Web Style Guide, 3rd edition: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites (Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites) [Paperback]

Patrick J. Lynch (Author), Sarah Horton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300137370 | ISBN-13: 978-0300137378 | Publication Date: January 15, 2009 | Edition: 3

Consistently praised in earlier editions as the best volume on classic elements of web site design, Web Style Guide, now in its Third Edition, continues its tradition of emphasis on fundamentals. Focusing on the needs of web site designers in corporations, government, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions, the book explains established design principles and how they apply in web design projects in which information design, interface design, and efficient search and navigation are of primary concern.

 

New in this edition:

 

—a full chapter devoted to Universal Usability

—guidelines and techniques for creating universally usable designs

—a full chapter on Information Architecture and how best to promote its robust development

—information on Search Engine Optimization and the designs that improve it

—techniques for using Cascading Style Sheets for layouts and typographic design

—185 illustrations, all in full color

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Just as many writers reserve a space on their book shelves for the thin but essential work of William Strunk and E.B. White, a similar space should be hallowed out for The Web Style Guide."—John Mello, HR Today

(John Mello HR Today )

"[Lynch and Horton] concentrate on the application of fundamental design principles that create a useful, educational, Web experience."—Sam McMillan, Communication Arts

(Sam McMillan Communication Arts )

"Lynch and Horton offer an informative book for Web designers who want to go beyond HTML to consider specific information architecture issues. The discussion on the use of tables for creating editorial layouts is particularly well written and important."—Choice

(Choice )

"This is one of the best design books that I''ve seen, catering specifically to information-oriented sites. . . . The Web would be an easier world to navigate if all Web designers read this book."—Deborah Lynne Wiley, Online

(Deborah Lynne Wiley Online )

“[A]n excellent, practical handbook. . . . [T]he book can be unreservedly recommended.”—Tom Wilson, Information Research

(Tom Wilson Information Research )

". . . It condenses common sense about what Web masters should think about before writing their first HTML tag. . . . [Lynch and Horton''s] concision and practicality seem sturdy enough to keep abreast of the Web''s velocity of change."—Gilbert Taylor, Booklist

(Gilbert Taylor Booklist )

". . . covers all the basic elements of creating a Web site. . . . Authoritative factoids are sprinkled throughout . . . [and] serve to ground the book in logic while elevating it above some of the brightly colored hyperactive Web design manuals out there. . . . "—J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times Circuits Section

(J. D. Biersdorfer New York Times Circuits Section )

". . . a non-geeky Web-design primer—a rule-of-thumb guide that calmly introduces you to the issues involved in developing a Web site. . . . what you need to know about Web-site design in plain language, with understandable examples. . . . this . . . book is a gem."—Mary Creswell, Presentations

(Mary Creswell Presentations )

“[A] highly readable guide to Web layout.  The book overflows with innumerable examples and basic design tenets . . . beneficial for either newbie or trained expert alike. . . . [A] book to be read and studied by anyone looking to design a Web site.”—Stuart J. Brown, Student Affairs On-Line

(Stuart J. Brown Student Affairs On-Line )

“The book has practical relevance for those of us who write and edit Web content. . . . a cohesive overview of the challenges and constraints that Web designers face and an insider’s knowledge of the architecture that makes Web pages go. . . .”—Stephanie Deming, Science Editor

(Stephanie Deming Science Editor )

". . . There are many books available on . . . Web design, but few cover so much in such a concise and well-written fashion. . . . Web design is . . . an adventure to an unknown and wild land. Take this book along with you as a guide."—Greg Kearsley, Education Technology

(Greg Kearsley Education Technology )

About the Author

Patrick J. Lynch is director, Special Technology Projects, Office of the Director, Information Technology Services, Yale University. He lives in North Haven, CT. Sarah Horton is director, Web Strategy, Design and Infrastructure, Dartmouth College. She lives in Hanover, NH.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 3 edition (January 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300137370
• ISBN-13: 978-0300137378
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What happened between 2nd and 3rd editions?, January 6, 2010

By 

Jeffajab (Henderson NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Web Style Guide, 3rd edition: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites (Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites) (Paperback)

My impression after relying on 2nd edition to teach web design all these years is similar to the 2-star reviewer who wrote this version is laced with jargon and a difficult read. It seems this book has gone from a fundamental primer on basic web design principles that served as an excellent introduction to web design for novices to some kind of "introduction to large-scale web design" that throws newcomers off into the deep end of "analytics," "metrics," and "wireframes." I am seriously reconsidering if I can use this book in my beginning web design course anymore. I understand design tools have evolved and the Internet has become much more dynamic, and that it is certainly a challenge to know where to draw the line between "basic" and "advanced" web design concepts, but this 3rd edition seems to have over-corrected and gotten away from its core strengths. I may just stick with the 2nd edition as it seems to cover the basics much better without the addition of the new content in this 3rd edition...

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a web design bible., March 8, 2009

By 

Alla Gringaus - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Web Style Guide, 3rd edition: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites (Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites) (Paperback)

...your project starts with content, business requirements, then business case and information structure; then branding, workflow, layout, usability, navigation, behavior, "look and feel", wireframes... Sarah and Peter deliver an amazing story to anybody who plays a role in a project. You may own hundreds of books that cover practically every aspect of web design and development. Or, you may get this one. So treat yourself. With every chapter you get more engaged, the examples look familiar, the information is consistent, practical, accurate, realistic, and tremendous fun. It's a web design bible.
Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites, 3rd Edition

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I live by this book., March 19, 2009

By 

yay4snow - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Web Style Guide, 3rd edition: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites (Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites) (Paperback)

Although this book is available online, it is nice to have a hard copy to write notes and mark up. I use this book all the time developing sites and take it with me to work and school.