Exploring the Art and Technology of Web Design
Product Description
This introduction to designing high-impact websites shows how to combine an understanding of design principles with the right images and the right authoring software to create visually compelling Web sites that offer a first-rate user experience. In a highly practical approach, the reader is introduced to essential features of basic programs of Web design-Macromedia Dreamweaver and Flash plus HTML-as well as how these programs interact with the Web design features of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Unlike the many software books that devote in-depth coverage to just one of these programs, Exploring the Art and Technology of Web Design takes the holistic approach designers need to succeed in a client-driven work environment, delivering a thorough understanding of ALL of the elements that go into great web design. An examination of key related topics-vector and pixel images, FTP programs, simple digital audio and video-editing software-contributes to the development of both a technological understanding of the software and a conceptual understanding of the design principles that lead to the creation of striking Web sites.
I am currently using “Exploring the Art and Technology of Web Design” in a community college class. The book is very unclear on instructions. Procedures are unorganized and the order of information is illogical. I would not recommend this book as a text or as a personal reference to anyone.
Rating: 1 / 5
What I liked about this book is that it describes the set of design principles used in web pages, and covers the set of tools typically used, starting out with a basic text editor, then moving on to Dreamweaver, then Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. It even covers site management and FTP.
The book reminded me of the best “desktop publishing” books of the mid-1990’s, which covered the concepts of design, layout, fonts, needs of different audiences, and then had a series of projects using PageMaker. The days of using just one program are long since gone, yet few books today describe how to get the desired results out of the different programs.
My main concern with the book is that it didn’t indicate what versions of the tools were being used, or if that was important. For instance, is it Dreamweaver MX 2004, Dreamweaver 8, or Dreamweaver CS3? I reconstructed the screens to conclude that the book focuses on tools as of 2003-2005, but now that Adobe has bought Macromedia, the deck has been shuffled again, so keep that in mind.
Rating: 5 / 5
I liked this book. It’s concise and well laid out and the exercises reinforce what is read. Unlike so many of it’s counterparts, this book is a great intro to the web and the web’s use of multimedia components. Strongly recommended for anyone new to web design.
Rating: 5 / 5
I bought the book as I am just learning web design. I think the book is well laid out, includes lots of basic information (who knew what “http” meant) a good development of skills and really beautiful art work. I would definitely recommend it, especially in a group situation like a class so you can reinforce each other and perhaps fill in each other’s blanks.
Rating: 5 / 5