Son of Web Pages That Suck: Learn Good Design by Looking at Bad Design

by Joyce J Evans

I read this book cover to cover at one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I love to be entertained while I learn. Vincent gets his point accross using humor and examples. It takes a very secure man to pose for some of those photos!

This book isn't about how to code your pages but its about what makes good design. You'll find tons of excellent tips. What I particularly like is the fact that he doesn't "condem" certain designs because they break the rules. He points out that there are times and circumstances that make all the rules null and void.

You'll learn about "mystery meat", you know, those links that you have to mouse over before you know what the heck they are. Another element new to this version of the book is the 2 minute Offense. You look at a design for 2 minutes and see if you can identify what's wrong with it. Of course Vincent will break it down and tell you. After you do a few of these you'll begin to pick out more and more of the design flaws.

There are section for "Sucks A Lot" where specific issues are discussed and then for "Sucks Not". Each chapter is summed up with a "What Did We Learn In This Chapter" for quick review.

I highly recommend this book to beginning designers as well as for seasoned designers who may need a refresher on good design. If you use time wasting splash pages you definitely need this book! There are a couple of examples in the book where there are up to 3 splash pages before you ever enter the site.

Son of Web Pages That Suck: Learning Good Design by Looking at Bad Design
Vincent Flanders, Dean Peters
Sybex
ISBN: 0782140203