Web design for dummies

With friendly coverage of the many traps and pitfalls to avoid, this book contains inside secrets for great looking Web sites that keep customers coming back. Introduction -- PART I: THE WEB DESIGN KICK-OFF: So you want to be a web-designer? -- From concept to execution -- PART II: USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN: Designing the right site for the right crowd -- Organizing and navigating web content -- Web user interface design -- User testing: lab coats not required -- PART III: DESIGNING WEB GRAPHICS: Web graphics design 101 -- Letter-perfect type design -- Color on the web -- Building web graphics from the ground up -- Presenting your design masterpiece -- Publishing pixels to perfection: graphic production -- PART IV: PRODUCING THE FINAL WEB SITE: Surveying the HTML landscape -- Controlling page layout -- Web sites on steroids -- PART V: THE PART OF TENS: Ten tips for managing your web design business -- Ten information and interaction design tips -- Ten things that can go wrong How many times have you visited a Web site and thought that you could do a better job if only you had the knowledge and skills? Or perhaps you have a great idea for a Web site but don’t know how to get started? What was once exclusively a task for professionals, Web designing, has become more accessible to amateurs, thanks to loads of handy software. With Web Design For Dummies, you will be able to design your own Web site like a pro.Web design requires many programs to make a Website attractive and fun, including:Using Web editors like DreamweaverImage editing tools like Photoshop elementsDrawing utensils like IllustratorBackground markup and scripting languages like HTML and CSSThis fun guide covers all of the topics that every aspiring Web designer should know. This book offers advice on:Designing for your audienceBuilding a solid framework for easy navigationCreating appealing graphics that work with the siteChoosing the proper type and colorsTweaking the HTML to make everything work correctlyApplying next-step technologies including JavaScriptParlaying your skills into paid workWith expert guidance from Lisa Lopuck, a pioneer in interactive media design and the Senior Producer at Disney, you will be creating superb Web pages that will charm and impress all of your visitors! Dedication 9 Table of Contents 13 Introduction 21 About This Book 21 Conventions Used in This Book 22 Foolish Assumptions 22 What You Shouldn’t Read 23 How This Book Is Organized 23 Icons Used in This Book 24 I’m Here if You Need Me! 25 Chapter 1 So You Want to Be a Web Designer? 29 The People Involved 30 Getting Started in Web Design 37 Getting Experience 37 Chapter 2 From Concept to Execution 39 Phase 1: Definition 39 Phase 2: Design 42 Phase 3: Development 47 Phase 4: Testing and Launch 52 Phase 5: Maintenance 53 Chapter 3 Designing the Right Site for the Right Crowd 57 Who Is the Audience? 58 Building an Outline for Your Site 60 Crafting a Site Map 63 Building a Map for a Site Redesign 70 Developing a Marketing Plan 72 Chapter 4 Organizing and Navigating Web Content 75 Page-Level Planning 76 Presenting Content on the Page 79 Getting Around in Style 86 Chapter 5 Web User Interface Design 93 Interaction Design 93 Visual Design’s Role in Usability 96 Consistency Is Everything 104 Alternative Interactive Design Strategies 106 Maximizing Space 107 Chapter 6 User Testing: Lab Coats Not Required 111 Developing Testable Prototypes 112 Prepping for the User Test 117 Carrying Out the User Test 122 “Houston, We Have a Problem . . .”: Evaluating Results 125 Chapter 7 Web Graphic Design 101 129 Crafting the Visual Interface 129 Establishing Visual Priority 135 Adding Breathing Space 139 Staying Consistent 141 Establishing Design Guidelines 142 Chapter 8 Letter-Perfect Type Design 145 Text That You Can Actually Read 146 Controlling Text Display 161 CSS Font Control 162 Chapter 9 Color on the Web 165 The Secret World of RGB 166 The Web-Safe Color Palette 170 Smart Web Color Usage 177 Chapter 10 Building Web Graphics from the Ground Up 181 Bitmap versus Vector Graphics 182 The Usual Software Suspects 186 Pixel-Pushing 101: Creating a Banner 189 Image Manipulation 192 Chapter 11 Presenting Your Design Masterpiece 201 Developing Design Directions 202 Assembling an Online Presentation 209 Creating Sizzling Printed Presentations 211 Presenting to Clients 214 Chapter 12 Polishing Pixels to Perfection: Graphic Production 217 Graphic Production 218 Fun with File Formats 222 Lean, Mean Page Design 230 Backgrounds for Graphics 234 Chapter 13 Surveying the HTML Landscape 243 HTML: The Glue that Holds a Page Together 244 Using Frames, Tables, and Div Tags 249 Letting HTML Do the Design Work 253 Making Your Pages Interactive 255 Coding to Make You Feel Proud 257 Chapter 14 Controlling Page Layout 261 Fixed-Width and Stretchy Tables 261 Precise Positioning with CSS Layers 264 Controlling Design Elements with CSS 265 Adding Extra Space Around Elements 272 Building HTML Design Templates 278 Chapter 15 Web Sites on Steroids 279 Injecting Power into HTML Pages 279 Creating Dynamic, Database-Driven Web Pages 284 Chapter 16 Ten Tips for Managing Your Web Design Business 291 Presenting Your Work 292 Developing a Proposal 295 Winning the Bid 297 Knowing What to Charge as an Independent Consultant 297 How Agencies Charge 299 Managing a Client’s Expectations 300 Setting Client Responsibilities for the Project 300 Getting Clients to Sign Off on Key Milestones 300 Managing the Web Project Workflow 301 Hiring and Managing Subcontractors 302 Chapter 17 Ten Information and Interaction Design Tips 305 Use Only Five to Seven Main Categories 306 Develop Wireframes for Each Unique Page Layout 307 Always Label Your Buttons and Icons 307 Mind the Download Time 307 Provide “You Are Here” Feedback 308 Make It Easy to Get Back Home 308 Visually Differentiate Clickable and Nonclickable Things 310 “One of These Buttons Is Not Like the Others” 310 Tread Lightly with Real-Life Metaphors 311 Use Color-Coding Sparingly 312 Chapter 18 Ten Things That Can Go Wrong 313 “Can We Add Just One More Thing?” 313 “We Don’t Have Time for a Site Map.” 315 “The Clients Want THAT Design?” 315 “Who Needs Usability Testing When You Have Me?” 316 “But I’m Sure I Can Make This New Technology Work!” 316 “We’re Planning for an International Audience?” 317 “The Design Needs to Work on Windows?” 319 “Uh . . . It Needs to Work on a Mac?” 319 “We’ll Just Make the Whole Thing Database-Driven.” 320 “If We Build It, They Will Come.” 321 Index 323 How many times have you visited a Web site and thought that you could do a better job if only you had the knowledge and skills? Or perhaps you have a great idea for a Web site but don't know how to get started? What was once exclusively a task for professionals, Web designing, has become more accessible to amateurs, thanks to loads of handy software. With Web Design For Dummies, you will be able to design your own Web site like a pro. Web design requires many programs to make a Website attractive and fun, including: Using Web editors like Dreamweaver Image editing tools like Photoshop elements Drawing utensils like Illustrator Background markup and scripting languages like HTML and CSS This fun guide covers all of the topics that every aspiring Web designer should know. This book offers advice on: Designing for your audience Building a solid framework for easy navigation Creating appealing graphics that work with the site Choosing the proper type and colors Tweaking the HTML to make everything work correctly Applying next-step technologies including JavaScript Parlaying your skills into paid work With expert guidance from Lisa Lopuck, a pioneer in interactive media design and the Senior Producer at Disney, you will be creating superb Web pages that will charm and impress all of your visitors! Introduction -- Part I: The Web Design Kick-off: So You Want To Be A Web-designer? -- From Concept To Execution -- Part Ii: User-friendly Design: Designing The Right Site For The Right Crowd -- Organizing And Navigating Web Content -- Web User Interface Design -- User Testing: Lab Coats Not Required -- Part Iii: Designing Web Graphics: Web Graphics Design 101 -- Letter-perfect Type Design -- Color On The Web -- Building Web Graphics From The Ground Up -- Presenting Your Design Masterpiece -- Publishing Pixels To Perfection: Graphic Production -- Part Iv: Producing The Final Web Site: Surveying The Html Landscape -- Controlling Page Layout -- Web Sites On Steroids -- Part V: The Part Of Tens: Ten Tips For Managing Your Web Design Business -- Ten Information And Interaction Design Tips -- Ten Things That Can Go Wrong. By Lisa Lopuck. Description Based On Print Version Record. Includes Index.