Professional Web Design

Chapter 1: Harsh Truths about Corporate Websites. You Need a Separate Web Division. Managing Your Website Is a Full-Time Job. Periodic Redesign Is Not Enough. Your Website Cannot Appeal to Everyone. You Are Wasting Money on Social Networking. Your Website Is Not All about You. You're Not Getting Value from Your Web Team. Design by Committee Brings Death. A CMS Is Not a Silver Bullet. You Have Too Much Content. Conclusions. Chapter 2: Portfolio Design Study: Design Patterns and Current Practices. Light vs. Dark Design. How Many Columns? Introductory Block on Top? Layout Alignment. Navigation Alignment. Search Box Design. Flash Elements. Where to Put Contact Information? "About Us" Page. Client Page. Services Page. Portfolio Page. Workflow Page. Contact Page. Specials and Extras. Other Findings. Summary. Chapter 3: Creating a Successful Online Portfolio. Pitfall #1: Obfuscating. Pitfall #2: Cramming Information. Pitfall #3: Overdoing It. Pitfall #4: Unusual Navigation. Pitfall #5: Visual Clutter. Principles of Effective Portfolio Design. Define Your Criteria and Strategies for Success. Consider Multiple Portfolios. Target Your Market. Prioritize Usability. Use the Right Technology. Plan the Project. Limit the Scope and Type of Work You Promote. Provide Adequate Contact Information, Documentation, and Explanations. Present Your Work in the Context of Your Goals. Infuse Your Personality in the Design. Promote and Leverage Your Work. Develop Long-Term Goals. Chapter 4: Better User Experience with Storytelling. It Begins with a Story. Revealing the Design in Stories. The Power of Emotion. The Basics of Storytelling for User Experience. Bringing Teams Together. Pursuing a User-Centered Goal. Defining the User. The Benefits. Happily Ever After: The Reality. A Few Modern-Day Storytellers. Dorelle Rabinowitz. Curt Cloninger. Christian Saylor. Cindy Chastain. The Storytelling Experiences Around Us. In Packaging: Apple. In Marketing: Six Scents Perfume. In Architecture: HBO Store. In Data: Taxi 07: Roads Forward. The End Is the Beginning of This Story. Chapter 5: Designing User Interfaces for Business Web Applications. Websites vs. Web Applications. Different Types of Web Applications. First, Know Your Users. How to Identify Users. Design Process. Sketching. Prototyping. Testing. Design Principles. No One Likes Surprises. Users Should Be Able to Be Efficient. Help! Can't Get No Satisfaction. Essential Components of Web Applications. Web Forms. Master-Detail Views. Dashboards. Heavy Use of Tables. Reports. Don't Forget UI Design Patterns. Case Study: Online Banking Application. Final Thoughts. Chapter 6: Progressive Enhancement and Standards Do Not Limit Web Design. Shiny New Technologies vs. Outdated Best Practices. The Mess That Is the Web. Creating Celebrities and a Place We Wish We Were At. Hollywood and Advertising Teach Us Nothing. The Myth of Innovating Exclusively Through Technology. Innovation Isn't about New Toys. The Corporate Spin on Innovation, and Its Consequences. The Stockholm Syndrome of Bad Interfaces. This Is Not about Technology or Design. Where Is the Beauty of the Web? To Recap: Our Issues. Why Standards Matter, and What "Following Standards" Means. Progressive Enhancement Works. Best Practices Come from Application and Iterative Improvement. Together We Can Do This. Chapter 7: Color Th eory for Professional Designers. Warm Colors. Red (Primary Color). Orange (Secondary Color). Yellow (Primary Color). Cool Colors. Green (Secondary Color). Blue (Primary Color). Purple (Secondary Color). Neutrals. Black. White. Gray. Brown. Beige and Tan. Cream and Ivory. In Brief. Traditional Color Scheme Types. Monochromatic. Analogous. Complementary. Split Complementary. Triadic. Double-Complementary (Tetradic). Custom. Creating a Color Scheme. Why Shades, Tones, and Tints Are Important. Adding in Neutrals. Th e Easiest Color Schemes. How Many Colors? Conclusion. Chapter 8: Is John the Client Dense, or Are You Failing Him? Explain Why You Are Asking about Money. Justify Your Recommendations in Language John Can Understand. Include John in the Process. Educate John about Design. Communicate with John Regularly. Explain John's Ongoing Role. The Moral of the Story. Chapter 9: How to Identify and Deal with Diff erent Types of Clients. The Passive-Aggressive Client. Identifying Characteristics. How to Deal with It. The Family Friend. Identifying Characteristics. How to Deal with It. The Under-Valuer. Identifying Characteristics. How to Deal with It. The Nit-Picker. Identifying Characteristics. How to Deal with It. The Scornful Saver. Identifying Characteristics. How to Deal with It. The "I-Could-Do-Th is-Myself "-er. Identifying Characteristics. How to Deal with It. The Control Freak. Identifying Characteristics. How to Deal with It. The Dream Client. Identifying Characteristics. How to Deal with It. Wrap-up. Chapter 10: How to Respond Effectively to Design Criticism. Have the Right Attitude. Clarify the Objective. Check Your First Reaction. Separate the Wheat from the Chaff. Learn from It. Look for a New Idea. Dig Deeper When Necessary. Thank the Critic. Chapter 11: Web Designer's Guide to Professional Networking. Why Network? Referrals. Collaboration. Problem-Solving. Future Opportunities. Help Others. Friendships. Networking Tips for Designers. Be Accessible. Seek Mutual Benefit. Blog. Focus on Depth of Relationships. Be Proactive. Know What You're Looking For. Know What You Have to Offer. Network Indirectly. Don't Wait Until You Need Something. Help Whenever Possible. Don't "Use" People. Don't Let Networking Hurt Your Productivity. Don't Evaluate People Too Quickly. Don't Try to Be Everywhere Online. Attend Events. Pay Attention to Local Opportunities. Chapter 12: Group Interview: Expert Advice For Students and Young Web Designers. his