Web Design All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies

Among books on Web design, Web Design All-in-One For Dummies is the one that helps you successfully wear all those hats without losing your head. Full-color illustrations and five self-contained minibooks show you how to be a graphic designer, creative organizer, visual communicator, markup language technologist, and cutting-edge trendsetter, all in one. This book helps you lay the groundwork, follow design rules, test your site, register a domain name, and much more. Getting Started covers planning, defining your target audience, choosing the right software, and moreDesigning For the Web acquaints you with HTML, CSS, and javascript, plus how to choose a layout and optimize graphicsBuilding Web Sites gets down to nuts and bolts: putting text, images, hyperlinks, and multimedia files together, organizing content, and building navigation systemsWeb Standards & Testing teaches you how to test and validate so everyone can enjoy your sitePublishing & Site Maintenance helps you get your site online and keep it currentWeb Design All-in-One For Dummies also helps you learn how to choose a Web editor and graphics program, how to make your site accessible to the widest possible audience, and when it’s time to call in a pro like author Sue Jenkins. It’s just what you need to start and manage a great site. Contents at a Glance: Introduction Book I: Getting Started Chapter 1: Starting with a Plan Chapter 2: Defining the Audience Chapter 3: Gathering Content Chapter 4: Choosing the Right Tools Book II: Designing for the Web Chapter 1: Defining the Look and Feel Chapter 2: Mocking Up the Design Chapter 3: Slicing and Optimizing Web Graphics Book III: Building Web Sites Chapter 1: Adding Text, Images, and Links Chapter 2: Organizing Content with Tables and Lists Chapter 3: Styling with Cascading Style Sheets Chapter 4: Understanding CSS Style Properties Chapter 5: Creating Web Layouts Chapter 6: Constructing Navigation Systems Chapter 7: Designing Web Forms Chapter 8: Making Your Pages Interactive Chapter 9: Building Web Sites Book IV: Web Standards and Testing Chapter 1: Following Web Standards Chapter 2: Testing, Accessibility, Compliance, and Validation Book V: Publishing and Site Maintenance Chapter 1: Domain Registration and Hosting Chapter 2: Publishing Your Site Chapter 3: Search Engine Optimization and Site Maintenance Index Web Design ALL-IN-ONE FOR DUMMIES 1 About the Author 5 Dedication 5 Author’s Acknowledgments 5 Introduction 19 BOOK I: Getting Started 25 Chapter 1: Starting with a Plan 27 Understanding the Different Phases of a Web Project 28 Determining the Site’s Purpose 29 Building a Site Image 33 Determining Site Content 34 Diagnosing the Site’s Dynamic Requirements 42 Defining Ways to Attract Visitors 45 Chapter 2: Defining the Audience 61 Defining the Target Audience 62 Defining the Ideal Site Visitor 70 Determining Benefits to Site Visitors 74 Chapter 3: Gathering Content 79 Defining Site Content Requirements 80 Building Wireframes 88 Gathering Text and Graphics 91 Organizing Site Content 103 Building a Site Map 105 Chapter 4: Choosing the Right Tools 109 Working with Web Editors 110 Choosing the Right Graphics Software 120 Working with Color 126 Choosing a Shopping Cart 132 Knowing When to Hire a Programmer 137 BOOK II: Designing for the Web 141 Chapter 1: Defining the Look and Feel 143 Working with the Client to Make Design Choices 143 Defining a Site Theme Using Target Data 144 Making Basic Layout and Design Decisions 147 Selecting a Navigation System 160 Organizing the Site’s Look and Feel 166 Chapter 2: Mocking Up the Design 171 Understanding the Value of a Mock-up 172 Working from a Site Map 173 Creating the Mock-up 175 Finalizing the Mock-up 184 Creating Additional Web Graphics 189 Chapter 3: Slicing and Optimizing Web Graphics 193 Web Graphics 101 194 Optimizing and Slicing Graphics 201 Selecting the Right Web Format 209 Choosing Web Optimization Settings 214 Optimization Output Options 219 BOOK III: Building Web Sites 223 Chapter 1: Adding Text, Images, and Links 225 Setting Up Basic HTML 226 Coding Your Pages 235 Adding Page Content 237 Creating Hyperlinks 247 Labeling Content for CSS Markup 261 Making Content Accessible 263 Chapter 2: Organizing Content with Tables and Lists 267 Inserting Tables on a Page 267 Formatting Tables 271 Inserting Lists on a Page 282 Chapter 3: Styling with Cascading Style Sheets 289 Understanding CSS Basics 289 Working with CSS Style Selectors 304 Chapter 4: Understanding CSS Style Properties 319 Working with the CSS Box Model 319 Exploring the Eight Style Property Categories 322 Styling the Content on Your Pages 340 Finding CSS Resources Online 347 Chapter 5: Creating Web Layouts 351 Creating Standards-Compliant, Accessible Layouts 351 Working with Layers 353 Creating a Layers-Only Layout 356 Building an Old-School HTML Tables-Based Layout for HTML E-Mail and Newsletters 367 Finding Online Resources for Layers-Based Layouts 374 Chapter 6: Constructing Navigation Systems 377 Assessing the Navigational Needs of Your Site 378 Discovering the Basic Principles of Navigation Systems 379 Choosing the Right Menu for Your Site 382 Creating Text Navigation Menus 384 Creating Rollover Button Graphic Navigation Menus 389 Creating Multitier Spry Menus in Dreamweaver 397 Creating CSS List Navigation Menus 401 Chapter 7: Designing Web Forms 409 Deciding What Visitor Information to Collect 410 Encrypting and Processing Collected Form Data 412 Understanding the Structure of Web Forms 418 Creating a Web Form 419 Validating Web Forms 430 Building Spry Web Forms in Dreamweaver 434 Testing Validated Web Forms 437 Chapter 8: Making Your Pages Interactive 441 Getting to Know JavaScript 442 Creating Multipart Rollover Effects 444 Launching a New Browser Window 450 Building Image Maps 457 Adding Multimedia Files 462 Providing Daily Interactive Content on Your Pages 470 Chapter 9: Building Web Sites 477 Building the Master Page 478 Building Web Sites with Templates 478 469 Working with Server-Side Includes (SSIs) 487 Creating, Including, and Testing SSIs 490 Editing Paths to Work with SSIs 494 Comparing Templates and SSIs 497 BOOK IV: Web Standards and Testing 499 Chapter 1: Following Web Standards 501 Working with Web Standards 502 Using DOCTYPEs (DTDs) 507 Writing Semantic HTML and XHTML Code 513 Formatting with CSS Instead of HTML 516 Finding Out about Accessibility Standards 521 Chapter 2: Testing, Accessibility, Compliance, and Validation 527 Understanding the Process of Validating Your Code 528 Performing Prelaunch Testing 528 Cleaning Up Your Code 533 Fixing Common Code Errors 542 Validating HTML and CSS Markup 549 BOOK V: Publishing and Site Maintenance 561 Chapter 1: Domain Registration and Hosting 563 Understanding How to Get Your Site Online 563 Selecting a Domain Name 564 Registering a Domain Name 571 Finding the Best Hosting Plan 573 Creating a Custom Placeholder Page 578 Chapter 2: Publishing Your Site 589 Uploading Files with File Transfer Protocol 590 Setting Up a Test Directory 597 Getting and Putting Files 599 Performing Final Site Testing 603 Creating Custom 401 and 404 Error Pages 605 Publishing Your Site 609 Chapter 3: Search Engine Optimization and Site Maintenance 611 Understanding Search Engine Optimization 612 Practicing Ethical SEO Techniques 613 Optimizing Your Site for Search Engines 615 Submitting a Site to Search Engines 623 Giving Your Site an HTML Site Map 626 Keeping the Site Relevant 634 Index 639 Overview: Web designers must wear many hats. Among books on Web design, Web Design All-in-One For Dummies is the one that helps you successfully wear all those hats without losing your head. Full-color illustrations and five self-contained minibooks show you how to be a graphic designer, creative organizer, visual communicator, markup language technologist, and cutting-edge trendsetter, all in one. This book helps you lay the groundwork, follow design rules, test your site, register a domain name, and much more. Getting Started covers planning, defining your target audience, choosing the right software, and more; Designing For the Web acquaints you with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, plus how to choose a layout and optimize graphics; Building Web Sites gets down to nuts and bolts: putting text, images, hyperlinks, and multimedia files together, organizing content, and building navigation systems; Web Standards & Testing teaches you how to test and validate so everyone can enjoy your site; Publishing & Site Maintenance helps you get your site online and keep it current. Web Design All-in-One For Dummies also helps you learn how to choose a Web editor and graphics program, how to make your site accessible to the widest possible audience, and when it's time to call in a pro like author Sue Jenkins. It's just what you need to start and manage a great site Book 1 Covers Planning, Defining Your Target Audience, Choosing The Right Software, And More -- Book Ii Acquaints You With Html, Css, And Javascript, Plus How To Choose A Layout And Optimize Graphics -- Book Iii Gets Down To Nuts And Bolts : Putting Text, Images, Hyperlinks, And Multimedia Files Together, Organizing Content, And Building Navigation Systems -- Book Iv Teaches You How To Test And Validate So Everyone Can Enjoy Your Site -- Book V Helps You Get Your Site Online And Keep It Current. Getting Started -- Designing For The Web -- Building Web Sites -- Web Standards And Testing -- Publishing And Site Maintenance. By Sue Jenkins. Description Based On Print Version Record. 5 Books In 1 -- Cover, P.1. Includes Index.