The Web Design Wow! Book: Showcasing the Best of On-Screen Communication - Softcover

Davis, Jack; Merritt, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0201886782 ISBN 13: 9780201886788

Publisher: Peachpit Pr, 1998

Synopsis

Furnishing real-world examples of Web sites, this book and CD-ROM package offers a wide range of illustrated tips and techniques that highlight practical solutions to design challenges, demonstrating the fundamentals of creating clear, easy-to-use, and appealing Web interfaces. Original. (Intermediate).

About this title

Review

This outstanding full-color guide teaches you how to apply design principles to the creation of on-screen interactive media-- primarily Web sites and, to a lesser extent, CD-ROMs and floppy-disk presentations. The authors first provide an overview of what you need to consider when creating a Web site or any other multimedia project. They discuss production methods and teach you how to define your purpose and audience; decide on your project's organization, content, and navigation; and assemble, test, and market your final product. Next they delineate the various interface elements you need to consider, such as buttons, backgrounds, typography, animation, images, video, and audio, and they discuss the trends in each area, such as the decreasing popularity of beveled buttons and the increasing popularity of 3-D graphics, interactive help, and user feedback. The following chapter is devoted to teaching you five basic tenets of good design, including clarity, consistency, and contrast. The following chapters show you successful Web sites and CD-ROMs in the areas of marketing, entertainment, education and training, publishing, portfolios and presentations, and sales. These case studies show lots of graphical elements along with explanations of why certain approaches work and others do not.

There's very little emphasis on the tools you need to accomplish the design of your site or CD-ROM. But, where such information is relevant, the authors mention the Windows and Macintosh products designers used to create a special graphic or effect, or products frequently used in general, such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Flash. Unlike other books in the Wow! series, the focus here is not on software how-to tips but on design tips, so just about anyone--whether beginning designer, creative director, production manager, or marketing professional, for example--can learn what's important in planning, designing, finalizing, and updating good sites and CDs. One thing that's consistent with the series: each topic is addressed in one or two pages, so you get a quick glimpse into each topic and therefore an easy way to browse to find whatever might interest you. The included hybrid CD-ROM comes with demonstration versions of WYSIWYG and standard HTML editors and full versions of Netscape Communicator 4, Internet Explorer 4, Macromedia Shockwave and Flash, RealPlayer, and GIF and other Web utilities. --Kathleen Caster

From the Back Cover

Here's an indispensable source of practical advice and creative inspiration for anyone designing screen-based communications--from the Web to CD-ROM and beyond. From Susan Merritt and Jack Davis, coauthor of the award-winning Photoshop Wow! Book, The Web Design Wow! Book covers the conceptual process, design fundamentals, and interface components; includes over 50 case studies; and features hundreds of full-color samples showcasing some of the most successful and creative interfaces for marketing, education, sales, and portfolio presentations.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peachpit Pr
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0201886782
• ISBN 13: 9780201886788
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 219