Review: A Practical Guide to Designing for the Web
Mark Boulton’s self-published debut is a great introduction to the world of web design.
I finally got my hands on Mark Boulton’s much-anticipated book this weekend, having spent the last couple of months leafing through its pages as printed from the PDF version. It’s a beautifully produced book: these photos don’t really do it full justice; Mark’s own flickr stream offers a great deal more.
It’s the little things that make the difference: the fact that every page is numbered, including section covers, the stunning typefaces, and the wonderfully high-quality paper. From the stark yet bright cover to the gorgeous use of colour throughout, this book is a sheer joy to flick through.
The content, of course, is just as important, and DftW is, substantially, a collection of Mark’s articles that have appeared elsewhere on the web, primarily on his personal site. It’s all presented in 5 chapters (echoing the ‘5 steps’ brand) covering design research, typography, colour, and layout, in addition to a short introductory chapter.
Personally, I find the typography and layout chapters the most interesting. Having not undergone any formal design training, I’ve some of the research process is tricky to grasp, although actually following it as an exercise would surely help. The simple design hints relating to, for example, hanging punctuation, are immediately accessible, though:
Some of the guidelines have been embraced within the book itself, if not on Mark’s website
It’s also quite refreshing to read a book containing very little in the way of concrete CSS examples. DftW is all about the theory of web design, the advantage being that it should outlast advances in CSS. It also, thankfully, completely avoids the painstaking details of which browsers have implemented which design features.
The book concludes with an enlightening case study into the design of the De Standaard newspaper’s online equivalent. Along with Andy Clarke’s current writing about his New Internationalist redesign, this is one of the most fascinating insights into web design as it’s actually practised, in the real-world, today. The fact that the site is still using the same design is a real bonus.
In conclusion, Designing for the Web is a quick and enjoyable read, covering all the key areas of modern web design in a hugely attractive package. Independently published, too, this is a real achievement.
