Designing Web Graphics 3
by Lynda Weinman

Publisher:  New Riders Publishing
ISBN:  1562059491

Designing Web Graphics 3 turned out to be not quite what I was expecting. I was expecting a guide book with lessons on how to make the types of images you see on the Web. What it turned out to be was more of a behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes into putting graphic images on the Web.

That's not to say there weren't any how-to lessons; they are there, sprinkled all throughout the book. But this is book is more of the meat and potatoes of designing web graphics, rather than the garnish. What I mean is that before you can learn the "how" of creating web graphics, it's important to learn and understand the "why". That's what this book does, and it does a very good job of it. It's a lot of ground to cover and in some areas I felt that there should have been more information. However, Lynda Weinman does an excellent job of covering the basics and beyond. Where there is a need for additional information, she has included references to several Web sites for more exploration. Although detailed information may be a little light in some areas, the sheer breadth of topics covered in this book are much more than you would expect.

It covers the basics: getting started and strategy, file formats, bandwidth issues, browser safe color, transparency, and animation. She also shows you techniques for creating specific types of images such as buttons, rules, bullets, seamless background tiles, and imagemaps. The emphasis is on the technique rather than a specific software program, but for the most part, the examples use Photoshop, ImageReady, and Fireworks. You'll also find some Dreamweaver tips, as well as chapters on Flash, Shockwave, and QuickTime. Other topics include choosing an HTML editor, typography on the Web, Javascript rollovers and other effects. In fact, it's quite an extensive HTML reference covering basic HTML, color tags, tables, frames, cascading style sheets, and Dynamic HTML.

The back of the book contains a thorough HTML reference, listings of Web graphics resources such as design conferences, digital art programs, URLs for helpful Web sites, galleries, and related magazines. There's also a complete glossary of graphics and Web terminology and an index. The thing that most surprised me about this book was how much of it was HTML rather than graphics oriented.

It's a little more expensive than most of the graphics and graphics software related books I've read, but once you open it up you can understand why: full-color, glossy pages, lots and lots of screen shots, and easy-to-read text in an appealing layout. A brief introduction and a bulleted list of topics precede each chapter so you can see at a glance if it covers what you're looking for. Following each chapter is a summary of the key points covered in that chapter.

Designing Web Graphics 3 is an excellent reference and I highly recommend it, especially if you're just starting out in the area of Web design. It's apparent that the author is an instructor; she writes in a clear, casual style that is easy-to-follow. If you're looking for a step-by-step how-to tutorial type book, this isn't it, but it's nonetheless a very worthwhile addition to your graphics and Web design library.

Sue Chastain, your Guide for Graphics Software