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Computers and the Internet
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Creating
Killer Web Sites, Second Edition
by David S. Siegel, David Seigel |
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2nd Edition
Paperback, 272 pages
Published by Hayden Books
Publication date: October 1997
Dimensions (in inches): 0.73 x 10.03 x 8.02
ISBN: 1568304331
Amazon.com:
David Siegel's classic guide to good taste in Web design has been completely overhauled in
this second edition. Every chapter has been reworked, repurposed, and rewritten with over
100 new pages and 150 new illustrations, new information on 4.0 browser design, and a
comprehensive guide to Style Sheet implementations for both Netscape Navigator and
Internet Explorer. Those who enjoyed Creating Killer Web Sites the first time
around will doubtlessly benefit from this new edition, which is meant as a continuation of
the first book rather than a simple update. At the same time, anyone who has never read
the first edition will be able to pick up this new edition without having missed a beat.
Siegel's accompanying Web site (www.killersites.com) contains supplemental information as
well as chapters from the first edition that didn't make the 2.0 cut.
More of a style guide than an HTML guide, Creating Killer Web
Sites is concerned with the building of Third-Generation sites, Web sites that are
conceived by design and not by technological ability. Siegel and his helpers at Studio
Verso overview a wide variety of topics, including a history of browsers, how to use
specific HTML tags, how to select software tools, and advice on pure aesthetic design.
Like the first edition, the second edition of the book contains an attractive design, a
graphic on every page, and screen shots of successful Web pages that will set any
designer's wheels in motion.
There is a great deal of information to absorb here and whether you
agree with all, some, or none of the advice, you'll still be left with plenty to think
about. If you're brand new to Web site creation, this is an excellent introduction to the
ideas involved with site design. However, because Creating Killer Web Sites is not
a tutorial or HTML reference, you will need to supplement it with one.
Book Description :
Master the art of third-generation site design.
Creating Killer Web Sites was the first true design book for
the web. It became the best-selling book on the Internet in 1996 and has been translated
into ten languages. It has taught an entire generation of site designers how to get
control over their pages. It shows, in practical terms, the fundamentals of design applied
to the web.
Now completely updated! Every chapter has new material!
In this expanded second edition, you'll find the techniques and
principles you need to build sites for today's 4.0 and the coming 5.0 browsers. Much of
the book has been re-written with new tips, new tools, updated html, and an emphasis on
cross-browser compatibility. There are three new chapters on strategies designers will
need to know going forward, including a detailed style-sheet tutorial.
Amazon.com Customer Comments
jwisner@msn.com from
Michigan , 05/04/98, rating=10:
This book is so good it will change your view of the world.
When I started reading this book I was a meer boy, but when I finished I was a man (in web
site design terms). This is the best book on web site DESIGN, by the best web site
DESIGNER in the world. A person can not just read this book, and then move on to something
else. It causes a profound change to occur that can best be described as spiritual. If you
read this book and do not become a better person, much less a designer, there is something
wrong with you and you should seek immediate medical attention. David Siegel is the Web
meisiah that web designers have been waiting for, and this book is his scripture! NO ONE
has lived untill they have read this book. The ABSOLUTE BEST!!!!!
insider@irbe.com from
Omaha, Nebraska , 04/30/98, rating=2:
Good name for the book which simply sucks.
I have heard a lot about this book. Anyway, I have not discovered anything new. Third
Generation of Web Sites? It's old, man!
Examples are lame - sometimes you have no idea what the author is
talking about, and the examples make it even more confusing.
Don't waste your time!
A reader from US ,
04/08/98, rating=1:
terrible
The book was pathetic and I agree with another's statement that it was an insult to my
desgin experience. Illustrations were lame and if I wanted an HTML book I would have
bought one.
A reader from Palo Alto
California , 04/01/98, rating=4:
Disappointing
I expected so much more from a book of this title. I wasn't impressed. I've been a highly
successful desgner for 12 years and this was what I might consider insulting to my
inteligence, and design sensibilities. Do we have to listen to David's crap to learn what
we need to know about site design?
Jonathan Bius
(jwbius@yahoo.com) from North Carolina, USA , 03/27/98, rating=10:
Killer Sites: Its about Web presence, not web pages.
Creating Killer Web Sites takes web page development outside of the HTML and puts it where
it belongs: Design. Any book can tell you about HTML. No other book around will give you
the wealth of knowledge on web site design that Killer Sites will.
It's not just a "read once book", it's a "read over and over and refer back
to it daily and don't let anyone touch your copy" kind of book.
apell@satellit.saffle.se
from Karlstad, Sweden , 03/20/98, rating=10:
Propably the best book yet on Webdesign...
I´m a 23 year old Swedish boy studying IT. I hope to work with Webdesign and I must say
that this book has given me alot of new ideas and approaches to the way of designing
Websites. I have borrowed the book, but now I´m bying it.... It´s with a great sence of
pleasure I can recommend it to others that are involved with webdesign. Buy it now, you
won´t regret it. To the author David Siegel: THANK YOU! You made my day!
eggdrop@digitalrow.com
from Houston, TX , 03/03/98, rating=9:
*the* book for Killer Site development.
If you don't already know HTML, this book isn't going to help you. But if you do, it's a
must-have. The best part for me was advice on rendering text in photoshop, along with good
explanations on how to get the most our of your image colors for web sites - a difficult
thing to do. Also of note is the advice the book gives on site construction. Instead of
the standard "here's my page with links" it suggests a different model, one that
when finished feels more deep and complete. Finally, from a creative standpoint, it really
gives some good ideas on what you can do on the web. If you are designing sites, my advice
to you is buy it.
A reader from NYC,USA ,
01/29/98, rating=2:
Is this about web design, David Seigels ego or VERSO?
All the hype is there, but this book isn't amazing above that. Most of the book seems
outdated since I've been using wisiwig editors and I do not subscribe to David's belief
system in site building. It's a great overview book on web site creation, but touches on
too many subjects and without going too deeply into any one of them. David goes into
things like PDF which not too many people need to really go into as a site or web
designer.
A reader from Muscat,
Sultanate of Oman , 01/24/98, rating=10:
AMAZING!!! and CLEAR.
This book is the one of the few books which I have ever read with straight foward easy
help. A Must have for all web site developers!
pjy@avana.net from
Atlanta, Ga , 01/13/98, rating=9:
An Excellent design book for programmers
This is an excellent book for people who come from a more structured background like
programming. This book has the details coders need to make serious sites. it has the tips
that makes some web pages better than others.
A reader from San
Francisco California , 01/02/98, rating=7:
Save your money if you have already purchased 1st edition!
Killer sites seccond edition is a sad excuse for a complete update and a hefty price tag.
I don't know if doing this book was David's idea or his greedy publisher at Hayden. I
never give out 10's. A book needs to be worth it's weight in gold a couple times over to
achieve a score such as that from me.
I think this book would have been good for my line of work hadn't I
purchased the first edition last year. In retrospect I would have questioned my purchase a
bit more. If you don't yet have this book I do recremend it as a book on site design.
Killer sites goes into a bit of David's own design philosophy and gives you points to
agree or disagree and make your own design decisions (however I mainly disagreed at
times).
Also recremended is Designing web graphics.2 by Lynda Weinman for a
detailed look into the making of web graphics.
rdesign@aol.com from San
Francisco , 12/15/97, rating=4:
Don't buy if you already have the first edition.
I bought this book for my design staff, as if they would be getting some great new
information that would advance me as a graphic designer in the world of web graphics, but
I found it to be the same matterial regurgitated with a couple of new images swaped out as
examples. I expected far much more than what I got. In fact I was shocked to find that I
actualy liked the first edition better.
dlenef@enteract.com from
Chicago IL , 12/10/97, rating=9:
An Architectural Perspective on Web Site Design
Having read the author's first edition (and loving it), I didn't hesitate to risk $$ on
what could have been a minor update. I wasn't disappointed.
David Siegel views web development and design with with an architect's vision. This is a
rich exploration of layout tips, structure and navigation planning, human interface
considerations, and graphic design guidelines. All the while, he keeps the user experience
front and center. It's as if Siegel was showing the reader how to design a building
optimized for the comfort and usability of its inhabitants.
Every once in a while, a bit of the old Siegel ego creeps out (e.g. touting the fonts he
created). But that's a small annoyance for such an inspirational, easy-reading book.
Yeah, I still had to go back to the sites I manage and crunch out updates, with little
time to tune everything to perfection. But the principles learned will surely manifest in
my work over time, leading to a higher level of quality and customer satisfaction.
Highly recommended!
bdelong@clearwater.net
from San Francisco, CA & Orofino, ID , 11/23/97, rating=10:
A great guide for anyone designing WebSites.
This 2nd edition builds extensively on the tips Dave Siegel presented in the 1st edition
of Creating Killer Web Sites. The 1st edition inspired me to learn to hand code HTML (not
hard with Laura Lamay's book on HTML), acquire Adobe Photoshop and get on the Web. Dave's
tips on single-pixel gifs, the use of tables for spatial control of your design, and now
non-breaking spaces are worth the price of the book even if he didn't include
state-of-the-art advice on design, typography, image manipulation, and getting around
browser limitations. The book itself is a 3rd generation work-of-art. Reading it is an
esthetic experience in itself. I used Dave's advice extensively in creating my WebSite to
sell a book I wrote on off-road driving (www.4x4road.com). I'm a neurosurgeon, not a
graphic designer, and I don't pretend to have broken the 3rd generation barrier with my
own Site, but I'm a lot closer than I would have been without the help of Dave's book.
It's a must read not only for anyone designing their own site, but also for anyone who's
communicating with a designer for the creation of a WebSite. Dr. Brad DeLong, San
Francisco.
kti@earthlink.net from
San Francisco, CA , 11/18/97, rating=4:
Killer Web Sites is generally good but needs more detail
Siegel's Killer Web Sites is generally a good book but really talks more about an attitude
toward the web rather than dealing with what the web tries to offer, content. A third
generation site is a good idea but Siegel tries too hard to make the argument that a third
gen. site is the best way to approach web site design. You really need to get over
Siegel's ego to enjoy this book. Sure, he has his following and there are many good points
in his book. I trust that you will come away with some fresh ideas, however, I hope this
is truely the last from Siegel on this subject.
scott@scottdallas.com
from Dallas, Texas , 11/06/97, rating=9:
Worth buying even if you read the first edition
Dave Siegel's rewrite of his classic "Creating Killer Web Sites" contains enough
new information to be worth buying even if you read the first edition. Besides bringing us
up to date on current and future developments such as Cascading Style Sheets and new
graphics formats, Dave admits to having found better ways of doing several things since
the first edition, and he shares his new knowledge with us. For example, the inventor of
the "single-pixel GIF" now feels that it is generally more effective to use
nonbreaking spaces to control layout, and he shows us how.
My only caveat would be that this is not a book for someone who has
no experience with HTML, as Dave himself points out. Also, his sections on graphic design
and layout assume that everyone has access to Photoshop version 4.0.1. For those of us
stuck with Microsoft Image Composer or Paint Shop Pro, some of the information will not be
useful. But all in all, the book is well worth the money. (I stayed up all night reading
it!)
jjblack@infohiway.com
from Denver, Colorado , 11/01/97, rating=10:
Perfect wedding of aesthetics and technology for developers
One great gauge of a technical books usefulness is if it grabs you with techniques and
examples which lead you to say "I (or we) need to do that!" several times.
Reading Creating Killer Web Sites was like that. I found myself constantly thinking of
applications for our own web publications and saying just that. Creating Killer Web Sites
(2nd edition) is stimulating and chock full of great ideas for web design. It is concerned
with the building of what the author calls "Third-Generation sites". These are
web sites that are conceived by design and not just by technological ability. The book is
my first introduction to actual design issues on the web. Most of the time I have, I admit
it, focused on the technical issues of what can be done rather than how it looks. This is
probably a common error to all start up's. However "Third-generation" web
developers have evolved beyond technical issues to a wedding of the technology and
aesthetics which are peculiar to the World Wide Web. A balance of functionally and design.
It would have been quite unsatisfying for the focus be just on ascetics. Developers need
actual how to's. The book satisfies by providing plenty of roll up your sleeves, lets get
to work technical issues as well. The nitty gritty how to use specific HTML tags, how to
select software tools, the latest on CSS, and covers the issues involved with color
reduction giving concrete examples on how to deal with them. If you use photoshop you will
feel right at home here as many of his examples show you how to optimize your work flow.
You'll also find techniques and principles which you will need to build sites for today's
4.0 and the coming 5.0 browsers. The book also provides real perspective when it comes to
the subject of cross-browser compatibility - which is always a topic on our Cut and Paste
JavaScript. While I found myself disagreeing with some "pronouncements" on what
makes good design I nevertheless highly recommend the book for web veterans and new
developers alike. Jeremy J. Black Infohiway Cut and Paste JavaScript Reviews
flach@premier.net from
Baton Rouge, LA, US , 10/14/97, rating=10:
Aims it's sights high, and no one else comes close!
I purchased Creating Killer Web Sites, as a fluke really. "I need a book on making
web pages." "I need to get a book that's going to make my page really
great." "Hey, this one has a 'neat' cover." That's how it came about. Of
course, I didn't think to look between the covers until after it was paid for. On the way
to the car, I was stunned. "Not a single bit of HTML code! Who does this Siegel guy
think he is, anyway?!" I didn't have time to return it. I was running late for work.
During lunch I decided to skim through the book, just to make sure there was nothing
usefull in it before I returned it. I've read it twice since then and haven't even thought
about bringing it back. Best Site design book I've read yet. Keep up the great work Dave!
AlexMoldov@aol.com from
New York, USA , 10/03/97, rating=10:
Excellent book on web site design
Before you design a single web page, read this book! Web site design is more than HTML
scripting. It is important to consider the aesthetics of a site as well as its
functionality. David Siegel's book is the best on the subject.
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