A timeline of website development reading

Who better to guide us through the complexities of website typography than the head of typography at Adobe, Tim Brown? This concise guide does just that. There have been several books on web typography recently but this book approaches the topic from the typesetting perspective, turning web design principles back onto the first principles of text layout and composition. As the author rightly says: “typesetting is the most important part of typography because … it involves preparing text for reading”.

Whilst setting out the technicalities of CSS that relate to typography, we are encouraged to use our judgement based on typesetting good sense. The manner in which the author talks us through that process seems informal - but structured. He introduces notions of pressure and contrast/focus, which work towards establishing a hierarchy of text layout.

There’s a lot in this small volume, maybe too much to introduce into a project in one go. The fundamental approach is of iterative design patterns through repeated revision and evaluation. Happy reading!

Another gem of a book from my favourite publisher and this one amply demonstrates that a book-sized refresher course really can get one up-to-speed on recent developments in a specific aspect of web design. Designing websites that are accessible to everyone - irrespective of their specific needs - is hugely important and this book takes the view that everyone benefits from accessible design, even users with no obvious impairments. Yes.

There’s a mass of wisdom and experience in this volume which sheds light on new research, new perspectives and - above all - new resources. If, like me, you last looked at this aspect of web design in detail several years ago, then this will help re-enthuse you about its importance. If you’re new to the subject, there’s perhaps no better read of equivalent brevity.

This is yet another reminder about how many strands of knowledge and understanding are required by solo web designers. An informed and compassionate volume.

A fascinating insight into real-life design projects where inadvertent design blunders created stress-points. An unusual book about kindness and compassion in design and one that deserves a place on every designer’s shelf.

A snappy introduction to pricing web projects, especially valuable for beginner freelancers. Replete with insight and specific about different industry pricing models. Take-away nugget: the price you charge for a website is based on the value you are providing to a client. The book’s central case study examines this. From their inexpensive download-only Briefs series by my favourite web design publishers A Book Apart.

This slim volume explains the basics of taking a Drupal 7 site and converting it into a Backdrop CMS site. It covers the fundamental architectural changes required to make D7 themes and modules function within the newer, lighter-weight Backdrop CMS. This is a clean introduction, but it would benefit from screenshots which are readable. (The author, a namesake, is no relation!)

Web standards is a topic that recently seems to have been eclipsed in importance by more fashionable - or pressing - aspects of web design such as UX and responsiveness, so I was interested in seeing what take an Apress book published in 2014 had. Thankfully, the idea that you can - even should - start a project with the aim of the finished code conforming to web standards has not gone away. This volume reiterates this at every turn.

If I were running a course on web technologies, I’d probably include this as a student text. It’s exhaustive, detailed and authoritative. The index, however, could have had more substantial input.

I had to persevere with this volume because it is more applicable to big agencies with big budget web projects, rather than the one-man-band work that I do. That said, there are valuable insights into client-designer relationships here that are applicable across the board. The author takes a novel approach in setting out to guide clients through the site-build process, which can reasonably be described as ‘managing expectations’.

A clear and authoritative account of the options available for displaying sophisticated and elegant maps that integrate Drupal website content which has a geographical basis. Essential reading for getting Drupal data on the map!

A reasonably clear discussion of using media queries and alternate style sheets (and testing and deployment) so that a website can respond to different devices, specifically in the context of managing this in CMS environments. Worth a spin.

An exceptionally clear examination of the principles of web content publishing and the rational and emotional craft, tools and techniques that can be employed to make a website’s content resonate with users.

A clear account of proposed changes to CSS (the style sheet language for websites), which browser supports which proposed property and selector. A well-produced book with clear examples. A good primer on what’s just over the horizon and usable today.

Panels is one of the most complex modules avialable for Drupal and this volume steps through various configuration options for unleashing the module’s power and integrating it with other modules.

All you need to know about Boosting, Throttling, Caching and MemCaching a Drupal website. Great stuff!

Bags of detail about the dark heart of Drupal which makes most people fall silent and shake. This is a romp of a manual for doing what I call “intelligent web publishing” with Drupal 6. Splendid!

A walk-through of the programming aspects of building a Drupal-driven website.

An excellent introduction to the power and elegance of the Drupal content management framework.

A fascinating analysis of the impact upon society and business of Web 2.0 technologies.

A bible for the design of desktop application, Web 2.0 sites and mobile devices.

Web page design under the microscope.

A primer on the importance of mastering CSS in pursuit of developing standards-compliant websites.

An outstanding primer on web design and the way in which lean mark-up can deliver stunning visual design. At the time, this was just about the most absorbing book one could hold. A collection of designers had skinned the same HTML code with their own CSS and images, making a dazzling array of web standards compliant site designs. This was a brilliantly simple demonstration of the power and potential of CSS. Anybody unconvinced before opening the book was guaranteed to be a CSS convert at the end. A professional epiphany!

A concise explanation of the obligations placed upon web designers in order to improve user experience on the web.

The first principle of typographic style, according to Robert Bringhurst, is that “typography exists to honor content”. As the opening shot in this hugely influential book, this sets the tone perfectly. For those of us for whom typography - now (also) on the internet - plays a vital role in shaping web page design, this book lays the foundations in context. Not only is it dense with detail, it is also beautifully-designed.