As some of you might of saw, I posted a template for sale... Well, my friend made it and does not have a WHT account... We're making templates together, and currently I'm just the spokesperson/PR, idea-guy (Ha!), layout designer, etc. and I'd like to do more - so my question is: What are some GOOD books on designing good looking sites in Photoshop? I have a "Photoshop 7 Down and Dirty Tricks" - but that doesn't suit me - I know most of the stuff in this book, and it doesn't tell me jack about designing good, easy to use, general-use templates (Although I can on paper, I draw a blank in PS).


So basically, if anyone knows of a good book on web-design (thats not out of date), please tell me.

why not check out some of the ps sites like teamphotoshop.com, phong.com, spoono.com. While these wont teach design, they do show off how easy it is to do some nice effects to aid in your design.

Originally posted by case
why not check out some of the ps sites like teamphotoshop.com, phong.com, spoono.com. While these wont teach design, they do show off how easy it is to do some nice effects to aid in your design.

Thanks but I already have a few things for that - What I need is structured design... I'll bookmark those sites, though (The book I listed is filled with tons of great looking things to do with step by step, it just doesn't put them all together in something organized that can pass off as a site)


Edit: I've been looking through amazon (Quite a task - over 15,000 books on web-design) and I was wondering if these two were worth buying?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/020172149X/ref=cm_wl_ovu-pg.1-pos.1/102-2671707-4116123?v=glance

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1581802366/ref=cm_wl_ovu-pg.1-pos.2/102-2671707-4116123?v=glance

The #1 sites on the Internet for web design. http://www.sitepoint.com and http://www.sitepointforums.com

Although learning to use the tools you have like photoshop are a great idea, remember they are only tools and a good design relies on more than just the tools that are used to achieve it.

I would recommend learning about colour theory, typography, design theory. If you go to amazon or google and search for those terms you'll find lots of books and information.

Regularly keep an eye on sites such as http://www.designiskinky.com , http://www.linkdup.com and http://www.k10k.net/ which will give you a wide selection of design styles and approaches to analyse and might spark of new ideas of your own.

When you find something you like, tear it to pieces and try to understand why it works, in particular in relation to the design theory you've been learning and over time you'll gain a greater undertanding of the medium and design itself.

Also hanging out on some design forums where there's a lot of pro designers where you can ask questions and keep an eye on the discussions will be helpful. http://www.were-here.com 's forum is mostly geared towards flash work but there's also a design theory forum in there you might find useful to find links to articles and information and just learn by reading what people are talking about.

I think you might find that process more useful than buying an off-the-shelf 'web design' book which is probably going to be quite formulaic in it's approach. General design theory books are probably a safer bet because they'll give you a firmer grounding in the theories themselves without being to web-centric.

Good luck!

Thanks! I have a lot of artistic ideas, just no real skills in any thing to pull those ideas out of my head.

I also found a few books on "Typography".

Edit: I know what typography is now :D Just don't know what you mean by theory books


Edit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0072224428/qid=1070132612/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/102-2671707-4116123?v=glance&s=books - Good? Theory book

I can't personally recommend that book because I haven't read it, but I guess it could be a good place to start as it seems to cover a little theory and focuses less on coding while also giving an overview of those issues aswell. The other people who have bought it seemed to find it useful so it will probably be helpful if you're just starting out.

What I mean about design theory are the theories behind design itself rather than the tools you use to achieve it, that will help you to understand colour, layout, form and function, typography etc. as opposed to something that's going to teach you how to code html, javascript etc. (while that's important too - there's plenty of that sort of information online for free and thousands of books that'll cover those subjects).

Many of the 'how to design websites' type books seem to concentrate a lot on technology and coding without covering even the basics of what makes a good layout, or why certain colours work well together for example. Knowing how to code html doesn't make you a designer, any more than owning a set of oil paints makes you van-gough - it's what you do with those tools that's important and I think some of those sorts of books miss that so I would bear that in mind when you're looking around. That book you point out doesn't look too bad. Although it doesn't appear to cover a lot of theory it does seem to at least touch on some important issues such as user interface design etc. which will be helpful.

Spend a little time searching through some of those links and you'll find recommendations as well as links to on-line resources where you can learn a lot for free. The theory section of the were-here forums would be a good place to start (just looked through it quickly myself and within a minute found: http://www.were-here.com/forum/tm.asp?m=1249888&p=7&tmode=1&smode=1 which seems to have a few recommendations in it for someone with a very similar request).

You might find design magazines helpful aswell (and perhaps a bit more inspiring than theory books). Most newsagents will stock them and there a few good monthly titles.

You'll also find a lot of good info for free on the web if you look around for a while. Here's a couple of places to get you started:

http://www.digital-web.com/resources/zines.shtml has links to some interesting places (which themselves link out all over the place)

http://www.creativebehavior.com/index.php (this site has some interesting theory on it - check the archive link at the top).

Check out your local library aswell (or sneak into your local college library where you'll be able to sit and read). Design books can be quite expensive so a visit to the library is worth a try. Check out your local book stores aswell. That way you'll be able to pick up and have a quick read of what you're buying to make sure it's what you want.

Good luck.

Just came across this site which seems to have a lot of design books, so thought I'd come back to post. Perhaps it might help a little.

http://www.gingkopress.com/index.htm

i hate reading, so i never buy books or download them heh, id recomend just joining a huge design community such as deviantart.com (i think there still around) and they can help you alot. If you ask nicely of course;)