Presents advice for designing web sites, discussing how to plan web projects, organize information in a meaningful way, optimize content, and use analytics to measure performance and customer satisfaction.

The design profession has been asking itself some important questions lately. How do designers deal with the increasing complexity of design problems? What skills do designers need to be competitive in the future? How do designers become co-creators with clients and audiences? How do designers prove their value to business? Designers are looking for ways to stay competitive in the conceptual economy and address the increasing complexity of design problems. By adopting a process that considers collaboration, context and accountability, designers move from 'makers of things' to 'design strategists.' The Strategic Designer shows designers how to build strong client relationships, elevate their standing with clients, increase project success rates, boost efficiency and enhance their creativity.

In the world of web design, if one wants to create a successful web site, one needs an effective content strategy. Return on Engagement shows web designers and developers how to implement an effective content strategy and how to stay ahead in the rapidly changing industry of web design. It presents best practices in terms of web design through a marketing function: content strategy, SEO, social media marketing, and success measurement to help web designers implement a strategy that ensures success for the site they are building. Return on Engagement shows web designers and developers how to not just design an aesthetically pleasing, functional website. This book shows those professionals how to implement marketing strategies and analysis into their website, thus ensuring its success. Nearly 3 years since the previous edition published, new best practices have been formed. Tools in which web developers use to analyze website metrics have advanced. New social media networks and communities have cropped up. New research in how audiences read and receive content has been done, subsequently refining best digital marketing practices. Return on Engagement features a step-by-step breakdown of how to use new tools, techniques, and technologies. The new edition also includes updated case studies of industry leaders who implement best practices on projects. Return on Engagement also features a regularly updated companion site that offers readers sample content, easy sharing tools, and web-based resources to help measure marketing viability of web properties.

This book teaches you all you need to know to create effective web sites for businesses of all sizes. It’s packed with useful tips and practical examples. First you are taken through the planning stage, including overall site structure, grouping content, using content and language effectively, and planning for accessibility. Next, you are shown how to effectively design the different parts of your site as well as how to add specialized improvements, including feedback forms and search functionality. The examples focus largely on CSS and HTML, but the principles are applicable to any site and some useful Flash examples are also provided.

Building an elegant, functional website requires more than just knowing how to code. In Adaptive Web Design, Second Edition, you’ll learn how to use progressive enhancement to build websites that work anywhere, won’t break, are accessible by anyone—on any device—and are designed to work well into the future. This new edition of Adaptive Web Design frames even more of the web design process in the lens of progressive enhancement. You will learn how content strategy, UX, HTML, CSS, responsive web design, JavaScript, server-side programming, and performance optimization all come together in the service of users on whatever device they happen to use to access the web. Understanding progressive enhancement will make you a better web professional, whether you’re a content strategist, information architect, UX designer, visual designer, front-end developer, back-end developer, or project manager. It will enable you to visualize experience as a continuum and craft interfaces that are capable of reaching more users while simultaneously costing less money to develop. When you’ve mastered the tenets and concepts of this book, you will see the web in a whole new way and gain web design superpowers that will make you invaluable to your employer, clients, and the web as a whole. Visit http://adaptivewebdesign.info to learn more.

Expand your strategic capabilities and technological understanding! Your clients are looking for an expert--someone who understands rapidly changing technology and can provide strategic insight into their web projects from inception and development to launch and beyond. Are you that person? Today, designers are expected to provide a level of web expertise that extends far beyond just good design. The Strategic Web Designer provides you with a foundation that will allow you to keep your bearings in an industry filled with constant technological change. You'll learn to: Plan web projects Organize information in ways that make sense Understand analytics Optimize content for search engines and mobile technology And more! More than a book about building websites, The Strategic Web Designer is your guide to thinking about the web in a strategic and comprehensive manner. Be more than just a web designer--take charge of your web projects and make yourself invaluable to clients.

Graphics are key to the user experience of online content, especially now that users are accessing that content on a multitude of devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. This book provides foundational methodology for optimal use of graphics that begins with HTML and CSS, and delves into the worlds of typography, color, transparency, accessibility, imagery, and layout for optimal delivery on all the different devices people use today. It serves beginners and intermediate web builders alike with a complete foundation needed to create successful illustrative and navigational imagery for web and mobile. Coverage includes: lessons on typography, icons, color, and images the latest information on HTML5, CSS3, and other modern technologies in-depth exploration of image formats: GIF, PNG, JPEG, and SVG ways to employ adaptive strategies for responsive web design

Break out of the cubicle and gain the business savvy you need to launch your own freelance web design business with Starting Your Career as a Freelance Web Designer! Written by seasoned pro Neil Tortorella, this book guides web designers step-by-step down the path to success and helps them avoid common pitfalls. Jam-packed with practical know-how, this book also contains the wisdom and advice of noted industry authorities and business leaders. Readers will learn how to draft a solid business plan, negotiate contracts, manage time and money, deal with taxes, manage projects and clients, determine rates, and create winning proposals.

FROM CONSTANT CRISIS TO SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS BETTER CONTENT MEANS BETTER BUSINESS. Your content is a mess: the website redesigns didn’t help, and the new CMS just made things worse. Or, maybe your content is full of potential: you know new revenue and cost-savings opportunities exist, but you’re not sure where to start. How can you realize the value of content while planning for its long-term success? For organizations all over the world, Content Strategy for the Web is the go-to content strategy handbook. Read it to: Understand content strategy and its business value Discover the processes and people behind a successful content strategy Make smarter, achievable decisions about what content to create and how Find out how to build a business case for content strategy With all-new chapters, updated material, case studies, and more, the second edition of Content Strategy for the Web is an essential guide for anyone who works with content.

These eBooks are the long-awaited digital version of our bestselling printed book about best practices in modern Web design. They share valuable practical insight into design, usability and coding, provide professional advice for designing mobile applications and building successful e-commerce websites, and explain common coding mistakes and how to avoid them. You'll explore the principles of professional design thinking and graphic design and learn how to apply psychology and game theory to create engaging user experiences.