Proving once and for all that standards-compliant design does not equal dull design, this inspiring tome uses examples from the landmark CSS Zen Garden site as the foundation for discussions on how to create beautiful, progressive CSS-based Web sites. By using the Zen Garden sites as examples of how CSS design techniques and approaches can be applied to specific Web challenges, authors Dave Shea and Molly Holzschlag provide an eye-opening look at the range of design methods made possible by CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). By the time you've finished perusing the volume, you'll have a new understanding of the graphically rich, fully accessible sites that CSS design facilitates. In sections on design, layout, imagery, typography, effects, and themes, Dave and Molly take you through every phase of the design process--from striking a sensible balance between text and graphics to creating eye-popping special effects (no scripting required).
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Extremely well written book!
Very readable and enjoyable book. The authors' carefully chosen example designs are dissected to highlight key CSS concepts. The process examples were especially enlightening for me. Even the references at end of the book were spot-on.
Rating: - Great Illustrations, but left me a little puzzled
I bought this book years ago wanting to learn CSS before it became popular. I have always loved the artwork produced on csszengarden's web site. I figured that the book would teach me css. I was somewhat wrong. The book covers techniques the page developers used to create some of the artwork, but never really explains what the different settings mean. The book also seemed to jump around and did not flow with any explanation. I ended up learning CSS from the web. Even now that I know CSS extensively, ... Read More
Rating: - Great addition to a great website.
I came across this book due to my love of the great website of the same name as the book. If you are a web designer or want to see some better ways to make your online web presence look better, and more slick, this book is a great addition to your tool box.
Rating: - Boring book
I am a big fan of the website which is a big source of inspiration, and was very happy when I found out that there was a book.
And now... Disappointment.
First of all, the cover is very ugly, and the book's format is a bit clunky.
The designs they have chosen are nothing special, kind of boring designs. Why did they choose these designs, when there are much more interesting designs on the site?
And the book also feels a bit out-of-date. Hey, they even talk about Netscape! ... Read More
Rating: - Beautiful work - companion to website.
I've only breezed through this book, but bought it because I wanted it as the companion to their website - css zen garden dot com - and I'm happy I did. You can download all the corresponding code from their site that goes along with this book (instead of having to type it all in manually).
After 9 years of old-style HTML coding, I'm upgrading my skills to the new CSS/XHTML. This book takes the focus away (momentarily) from code and points to beauty. I'm looking forward to becoming a designer like the ... Read More
- Extremely well written book!
- Great Illustrations, but left me a little puzzled
- Boring book
