Summary: A decent, but relatively shallow, introduction to design for the web.
Exploring Web Design claims to be “not so much a ‘how to’ book, as a ‘why’ book”, and I wish that it were so. The book is obviously aimed at the undergraduate market (it has “review questions” at the end of each chapter), and it does not expect any particular technical or artistic prior knowledge.
The book is divided into logical chapters that cover the primary day-to-day issues that a web designer must grapple with. Topics like color theory, typography, and layout are prominent in the beginning, with sections on ‘creative process’ and portfolio development in the back of the book. Each topic is addressed in a straightforward manner, with important information highlighted and key industry terms introduced and explained at an appropriate level.
Parts of Exploring Web Design are printed in full color, which makes some of the screenshots look fabulous. I say some, because only parts of the book are in color - the text switches between white glossy paper and slightly yellow, matte paper with no rhyme or reason. For example, all of chapter two and the first half of chapter three are on the matte paper in black-and-white ink, while the last half of chaper three is on glossy paper, but with black-and-white images, and the beginning of chapter four is on the glossy paper with some color illustrations, but they don’t support the text. This is an obvious attempt by the publisher to ‘cheap out’ on the cost of producing the book. It’s unfortunate, and rather tactilely jarring.
The authors are clearly practitioners and not professional writers. While the topics are appropriate and the information is relevant and correct, the writing is a bit stilted, and more conversational than referential.
The book claims to be about the ‘why’ of design, but falls far short of comprehensive. I find the content frustrating - the authors are experts in the field, and yet limit their explanations to a level appropriate for a raw beginner. Even worse is the feeling that the authors believe the book is comprehensive. There is no list of resources for further reading, no sidebars to explore subtopics in more depth, and the reader is left with the idea that they now know everything necessary to be a professional web designer - and it isn’t much.
My experience: I am evaluating this text for an introductory web development class.