5 Must-Read Web Design Books
- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
- Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics
- Responsive Web Design (Brief Books for People Who Make Websites)
- Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
- 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People
With the advent of website template services, many people forget that there is an art and science to effective web design. If you are about to embark on Web design, or you just want to hone your existing skills, there are five seminal texts that you should become familiar with.
1. Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
Selling over 500,000 copies in 14 different languages, this book is currently in its third edition. Krug's work is based on over 20 years of experience as a usability consultant for companies like Apple, Bloomberg.com, Lexus.com, NPR, and the International Monetary Fund, just to name a few. Krug's book is valued by web designers and developers because it focuses on the principles of informative design and intuitive navigation. Krug's style employs wit and common sense to deliver practical explanations, examples, and illustrations. Many in the Web design field consider this book a must read.
2. Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics by Jennifer Niederst Robbins
Robbins has been a Web designer since 1993 and created the first commercial website, O'Reilly's Global Network Navigator (GNN). Robbins' shares her experience through this practical nuts and bolts field guide to building a website that is reader friendly, even for beginners. The book explains how to build HTML pages with text, links, images, tables, and forms and how to use style sheets (CSS) for colors, backgrounds, formatting text, page layout, and even simple animation effects. The book also includes newer HTML5 elements, APIs, CSS3 properties, JavaScript, web optimization, and responsive design that will display on mobile devices.
3. Responsive Web Design (Brief Books for People Who Make Websites) by Ethan Marcotte
Ethan Marcotte coined the term responsive design, a design approach that optimizes websites across a wide range of devices, making them easy to read and navigate, according to A List Apart. Marcotte's book explore CSS techniques and design principles, including fluid grids, flexible images, and media queries to create responsive designs that look great and function smoothly whether the content is viewed on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
4. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
Former instructor at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Design School, Nir focuses on "behavioral design," the concept that psychology can be used to influence desired interactions with technology through incremental steps. Eyal's book is based on years of research, consulting, and practical experience and outlines the four-step process used to create repeat customers.
5. 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People by Susan Weinschenk
Susan Weinschenk is a behavioral psychologist who focuses design and user experience. She has worked in the field since 1985, writing five books, speaking at conferences, and serving as a co-founder for the Weinschenk Institute. This book combines real science and research with practical examples to help designers create more intuitive and engaging work.
Related Resource: 25 Best Master's in Web Design Online 2018
Web design and development are ever evolving fields. Staying current with the latest advances in technology and research on consumer behavior is important. These five books would serve as a great addition to any library.