Web Design All-in-One For Dummies

Wiley Publishing | Sue Jenkins | ISBN: 978-0-470-41796-6 | English | 659 pages | 19 Mb

Introduction

Welcome to Web Design All-in-One For Dummies. This desk reference book is ideal for both the Web entrepreneur looking to design her own site and the new Web designer who plans to make a career of this exciting profession. This book uses many Adobe products to demonstrate common Web design techniques. Specifically, all of the graphic examples are done exclusively in Photoshop, and all of the Web page–building examples are done in Dreamweaver. That said, many other software programs are mentioned and recommended throughout the book, and the examples are easily adaptable to your preferred software tools.

Web design is a really unique occupation because it combines the best parts of visual creativity with modern technology. A Web designer, in essence, is a graphic designer, a creative organizer, a visual communicator, a markup language technologist, and a cutting-edge trendsetter. What sets Web design apart from other careers is that as the designer, you will play a key role in helping businesses connect with their customers in positive and meaningful ways. A good design can help attract the right target audience, sell more products and services, communicate new ideas, and change people’s lives.

As a Web designer, you have the opportunity to put your visual and organizational spin on the world, taking the complex puzzle of each Web project and turning it into a visually pleasing, easy-to-navigate Web solution for your client. What’s more, you will become inextricably part of the worldwide network of Web professionals who help shape the visual realm of communication in the twenty-first century. Whether you’ve designed a site before or you are brand new to the world of Web design, this book takes you through all the steps of the Web design process. By the final chapter in the last minibook, you will have all the skills you need to design, build, and publish your own Web sites.

About This Book

As a reference book, you have the luxury of reading this book any way you like. You don’t have to remember anything you read because the answer you are seeking will always be at your fingertips. Feel free to jump around from chapter to chapter, reading particular sections of the book as the needs arise, or go ahead and read this book from cover to cover like a sort of how-to manual to understand the craft of Web design. The book itself is divided into five minibooks, which are each divided into several self contained chapters on a variety of particular topics.

This book is divided into five minibooks, each of which is further divided into relevant chapters about the process of Web design, organized by topic. If you’re looking for information on a specific topic, check the headings in the Contents at a Glance or skim the Table of Contents. In the following sections, you find an overview of what each minibook contains.