Handcrafted CSS: More Bulletproof Web Design, Video Edition (includes Handcrafted CSS book and Handcrafted CSS: Bulletproof Essentials DVD) [Paperback]

Dan Cederholm (Author), Ethan Marcotte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0321658531 | ISBN-13: 978-0321658531 | Edition: 1

There’s a real connection between craftsmanship and Web design. That’s the theme running through Handcrafted CSS: More Bulletproof Web Design, by bestselling author Dan Cederholm, with a chapter contributed by renowned Web designer and developer Ethan Marcotte. This book explores CSS3 that works in today’s browsers, and you’ll be convinced that now’s the time to start experimenting with it.

Whether you’re a Web designer, project manager, or a graphic designer wanting to learn more about the fluidity that’s required when designing for the Web, you’ll discover the tools to create the most flexible, reliable, and bulletproof Web designs. And you’ll finally be able to persuade your clients to adopt innovative and effective techniques that make everyone’s life easier while improving the end user’s experience. This book’s seven chapters deconstruct various aspects of a case-study Web site for the Tugboat Coffee Company, focusing on aspects that make it bulletproof and demonstrate progressive enrichment techniques over more traditional labor-intensive methods.

Subjects covered in this book include:

• building for unanticipated future use

• progressively enriching designs using CSS3 properties

• using RGBA color for transparency with an alpha channel

• modular float management

• crafting flexible frameworks

• fluid layouts using grid-based design principles

• craftsmanship details on typography, jQuery, and shifting backgrounds

The video included with this special edition features author Dan Cederholm as he illustrates 10 essential Web design guidelines. Enhancing the content in this book, the Handcrafted CSS: Bulletproof Essentials DVD will arm you with a checklist to make your next project a flexible, adaptable, and wellcrafted design.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

There’s a real connection between craftsmanship and Web design. That’s the theme running through Handcrafted CSS: More Bulletproof Web Design, by bestselling author Dan Cederholm, with a chapter contributed by renowned Web designer and developer Ethan Marcotte. This book explores CSS3 that works in today’s browsers, and you’ll be convinced that now’s the time to start experimenting with it.

Whether you’re a Web designer, project manager, or a graphic designer wanting to learn more about the fluidity that’s required when designing for the Web, you’ll discover the tools to create the most flexible, reliable, and bulletproof Web designs. And you’ll finally be able to persuade your clients to adopt innovative and effective techniques that make everyone’s life easier while improving the end user’s experience. This book’s seven chapters deconstruct various aspects of a case-study Web site for the Tugboat Coffee Company, focusing on aspects that make it bulletproof and demonstrate progressive enrichment techniques over more traditional labor-intensive methods.

Subjects covered in this book include:

• building for unanticipated future use

• progressively enriching designs using CSS3 properties

• using RGBA color for transparency with an alpha channel

• modular float management

• crafting flexible frameworks

• fluid layouts using grid-based design principles

• craftsmanship details on typography, jQuery, and shifting backgrounds

The video included with this special edition features author Dan Cederholm as he illustrates 10 essential Web design guidelines. Enhancing the content in this book, the Handcrafted CSS: Bulletproof Essentials DVD will arm you with a checklist to make your next project a flexible, adaptable, and wellcrafted design.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: New Riders; 1 edition (August 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321658531
• ISBN-13: 978-0321658531
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.4 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #710,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > XHTML

More About the Author

Dan Cederholm is a Web designer and author living in Massachusetts. He's the founder of SimpleBits, a tiny design studio. A recognized expert in the field of standards-based Web design, Dan has worked with Google, MTV, ESPN, Fast Company, Blogger, Odeo, and others. He embraces flexible, adaptable design using Web standards through his design work, writing, and speaking. Dan is the author of two best-selling books: Bulletproof Web Design (New Riders) and Web Standards Solutions (Friends of ED). Dan also runs the popular weblog SimpleBits, where he writes articles and commentary on the Web, technology, and life. He also plays a mean ukulele and occasionally wears a baseball cap.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another collection of useful techniques and inspiring ideas August 23, 2009

By db

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

An excellent addition to Cederholm's previous titles, "Handcrafted CSS" offers more solutions for forward-thinking web craft. If you are new to Web Design or CSS this is not the place to start. It is intended for experienced presentation coders who have a solid foundation in web standards. This title is bundled with a companion DVD. Both the book and DVD are also sold separately.

About the DVD:
The video is about an hour long and provides a pleasant overview of the material covered in the book. Topics include workflow practices, graceful browser degradation (Bulletproofing) and notably; progressive enhancement using CSS3 properties. If you've attended one of the author's speaking engagements within the last few years the material may be familiar. Mr. Cederholm presents the concepts in a thoughtful and entertaining manner. There is not a lot of information contained in this DVD but the ideas are clear and the advice is sound. If you are looking for deep instruction I would not recommend the DVD as a stand alone purchase. It's a nice companion to the book.

The book explores the above topics in greater detail. Offering thoughtful techniques and methods for achieving common and interesting designs. Mr. Cerholm encourages coders - by example - to optimize presentation for best and worst case scenarios. He also emphasizes that designs don't have to look the same in every browser. Not only is this OK, but accepting this notion will open up creative possibilities for elegant, forward-thinking solutions. It's worth noting that the chapter contributed by Ethan Marcotte about fluid grids is thought-provoking and useful as well. Other topics include Font Embedding and an introduction to JQuery.

This is not an encyclopedic resource of CSS solutions. More a collection of ideas intended to encourage thoughtful problem solving for a fluid design medium. Like "Bulletproof" this is a quick read. The material is presented in a logical and simple manner. If you seek to inspire your CSS technique to a higher level of "Craftsmanship" you will enjoy this book. Recommended for serious Web Presentation Designers.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Cederholm Delivers August 22, 2009

By The Critter

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

While there are many excellent authors with books and blogs about web design and coding, Dan Cederholm is one of the very few that consistently provide clear and understandable instruction on the how and why of web design craftsmanship. As a web coding technician, I use his first book, "Web Standards Solutions", often to educate other coders on the proper way to use and code tables in HTML and CSS - it is simply the best.

His latest published effort, "Handcrafted CSS, More Bulletproof Web Design", is another sterling example of his skills in explaining how to code web pages using best practices in CSS and semantic, standards-based design and coding techniques. What sets this volume apart is the DVD that comes bundled with it, where you get a personal tutorial on 10 essential Bulletproof CSS guidelines, tips and techniques. Just watching this I learned a couple of techniques that I didn't know already and will apply immediately at my job.

And the book of course, is another well written, clearly illustrated volume that steps you through the process and reasoning behind crafting well written and semantic CSS for accessible and usable web design.

This book is definitely a must have for web designers and coders from novice to professional!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Awesome September 19, 2010

By D. Walruff

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Currently I am a student of web design and learning fast so I have purchased and read many books on the subject recently. This book is by far my favorite out of all of them. If I was teaching classes on CSS and HTML this is what I would want my textbook to be. I haven't even finished this book and I'm calling it my bible. There are so many "ah ha" moments that it will pay for itself very quickly. I have Dan Cedarholm's other books and I've read "Bulletproof Web Design" already, haven't gotten into "Web Standard Solutions" yet. If you haven't read any of his work yet I'll tell you that it is easy to read and understand, he writes in plain English and is kind of entertaining in a way. If you are only going to buy one book on web design buy this one, it is packed full of clever.