What Are The Best Website Design Books for Beginners?

Posted on February 8, 2023 | Updated on June 26, 2023

Whether switching a career or adding a new skill to your portfolio, the best places to learn web design include books. While there are various other ways to soak in information, textbooks are full of everything you need to know about website design.

And since web design is complex, you can always use books to refer back to you while you navigate through the process. To help you perfect your craft, you can start reading the top website design books for beginners below.

Web Design All-in-One for Dummies

Web Design All-in-One for Dummies is an excellent guide for beginners. When learning about web design, the last thing you need is a book full of industry jargon. You need one that you can fully understand. 

This web design book covers topics from building a site to launching it. It also includes tips on using the latest tools and standards, like HTM5 and CSS3.

It would help if you had this book because it’s like five books in one — Getting Started, Designing for the Web, Building the Site, Standards and Testing and Publishing and Site Maintenance.

It also covers topics like content creation, leveraging storyboards and honing in on your audience.

When you need hand-holding through web design, this book offers you a firm grip indefinitely.

Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Kruig was first published in 2000. Now, it’s on its third edition and has taught thousands of people about website usability.

This in-depth guide teaches you how to create usable websites and make them accessible. If you’ve ever wondered why users leave the site immediately, it’s because of usability issues. 

The author helps you understand these issues and how to tackle them. However, many readers adore this guide as it uses witty language. Plus, it allows designers to learn how to deal with difficult clients and employers.

Learning Web Design

Learning Web Design is one the best website design books for beginners because it teaches those without prior experience. It’s a beginner-friendly guide that teaches how web and site pages work. Then, you learn how to build simple sites.

You’ll also discover that each chapter ends with exercises for you to try. It also provides short quizzes to test your knowledge and ensure you understand the concepts.

Learning Web Design uses clear language, so you know to use HTML, CSS and Javascript. Plus, its latest version includes updates like familiarizing you with Git, the command line and other tools. There’s also text involving responsive web design and making web pages look professional.  

Creating a Website: The Missing Manual

If you’re ready to start building a credible-looking website, look no further than Creating a Website. This book includes detailed instructions and profound advice on how to build a website using tools like Javascript, CSS and Google’s Blogger. You’ll also learn the basics of HTML5 and how to get it up and running by choosing the right web hosting provider.

Whether you need to build a blog or sell products, Creating a Website is jargon-free and gets you set up in no time. Keep in mind that the book is about 600 pages long, so there is a lot to learn. 

But once you finish the book, it will be worth it in the end. Plus, it will be handy whenever you need to remember how to design certain aspects of your website.

Designing With the Mind in Mind

It’s not enough to understand the technical side of website design. At times, you’ll need some background knowledge in psychology to understand users and what makes them tick.

You can learn how to implement UI guidelines better by understanding user behavior. Designing with the Mind in Mind gives designers more insight by combining UI design principles and cognitive psychology.

Furthermore, you’ll learn how to apply design rules and when. If you’re searching for a web design book with an enlightening perspective, consider getting your hands on this one.

Build Your Own Website the Right Way Using HTML & CSS

Build Your Own Website the Right Way Using HTML & CSS teaches you how to develop a website from scratch. This book is great for beginner web designers who have yet to gain knowledge of HTML, CSS and web development. 

Before purchasing this one, be sure to grab the third edition — as it includes extra tips and strategies that are on trend. This book comes highly recommended by leading designers and developers. In it, you’ll learn the basics of web design — in addition to tracking your visitors, using diagnostic and debugging tools and reaching an audience on social media. 

HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites

HTML and CSS give readers a kickstart to the basics of website development and design. It is a great book for beginners at coding or wanting to make their site look better.

Various books that teach HTML and CSS are typically dry. However, this website design book introduces the topics in a way everyone can understand. 

Additionally, you’ll find the information is easier to retain since it includes infographics and engaging imagery. You can also dive into the middle of the book or read it from beginning to end — whichever you prefer.

If you’re ready to dive right into web design, this guide will help you tackle the basics and complexities of coding. 

CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions

If you want to learn the fundamentals of CSS, this book is for you. It’s an indispensable guide that teaches you the master different techniques with the latest tips and tricks. It will also break down CSS for you and teach you the structure and maintenance of coding. 

CSS Mastery even gives you info about how it works with step-by-step tutorials. The book also covers many of the infuriating things about web design, including bugs and inconsistencies. 

Therefore, you get two chapters filled with CSS hacks, bug fixes, filters and more. While it teaches you everything you need to know about CSS — it also lets you put things into practice. 

Responsive Web Design With HTML5 and CSS

Responsive Web Design with HTML5 and CSS by Ben Frain is one of the best website design books for beginners. It’s the ultimate guide to developing responsive websites alongside future-proofing them. 

In this book, you’ll understand the meaning of responsive web design and its significance in the modern web development world. In addition, you’ll learn the approaches to building real websites. Plus, you receive downloadable examples for every chapter.

The author’s style is easy to follow and covers all the latest developments in responsive web design. By the end of this book, you will have a complete understanding of responsive website design and knowledge of how to implement each technique.

Learn the Basics With the Best Website Design Books for Beginners

It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or an expert. These website design books for beginners are great for learning the latest in the field — especially regarding technology. So if you ever need inspiration and informative tips on designing a website, consider one of these books.

They’re guaranteed to help you get started in every aspect of website design.

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