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I design simple websites for small businesses and I have been pleased to recommend this book to my clients. They find it helpful to learn about the process of website design as well as what to expect from their web master. It is informative and in detail, while still completely excessible to a web newbie. Reading it myself, I found useful advice which I have applied in my own practice.
Thanks!
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I recently got a review copy of a book that proves a website doesn't have to be big to be effective... Small Websites, Great Results by Doug Addison (Paraglyph). Good information for *all* sites, not just small ones...
Chapter List: Building Small: A New Approach for Successful Websites; What Makes A Great Small Site?; Creating a Focus for Your Site; Use the Right Design and Navigation Format; Tips and Techniques for Content and Functionality That Users Love; Small Site Approach to Web Marketing; Strategies for Turning Visitors into Customers; Getting What You Need from Your Web Designer; Keeping Your Small Site Up-to-Date; What to Do When You've Outgrown a Small Site; Small Sites for Professional Services; Small Sites for Trade Services; Small Sites for Specialty Products; Small Sites for Artists, Writers, and Performers; Small Sites for Restaurants; Index
There really is no barrier to entry for the Web any more. For virtually nothing (and in many cases it *is* nothing), you can have a web site to advertise your company, service, or product. But just because you *can* create a site doesn't mean you should be doing it yourself. There's an art and a science to it, and just doing what you think looks good may be worse than doing nothing at all. Addison makes the case that not every website has to have hundreds of pages and use every bleeding edge technology known to web developers. The goal is to remember your audience and serve them with your site, not yourself. And in most cases, that means keeping the site small, clean, and focused.
While much of the author's focus is towards small entities keeping the website under control, the overall advice pertains to all websites. Using gratuitous features like flash splash pages turns off potential customers and everyday employees alike. Having to decipher navigation icons is an irritant to any web user. Making sure all your visual cues are consistent is just good common sense for all sites. As a result, this isn't just a book that you should get if you're a freelance designer. It's one that will come in handy in your job at Megacorp as you try and design functional pages that are useful and elegant without being obnoxious.
Good common sense, and plenty of material that's applicable to all sites. A recommended read...
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From locating free search tools for enabling a searachable web site to splitting a growing site into two smaller sites, increasing a site's functionality, and turning casual visitors into customers, Small Websites, Great Results is packed with refinement techniques which assumes a basic site has been set up and is ready for customizing and tweaking. An outstanding book for small site operators, simply packed with important resources and tips.
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I liked just about everything in this book, but particularly the contrarian advice. I've been telling clients for years that bigger isn't better, that you really should stage out projects instead of going for moonshoots, that they really should avoid the long death marches that wear everyone out and waste money. Now all I have to do is give them Doug's book.
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I'm not a graphic designer nor an artist - I'm just a guy who wants to build a nice-looking family web site. I am, however, a software developer, and as a developer, I find it tempting to do things "just because I can". This book gives me the well-deserved smack upside the head when I get excited about some cool (and usually pointless or gaudy) new CSS or JavaScript effect.
The book first discusses elements that make a small web site great - i.e. simplicity, context, and organization. It then moves on to explaining how to create the proper focus and discusses proper use of color, images and navigation. There are also sections on marketing, selecting a web designer (if you don't want to do-it-yourself), and what to do when you need a "big" web site.
The end of the book is devoted to developing web sites for professional services, trade services, specialty services, artists, writers and performers, and restaurants. These provide plenty of variety and suggestions you can take and apply to your own small web site.
Plenty of common sense and direction. If you are looking for a set of guidelines for creating a quality small web site, this book fits the bill.
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