Web Page Design

This is an unusual web page design guide in that it doesn't bother explaining HTML coding. It concentrates instead on the general principles of web site design. Brian Austin stresses throughout the three cardinal rules. A good web site should offer interesting information, download quickly, and be easy to navigate.

He starts with some general advice about web design - the main point of which is to keep the visitor in mind. The format of these Computer Step books is particularly suitable for a cheap and cheerful guide. Every page carries illustrations and examples of the points he's making. And he does cover all the basics - page structure, navigation, links, graphics, colour, audio, plug-ins, and JavaScripts.


He wisely advocates throughout the three click rule: no more than that for locating any new piece of information. There's a particularly good section on designing a business web site which includes some nifty suggestions I've never seen before in books three times the length of this. He offers good quality tips on making your pages receptive to the search engines as well as easy to download, access, and read. Yet he doesn't forget that many readers will be operating with a small or non-existent budget.

For the beginner, these books are ideal - because they provide the basics in a reassuring way without too much technical detail. If you want to get on quickly with the business of building a successful site, then this is an excellent guide to what you should be doing. You will still need to learn some coding, but this is easily picked up elsewhere. This guide will put you on the way to creating an efficient site, free from the all-too-common blunders.