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Principles of Web Design
Learn everything there is to know, from project planning through marketing and analytics, about Web design!
Principles of Web Design is a book about the fundamentals of clear graphic communication within the context of Web design.
Author Brian D. Miller is a sought-after expert in developing product and digital branding strategies for emerging startups and Fortune 500 organizations. In Principles of Web Design , he will teach the reader the tricks of the trade and everything one should know about web design through easy, step-by-step guides and with full-color illustrations.
The book has three sections, which follow the cycle of a typical Web
Principles of Web Design is a book about the fundamentals of clear graphic communication within the context of Web design.
Author Brian D. Miller is a sought-after expert in developing product and digital branding strategies for emerging startups and Fortune 500 organizations. In Principles of Web Design , he will teach the reader the tricks of the trade and everything one should know about web design through easy, step-by-step guides and with full-color illustrations.
The book has three sections, which follow the cycle of a typical Web
280 pages, Paperback
Published April 12, 2022
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 18, 2023
Basic primer that skims the surface of a variety of web design topics, including planning, usability, visual design, typography, SEO, digital marketing, and analytics. It includes many screenshots to illustrate principles, though some are dated. It's divided into the 3 phases of a web project (planning, designing, and optimizing). It's written for web pros, but points out the needs of users and clients. This is the author's 3rd revision of this book since 2008.
Notes
Website Planning
Creative brief template
• Project name
• Date
• Prepared by
• Submitted to
• Project overview
• Background info
• Target user insight info
• Brand attributes, promise, mission
• Competitive landscape
• Business objectives, success criteria
• Testing requirements, measurement of success
• Creative strategies
• Functionality and technical specs
• Contribution and approval process
• Timelines
• Budget
Ask client, "What’s the correct tone for the audience and brand?"
Anatomy of a Web Page
Optimal line length for legibility is under 2 - 2.5 alphabets (52-65 characters).
The Elements of Web Design
Color properties
• Hue: color
• Value: darkness or lightness
• Saturation: vibrancy
Analysis
Matomo: PHP-based open-source alternative to Google Analytics
"Visit" is user spending time on page. "Hit" is retrieval of asset from server. A single visit may involve multiple hits.
Notes
Website Planning
Creative brief template
• Project name
• Date
• Prepared by
• Submitted to
• Project overview
• Background info
• Target user insight info
• Brand attributes, promise, mission
• Competitive landscape
• Business objectives, success criteria
• Testing requirements, measurement of success
• Creative strategies
• Functionality and technical specs
• Contribution and approval process
• Timelines
• Budget
Ask client, "What’s the correct tone for the audience and brand?"
Anatomy of a Web Page
Optimal line length for legibility is under 2 - 2.5 alphabets (52-65 characters).
The Elements of Web Design
Color properties
• Hue: color
• Value: darkness or lightness
• Saturation: vibrancy
Analysis
Matomo: PHP-based open-source alternative to Google Analytics
"Visit" is user spending time on page. "Hit" is retrieval of asset from server. A single visit may involve multiple hits.
May 2, 2022
Good introduction
This book is a quick read about the principles and phases of web design. If you have created and maintained one or more websites, and you are familiar with what it takes to get people to engage with your site and to sell products and services, then you might not learn a lot from this book.
The book could have used some review questions at the end of each chapter to expand and reinforce the principles explained. Also, a glossary of terms would be a helpful cheat sheet for reviewing essential parts of web design principles.
The book may be helpful for students and beginning web designers. If you're experienced in the subject, I'm not sure you would learn much.
This book is a quick read about the principles and phases of web design. If you have created and maintained one or more websites, and you are familiar with what it takes to get people to engage with your site and to sell products and services, then you might not learn a lot from this book.
The book could have used some review questions at the end of each chapter to expand and reinforce the principles explained. Also, a glossary of terms would be a helpful cheat sheet for reviewing essential parts of web design principles.
The book may be helpful for students and beginning web designers. If you're experienced in the subject, I'm not sure you would learn much.
January 17, 2023
Web Design
I love a good book on design and/or web design and this was a great example!
I really enjoyed the various depections of good design.
Lots of great examples, and lots of great inspiration for my front-end web development projects.
I would highly recommend this if you are in web development, like me.
4.5/5
I love a good book on design and/or web design and this was a great example!
I really enjoyed the various depections of good design.
Lots of great examples, and lots of great inspiration for my front-end web development projects.
I would highly recommend this if you are in web development, like me.
4.5/5
June 16, 2024
I thought this was a great primer on web design. It opened my eyes to the importance of topics that I hadn't thought of much before. For example, topography, the use of white space, and line length. And, it's succinct; it didn't use verbose explanations when an image explained the concept.
November 17, 2022
This review originally appeared in "Technical Communication Journal: November 2022, Volume 69, Number 4." https://www.stc.org/techcomm/
People have been browsing websites for over two decades, so it may seem elementary to require instruction on creating a quality website. However, once someone comes across a poorly designed site, not everyone is equipped to create usable, attractive web content. Principles of Web Design strives to guide the budding web developer on a path to success. While most web developers may want to just jump in and begin creating content, Brian D. Miller puts forth a three-level process for web design: Plan, Design, and Optimize.
Before any successful project can begin, a plan must be created. A site design should be mocked up, showing both the physical structure to the site’s files, and a flow for intended users. Drill into details, like custom error messages to fit with your site’s branding. Configure the visual layout of the site, including use of white space, fonts, and styles. Consider how it will look on a mobile device or tablet. Once you have these basics in place, you can begin to create the site itself. However, before you start adding content, you should consider site concepts such as menu navigation, headers and footer, and content that appears at the top of the page before you scroll. There are dozens of concepts to consider, ranging from colors to image animation. Finally, once the site is largely prepared, move into optimizing it. Design your content so it can be easily found by search engines, which is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Set up tools to track who is using your site, and which pages get the most attention. Consider implementing an email campaign that ties into your website to increase visits to your site.
Throughout Principles of Web Design, Miller lays out each concept in a logical order and illustrates them all using sample websites. Even if you’ve never heard of SEO before, Miller provides a worthy overview, more than enough to get you started. While he may not tell you the exact colors or fonts to use on a site, Miller does give broad examples of what to look for when choosing such elements. Illustrations is one area where he falls a little short. While the book is lavishly illustrated with screen captures from websites, flow diagrams, grids, and colors, sometimes the illustrations appear too small on the page for any detailed scrutiny, perhaps obscuring the point of the image. Despite that one shortcoming, Principles of Web Design is a fine book to get you started on creating your own website masterpiece, laying it out, and getting visitors to eagerly return for information.
People have been browsing websites for over two decades, so it may seem elementary to require instruction on creating a quality website. However, once someone comes across a poorly designed site, not everyone is equipped to create usable, attractive web content. Principles of Web Design strives to guide the budding web developer on a path to success. While most web developers may want to just jump in and begin creating content, Brian D. Miller puts forth a three-level process for web design: Plan, Design, and Optimize.
Before any successful project can begin, a plan must be created. A site design should be mocked up, showing both the physical structure to the site’s files, and a flow for intended users. Drill into details, like custom error messages to fit with your site’s branding. Configure the visual layout of the site, including use of white space, fonts, and styles. Consider how it will look on a mobile device or tablet. Once you have these basics in place, you can begin to create the site itself. However, before you start adding content, you should consider site concepts such as menu navigation, headers and footer, and content that appears at the top of the page before you scroll. There are dozens of concepts to consider, ranging from colors to image animation. Finally, once the site is largely prepared, move into optimizing it. Design your content so it can be easily found by search engines, which is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Set up tools to track who is using your site, and which pages get the most attention. Consider implementing an email campaign that ties into your website to increase visits to your site.
Throughout Principles of Web Design, Miller lays out each concept in a logical order and illustrates them all using sample websites. Even if you’ve never heard of SEO before, Miller provides a worthy overview, more than enough to get you started. While he may not tell you the exact colors or fonts to use on a site, Miller does give broad examples of what to look for when choosing such elements. Illustrations is one area where he falls a little short. While the book is lavishly illustrated with screen captures from websites, flow diagrams, grids, and colors, sometimes the illustrations appear too small on the page for any detailed scrutiny, perhaps obscuring the point of the image. Despite that one shortcoming, Principles of Web Design is a fine book to get you started on creating your own website masterpiece, laying it out, and getting visitors to eagerly return for information.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews