Taking Your Talent to the Web: A Guide for the Transitioning Designer, by Jeffrey Zeldman. New Riders, 2001, 426pp. US$39.95, CDN$59.95
"Computer" books tend to be either dry as dust or written for "Dummies." Once in a while, though, an author comes along whose personality just jumps from the pages, making the mastering of a difficult subject feel more like a discussion over coffee. Jeffrey Zeldman is known to legions of web designers. His web site recently celebrated its sixth birthday (that's about 200 in human years), and he is well-known as a conference speaker and teacher, as well as a constantly in-demand designer in his own right. So when New Riders decided to publish his first book, they scored a coup. Zeldman's is a voice that deserves to be heard by as many people as possible.
The book is ostensibly aimed at traditional (ie. print) designers looking to expand into web design, but it really is just a well-written and entertaining primer on the practice and principles of web design. Based on the Populi curriculum that Zeldman himself helped create, it packs a lot of solid information into its 400 pages, along with a healthy dose of Jeffrey Zeldman's wit and wisdom.
Zeldman divides the book into three major sections. "Why" discusses the web in general terms, especially pointing out its differences from the printed page. He devotes an entire chapter to the issues involved in designing clear navigation, as this is something that a print designer doesn't face. Readers understand the conventions of books and magazines, given their more than 500 year history. Zeldman rightly points out that the web's conventions are still forming, and simply points out what has worked so far and some common sense guidelines to help web site visitors find their way around.
"Who" deals with the different job functions and titles involved in creating a web site. This section is designed to help the transitioning designer find her place in the field among the different technical, editorial, and design functions. An especially useful chapter deals with the project life cycle, outlining a sensible framework for making sure that all bases are covered.
The last half of the book is devoted to the "What" of web design, namely, HTML, Style Sheets and Javascript. Also useful is a chapter on how tools familiar to many print designers (Photoshop, Illustrator) are used differently for web design. This is especially useful for the intended audience, since many techniques and methods used for print design are simply inappropriate for the web.
Since the web is inherently interactive, Zeldman gives ample space to describing technologies that bring web pages to life. Flash, QuickTime, RealAudio, Java, the Beatnik plug-in, are all given space. Best of all, Zeldman pulls no punches. He describes how these things work. Not how they should work, but what the real world experience of most web users actually is.
As a Mac user, he also points out how often web site designers overlook minority platforms like the Macintosh, or Linux. His work with the Web Standards Project both stems from and contributes to his egalitarianism. In fact, one of the best things about this book is that it starts from the premise that designers should be beginning with these standards in mind. Simply put, these standards exist to ensure that web users enjoy comparable experiences without regard to what browser or platform they are using.
The book is not a comprehensive guide to HTML, or Photoshop, or Flash. It's not meant to be. Instead, it's a book of principles, with lots of good practical information thrown in. Zeldman's style is always engaging, never patronizing. He is very much a real person, as readers of his weblog have known for a long time. I had the privilege of meeting Jeffrey Zeldman at this year's SXSW in Austin, Texas. Incredibly soft-spoken, especially for a New Yorker, he is a genuinely humble and good man. He has maintained his presence on the web for all these years as a teacher and guide, and I believe if he could give this book away for free, he would; which is all the more reason to run out and buy it.
Book site, including a sample chapter
New Riders web site