Product Overview

Sexy Web Design

- Here’s a look at the table of contents:

Preface
- Who Should Read This Book?
- The SitePoint Forums
- This Book’s Web Site
- The SitePoint Newsletters
- Your Feedback
- Conventions Used in This Book
  - Code Samples
  - Tips, Notes, and Warnings
- Acknowledgements
Interfaces are Sexy
- Interfaces
  - Interfaces in the Real World
  - Interfaces on the Web
- Web Design Goals
  - What Your Site Does
  - How Your Site Looks
  - Usability and Accessibility
- Design Process
  - Research
  - Structure
  - Interaction
  - Aesthetics
  - Deliverables
- Let’s Start Working
Research
- The Brief
  - Guiding a Brief
  - Expanding the Brief
  - The Finalized Brief
- First Steps
  - The Element of Fun
  - Gravitas and Authority
  - Inventive and Innovative
  - Achieving a Balance: Information and Atmosphere
  - What Matters the Most?
  - Brand Consistency
- Inspiration Resources
  - Atmosphere Inspiration
  - Composition Inspiration
  - Functionality Inspiration
- Look Outside the Web
  - Collection Tools
- Research: an Ongoing Process
Structure
- Sitemaps
  - Initial Sketches
  - Sitemaps versus Navigation
  - Finished Diagrams
- Wireframing
  - Ways to Give Weight
  - Our Checklist
  - Other Sites as Wireframe Sketches
  - The Sketches
  - The Basic Template
  - The Final Pages
  - What Now?
Navigation and Interaction
- Navigation
  - Navigation = List
  - The Problematic Homepage Button
  - Navigation Types
  - Navigation Styles
  - Our Use of Navigation
- Forms
  - Our Use of Forms
- Audio-visual Content
  - Complex versus Minimal
  - Our Use of Video
- Ecommerce
  - Our Use of Ecommerce
- Finalizing Interaction
  - A Slight Change of Plan
  - Conclusion
Aesthetics
- A Small Introduction to Layout and Composition
  - Art and Design Traditions
  - Fixed or Flexible?
  - The Grid
- The Artistic Layer
  - Mood and Atmosphere
  - Color
  - Contrast
  - Consistency
  - Volume and Depth
  - Pattern and Texture
- Imagery
  - Photography
  - Illustration
  - Iconography
  - Image Treatments
- Typography
  - Type on the Web
  - Choosing Typefaces
  - Decorative Type
- Convention versus Innovation
- Putting It All Together
  - The Final Comps
  - Using the Grid
  - Color
  - Imagery
  - Patterns and Texture
  - Contrast and Emphasis
  - Consistency in Our Design
  - Our Use of Type
  - Our Use of Convention and Innovation
- Conclusion
Deliverables
- Design Comps
  - Organizing Layers
  - Exporting Our Images
  - Presenting Mockups in the Browser
- Style Guides
  - Layout
  - Color
  - Motifs and Techniques
  - Type and Text
  - Images
  - Development Matters
  - Anything Else?
- What Now?
- Good Luck, You Sexy Thing
Index

Download FREE Preview! Order this Book NOW!

By Elliot Jay Stocks

Product Information

Features

Latest Update: March 2009

Entire contents of book in f u l l c o l o r throughout!
Smart new glossy cover design (6 color print)
Large 8"x10" format
Includes FREE SitePoint Color Card

Customer Reviews

Live, unmoderated reviews from our customers, typos and all.

Nice and clear approach of designing a website. Very useful links.
Loved the 'Destroy The Web 2.0 Look' link

Nikolaos Beligiannis, USA

I'm fortunate in the fact that I'm an artist, designer and programmer but I haven’t been able to organize these skills properly when working on my websites. Sexy Web Design helped me become more organized in my processes while still being able to utilize all three of my talents; actually more-so since I've read the book. I also loved all of the resources Elliot shares in his book and several of them will now be part of my daily "toolbox".This book is not for those wanting to learn how to program a website, slice PSDs, etc (there are some other good books here on Sitepoint that do help with those). Sexy Web Design is aimed at people looking not only to improve their design processes but also to improve on your knowledge in creating structure, mood, usability and more into your layouts. After reading Elliot's book I worked on a new website template for a client and the difference was major! Thanks to Elliot for helping me to bring sexy back!

Lachelle Talbot, USA

I ordered this book the day it was released by SP.

I trust everything that's released here, and this book is no exeption.

You don't need to go to art school (even though I did), as described in the title. This book teaches you basic to advanced principles you'll need in TODAY'S world. Pick up a copy, it goes great with "The Art and Science of CSS", also another good read.

Way to go sitepoint, keep up your sexyness, and I'll keep referring my contacts your way!

Mark Johnson, USA

Great book! Very informative and I feel like I've learned a lot. It's reaffirmed some of the things I just did, but didn't know why. The only thing that bothered me was the referenced pictures were always a page-flip away. Not a big deal, and certainly doesn't detract from the book! Great book SitePoint and Elliot.

Will Boling, USA

This book has been very useful to me. I come from a developer's perspective, so Elliot's book has guided me the way to build very sexy websites indeed. I constantly use it as a reference when designing, and it opened my eyes to the many different methods and practices that you use to create great design. My only complaint is I wish there was more! Great book, Elliot. :)

Jarryd Crawford, Australia

A really useful design book, with a refreshing take on design layout and good explanations on Grid layouts. The book has plenty of current good design examples and some useful url links to resources that any designer shouldn't be without. I've read the book from front to back, twice since it arrived 3 days ago.
A must have!