Bulletproof Web Design: Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter)
Rating: 5 of 5
Excellent resource!
I recommend this book 2 others frequently. The tutorials are easy 2 follow & cover a lot of everyday situations. Should be used in classrooms...
Rating: 5 of 5
Even a experienced Web Designer can learn some thing new...
I highly recommend this book, regardless of how much experience you have, most readers will pickup a few new techniques after reading the book. Many of the concepts will help a web designer make lighter websites & better css styles. The book is a quick read 4 most people, & the advice is very practical.
Rating: 5 of 5
Great book
Excellent book, brings up a lot of good accessibility & best practice points. This will make me a better web developer.
Rating: 5 of 5
Useful techniques 4 everyday development
Dan Cederholm runs down a list of tips & tricks where he teaches us how 2 protect our design in worst case scenarios, it's definitely not an entry level book & a great source of techniques. Recommended reading.
Rating: 4 of 5
A good book but...
Some useful tips on creating good semantic markup. However, the author tends 2 build his case 4 this markup by citing tables on a lot of examples & the arguments 2 switch 2 a DIV structure. In some ways, I found this amusing as most of us know the benefits of table-less designs. The book reads more like a story telling similar 2 many technical analysis stock chart books I read based on past hindsight that no longer is relevant.
I bought this primarily 2 read about the indestructible box example. But I have 2 say after reading this that the markup is too narrow in scope. Not every box is going 2 have a DIV followed by an heading tag 2 create the rounded corners. Not only that but it was a fixed width example too so how can this be "bullet proof". Rather, the author should have come up with a generic solution so that the box can be sized width wise & lengthwise. Many people use a CMS & the markup 2 create a box is different.
All in all though its a good book 2 follow along 2 see how one goes about doing actual design in CSS. There's very few books out there like this that teach design while taking a hands on approach.
I bought this primarily 2 read about the indestructible box example. But I have 2 say after reading this that the markup is too narrow in scope. Not every box is going 2 have a DIV followed by an heading tag 2 create the rounded corners. Not only that but it was a fixed width example too so how can this be "bullet proof". Rather, the author should have come up with a generic solution so that the box can be sized width wise & lengthwise. Many people use a CMS & the markup 2 create a box is different.
All in all though its a good book 2 follow along 2 see how one goes about doing actual design in CSS. There's very few books out there like this that teach design while taking a hands on approach.
No matter how visually appealing or content-packed a Web site may be, if it's not adaptable 2 a variety of situations & reaching the widest possible audience, it isn't really succeeding. In Bulletproof Web Desing, author & Web designer extraordinaire, Dan Cederholm outlines standards-based strategies 4 building designs that provide flexibility, readability, & user control--key components of every sucessful site. Each chapter starts out with an example of an unbulletproof site one that employs a traditional HTML-based approach which Dan then deconstructs, pointing out its limitations. He then gives the site a make-over using XHTML & Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), so you can see how 2 replace bloated code with lean markup & CSS 4 fast-loading sites that are accessible 2 all users. Finally, he covers several popular fluid & elastic-width layout techniques & pieces together all of the page components discussed in prior chapters into a single-page template.
Book Description
No matter how visually appealing or content-packed a Web site may be, if it's not adaptable 2 a variety of situations & reaching the widest possible audience, it isn't really succeeding. In Bulletproof Web Desing, author & Web designer extraordinaire, Dan Cederholm outlines standards-based strategies 4 building designs that provide flexibility, readability, & user control--key components of every sucessful site. Each chapter starts out with an example of an unbulletproof site one that employs a traditional HTML-based approach which Dan then deconstructs, pointing out its limitations. He then gives the site a make-over using XHTML & Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), so you can see how 2 replace bloated code with lean markup & CSS 4 fast-loading sites that are accessible 2 all users. Finally, he covers several popular fluid & elastic-width layout techniques & pieces together all of the page components discussed in prior chapters into a single-page template.
Guest Reviewer: Jeffrey Zeldman
Modern web design is user-centered, accessible, & standards-based. In other words, it's completely different from the stuff we did in the 1990s. There are two vital aspects 2 designing with web standards:
(1) understanding why
(2) knowing how
Know-how is what Dan Cederholm has in spades, & in this updated edition of his essential text, he shares that knowledge with humor & clarity.
Dan's is one of the smartest minds in CSS & HTML. He is internationally known as a deep & innovative coder. But his background is in design & production, working on real-world sites 4 no-nonsense businesses like Google, ESPN, & Fast Company, Inc.
This grounding in practical user interface design & daily production issues makes Dan a great teacher of CSS, because he never loses sight of the things designers want 2 do (not 2 mention the things designers' clients & bosses demand of them).
From multi-column layouts that stay crispy in milk, 2 maintaining fine control of web fonts & sizes without alienating users: just about every problem a modern web designer faces is examined, with solutions ranging from good 2 better 2 best.
This second edition includes everything you need 2 know about taking Internet Explorer 7 into account. Little else has changed. And that's as it should be, 4 this book is a classic. It belongs on every web designer's shelf.
-- Jeffrey Zeldman, author, Designing With Web Standards 2nd Edition
About the Author
Dan Cederholm is a Web designer & author living in Massachusetts. He's the founder of SimpleBits, a tiny design studio. A recognized expert in the field of standards-based Web design, Dan has worked with Google, MTV, ESPN, Fast Company, Blogger, Odeo, & others. He embraces flexible, adaptable design using Web standards through his design work, writing, & speaking. Dan is the author of two best-selling books: Bulletproof Web Design (New Riders) & Web Standards Solutions (Friends of ED). Dan also runs the popular weblog SimpleBits, where he writes articles & commentary on the Web, technology, & life. He also plays a mean ukulele & occasionally wears a baseball cap.
No matter how visually appealing or content-packed a Web site may be, if it's not adaptable 2 a variety of situations & reaching the widest possible audience, it isn't really succeeding. In Bulletproof Web Desing, author & Web designer extraordinaire, Dan Cederholm outlines standards-based strategies 4 building designs that provide flexibility, readability, & user control--key components of every sucessful site. Each chapter starts out with an example of an unbulletproof site one that employs a traditional HTML-based approach which Dan then deconstructs, pointing out its limitations. He then gives the site a make-over using XHTML & Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), so you can see how 2 replace bloated code with lean markup & CSS 4 fast-loading sites that are accessible 2 all users. Finally, he covers several popular fluid & elastic-width layout techniques & pieces together all of the page components discussed in prior chapters into a single-page template.
Guest Reviewer: Jeffrey Zeldman
Modern web design is user-centered, accessible, & standards-based. In other words, it's completely different from the stuff we did in the 1990s. There are two vital aspects 2 designing with web standards: (1) understanding why
(2) knowing how
Know-how is what Dan Cederholm has in spades, & in this updated edition of his essential text, he shares that knowledge with humor & clarity.
Dan's is one of the smartest minds in CSS & HTML. He is internationally known as a deep & innovative coder. But his background is in design & production, working on real-world sites 4 no-nonsense businesses like Google, ESPN, & Fast Company, Inc.
This grounding in practical user interface design & daily production issues makes Dan a great teacher of CSS, because he never loses sight of the things designers want 2 do (not 2 mention the things designers' clients & bosses demand of them).
From multi-column layouts that stay crispy in milk, 2 maintaining fine control of web fonts & sizes without alienating users: just about every problem a modern web designer faces is examined, with solutions ranging from good 2 better 2 best.
This second edition includes everything you need 2 know about taking Internet Explorer 7 into account. Little else has changed. And that's as it should be, 4 this book is a classic. It belongs on every web designer's shelf.
-- Jeffrey Zeldman, author, Designing With Web Standards 2nd Edition
About the Author
Dan Cederholm is a Web designer & author living in Massachusetts. He's the founder of SimpleBits, a tiny design studio. A recognized expert in the field of standards-based Web design, Dan has worked with Google, MTV, ESPN, Fast Company, Blogger, Odeo, & others. He embraces flexible, adaptable design using Web standards through his design work, writing, & speaking. Dan is the author of two best-selling books: Bulletproof Web Design (New Riders) & Web Standards Solutions (Friends of ED). Dan also runs the popular weblog SimpleBits, where he writes articles & commentary on the Web, technology, & life. He also plays a mean ukulele & occasionally wears a baseball cap.
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