The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design (Web Designer's Idea Book: The Latest Themes, Trends & Styles in Website Design) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design (Web Designer's Idea Book: The Latest Themes, Trends & Styles in Website Design)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design (Web Designer's Idea Book: The Latest Themes, Trends & Styles in Website Design). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design (Web Designer's Idea Book: The Latest Themes, Trends & Styles in Website Design) ReviewAs a web design author, I often get asked what books I recommend. This of course depends on who is asking and what they want to learn, but one book I often pass along is Curt Cloninger's original* Fresh Styles for Web Designers: Eye Candy from the Underground from 2001. The specific design examples are quite outdated now, but to me, that book was a pivotal source of inspiration at a time when everything online seemed to be either boringly corporate or awkwardly amateur. Cloninger helped me to see the web differently; I learned to creatively tag design trends and techniques so that I could mentally catalog them for my own use.
This process of mentally classifying design inspiration has become a critical part of my growth as a designer as well as my ability to explain web design to the non-designer. In The Web Designer's Idea Book, Patrick McNeil takes the task of cataloging current trends and styles to a meticulous new level. Within the book's 256 pages, McNeil has sorted over 700 screenshots of stellar site design by color, design style, type, theme, element and structure. Within these 6 chapters, he has defined a total of 75 individual design categories. Some examples of these categories include: Blogs, E-Commerce, Minimalist, Wood, Pink & Blue, Muted, Rays, Gradients, Tabs and Massive Footers. Then, within each of these seemingly exclusive categories there are a few paragraphs explaining when, how, and why it should be used along with an average of 8 or 9 example screenshots.
Obviously, reading this book will not teach you to be a great website designer. What it will do is expand your design vocabulary and train you to break down your favorite sources of design inspiration into bite-sized chunks that you can use in your own work. I spent a good portion of the cold, rainy weekend reading through the text in each category and pouring over the pages of screenshots. I saw quite a few familiar examples of good design, but was amazed by quantity of inspirational sites that I had never heard of. If I had one complaint about the book it would be that I wish all of the screenshots were full-size, or perhaps if they couldn't be, that there was an archive of the full-size screenshots posted somewhere on the web. Regardless, I'm sure the book will be a huge source of inspiration for me for years to come. Then, when it is too old to serve as inspiration, it will most certainly be an excellent resource for web design history.
* As I was writing this review, I discovered that Curt Cloninger just released a sequel to this book: Fresher Styles for Web Designers: More Eye Candy from the Underground You can be sure that I'll be reviewing this book as well in the near future.The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design (Web Designer's Idea Book: The Latest Themes, Trends & Styles in Website Design) OverviewInspiring Web Design at a Glance
The Web Designer's Idea Book includes more than 700 websites arranged thematically, so you can find inspiration for layout, color, style and more. Author Patrick McNeil has cataloged more than 20,000 sites on his website, and showcased in this book are the very best examples.
Sites are organized by color, design style, type, theme, element and structure. It's easy to use and reference again and again, whether you're talking with a co-worker or discussing website design options with a client. As a handy desk reference for design layout, color and style, this book is a must-have for starting new projects.

Want to learn more information about The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design (Web Designer's Idea Book: The Latest Themes, Trends & Styles in Website Design)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook ReviewAs an experienced user of Inkscape I was amazed about the incredible depth of possibilities that still has been hidden for me so far. It's very pleasant that comparable steps are performed differently in other recipes. The reader gets to know all the 'roads to Rome'.
The recipes start from the very beginning of how to create objects and which object types are available. Followed by in depth color editing exploring the interesting results that can be obtained by gradient coloring methods. Instantly both the experienced and beginning reader will be able to create things they've never done before.
The third chapter is about speeding up your workflow, but they'd better called it: working with layers and guidelines. Nevertheless, very worthwhile to read.
From chapter four to chapter nine the reader learns everything about cloning, working with paths, extensions, filters, raster images and combining it all. The book ends with elaborate web image recipes and even coding your own extensions.
All good, but a book for graphical design needs more pictures. Also a good layout would make the book a better read. Unfortunately either the author or the publisher hid the good contents in an unappealing lay out, covered with a unhappy looking flower. When you buy the printed version you even have to be satisfied with grayscale images.
After all it's not the looks that count. The brave reader will dive into it and create the images him or herself. The variety of all the 109 recipes is incredible and touches all the interesting corners of this magnificent software.
The book does not leave anything of Inkscape veiled that I know of. The only thing I missed is some background of the Inkscape project. Who is writing this software and why is it for free? It's open source software, so there's always people and a story behind it.
Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook is a practical hands-on way to quickly learn Inkscape, even if you think you already know a lot about Inkscape. It's a good book, but it's difficult to fall in love with.
Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook OverviewEach recipe comprises step-by-step instructions followed by an analysis of what was done in each task and other useful information. The book is designed so that you can read it chapter by chapter, or look at the list of recipes and refer to them in no particular order. It is packed with useful screenshots to make your learning even easier. This book is written for both beginners and developers who have a basic knowledge of Inkscape. With this book illustrators who have just started using Inkscape can quickly dive into the world of Inkscape and graphics editing. Software developers and web designers can learn how to create graphics for their software on their own or build SVG and other web-based interfaces. Users of other graphics editing applications can find out how Inkscape can be used as an alternative to solve common graphics problems.

Want to learn more information about Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual ReviewI pre-ordered the book right after purchasing Dreamweaver CS5.5 (my first exposure to Dreamweaver). In the five weeks that followed I created a pretty good web site--without the Missing Manual.
Within the first 38 pages, the author earned the purchase price! Knowing just a few of the few things he brings out at the beginning would've saved me hours and hours of fiddling around trying to figure these same things out--which I was only able to do because I had a little prior knowledge of HTML.
I can't wait to get deeper into the MM and learn how to use CS5.5 to its full potential!Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual Overview
Dreamweaver is the tool most widely used for designing and managing professional-looking websites, but it's a complex program. That's where Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual comes in. With its jargon-free explanations, 13 hands-on tutorials, and savvy advice from Dreamweaver expert Dave McFarland, you'll master this versatile program with ease.

Get A to Z guidance. Go from building your first web page to creating interactive, database-driven sites.
Build skills as you learn. Apply your knowledge through tutorials and downloadable practice files.
Create a state-of-the-art website. Use powerful, easy-to-use tools such as CSS3 and Spry effects to build visually rich, fast-loading pages.
Add instant interactivity. Choose from pre-packaged JavaScript programs to add drop-down menus, tabbed panels, forms, and other features.
Tap into databases. Connect your site to a database and build pages that dynamically sort and display stored information.
Go mobile. Build and preview websites for smartphones and tablets.
Discover hidden tips and tricks. Get undocumented workarounds and shortcuts.


Want to learn more information about Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Web Designer's Idea Book, Vol. 2: More of the Best Themes, Trends and Styles in Website Design Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Web Designer's Idea Book, Vol. 2: More of the Best Themes, Trends and Styles in Website Design? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Web Designer's Idea Book, Vol. 2: More of the Best Themes, Trends and Styles in Website Design. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Web Designer's Idea Book, Vol. 2: More of the Best Themes, Trends and Styles in Website Design ReviewFirst, if you don't have the first one, you're missing out. They fit together perfectly... hopefully the start of a long series!
The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design
Like the first volume, this is full of carefully picked examples of the best in modern web design. It's organized into very clever topics making it the perfect reference book. It's loaded with screenshots, screenshots, and more screenshots... just as before, but all new, and more recent.
In this version, the screenshots are even larger and easier to pick up on detail and text. They've also included "Developer Notes" which I think are pretty insightful and in context.
If you are involved in web design in any way (even if you're hiring other people to do it), this book will be super handy. The two editions are the same size and style... they're intended to be on the bookshelf together. With the two combined, there must be a thousand organized designs to look through. The amount of work that went into collecting such quality work without "filler" junk is astounding.
I'm really impressed... if you can't tell!
On the negative side: I'd personally prefer these came in large hardback coffee-table books. While maybe not as handy, it certainly would be great to have around the agency. Maybe after the 3rd edition, they should release a combined volume!The Web Designer's Idea Book, Vol. 2: More of the Best Themes, Trends and Styles in Website Design OverviewWeb Design Inspiration at a GlanceVolume 2 of The Web Designer's Idea Book includes more than 650 new websites arranged thematically, so you can easily find inspiration for your work. Author Patrick McNeil, creator of the popular web design blog designmeltdown.com and author of the original bestselling Web Designer's Idea Book, has cataloged thousands of sites, and showcases the latest and best examples in this book. The web is the most rapidly changing design medium, and this book offers an organized overview of what's happening right now. Sites are categorized by type, design element, styles and themes, structural styles, and structural elements. This new volume also includes a helpful chapter explaining basic design principles and how they can be applied online. Whether you're brainstorming with a coworker or explaining your ideas to a client, this book provides a powerful communication tool you can use to jump start your next project.

Want to learn more information about The Web Designer's Idea Book, Vol. 2: More of the Best Themes, Trends and Styles in Website Design?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...