This article is originally published on Arturo Digital.
People often underestimate the impact a good book could have. Though modern advancements have made books less useful and preferable over time, they are still valuable and cost-effective learning methods.
On the same note, web design is a growing field with endless possibilities. Though you may have had some business, design, or coding experience when you entered the industry, you still have to learn more in the long run. Therefore, in this regard, web design books are among the most ideal ways to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of UX/UI design.
With that being said, there are plenty of great web design books out there. So, to make it easier for you, we’ve collected our 15 picks for the best web design books for designers and developers.
Continue reading to learn more.
1. Building Progressive Web Apps: Bringing the Power of Native to the Browser by Tal Ater
This book is ideal for readers that expect a high volume of mobile visitors for their websites. In other words, this book teaches you to overcome the difficulties of building progressive web apps (PWAs). It adopts a logical step-by-step teaching method, clarifying the divide between mobile apps and mobile websites.
The skills you learn from this book could include creating service workers, web manifests, browser APIs, or background sync for new-age mobile apps.
2. Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics by Jennifer Robbins
Jennifer Robbins was a designer for Global Network Navigator (GNN). This was the first website ever made for commercial purposes. And, since 1993, she has only continued to design thousands of similar premium web products.
Undoubtedly, she is qualified to teach the substance in her book. Not to mention, this book is designed for individuals new to web design. So, it’s more than ideal for developing a strong grasp of the basics.
3. Web Development and Design Foundations with HTML5 by Terry Felke-Morris
This web design book is intended to provide students with an introduction to web design and development. It teaches hands-on learning strategies on numerous HTML and CCS-related topics. These include everything involving color settings, page layout, and text changes. In addition, it has an enhanced focus on accessibility, web standards, and design.
4. UX Strategy: How to Devise Innovative Digital Products that People Want by Jaime Levy
This is considered one of the best UX design books for introductory UX strategies and processes. However, it’s not entirely for beginners. In essence, it takes basic UX design ideas and utilizes them for advanced strategies.
You should give it a read if you’re considering a career in UX design. It covers numerous design-related topics, such as storyboarding, strategy frame working, concept validation, prototype design, and conversion rate optimization. It even involves methodical teaching approaches to conducting competitive research and analysis.
5. Color Studies by Edith Anderson Feisner
Though color theory may only seem like a small aspect of web design, people often overlook its significance. Your choice of color can have immense positive or negative effects.
Throughout this well-written book, Edith Feisner explains this significance. She elaborates on the complexities of color theory, and its use in creating alluring websites. In particular, the book covers the dimensions of color, color composition, digital technologies, and color systems.
6. HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett
CSS and HTML are among the more well-known front languages that constitute the fundamentals of UX design. In particular, Jon Duckett wrote this book as an engaging way to introduce technical programming. Yet, even if you’re an experienced web designer, it’s still a handy book for brushing up on info about website design.
7. Web Design: Introductory by Shelly Cashman
Filled with hands-on activities in each chapter, this is a book that tests your comprehension of web research and design. It doesn’t just stop at the HTML concepts. Shelly even teaches search engine optimization (SEO) and responsive web design.
8. Laws of UX: Using Psychology to Design Better Products and Services by Jon Yablonski
You may be surprised to know that web design and psychology are more closely related than you think. In Jon Yablonski’s brilliant book, you’d learn about the roles of psychology in almost every aspect of design.
The book teaches this as a practical guide to psychological principles. Through bite-sized lessons, the content encourages you to create more intuitive user experiences.
9. Better Web Typography for a Better Web by Matej Latin
Typography is the process of choosing the right fonts for your website. Though this may seem like a subtle detail to consider, people overlook the impact a font could have.
The book discusses in detail much more than just the aesthetic appeal of fonts. It covers everything about the topic including rhythm, the structure of a font, combined typefaces, the modular scale, and responsive typography.
After that, the book even covers the more obscure details, such as the characteristics of ligatures and small caps styling.
10. Responsive Web Design (Brief Books for People Who Make Websites) by Ethan Marcotte
Known for coining “responsive web design,” Ethan Marcotte is a renowned authoritative figure in Web Design. The book is based on the same research he’s famous for. It covers everything involving design across tablets, desktops, or mobiles.
11. Web Design with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JQuery Set by Jon Duckett
This is another famous book by the renowned author, Jon Duckett. In this edition, you’d learn about the visual approaches of JavaScript and JQuery. With numerous colorful infographics, the book teaches you basic programming concepts. You can then use these ideas to recreate website techniques, such as form validation, sliders, content filters, and more.
12. Principles of Web Design by Joel Sklar
This web design book would teach you to utilize visual design skills, CSS, and HTML. The book’s updated version includes details on responsive web design for tablets and smartphones. And through its numerous informative illustrations, you can learn about the principles of solid web design, navigation, layout, and web design environments.
13. Web Design with HTML and CSS3: Comprehensive by Shelly Cashman
This is a comprehensive 500-page book that discusses semantic wireframes and related topics. Some crucial web development subjects this book explains are responsive web design, publishing and promotion of websites, layouts, and maintaining websites.
14. Grid Systems in Graphic Design: A Visual Communication Manual for Graphic Designers, Typographers, and Three-Dimensional Designers by Joe Muller-Brockmann
Grid systems constitute the structural framework of websites. They help graphic designers create logical layouts for print and digital design. In terms of web design, they are ideal for consistent and symmetric visuals.
15. Learning PHP, MySQL and JavaScript: With jQuery, CSS, and HTML5
If you already have a basic understanding of formatting and scripting languages, we recommend this book as your next read. Though the topics discussed in this web design book aren’t necessary, they can definitely help create future-proof websites for clients.
In particular, this book can teach you how to use MySQL and MySQLi, to manage cookies.
The Bottom Line
Web design is a complicated matter that requires a strict learning discipline to master. To grow in this industry and expand your creative abilities, you need to continuously learn from books written by professionals.
On the other hand, if you are looking for quick web design solutions, you don’t have to look further. At Arturo Digital, we deal with everything related to UI/UX web design. So, if you don’t feel like reading a web design book on the latest web technologies, you don’t have to worry- Arturo Digital is here to help.
We've chosen our top 10 books, which include new releases by prominent writers, exciting newcomers, and many useful insights from topics such as testing and user experience, machine learning, team development, and communication.List of 10 best books that every product manager must readLet us help you with the best books that are designed for the manager.1.
Coach Worth a Trillion DollarsEric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle's The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill CampbellWhy should you read?Bill Campbell returns with product design management lessons.
This practical book, following in the footsteps of Alex Osterwalder's global blockbuster Company Model Generation, provides a library of hands-on strategies for swiftly evaluating new business concepts.3.
How to Communicate with a MachineJohn Maeda's Computational Thinking for the Rest of UsWhy should you read?John Maeda is a world-renowned multidisciplinary thinker in the fields of technology and design.
He proposes a set of basic principles that govern today's computers and the inconceivable machines of the future in How to Speak Machine.
Who you are is defined by what you do.Ben Horowitz's How to Create Your Business CultureWhy should you read?Ben Horowitz has always been interested in history, particularly how individuals behave in unexpected ways.
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