Computers and the Internet

Creating Killer Web Sites, Second Edition
by David S. Siegel, David Seigel                     Buy This Book Now!

 

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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磎 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磎 bying it.... It磗 with a great sence of pleasure I can recommend it to others that are involved with webdesign. Buy it now, you won磘 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.