CSS Design for Web Designers Only, Wiley Publishing
| Highlights | Contributors | Contents | Errata |
You're a designer first, so am I. It's a long road from learning a technology to feeling competent and capable using it, which is the idea behind the book. I made the assumption that you have written some CSS before, or at the very least examined it closely in a WYSIWYG editor. It doesn't introduce any concepts as a be-all and end-all, but instead gives you the understanding to make your own judgements. Four very different, very talented, and very diverse Web designers and programmers provided commentary, philosophy, and a few tutorials.
The cover image and several elements in the book show a fantastic piece of glass mosaic work, designed and executed by moi. And yes, I do accept commissions for artwork.
Highlights
Use background images to their full potential, and create a spectacular menu using different link styles |
 Learn when to use static, elastic, and fluid layouts using CSS positioning methods |
Design style sheets that make your Web pages friendly to printers, handheld devices, and other media |
Make lists and tables behave consistently and effectively |
Be able to write CSS syntax and define properties and values for fonts, images, and other page elements |
Design items for catalogs that combine images, links, and backgrounds |
Contributors
I was fortunate to have several very accomplished designers and developers write pieces for the book. There are a few tutorials, some thought pieces, and insights into how the designers do what they do.
Denyer
Denyer is a Web designer, programmer, and photographer living in the United Kingdom whose original university training was in electronic engineering. He decided to pursue a more creative, yet still technical field of work. Coming “late” to the Web development game works to his advantage, as he isn't burdened with building on a history of older design methods. Much of his company's work comes from referrals through other Web design companies that don't have the necessary skills in-house to produce standards-compliant Web sites.
Faruk Ateş
Faruk is a Web Kaizen specialist. His focus is on the continuous improvement and innovation of Web sites and applications. In addition to his blog, Kurafire Network, Faruk writes for books and online magazines on topics ranging from XHTML and CSS, to JavaScript, Accessibility, and design. For my book, he contributed thoughts on the development of the Web, as well as a discussion on FACE, an innovative approach to bringing life to static Web pages.
Margaret Werdermann
Margaret is an instructional designer in Canada . Margaret has developed expertise in areas ranging from curriculum design to database development to administration. She has a background in adult education, and brings years of experience in classroom learning to her company, Werdermann eLearning and Web Solutions. She recently earned her Masters degree in Distance Education.
Chris Ware
Chris is a graphic and Web designer based in Birmingham, Alabama. A long-time graphic professional, Chris is proficient in XHTML, CSS, Web page interface design, as well as traditional print design and typography. For my book, he contributed a nifty way to build a sliding menu using a single image file.
Table of Contents
Part I: Page Content
1: Making CSS Work for You
2: Font and Letter Styling
3: Designing Stylish Text
4: Images with Style, and Styles with Images
Part II: Layouts and Positioning
5: Positioning Content Using CSS
6: Configuring Page Layouts
Part III: Structured Page Elements
7: Making a List, and Checking It Twice
8: Table Tune-Ups
9: Building Interesting Forms
10: Designing Text and Visual Hyperlinks
Part IV: Workflows
11: Testing Pages and Dealing with Browsers
12: Designing Style Sheets for Print and Other Media
Appendix A: About the Contributors
Appendix B: CSS Properties and Values
Pro Glossary
Errata
No errata have been filed for this book. If you find an error, please email the details to donna baker.