REVIEW: Web Design — A Beginner's Guide - by Wendy Willard - Review

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I've reviewed more books than I can count on web design for beginners and this latest one is no better and no worse than all the others.

I could quite easily guess all the chapters and content without having to read a single page. Every one of these types of guides begins with the annoying predictable and obvious 'What is the WWW?' or 'What is the difference between the WWW and the Internet?'. The sections are just not needed. Anyone who is going into web design - even if they are just beginners - will already know the answers to those questions and will get annoyed at their being included, quite possibly putting them off reading it.

Like all the others it progresses as the reader does, beginning with help on the terms and jargon and things such as the differences between the browsers and then goes on to chapters like 'Preparing content for the Web'. The more complex things such as 'Interactive Elements' are covered later. But there is nothing in this book that hasn't been covered a million times by a million others.

The book does have some things going for it though. There are useful hints and tips boxes which highlight the more important parts of the text and there are also a good few sample screens and illustrations. Also included at the end of each chapter is a 'Master Check' which asks the reader questions so they can see if they have absorbed the chapter properly.

The author, though he keeps the jargon to a minimum, does not help the accessibility of the information with her style. It's very cold and, even though it is meant to be a textbook, I have read similar that benefited greatly from making their books lighter in tone. It keeps the reader interested even when the content isn't.

The contents and index section are amply sized so things are easy to find but I would have liked to have seen a good glossary section included at the back.

CONCLUSION:A very run-of-the-mill book that has nothing to make it stand out from a very over-crowded market. To be honest I would recommended that readers look elsewhere on the shelf.

Title: Web Design -- A Beginner's Guide Author: Wendy Willard Published by: Osborne ISBN: 0-07-213390-2 Price: GBP21.99 Reviewer: Justin Doherty