Head First Web Design

Want to know how to make your pages look beautiful, communicate your message effectively, guide visitors through your website with ease, and get everything approved by the accessibility and usability police at the same time? Head First Web Design is your ticket to mastering all of these complex topics, and understanding what’s really going on in the world of web design.

Whether you’re building a personal blog or a corporate website, there’s a lot more to web design than div’s and CSS selectors, but what do you really need to know? With this book, you’ll learn the secrets of designing effective, user-friendly sites, from customer requirements to hand-drawn storyboards all the way to finished HTML and CSS creations that offer an unforgettable online presence.

The revised two-color edition of this book includes a free online version of the chapter on web color. You can easily access this chapter at Oreilly.com once you register your book.

Your time is way too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First Web Design uses a visually rich format specifically designed to take advantage of the way your brain really works.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 building beautiful web pages: Beauty is in the eye of your user
Chapter 2 pre-production: Paper covers rock
Chapter 3 organizing your site: “So you take a left at the green water tower…”
Chapter 4 layout and design: Follow the Golden Rule
Chapter 5 designing with color: Moving Beyond Monochrome
Chapter 6 smart navigation: “In 2 seconds, click ‘Ho me’.”
Chapter 7 writing for the web: Yes, you scan!
Chapter 8 accessibility: Inaccessibility Kills
Chapter 9 listen to your users: The Pathway to Harmonious Design
Chapter 10 evolutionary design: Keeping your site fresh
Chapter 11 the business of web design: Mind Your Own Business
Appendix i: leftovers: The Top Ten Things (we didn’t cover)