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Recommended reading, part 1 (books)
I meant to put this together closer to the new year, when everyone was making lists of everything, but never got around to it.
There is a lot of information available about how to design and build web sites and applications. These are my favorites — books that have had a profound impact on the way I work and think. Coming soon: Recommended reading, part 2 (weblogs).
If you can only buy one…
- Designing with Web Standards, by Jeffrey Zeldman. This famous orange book is like the Bible — a good reference, but also a satisfying cover-to-cover read. A perfect mix of theory and real-world examples not only shows you how, but tells you why. (Buy from Amazon)
References
These books live on my desk:
- Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide, by Eric Meyer. Definitive, indeed. Much easier to navigate than the official spec at W3.org, and a hell of a lot more convenient to have on your desk. (Buy from Amazon)
- Web Standards Solutions, by Dan Cederholm. Too useful to not own. Struggling with how to code a form, address, quotation… or anything? Look it up in the index, and I promise you’ll feel better. (Buy from Amazon)
- Defensive Design for the Web, by 37signals (Matthew Linderman and Jason Fried). Another hands-on guide, like Cederholm’s book, but much more focused. This is probably the definitive guide to designing sites that help users out of tough situations. (Buy from Amazon)
Theory, and other thought-benders
- Don’t make me think, by Steve Krug. This one is almost a reference (it has lots of helpful pictures), but I put in under “theory” because it talks primarily about point of view: How to approach design from a user perspective. This one is also good for sharing — I lend a copy to clients and co-workers. (Buy from Amazon)
- The Brand Gap, by Marty Neumeier. Yes, brands still matter. But flashing your logo all over the place just isn’t going to do it. This is a must read for designers, marketers, executives, and pretty much everyone else. (Buy from Amazon)
- Hackers & Painters, by Paul Graham. This collection of essays jumps around a lot, but mostly it’s about why nerds are special, how to make great things, and what the future of technology should look like. An incredibly enjoyable, and inspiring, read. (Buy from Amazon)
- Web ReDesign: Workflow that Works, by Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler. I usually avoid “one size fits all” solutions, but Goto and Cotler’s Core Process makes sense. This book provides time-tested advice about how to manage and direct web design projects from start to finish. (Buy from Amazon)