The Zen of CSS, but Don't Make Me Think

16th April 2005 | permanent link
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What? No, you read it right :) The Zen of CSS design, but Don't Make Me Think. The latest acquisitions in my book archive. And I must say that I'm one happy camper, to say the least.

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OK, I might be overwhelmed, but I truly have learned quite a bit from these two.

Don't make me think, by Steve Krug

Full title: Don't Make Me Think: A common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Author: Steve Krug
Publisher: New Riders (October 2000)
Opinion: Money well spent!

This is book is parhaps a bit outdated (my god how time flies by...) but nevertheless is still the best book on this issue on my shelve. Steve tells you things you already know but don't realize them. So most of the time you read something and go: How didn't I see that before. Steve definetly has a way of showing you the obvious. Yeah, so obvious that you don't see it :) The book was written for the soliders in the trenches - the designers and developers. Definetly a good read and in my case a book that will never be on my shelve long enough to collect even a thin layer of dust. Can't wait for the new edition that is supposed to come out in the summer. Preorder, preorder :)

The Zen Of CSS Design, by Dave Shea and Molly E.Holzschlag

Full title: The Zen Of CSS Design: Visual enlightenment for the web
Authors: Dave Shea, Molly E.Holzschlag
Publisher: New Riders (February 2005)
Opinion: Money well spent!

Who does not know the famous CSS Zen Garden project? No really. Raise your hand. Now go and stand in the corner and think about what you've done. Or rather not done. If W3C standards are a new "thing" to you, you really should think about choosing another profession :)

OK seriously, this book disects, dismantles and reconstructs 36 of the best designs found among CSS Zen Garden entries. Dave and Molly guide you on your way to better understanding of why and how to approach CSS combined with lean markup. They rolled up their sleeves and dug deep. From the first chapter, appropriately named, View Source through Design, Layouts, Imagery, Typografy, Special Effects and Reconstruction. It is a very nice read :)

tags: books