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The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
Tired of making web sites that work absolutely perfectly but just don't look nice? If so, then The Principles of Beautiful Web Design is for you. A simple, easy-to-follow guide, illustrated with plenty of full-color examples, this book will lead you through the process of creating great designs from start to finish. Good design principles are not rocket science, and using the information contained in this book will help you create stunning web sites.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
October 30, 2011
An excellent introduction to the artistic side of web design. Beaird teaches that a site’s design should reinforce the identity of the organization, and expertly shows how to use layout and composition, color, texture, typography, and imagery. He explains the concepts of design theory, then applies them to a website that he builds throughout the book.
The book is full of colorful illustrations and screenshots from many websites. I read the first edition from 2007, so the specific CSS and graphics tips are slightly dated, but the theory is timeless.
I really liked this book; it was nice to take a break from reading about HTML and CSS to learn about the art involved in web design. Below are the notes I took while reading.
Layout & composition
• Use a 9-square grid for layouts. This follows the rule of thirds, which approximates the Golden Ratio.
Color
• To choose a color scheme, think about the feelings you want to inspire in the target audience.
• Use the Color Scheme Designer to choose colors.
• Use warm colors for emphasis and cool colors for backgrounds and large elements.
• Use a standout color for the navigation or header.
• Use Jonathan Snook’s Colour Contrast Check to confirm that there’s enough contrast between colors.
Color associations
• Red: stimulates adrenaline and blood pressure, and increases metabolism. Exciting, dramatic, and rich. Color of passion and love. Darker shades such as burgundy and maroon are rich and indulgent. Earthy, brownish shades associated with fall and harvest.
• Orange: active and energetic. Promotes happiness. Represents sunshine, enthusiasm, creativity. Informal, not corporate. Stimulates metabolism and appetite; great for food and cooking.
• Yellow: active and visible. Associated with happiness and energy.
• Green: associated with nature. Soothing color symbolizing growth, freshness, and hope. Easier on the eyes than yellow, orange, or red.
• Blue: openness, intelligence, faith. Calms and reduces appetite. Sometimes symbol of bad luck and trouble. Associated with water, sky, and air. Conveys sense of stability and clarity of purpose.
• Purple: royalty and power, wealth and extravagance. Connected with flowers, gemstones, and sunsets.
• White: clean; the color of perfection, light, and beauty.
• Black: often has negative connotations such as death and evil, but can also represent power, elegance, and strength.
Texture
• Make the layout feel less geometric/rectangular, and more smooth and organic.
• Rounded corners provide a smoother, more organic feel.
• Include familiar organic shapes.
• Break up vertical lines.
• Incorporate 3D space using light and shadow.
Typography
• Choose fonts that elicit the right emotions in the audience.
• Typophile.com is a great place to learn and discuss typography.
• Compare font settings with Typetester.org.
• Use a sans serif font for body text.
• Don’t use more than 4 fonts in a website. Avoid combining 2 different serif fonts or 2 different sans serif fonts.
• Free and shareware font galleries: 1001fonts.com and DaFont.com.
Imagery
• Images should be at least 2 of the following: relevant, interesting, appealing. They don’t have to be all 3.
• Free stock images: Stock.XCHNG and morgueFile.com.
• Royalty-free images: iStockphoto.com and Dreamstime.com.
The book is full of colorful illustrations and screenshots from many websites. I read the first edition from 2007, so the specific CSS and graphics tips are slightly dated, but the theory is timeless.
I really liked this book; it was nice to take a break from reading about HTML and CSS to learn about the art involved in web design. Below are the notes I took while reading.
Layout & composition
• Use a 9-square grid for layouts. This follows the rule of thirds, which approximates the Golden Ratio.
Color
• To choose a color scheme, think about the feelings you want to inspire in the target audience.
• Use the Color Scheme Designer to choose colors.
• Use warm colors for emphasis and cool colors for backgrounds and large elements.
• Use a standout color for the navigation or header.
• Use Jonathan Snook’s Colour Contrast Check to confirm that there’s enough contrast between colors.
Color associations
• Red: stimulates adrenaline and blood pressure, and increases metabolism. Exciting, dramatic, and rich. Color of passion and love. Darker shades such as burgundy and maroon are rich and indulgent. Earthy, brownish shades associated with fall and harvest.
• Orange: active and energetic. Promotes happiness. Represents sunshine, enthusiasm, creativity. Informal, not corporate. Stimulates metabolism and appetite; great for food and cooking.
• Yellow: active and visible. Associated with happiness and energy.
• Green: associated with nature. Soothing color symbolizing growth, freshness, and hope. Easier on the eyes than yellow, orange, or red.
• Blue: openness, intelligence, faith. Calms and reduces appetite. Sometimes symbol of bad luck and trouble. Associated with water, sky, and air. Conveys sense of stability and clarity of purpose.
• Purple: royalty and power, wealth and extravagance. Connected with flowers, gemstones, and sunsets.
• White: clean; the color of perfection, light, and beauty.
• Black: often has negative connotations such as death and evil, but can also represent power, elegance, and strength.
Texture
• Make the layout feel less geometric/rectangular, and more smooth and organic.
• Rounded corners provide a smoother, more organic feel.
• Include familiar organic shapes.
• Break up vertical lines.
• Incorporate 3D space using light and shadow.
Typography
• Choose fonts that elicit the right emotions in the audience.
• Typophile.com is a great place to learn and discuss typography.
• Compare font settings with Typetester.org.
• Use a sans serif font for body text.
• Don’t use more than 4 fonts in a website. Avoid combining 2 different serif fonts or 2 different sans serif fonts.
• Free and shareware font galleries: 1001fonts.com and DaFont.com.
Imagery
• Images should be at least 2 of the following: relevant, interesting, appealing. They don’t have to be all 3.
• Free stock images: Stock.XCHNG and morgueFile.com.
• Royalty-free images: iStockphoto.com and Dreamstime.com.
March 22, 2021
1.75|5
At this point, this is extremely dated. I don't know what I've expected but I can't say it was worth the hours I've spent on it.
At this point, this is extremely dated. I don't know what I've expected but I can't say it was worth the hours I've spent on it.
August 23, 2009
This book covers all essentials needed to start webdesign job: sketching, layouts, color, typography, imagery plus copyrights, and mending it all together. The information in it is accurate and although it is presented in very reader-friendly manner, the book provides a lot of useful data. There are no gaps filled with unnecessary words here. Beaird presents process of designing a website on an example, but - unlike in Sexy Web Design - it was actually useful, although a bit cheesy.
I can recommend this book to every beginner. It really is loaded with information and provides a good start into webdesign. I myself didn't benefit from it that much, but I was tricked by its blurb, advertising it as good for 'everyone who wants to learn principles of beautiful design', while in reality this book is merely an introduction to webdesign.
I can recommend this book to every beginner. It really is loaded with information and provides a good start into webdesign. I myself didn't benefit from it that much, but I was tricked by its blurb, advertising it as good for 'everyone who wants to learn principles of beautiful design', while in reality this book is merely an introduction to webdesign.
January 17, 2010
I can recommend this book to every beginner. it covers all essentials needed to start webdesign job: sketching, layouts, color, typography, imagery plus copyrights, and mending it all together.
June 27, 2008
Absolutely superb, a must read for anyone creating websites!
I have an ever growing library of books on css, html, (web)design and web development but this is definitely one of my favourites, both for its excellent content and for Beaird's warm, friendly tone. I remember having plenty of "light bulb moments" on the first read and get something more out of it each time I dip in (which is freqently).
The first section on layout and composition is superb and has already helped me improve existing designs (and quickened the process of getting them from paper to screen).
As for the section on colour, hands up those of you who skip the boring techy bit about rgb and cmyk? Me too. But not any more.
Highly recommended.
I have an ever growing library of books on css, html, (web)design and web development but this is definitely one of my favourites, both for its excellent content and for Beaird's warm, friendly tone. I remember having plenty of "light bulb moments" on the first read and get something more out of it each time I dip in (which is freqently).
The first section on layout and composition is superb and has already helped me improve existing designs (and quickened the process of getting them from paper to screen).
As for the section on colour, hands up those of you who skip the boring techy bit about rgb and cmyk? Me too. But not any more.
Highly recommended.
March 11, 2009
If I was a beginner, I would definitely give this book a better rating. As an intermediate, I can only give it three stars, mainly because some of the examples he uses are kind of cheesy. However, this is a well-organized book and as an experienced web designer it does offer a nice refreshing view of the author's design process. Definitely a worthwhile read (or skim) for anyone in the web field.
March 10, 2014
We can't expect a technical book to be timeless. This is definitely outdated but I still appreciate the good sense of structure of the author. Web design examples weren't so bad.
I read this twice in different years. 3 years ago, this was still somewhat amazing for me. Today, some suggestions just wouldn't work.
I liked the chapter on color and I still do. Basic color theory always helps.
I read this twice in different years. 3 years ago, this was still somewhat amazing for me. Today, some suggestions just wouldn't work.
I liked the chapter on color and I still do. Basic color theory always helps.
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October 2, 2019web design and development
Hey, what’s up ,I’m Mahfuz, a professional web designer, developer and business consultant.I will design and develop your website as your requirements.Your website will be fully responsive and eye catching.You will get professional service with fast delivery and 100% satisfaction.So why are you waiting for .Send me message with your requirements and get your desired website .
https://webdesignerxx.online
Hey, what’s up ,I’m Mahfuz, a professional web designer, developer and business consultant.I will design and develop your website as your requirements.Your website will be fully responsive and eye catching.You will get professional service with fast delivery and 100% satisfaction.So why are you waiting for .Send me message with your requirements and get your desired website .
https://webdesignerxx.online
October 20, 2019
I have read the 2nd edition in Polish for ideas before a workshop. On one hand there are plenty of evergreen rules, on the other hand you can see how much the websites have changed. Some of the resource links are not longer working, ofc.
If you need some book with basics and have only access to the old version, don't worry. It still manages to teach you quite a lot. If you need something more advanced (or even just intermediate), look elsewhere.
If you need some book with basics and have only access to the old version, don't worry. It still manages to teach you quite a lot. If you need something more advanced (or even just intermediate), look elsewhere.
March 23, 2021
It's always weird rating a textbook. This definitely read more conversationally, which made it engaging and easy to digest. The examples were good and I learned foundations I know I'll need. That being said, I have zero background on coding for anything, so the regular examples utilizing HTML and CSS (presented in a way that assumed coding foundations) was frustrating. BUT I get those foundations next quarter so *shrugs*. All in all, not a bad textbook!
February 2, 2022
The reason this rating is so low is because the author spends a great deal of the text trying to make jokes, to the point that I found it distracting. Maybe I'm just a joyless little bastard, but I spent the text internally begging him to get to the point, or trying to tease the lesson out of the joke. The actual information seemed solid enough, but I was far too tired to laugh along with the author.
October 18, 2023
Not great - covers the very basics of web design but if you have any experience building websites, you won’t take much from this.
You’re better off watching a handful of YouTube videos about web design: layout and composition, colour, typography and imagery. Will take 1/10th of the time and be much more practical/relevant.
The information is mostly outdated now - adjustments can be made easily in CMS like Wordpress rather than editing CSS files.
You’re better off watching a handful of YouTube videos about web design: layout and composition, colour, typography and imagery. Will take 1/10th of the time and be much more practical/relevant.
The information is mostly outdated now - adjustments can be made easily in CMS like Wordpress rather than editing CSS files.
December 2, 2023
This is actually really good. Gets right to the point and provides a lot of useful (at least to my lay eyes) advice.
For instance, it contains a section on Colour Theory that provides a great overview of some colour theory basics; it is much shorter than Color Theory for Dummies but I think 90% as much of the knowledge one would need from a web design perspective.
For instance, it contains a section on Colour Theory that provides a great overview of some colour theory basics; it is much shorter than Color Theory for Dummies but I think 90% as much of the knowledge one would need from a web design perspective.
October 15, 2019
Some reviewers have said that this book is somewhat dated, and...I think they're right. It's not full of "modern design." That is, it doesn't show a hundred websites that all have a huge banner for the splash page, with section after section of three columns. Yes, some of these sites are dated, but the ideas are still good. An enjoyable read.
September 19, 2022
So many men, so many opinions. Although I have experience with design, I am not an expert. My work is displayed on the website https://sloboda-studio.com/. I just want to remark that novices will undoubtedly find this book helpful. It is well organized, and the author does a good job of explaining any unfamiliar or challenging subjects.
February 22, 2023
A lot of usefull advices for someone who dive into web design! Design is an integral part of mobile and web development. My team envolved into web and mobile design development services advised me this book for a long time, finally I got time to read it. Thanks :)
December 17, 2017
Do like this book. We've been using these principles in any of our design for clients and for our own needs here.
Would like to meet Jason at the conference to say him 'thank you'
Would like to meet Jason at the conference to say him 'thank you'
May 9, 2021
Principles of Beautiful Web DesignThis is the book that convinced me that web design is more of an art than a science. Great for an overview of things to consider when designing a site to make it appealing and free tools that can help you in the process.
July 8, 2021
I recommend this book to beginners who are just starting in the web design business and veterans who would love to have a fresher look at the current trends and design techniques. Please note that that is not a book on the technical & coding side of things.
September 16, 2022
Once Beautiful
This was an okay book on web design.
Unfortunately, the book was fairly outdated, and the beauty of the designs has all but faded with modern web designs of today.
Still an interesting read.
3.4/5
This was an okay book on web design.
Unfortunately, the book was fairly outdated, and the beauty of the designs has all but faded with modern web designs of today.
Still an interesting read.
3.4/5
October 6, 2017
Probably one of the best web design book for non-designer with lots of fundamental design principles explained in an easy, practical way.
October 22, 2017
Thought it was a pretty good overview, I appreciate the visuals and the breadth of the subject matter. Outdated to a certain point, but in terms of mastering the basics, super helpful!
November 24, 2017
Good concise book on web design. Picked up this up as a supplement to user experience design courses I've been taking. Very helpful.
February 28, 2018
Did exactly what i needn't it do.
I knew pretty much everything that was in the book but it gave me a good refresh, just what i needed.
I knew pretty much everything that was in the book but it gave me a good refresh, just what i needed.
September 7, 2018
Old, some design points are no longer relevant. The color section is terrible and useless.
November 23, 2018
Good for beginners, but not if you want to learn amazing design with SVG, CSS animation, or parallax scrolls.
December 21, 2018
I found this book less interesting than other design books
October 14, 2019
Started off with some good information, but then never got around to giving you specifics of how to do things.
October 18, 2020
It is really helpful ebook. I enjoyed it and it. But I haven't found anything covered about kajabi . https://webdesignerxx.online/kajabi-w...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews