Review of Principles of Beautiful Web Design,
4th ed.
In the ever-evolving landscape of web design, aesthetics matter. The fourth edition of “Principles of Beautiful Web Design” by Jason Beaird, James George, and Alex Walker invites us to explore the delicate dance between form and function. This book is an excellent overview of the various elements that make a website really stand out. There are five main sections:
- Layout
- Color
- Typography
- Texture
- Imagery
Layout refers to the structure of the design, balance on the page, and some ways of achieving balance so a design is both effective and aesthetically pleasing. Web design does have certain limitations, which makes choosing a layout an extremely important aspect of developing a functional website.
Color is a section on how to choose colors in a design that can achieve particular design objectives, and discusses some basic color theory and choosing complementary colors. Not everything on a computer screen will work like it does on print, and some color combinations can even hinder a design.
Typography is obviously another major aspect of design, and can impart subtle connotations to text and associated imagery. So it should be chosen carefully. In this section, the authors additionally discussed the problems of choosing fonts for web design, in that they might not universally be rendered by a browser the way the designer or website builder intends.
Texture seems like a weird component to consider in regards to web design, but the book makes it clear how different elements available to a web designer can give a design a sort of "feel" even though it obviously is not tactile.
Imagery of course refers to the actual graphics and photographs that are used in a design, and how to acquire them if necessary. It has some basic tips regarding the alteration of images to make them more effective, using tools like photoshop or filters.
The best thing about the book, after the overview to these design elements above, are the amazing resources suggested throughout. Some of these links will teach skills, and some provide access to tools that can just help designers expand their offerings. There are some elements of code displayed to explain how various effects are achieved, but mostly the book focuses on showing the results rather than explaining how to achieve them precisely. Of course, with constantly changing options, the way to achieve something today might change tomorrow!
For a newbie in web design, or any type of online design, this is a great starting point to discover what is out there to help you learn, while designing beautiful, functional and effective websites for businesses or yourself.
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