The Non-Designer's Web Book, 3rd Edition

If you think web design is beyond your reach, or if you want your existing web site to look more professional, this thoroughly updated classic is the place to turn! In these pages, best-selling authors Robin Williams and John Tollett share the creative ideas, useful techniques, and basic design principles that are essential to great Web design-all in the context of the most current technology, software, and standards. Throughout, the authors' aim is to inspire you and spark your creativity rather than sedate you with pages and pages of code. To that end, you'll find loads of real-world examples, interesting illustrations, and the simple instructions you need to implement the techniques and concepts described in these pages.

Who is this book for? It's mostly for the design novice. If you have any amount of experience working with the Web and creating websites, some of this stuff is going to be a little simplistic. Even so, read this book for the design concepts it presents. Too many so-called web designers know the technical aspects of creating a website, but fall far short when it comes to design skills. The basic principles put forward in this book will make you a better designer. They certainly worked for me!

If you're designing a website and you know nothing about design, invest in this book. It's a sure winner!


Very Good for Some Folks   November 18, 2005
Conrad J. Obregon (New York, NY USA)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful

Nowadays, everyone seems to have a website, from the largest Fortune 500 companies to the person next door. Some internet service providers even offer on-line software for their customers to create sites. Unfortunately many of these sites are awful. Navigation is often difficult and the graphic design is frequently an obstacle to visitors.

Readers should note that this is a new 2005 edition of an old favorite, and reviews of the second edition may not be applicable.

This book is aimed at helping people not trained in graphic design to put together better web sites. After a curious discussion of search engines, the authors explain what a web page is, how browsers work, and what servers do. The initial chapters are clearly aimed at people who know little about how the Internet works. Subsequent chapters become more technical, and even experienced site makers may find something they either didn't know or ignored. The book shows how the four design principles that Williams has emphasized in her other works (alignment, proximity, repetition and contrast) apply to the design of web sites. A chapter is specifically addressed to designing the navigation for a site. The book then discusses the use of color and typography and finishes up with some advanced design tips and information on getting your site on line and getting people to visit it.

The book operates in a curious area between no knowledge and deep technical knowledge. For example, the authors indicate that the preparation of web sites requires both image-editing and web-authoring software, and that the book is not aimed at teaching the reader how to use such software. Yet very frequently, as they explain design principles, they tell how to use software to achieve the design principles. As a result, even though the book seems aimed at beginners, it will help readers if they have some familiarity with software like Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

This book is deceptively easy and quick to read. And yet there is plenty of information between the covers. Although I consider myself to be fairly competent in creating a website, I picked up a lot of tips that can improve the sites I've created. In fact, I had a long hiatus in the middle of my reading to return to my site to make some improvements based on the authors' recommendations.

There are also a lot of little hints that can prove helpful. For example, I never considered that the apostrophe in my websites was actually just a little line, and that I could put in a real apostrophe by typing in some simple code. Although I've read a lot of web-authoring books, I had never come across this little gem. Now that may not seem very important but when one adds up all the design tips in this book, one has an agenda for good site design.

I do have one complaint. Some of the illustrations are too small to read, especially if one's eyesight is less than perfect. I actually had to use a magnifying glass as I examining some of the illustrations. This certainly sets a poor example for a book dedicated to good design.

This book will prove useful to both beginner and intermediate creators of web sites. And even the most experienced web designers may find something that will make reading this book worthwhile.


Thank God!   December 17, 1999
Jessica Wesolek (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful

I am a graphic designer with 20 years experience in the print arena. I quit for awhile to play art gallery and now I'm back because I have to put my gallery online - and I know nothing about web design! I bought 6 different books (all ranging from $30 to $60) before I knew Robin's book was out there, and I couldn't find the basic information in any of them. Then I discovered this book - it fell on my foot in the bookstore, actually, and knowing Robin's previous works, I was really excited - while hopping around holding my foot. I bought the book and read it cover-to-cover and it gave me all the groundwork I needed plus a lot of entertainment. Robin and John have the marvelous gift of keeping it simple - even when dealing with complicated subjects - and they do it with humor! EVERYBODY can learn something from this publication - however hot you think you are. Now, I just wish Robin and John would write a book on Flash!


Instructive, reassuring, and great fun   December 8, 1998
20 out of 20 found this review helpful

Most web site designers take one of two opposite approaches: (1) overwhelm the user with gobs of information (and, sometimes, try to compensate for the resultant dullness by throwing in pointless animations, clashing colors, etc.), or (2) offer visual candy, but under all the spiffy PhotoShop graphics and Java special effects there's no useful content.
Ms. Williams starts with the most basic considerations: What is it that you want your site to SAY about you or your business? Given that, what's the most effective way to say it? Not only is the book full of useful information, clearly presented, about site navigation and design, but it's visually appealing and a pleasure to read -- just like a good web site! And, while you're having fun, you're also painlessly learning a surprising amount.
The book is rather thin on technical details, but I think this is a point in its favor: too much specific information renders a computer book obsolete almost as soon as the ink is dry; however, the design principles Williams sets out are timeless. I also liked her reassurance that you don't have to be a technical expert to design an effective web site: good thinking and planning are the only "secret." This is far and away the best book I've seen on the subject, and I recommend it highly.


Beginner? Get this book.   November 20, 1999
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

I knew very little about designing a web site. This book was an easy and enjoyable read, as well as a handy reference at every phase of designing and publishing. I highly recommend it to those just diving in; a great primer.