Hello. I am a recent graduate who is freelancing in web design. However, I’ve realized that to get better jobs I need to polish my skills in the following:
HTML
Javascript (so I can later learn more complex things like AJAX)
CSS
I am currently considering getting this book:
The Principles of Beautiful Web Design, 2nd Edition
I’ve heard that it focuses more on design rather than the code and reason behind it, so I would like to get a book which would be a good companion to it. I have some basic knowledge of HTML, Javascript, and CSS but I want a book that I can use to teach myself. I’m not looking for something like Dummies because that is closer to those who have never written a web page before, but I do not think I’m ready for something that is too technical. I would prefer a book with examples and questions and standards that are up-to-date. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Obviously there are lots of resources out there. As a starter, have you checked out any of the other SitePoint books and/or courses, because there’s a lot on offer there.
The Sitepoint Ultimate HTML and CSS Reference books are good. They’re obviously supposed to be references so they aren’t only for beginners, but once you get the basics, they’re good (and they also will provide a good reference). I have the hardback ones and will often carry them with me if I’m going on a trip where I’ll have prolonged internet loss to reference. They’re similar to my old favorite recommendation, HTML & CSS: the complete reference.
Principles is also a great book, as is “Sexy Website Design”.
Well, I got the design book I mentioned and I’m going to try DOM Scripting. I hope they’re good because I know Sitepoint itself is a good place to learn about web development and design.
Just a warning: be certain you understand HTML and CSS very well before you get too much into Javascript. If you dive into Javascript too much without a good grasp of HTML and CSS it’ll cause headaches later.
Also, don’t worry about ajax for now; focus on getting your html and css compliant
With regards to javascript you may want to start with some prepared examples, or jquery? That library in particular is extremely flexible, and reduces the number of individual scripts you need to include in a design.
I love jQuery, however starting with it is probably a bad idea. I think you should have a firm grasp of the basics of a language (any language) before you start using frameworks. If you don’t, you won’t be able to do simple things or debug your errors effectively.
