Book Review
Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites

I remember my first Macintosh--a 512K with internal disk drive. One of the joys of this early computer was loading dozens of fonts into the system for utilization in word processing documents. I'd churn out writings with five, six, or more different font types. Cool...for about five minutes when I realized how unreadable the printout was to the eye. I soon winnowed my font usage to a precious few--one, maybe two, per page.

Web sites remind me of those nascent Macintosh days. Too often designers go in for overkill--with graphics, sound and video--while ignoring basic design principles. According to Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton, authors of Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites, "Success in Web design goes beyond technology and fashion." They explain "To create Web sites that endure you need only to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively to your readers."

Fortunately, Lynch and Horton have followed their own advice and produced a highly readable guide to Web layout. The book overflows with innumerable examples and basic design tenets that prove beneficial for either newbie or trained expert alike. For inexpert student affairs administrators, who have been handed the task of developing a divisional Web presence, the book will prove to be invaluable.

Before the authors even begin talking about site design (chapter 3) or page design (chapter 4), they have the reader think about such basic, yet critical, questions as: What are the goals and objectives of the Web site? Who is the audience you are trying to reach? Who will function as Webmaster to keep the site current? Too often Web pages are thrown together with very little forethought to these crucial queries. The results cause confusion and frustration among browsers seeking information or guidance.

The basic interface and navigation of the site is another area that must be examined beforehand.

Throughout the book the authors effectively incorporate easy-to-understand charts and screen prints of Web pages to augment their text. No point is too small to escape their attention. For example, they berate designers that leave off basic contact information, which is something that has always confounded me. Don't designers, especially of college and university Web sites, think browsers may want to pick up a phone to call? Might need to actually know someone's name? Their e-mail address? Accessing directory information at institutional sites is sometimes like an archeological dig--painstakingly slow with only a thought of possible rewards at the end.

Beginning with chapter 4, "Page Design," Lynch and Horton move into the realm of the "visual hierarchy" in web design. They discuss how "graphic design is visual information management, using the tools of layout, typography, and illustration to lead the reader's eye through the page." The authors expand upon this statement by zeroing in on such topics as consistency in design, page length, design grids and general design considerations. Again, a generous overabundance of helpful diagrams and pictures visually complement the text.

The same is true with their presentation on typography, which was interesting, not only because of their simple, straightforward guidelines, but because of the wealth of information on the subject.

To an extent, the same is true with their discussion on writing for a web page, probably the least thought through component of a web design. Again, more than sufficient information is put forth on the organization of prose; titles and headers, "the fundamental human interface device in Web pages;" text formatting; and, especially, on the use and overuse of links.

Towards the end of the book there are sections devoted to "Characteristics of Web Graphics" and "Applications for Multimedia." While well-written and providing enlightening details on these topics, the information is geared beyond the scope of the novice designer.

The Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites, by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton, is a book to be read and studied by anyone looking to design a Web site. For student affairs professionals, who generally outsource Web design to computer center personnel or students-for-hire, the information provided within the book's pages can begin the transfer of control back to their hands.