How to design beautiful websites
by Rob Mason ~ March 10th, 2008 Filed under: Design, Random, Tools, Useful stuff.
I’m not going to give you that secret, however one great pace to start is by buying “The Principles of Beautiful Web Design” by Jason Bearid. I did and I’m very glad I did so.
As the design of this site will attest, my design skills have a little room for improvement, mainly around the detail and polish. My hope was that this book would help me with some design structure and concepts on which to base my thinking.
The book starts with an overarching introduction to the design process as seen by Jason and does so without getting too “designer darling” about it. Key concepts such as balance, emphasis, and grid theory are well presented in an easy going and easy to understand manner.
The book is well paced and never feels rushed, although there are a lot of things to cover. I found I could put it down and pick it up from where I left off very easily. The chapter on colour was a highlight for me as it gave me the theory and background that I had previously lacked having not studied as a designer at any point.
It’s also a great example of a reference book, one that you keep going back to to seek inspiration or just re-read the concepts to help solve a problem. Nearly all of the websites used in the book to illustrate a point are gorgeous, be they another designer’s site or a great company or product site.
So overall I’m very pleased with the purchase. It gets me thinking about things in a way I hadn’t before and will definitely get me more focussed on the attention to detail that makes or breaks a great design. Thanks to the guys over at Web Designer Forum for the Member of the Month nomination that helped fund the purchase.
Contact Rob Mason for details on website design and build services in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
