated here and there are the only good thing about this text. They are good looking and can help generate some ideas; plus, they are in full color. ... Read more

Product Description
This is our selection of contemporary award-winning video campaigns and websites. The YouTube phenomenon is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the presence and importance of video on the web today. Everywhere you surf, videos abound; with increasing bandwidth speeds come more and more possibilities for the moving image to find its place in every nook and cranny of the web, whether to sell products or entertain or both. This book brings together a number of award-winning campaigns and websites produced for top brands worldwide, demonstrating the connection between the worlds of television and internet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Outdated
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2CNV339RNTNFD This book is published in 2008 so some of the websites have either updated or aren't around anymore. When you visit the websites listed, most of them will be different from what's shown in the book. The text also doesn't provide much insight into the creation of those websites besides a one sentence introduction.

This book isn't very useful as it's now outdated. ... Read more

Product Description

The Unusually Useful Web Book is the only book you need to find out everything you need to know about web sites. In fact, it's 2 books in 1. You can skim the sidebars and checklists for tips and techniques you can use right away. Or you can follow along with the main text for a detailed discussion of planning, designing, building, and maintaining your web site.

The Unusually Useful Web Book is jam-packed with do-it-yourself worksheets, lessons from the trenches, advice from experts, and jargon-free explanations. But don't just take our word for it. Read what others are saying about The Unusually Useful Web Book:

"This book definitely stands out. Most books of this nature are stuffed with irrelevant and non-substantive information that only add confusion. This book delivers an overwhelming amount of information in a way that is both approachable and useful. There was a lot of information that I could immediately apply to current projects." Garo Green, Director of Publications, lynda.com

"Anyone who has a passion for web design will enjoy this book. For the novice, it's an eye opener and the reader will probably be compelled to soak in all the material, cover to cover. For the professional, it's a strong reinforcement of things we often overlook and a great reference tool. I'm a professional and found it to be an up-to-date and refreshing read, and I plan on using it as a required textbook in the classroom!" Rosanna Yeung, Multimedia & Web Design Instructor, The Art Institute of California

Customer Reviews (13)

wonderfully well-designed resource and workbook...
Found this book so very helpful.Shed light onblind spots in my planning that I wasn't even aware that I had, and therefore saved me catch-up work later.Also, showed me that I do a lot by instinct; but some things I wasn't consciously planning and that when I do, the outcome is far more thorough.It really guided me when creating my own site, step-by-step.The author is clearly experienced and intelligent, as evidenced throughout.Grateful me. (I am a web designer, consultant; and have my own site/business online as well.)

It truly is "unusually" useful ...
I have shelves full of web manuals. This book is one of the first I grab when I need help and/or I'm frustrated/stuck.

It's illustrated with silly cartoons that make you chuckle (which takes your mind off your web problem for the moment, and gives you space to let new ideas in). It's got fill-in-forms to guide your progress (you can photocopy them so you don't have to write in the book). It's cohesive and easy to find things in it - FANTASTIC index! The BEST thing is the list of "top 10 reasons web sites fail".

I think this is ONE of the BEST books I have purchased to help me learn new web stuff, and fix old web stuff.

Decent book but theories are already wiely in use...
I was a little dissapointed in this book. I thought it would be usefule to me (as the title suggests), but was not. I am a web developer with over 5 years experience and I found the book very repetitive of the theories and practices I employ on a daily basis. I did find a few suggestions in the book that I haven't either thought of or actually implimented but overall, I felt it was a little generic.

Most web designers will notice that the book is generic and offers them little new information. Of all the books I've read, this was one of the least helpful.

However, for someone just getting into web development, this book could be a big help in establishing a strong foundation of principles.

Unusually Useful about sums it up.
I came across this book in my quest to build a web as a newbie. After slogging through how to books on dreamweaver, HTML,SQL and PHP this was certainly an easy read. If you want technical knowledge on the actual code to build a site, this isn't the place ( although all the basics are explained), but it is chocked full of interesting things to consider from the design angle and what works and what doesn't.

The book explains in clear terms the various components of how a web site works from aquiring a domain name, how pages are written, scripts,flash, which design elements have been proven to work, understanding user needs, designing for fast page loading, revenue models for making money, monitoring and measuring traffic, promoting your site, etc.


I would say this book is aimed at someone who wants to build or improve their site and hasn't needs a place to start that will explain the technical jargon and best practices based on real world situations. The beauty of this approach is that that its all covered - many of the other books Ive read simply assume prior knowledge. Its enough to give you a good understanding of the conceptswith plenty of references to follow if you want to get into more detail on any certain topic.

Pretty Useful (Almost) All-In-One Web Book
I see this as an attempt to have an all-in-one quick reference book on issues relating to managing a commercial website. This book is packed tight with loads of very useful information and things to consider. It thus covers a lot of ground, from planning and design issues to technical issues (from file compression to XML) and usability and marketing issues. With so many areas covered, the material is necessarily brief, mostly in the form of summaries, points, and lists. A beginner may find some things hard to follow, since the book does not go into detailed explanations. However, it would still be useful for a beginner as it gives a good overview on most of the skills required to manage a website.

I would recommend this book to a wide audience, including
- beginners in web-related activities (great eye-opener and good introductory material to other important areas)
- students or fresh graduates (who think they know everything about HTML and other technology but are lacking in other issues)
- teachers who teach students web technology (and miss out the other issues)
- managers in charge of websites (who think think they know everything because they surf the internet)

A great well-rounded book which covers wider issues than almost any other web book. ... Read more

Product Description
Advanced Professional Web Design: Techniques and Templates (CSS & XHTML) is the must-have book for advanced designers who want to expand their skills and improve the quality of their designs. Learning CSS technology and continually improving one's design and developer skills is becoming increasingly essential for every Web designer in today's marketplace. This book teaches designers and developers how to bridge the knowledge gap from XHTML table-based design to full CSS-based design, and master the technologies and techniques needed. But the book isn't just about the theory behind design; it's about putting it into practice right away. Using the ~140 customizable designs, designers can use what they learn immediately. This indispensable collection of designs includes 20 CSS-driven templates, 80 XHTML table-based templates, 10 e-newsletter templates, 10 signature templates, and 20 Photoshop designs that can be coded. Too see some of the sample templates that come on the book's companion CD, visit the author's Web site at http://www.a5design.com/a5-book-designs. The book goes well beyond the authors' very successful Professional Web Design: Techniques and Templates by providing advanced tools and techniques that teach how e-commerce and shopping carts work, explain the concept of database-driven sites, and show how to create relative sizing designs, among other important topics. The techniques are taught with an emphasis on CSS, including explanations, examples, and templates that go far beyond existing CSS documentation. The database-driven and e-commerce examples in the book are written using CFML (ColdFusion Markup Language). Because the purpose of this book is to give a high-level explanation of such techniques, the techniques can be easily translated to other languages, such as ASP/ASP.Net, JSP, and PHP. This is a unique training course and free library of templates all in one! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Duplicate of Professional Web Design
I have Clint Eccher's "Professional Web Design" (2008), and I have found it useful, so I thought that "Advanced Professional Web Design" (2007) would take up where that left off. Instead, three-fourths of the content of the "advanced" book is simply a duplicate of content from the other book. Given my expectation, I was quite disappointed. There are a few chapters beyond the "basic" book that cover database driven sites, but the examples and templates are the same.

You may find one or the other of these two books useful, but the amount of overlap and outright duplication of content between the books is so great that you certainly don't need both.

Great Book for Amateurs Web Designers
This book is great for any amateurs that wants to design a professional web site or a career in web design.

Fantastic Book!! Great investment!
As with the first book, the designs included with this one have helped make me look extremely professional among my clients. I am able to customize a couple designs, show them to my clients, and always close the deal. Plus, I learned a lot about creating tableless designs. The book also helped me to better understand the how e-commerce works. I definitely recommend this book for someone needing a quick fix to creating a graphically professional site.

Great book for beginner and intermediate web design!
I maintain most of my site by myself. I've wanted to incorporate more css into it. This book gave me the basics to understand how to do so. I, too, wish the examples were available on the cd. However, I was able to acquire the code from the publisher. I have also been able to use of those amazing designs for a second site I am working on. I'm already proud of it, and I've added only five paragraphs of text.
This is not an "advanced" web manual, as the publishers title indicates, but for the average web designer or web site owner, this book offers a high level of easy to follow direction.

Advanced Professional Web Design: Techniques & Templates
I spent months trying to get the colors of my site to go down both sides of the page. When I saw that this book explained this, I bought it instantly. It did not disappoint. I now have a site that does exactly what I need it to do, with very little effort. Along the way, I also discovered a few ways to tweak my code to make it more user friendly. I have had other people in the office comment that I should have used a design or two from the book, but I went with my existing layout. Overall a very helpful resource. ... Read more

Product Description
Expert guidance on selling graphic design, in print and online

* New edition of a classic
* Up-to-the-minute advice on selling to Internet clients
* Get top clients and keep them

Attract today’s savvy design clients! A veteran designer who turned his small business into a multimillion-dollar new-media company shares his strategies for success in this new edition of the acclaimed Selling Graphic and Web Design. Donald Sparkman’s approach blurs the lines between graphic design, web design, and marketing by building strategic partnerships and thinking outside the box. No-nonsense advice for writing proposals and offering the right design solutions, plus information on providing services that fit a client’s needs and budget, have made this book indispensable. Now, in this revised and expanded version, leading Internet designers share strategies on effective marketing for the web, including pricing, billing, portfolios, ethics, brand design, web content management, brand law, and much more. Trusted advice and the latest strategies combine to make Selling Graphic and Web Design a great one-stop resource for designers in every field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not what I was expecting
This book is really a grab bag of general information on running a design business and managing projects, etc. The limited amount of content which directly addresses advice on how to find and win over new design clients has little to offer that will be new to most professionals with even minimal experience.

Great Book!
This was a decent book it contained lots of information covering all the many areas a Web, Print, Graphic Design. After reading this book i feel a lot more ready to take on a business and learned many new things for effectively managing a Design Studio. It is also a good book for getting not just small clients or medium clients but also gives you much pointers in landing fortune 500 companies. The author has worked with some well known companies in the past and owns his own design studio. In the book he also presents informative interviews with people prominent in the field who have experience working with many big clients. I gave this a book a 4 star because it was a decent book but it didn't dive as deep into the field as i was hoping. Nevertheless it was worth the read and i might read it again in the future.

Great Information - Rough Editing
I would have given this book 5 stars had it not been for numerous editing blunders.The information is outstanding.

Donald Sparkman helped clarify several legal situations with which the design industry can be faced. Of particular interest was the Chapter on Trade Customs.Although, I'd never rely on them solely, it's good to know they're there.

Although this book focuses on selling design, it does a great job discussing the business aspect of the industry... the legal stuff that I may have never considered.You won't find this kind of information in Design oriented books (It's not a design reference, by any stretch of the imagination).

If you can see past the editing issues, you'll have yourself a valuable business reference if you get this book.I also recommend Jim Smith's "How to Start a Home-Based Web Design Business", if you're looking for ways to keep your design firm in the black. ... Read more

Product Description

As the Web evolves to incorporate new standards and the latest browsers offer new possibilities for creative design, the art of creating Web sites is also changing. Few Web designers are experiences programmers, and as a result, working with semantic markup and CSS can create roadblocks to achieving truly beautiful designs using all the resources available. Add to this the pressures of presenting exceptional design to clients and employers, without compromising efficient workflow, and the challenge deepens for those working in a fast-paced environment. As someone who understands these complexities firsthand, author and designer Andy Clarke offers visual designers a progressive approach to creating artistic, usable, and accessible sites using transcendent CSS.

Customer Reviews (58)

Buen libro
Un libro muy visual, pero la parte importante siempre es la parte de texto, muy bien escrito y claro. Es un libro muy recomendable para releer por placer y para aprender nuevas técnicas. Yo lo compré de segunda mano y me vino en muy buen estado.

Great book, got me a job
I purchased this book probably 3 years ago when I needed to expand my web development skills.Although it is a bit dated now (now the content but the book itself), I learned CSS from this book with ease.I actually didn't need to finish the whole thing because it gave me enough from the first 2/3.I actually needed it to get a job, because one of the requirements was knowledge of CSS, so it really did get me a job :).

Great Content--Lousy book binding
One of the great things about this book is the design themes that you can see as you move through the pages. Filled with neat examples and lots of great ideas, beautiful images and really some great content-- what a shame that within a month the book just fell apart! Poorly made, poorly bound.

It's all changing now
I bought this book 2 days before Internet Explorer 8 was released. It seemed to be full of maxims that were universal, until I found out that IE8 passes the ACID2 test. To that end, we're going to need a new version of this book.

Excellent buy !
After reading many reviews I could not wait to get my hands on THIS BOOK...many people said many different things. But here is what I feel.

I beg to differ with many people who say that this is not a beginners book, well, after reading most parts of the book I can safely say that this would appeal to a beginner, Intermediate and Advanced CSS designers. Infact, I feel many books that "Teach" CSS don't often cover topics about Wireframing and Prototyping, workflow tips etc but Transcending CSS does just that along with other cool and interesting stuff which is always expected by Andy. I love the Screenshots and the stock-images which are spread all over the book.

All in All I feel that I am going to take my Web-design career to the Next Level after buying & reading this book.

Ps: Amazon is awesome. I got the book one day earlier before the estimated date. ... Read more

Product Description
Simply the best introduction to all aspects of the design and development of successful Web sites.

As the World Wide Web has matured, the need for high quality education in all aspects of Web design has become widely acknowledged. This book is a core text for undergraduate and masters courses that provides a complete introduction to every aspect of the building of Web pages and Web sites. A complete understanding of the basics of all aspects of Web design is essential to the development of good practice.

Starting from a review of Web experiences, the text provides a deep and thorough introduction to Web technology, markup, stylesheets, Web graphics, Web animation and embedded video, client-side scripting, Web applications, usability, accessibility, page design and site design. At all times, the focus remains on good practice, underpinned by sound principles, in the context of the real World Wide Web. Full coverage of the essential technologies is provided: HTTP, XHTML, CSS, Javascript and the DOM, and the use of Web Standards is emphasized throughout as an essential part of the authors' forward-looking approach. Some elementary programming knowledge is required for use of this text.

Suitable for course use or self-study, this comprehensive introduction represents a complete overview of the practice of Web design, providing clear summaries and a wealth of exercises and short practical assignments, as well as a valuable survey of the most popular software tools used in Web design. An extensive glossary and a wide rage of other supplementary material are provided on the supporting Web site. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent! !!
This is one of the most comprehensive books on web design that I have had the pleasure to read. I recommend this book as a college text for web design. I have read a few other books that colleges use for web design/development but this one outshines them. Also the books construction is high quality. From beginner to intermediate designers/developers this book has a lot to offer. Very highly recommended. Note: I am very surprised
not to see any reviews of this book, but it did take some searching on amazon.com to find it. I know that for $55 and no amazon discount, this book is not cheap. But I believe that it is well worth it. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (11)

Web Site Cookbook
Web Site Cookbook is a really good problem solving guide for beginner to intermediate web designers. This reference includes hundreds of common questions, how tos, and ways to increase efficiency in a standard problem, solution, discussion, and see also format. Each of these entries also uses snippets of text and often includes illustrations of the result whenever possible. Topics include everything from registering and site planning through formatting text and graphics to making forms and dealing with ecommerce issues.

Web Site Cookbook is set up from simple to more complex concepts so that the reader need not have any previous experience creating a website in order to comprehend and make use of these instructions. Furthermore, the quick and easy access of the problem-solution format of the entries will be particularly helpful to web designers looking for particular solutions, wanting to upgrade their skills, or just wanting to learn a few new techniques to improve their site.

COOKING ON YOUR WEB SITE!!!
Are you a web developer and designer? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Doug Addison, has done an outstanding job of writing a book about building web sites that people will visit, use, bookmark, and revisit.

Addison, begins by untangling the choices that confront web site builders during the process of getting a new web site off the ground. Then, the author discusses site planning and setup. Next, the author presented solutions that will help you balance aesthetics with usability. The author then focuses on the written content that, for the majority of sites, constitutes the meat and potatoes of their online offerings. He continues by covering a few of the most common issues surrounding the use of graphics on a web site, including how to choose the right ones and optimize them for a fast download. Then, the author looks at some techniques for using visual clues. He then goes over some of the little details that make a web site visit successful and enjoyable. Next, the author explains the trust-building techniques and fraud-avoidance maneuvers that help secure both sides in an online transaction. Finally, he discusses both the administrative tasks you should use to maintain your site, as well as the technical procedures you'll need to know to keep your site and your job trouble free.

In this most excellent book you'll find solutions to everything from choosing, registering, and protecting a site's domain name to keep spammers from harvesting the addresses you display on its pages. More importantly, this book can lead the way in showing you how to publish a site that is not only a useful and attractive representation of the business, organization, or person behind it, but is also easy to build, maintain, and update.

Working on Web Sites in a Straight Forward Way
Doug Addison has produced a very useful and informative guide to working on Web sites. While many books look at the mechanics of HTML, or detailed coding, Web Site Cookbook rather follows the O'Reilly cookbook structure, looking at specific issues and needs and presenting answers.The book looks at the other aspects of good Web site work - colors, design and small tasks that are part of everyday Web sites now.Many of the recipes will make a more experienced Web site author go "duh," but I found myself flagging many of the entries if nothing else to do more research using some of the Web resources cited at the end of each recipe. Much of what is talked about is Web Design 101, but with so many WYSIWYG tools out there allowing anyone to produce a simple Web site, it's useful to have someone succinctly state the ideas behind complimentary colors to try and avoid those awful sites that just make your eyes burn. Nothing here is earth shattering or is something that you couldn't find on-line, but the value is Addison's organization and presentation, distilling Web speak into simple language, showing some examples and sending the reader off to other resources if he or she wants.The book is written with the idea that you are programming in PHP on top of an Apache Web server, which may not be relevant to all readers, but even those readers, like myself, who don't use PHP or Apache can carry away quick and valuable information, and have a flagged book to grab and look for information on a specific topic in the future. It's going to be a useful addition to my my desk.

good reference
I skimmed through the book, and I know I will find it very useful.It points out many things that web developers will want or need to do at some point and provides easy information on how to make them happen.

The one issue I have with the book is that it is about 70% PHP and Apache Server, which I don't use.This isn't a problem with the book, I just didn't quite realize this when I bought it.But, regardless of the language you use to program, even the PHP examples are useful as they show you the methodology to implement solutions in a clear, concise, and easy to understand way.It is also a good reference if you're considering using PHP or use it a little bit.

I have purchased hundreds of technical books, but I never purchased an O'Reilly book before - they just seemed to be too sparse, where I was looking for more in-depth instruction.However, now I know why they are so popular.I think you can learn more from a good example...or a good solution to a problem...rather than reading many chapters of most other books.

This book is definitely for people with some experience and again, I would just stress that it is mainly a PHP and Apache Server reference.

Highly Recommended
Excellent for beginners, but I would have liked to have gotten more detail. Perhaps that is the trade-off for so broad a subject. This book has answers to alot of questions that beginners (like me) might have. For instance, when I was shopping around for a hosting service for a personal website, features that were common to most hosting plans were cron (a scheduling utility) and ssi (server side includes). What are they? Why would they list them as a plus for hosting? Why would I care if they featured these or not? Well the Web Site Cookbook not only tells you what they are, but also gives you examples as to when, how, and why you might use them.

Each topic (recipe) is broken down into 4 sections:
1. Problem: A one or two sentence description of what you need or want to do.

2. Solution: A step by step solution.

3. Discussion: A discussion of the applied solution.

4. See Also: Additional information from other "recipes" in thebook and/or outside resources.

There are also sections on planning your site, organizing directories, creating color schemes, as well as tips on making URL's easy to find and remember. (just to name a few). This book will get you well on your way to putting together a well designed web site. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Written for creative, tech-savvy, and business-minded individuals who want to increase the accessibility of their websites, this sensible guidebook explains the concepts behind designing experiences on the internet. From helping customers quickly find information and make their purchases to clearly communicating needs and interests, this resource will not only develop consumer loyalty but will encourage them to spread the word about the sites they frequent. Focusing on the three key areas of structure, community, and customers, designers will enable clients to focus on their own goals rather than on difficulties in navigating. Also included are tips on how to generate conversations with blogs, wikis, and podcasting to create a personal touch. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A guide certain to appeal to marketers and site designers alike
Learn how to use experience design tools to build more user-friendly websites with Designing the Digital Experience, a guide certain to appeal to marketers and site designers alike. Visitors who enjoy positive digital experiences will find the sites much more useful, appealing, and worthy of recommendation to others: this is a fine survey focusing on community-building and actively user-friendly sites, and is recommended especially for college-level librarians seeking to understand the latest in website assessment and information technology.
... Read more

Product Description
'The Complete E-Commerce Book offers a wealth of information on how to design, build and maintain a successful web-based business.... Many of the chapters are filled with advice and information on how to incorporate current e-business principles o

Make your e-commerce vision a success with this comprehensive, step-by-step handbook. Whether your company is a startup or well-established, you'll learn how to plan, implement and operate a successful e-commerce site -- from selecting the right software and Internet service provider through effectively marketing your online business. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

review
this book is very clear and informative, a bit technical in some places but still worth every dime. better than the others i've got

has the auther ever built a single e-commerce site?
After browsing thru all the chapters, i got the impression that the author is only buzzword-compliant and cannot go into any detail in any subject area. She must have read a lot on ecommerce, but i doubt she ever did any "real work" with ecommerce. The writing reads like it comes from a "good" student who diligently repeats all the words a professor said in a business classroom.

high level design and management of a web business
Reynolds talks about many aspects of running your own commercial website. She discusses what type of servers you might need and how to configure these using RAID to maximise uptime while preserving data against hardware failure. Also mentioned is what type of net connections might be suitable and affordable. Along with how to implement security against various types of fraud attempts.

For promoting your website, email newsletters are suggested as being very economical. Though beware of email ad campaigns that can get you labelled as a spammer. Search Engine Optimisation gets a good exposition as a cheap way to promote your site in an engine's rankings.

The "Complete" in the title is slightly misleading. The book does not get into the nitty gritty of technical details about making a database, for example. Or writing webpages. Rather, it's at a higher level of design and management of these issues.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE COMPLATE E-COMMERCE BOOK
The dot-com bubble is about to burst again! But, that doesn't mean that e-commerce is dead--to the contrary. Author Janice Reynolds has done an outstanding job of writing the second edition of a book that provides select comparisons of various tools needed to construct, design, and run a successful e-commerce website.

Reynolds begins by examining the e-commerce phenomenon, and the challenges that it brings. Next, the author shows you how you can design a website that is brilliantly complex, employing all of the latest technology, or design a simple site without sacrificing attractiveness or efficiency. Then, she explains why the design and pre-build details are among the first steps you must take when extending an e-commerce site to the Web. The author continues by discussing that if you want to host your own servers, the best advice is to create a balanced plan with each segment working in partnership with each other. In addition, the author next discusses how power and data redundancy are a good start to ensure that your website is always available, but other types of redundancy also should be considered when building a website. She also deals with the bandwidth aspect of connectivity. Next, the author shows you how to institute an on-going program of security monitoring, maintenance, and to perform an annual security audit. Then, she shows you how to choose your basic website software: web server, log analysis, and database. The author continues by discussing specific e-commerce software. In addition, she discusses adjunct software. The author also covers how you can create a good QA plan to determine how and in what order each aspect of a website should be tested. Then, she discusses various software and online solutions to aid in your quest for the perfect, problem-free website. The author continues by examining consultant contracts, costs, types of consulting services available, when to outsource and when to do the work in-house. In addition, the author provides tips on how to choose a web-hosting service. She also examines three different methods that are used to search the Web. Next, the author offers some advice on getting the work started, developing targeted marketing strategies, monitoring the results, and continuously striving to improve your efforts. Then, she explains that in order to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction, the web-based business must realize that site experience is actually more important to an online customer than product experience, and build the website and service solutions around that fact. The author continues by discussing why order processing and fulfillment is a website's last form of customer contact. Finally, she shares some thoughts on the future of e-commerce.

The author has done an excellent job of writing a book with both the entrepreneur and the non-technology executive in mind. So, at the end of the day, this book will help you ask the right questions as you move to the Web.

horrible book and title is very misleading
If you are from planet Mars, you still wouldn't find this book useful.The dumbest person I know, knows more than is in this book.There is no code.It doesn't tell you exactly how to do anything.It just blah blah's on and on about useless info.Design, Build, and Maintain a website title?It doesn't cover any of the technical side of this like the title says.Save you money and pay someone to start your online business for you.It took a whole book to tell you this?????Save your money. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn how to get a successful, money-making website built for you correctly the first time. This book will arm you with everything you need to know to go from an outdated site or a simple idea to a brand new, fully-functional, money-making business website. You'll learn how to hire the perfect Web designer for a fair price and how to guide them to create the most user-friendly, powerful, trusted and successful website possible for your business and budget. And it will teach you the fundamentals you'll need to succeed on the Web. Jason O'Connor owns the Web design and marketing firm Oak Web Works, LLC (http://www.oakwebworks.com). He is an expert Web designer, programmer and marketer who takes you step by step through the entire website building process in this book. He'll give you in-the-trenches and cutting-edge information that will save you a lot of money, time and frustration. You will be guided through each step in the creation of a successful business website. You will discover how to plan your website, work with your Web designer and show you why you need to demand very specific things to ensure your online success. And you'll also learn ways you can market your website. You can suffer through the entire website building process and be massively disappointed with the end result, blind to the details, ignorant of website fundamentals, and full of regret for the amount of money you spent. Or you can ensure that you'll save time and money, understand what goes into a great website, have a relatively easy time with the whole process, be thrilled with the final product, and end up with a successful website that helps you achieve all your business goals. This book's entire purpose is to help you achieve the latter. Among the many Web business-related things this book will teach you are: 1.How to choose & hire the right Web design company or freelancer for your project. 2. How to manage the creation of a business website that increases your bottom line. 3. How to go from a simple idea to a fully-functional, money making website in no time flat. 4. How to choose the right navigation structure. 5. How to separate your site from your competition. 6. What every business website must have. 7. How design, marketing and programming properly interact to form every website. 8. How to ensure your website includes all three pillars of the Web. 9. How to choose the right web site for your business. 10. How to save serious money and time when getting your website built. 11. How to negotiate with the Web vendors you're considering hiring. 12. How to ensure you'll make money with your website. 13. What components make up every successful website. 14. What makes a business website great. 15. What to provide your Web vendor. 16. How to plan the creation of your website. 16. How to properly search online 17. How to choose the right website colors, fonts and layouts. 17. E-marketing tactics and strategies. If you need a new business website this book is for you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great Book for Learning How to Build a Website (for your business)
This book did exactly what I wanted it to, which is to walk me through the steps needed to build a business website. I have been thinking about a specific idea for about two years, but didn't take concrete steps because I knew I didn't know how to proceed. Most web designers I had interviewed are "artist-types" and I could sense that they wouldn't necessarily build a highly functional or user-friendly site, with the end goal being to make my site financially successful. But I didn't know where to begin with my questions, so I didn't pursue the project. I knew I couldn't supervise a web designer/firm properly and that I would overpay because my ignorance was so obvious. Now I know exactly what I need to, which is NOT how to program code myself (that's never going to happen!) but I know what to look for, the questions to ask, what role I should play and how to find the right people to work with. So if you are interested in this subject, don't hesitate to buy this book. It's very simple to read, which is just right if you are unfamiliar with the subject matter and repeats all the most important points several times. Which in this context is good. It also have specific, practical advice about what you can do right now to move forward.

Need a Website? Buy This Book.
I felt compelled to write a review of this book after I read it because when I finished it I really felt like I got more out of it than I ever expected. My company already had a website but needed it totally re-done. A few years ago, my business partner and I had a really bad experience with a Web designer and Internet marketer who promised the world, delivered very little and took forever. So I was dreading starting the whole process over again for our new site. This book helped a tremendous amount and made the process fairly easy. If you're serious about building a world-class business website, you'll learn exactly how to find a Web developer, design company or freelancer who is perfect for your project and is as serious as you.

I also didn't realize how many things one could do with a site and its design, layout, linking and content that can make the difference between a money-making website and a business dud. Chapters 7, 8 and 9 go into excellent detail about how to work with your web vendor to build a site that has proper Internet marketing capabilities and that achieves all of your business goals.

If you need a website and if you want to actually make money with it, buy this book.

Good Basics book
I would recommend this book as a starting point for getting your website up and running.Lots of good ideas and concepts to think about and its organized very well.I thought it was a little over priced, but still valuable.

Smart, Comprehensive Guide to Creating Your Website
First, even if you're a do-it-yourselfer, don't pass up this book.

While this book is aimed at business owners planning to hire a web designer to build their company's website, it's got excellent advice, and useful checklists, that do-it-yourselfers will be able to put to use in building their own sites.

That being said, Mr. O'Conner has put together one of the best books on creating a business website that I've seen in a long time. And as a copywriter and SEO specialist, I read a lot of stuff on this subject matter.

O'Conner's language is clear and easy to understand. He doesn't pack it with technical jargon, as far too many of these type books do, and he takes his time in explaining everything you need to consider in building, or rebuilding, a business website.

I particularly like the way he explains qualities a site needs to succeed, rather than just explaining the structure and design of a site.

His "Great Website Rules" (found beginning on page 107) describe the traits that every website needs in order to succeed.

Even better, he goes beyond the nuts and bolts needs of website design and discusses marketing your website, something way too many web designers never give consideration to.

Unfortunately, just because you build it does not mean that they will come.

Fortunately, Mr. O'Conner gives an excellent overview of search engine optimization and search engine marketing techniques that will help you both gain top rankings on the search engines and draw traffic to your
website.

Mr. O'Conner also does something else rarely done by web designers writing about the needs of a website-- he emphasizes the need for content (you know, words) on the web page. This is important for two reasons--

One, search engines like Google are seeking content and information.

And two, it just so happens that human searchers on the web are usually looking for the same exact thing.

Another great feature of this book are the checklists and charts he provides that are designed to help you make decisions as to what you want in a website.

So before you design or re-design your next website, get this book. It's perfect for nontechnical types and can even teach technical types a thing or two.

Easy and Informative Read - Must Have!
I needed a website for my new business and found this book to be both well written and extremely useful. Before I read this book, I knew next to nothing about web sites and the internet. I certainly didn't know how to go about hiring a web designer or planning out a proper web site that has the most potential to make my business profitable. This book has taught me all that. There were a couple of sections that had information I didn't really need but all-in-all I was very pleased. The bottom line is that I followed most of the book's suggestions and I now have a very professional-looking web site that is built properly, with marketing in mind, and that has already started to get some traffic and sales!


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