Are you still designing web sites like it's 1999? If so, you're in for a surprise. Since the last edition of this book appeared five years ago, there has been a major climate change with regard to web standards. Designers are no longer using (X)HTML as a design tool, but as a means of defining the meaning and structure of content. Cascading Style Sheets are no longer just something interesting to tinker with, but rather a reliable method for handling all matters of presentation, from fonts and colors to the layout of the entire page. In fact, following the standards is now a mandate of professional web design.

Our popular reference, Web Design in a Nutshell, is one of the first books to capture this new web landscape with an edition that's been completely rewritten and expanded to reflect the state of the art. In addition to being an authoritative reference for (X)HTML and Cascading Style Sheets, this book also provides an overview of the unique requirements of designing for the Web and gets to the nitty-gritty of JavaScript and DOM Scripting, web graphics optimization, and multimedia production. It is an indispensable tool for web designers and developers of all levels.

The third edition covers these contemporary web design topics:

• Structural layer: HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 (9 chapters), including an alphabetical reference of all elements, attributes and character entities

• Presentation layer: Ten all-new chapters on Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2.1, including an alphabetical reference of all properties and values.

• Behavior layer: JavaScript and scripting with the Document Object Model (DOM)

• Web environment: New web standards, browsers, display devices, accessibility, and internationalization

• Web graphics optimization: Producing lean and mean GIF, JPEG, PNG, and animated GIFs

• Multimedia: Web audio, video, Flash, and PDF

Organized so that readers can find answers quickly, Web Design in a Nutshell, Third Edition helps experienced designers come up to speed quickly on standards-based web design, and serves as a quick reference for those already familiar with the new standards and technology.

There are many books for web designers, but none that address such a wide variety of topics. Find out why nearly half a million buyers have made this the most popular web design book available.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 130 Ratings

one of the best books around - 2009-05-29
Reviewer Rating:
the author knows the subject well, and she writes well. i found myself reading the book for hours, and learning new things in a nice and organized way. if just all books are like that...

it is good for beginner and intermediate level. if you are at an advanced level or guru level, you may find that you know about it already. but since this book talks about so many aspect of web technologies, unless you advanced in most areas, you probably still find it useful or good to have as a reference.

Useful and a pleasure to read. - 2009-02-19
Reviewer Rating:
I've read this book like 6 times now. The writing style is plain and straightforward, and that is a pleasure to read. I have had never left this book be far from my computer since I am always reading it through. I has a lot, and I mean a lot of links for you to read beyond the book on a lot of topics that should not be fully covered on this particular book.

The design is easy to follow. Brilliantly written and organized. The reading train wont get you lost, and by that I mean you can easily read from chapter 1 to the end without skipping or reading this or that chapter before proceeding.

It has all the basics; all the goods. From servers 101, character encoding, design pros and cons (not bluntly put that way), and most importantly (up to this edition, that is) browser cross-compatibility. The main target in this book is XHTML/CSS, however. The appendixes have a list of all XHTML elements known to date. CSS was not left aside. Which by it self, its a huge reason to consider this book.

If you have been using html/css/js before, you already know it's a bit of a torment and an exhausting task to make a fully all-browsers compatible site. This will do indeed tell you why your site will look different on a Gecko or a Trident layout engine. I wasn't even aware that a layout engine was a very separate part of the browser at all. Info like that makes this book a must-have, not to mention it will make you a well rounded web developer.

CSS, Flash, DOM Scripting, ECMA-262, web graphics, HTTP headers and such are subjects you at least should be a bit familiar with. Weather you decide to go further in any technology in specific, this will give you a friendly jump start. I was always reluctant to learn/try DOM scripting. Not anymore.

One big thing if you are planning to get this book as of 2009, is that this 3rd edition was first published on '06. It's time for an update. Specially with CSS 3.0 and words on 'web 3.0' around the corner.

If you get this book, be sure to get the HTML & XHTML Pocket Reference (also by Jennifer Niederst). Both will become invaluable tools you should keep right next to your work place.

Web Design in a Nutshell - 2009-10-05
Reviewer Rating:
This is a great desk reference book! While it is a challenging book to read, I know it will come in super handy when I need to find the answer to a specific technical question!

Late Shipping - 2009-10-04
Reviewer Rating:
I had ordered this book within my state (Michigan) so that I might get it faster. It was not mailed until a week after I had placed my order. Very disappointed as I needed this book for a college class.

Good Textbook - 2009-02-28
Reviewer Rating:
Reached me in time (Amazon Prime) in excellent condition. This book is perfect for all those who are beginners in Web Designing. Five stars. No Fault!

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