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John Tollett, Robin Williams, and David Rohr. 2002. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press. (ISBN 0-201-74867-3. 372 pages, including index. $39.99 USD (softcover)].
Ive been a fan of Robin Williams' work since I first read her simple, common-sense design principles years ago in The non-designers design book (Peachpit Press, 1994; reviewed in the August 1995 issue of Technical communication), which remains a favorite among my visual communication students. In the intervening years, Williams has continued to write books that educate and amuse while conveying what good design is and how to achieve it.
Although her Non-designer's books are aimed at people with little or no previous experience, Robin Williams Web design workshop is not intended for novice Web designers. The audience, according to the introduction, is the "working or aspiring web designer," who "already knows the basics" (p. x). The authors refer beginners to Williams and Tollett's previous book, The non-designer's Web book (Peachpit Press, 2000; reviewed in the November 2001 issue of Technical communication), so that they can shift the emphasis in this book to helping those who want to become better at what they already do.
Throughout the book, subjective issues are emphasized. The authors delineate principles for choosing among several alternative designs, for example, or strategies for working effectively with clients. They talk about how to explain the complexity of Web design to people who think it's a piece of cake, how to behave ethically as a Web designer, and how to situate your Web design skills in a world in which the roles of designer and technician have blurred. The book is also filled with clear and succinct mini-lessons that demonstrate how a particular effect is achieved with popular Web design software such as PhotoShop, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, and ImageReady. In a nutshell, the authors both share their expertise with us in a pragmatic, respectful way, and also deliver Web design advice in a manner that helps us to consider whether it applies to our own...