Smashing Magazine has just released their third Smashing Book, Smashing Book #3: Redesign the Web, featuring all-new content for web designers and developers.
This book differs from the previous two books in that it has a distinct theme throughout: redesigning websites.
It starts out with the business side of redesigns, and then progresses to the technical aspects, including chapters on CSS3, HTML5, and JavaScript, as well as mobile design.
Contributors to this edition include Elliot Jay Stocks, Paul Boag, Rachel Andrew, Aaron Walter, Ben Schwarz, Lea Verou, David Storey, Christian Heilmann, Dmitry Fadeyev, Marc Edwards, Aral Balkan, Stephen Hay, and Andy Clark.
The first chapter, The Business Side of Redesign, written by Paul Boag and reviewed by Collis Ta’eed, talks about all the “boring” aspect of a redesign. Things like determining if a redesign is even appropriate, the process of a redesign, and the importance of testing and future-proofing your designs. The section covering Why Complete Redesigns are Wasteful is particularly eye-opening, and something a lot of designers are apt to overlook.
Chapter two discusses Selecting a Platform: Technical Considerations for Your Redesign and was written by Rachel Andrew and reviewed by Ryan Carson and Harley Finkelstein. It builds upon the first chapter, and talks about some of the technical issues you’re likely to encounter in tackling a redesign or a realignment of a website. It recommends things like learning from the current platform being used and figuring out technical requirements.
From there, chapters dive into more specific technical discussions and specific redesign topics, including:
- Jumping Into HTML5 by Ben Schwarz
- Restyle, Recode, Reimagine With CSS3 by David Storey and Lea Verou
- JavaScript Rediscovered: Tricks to Replace Complex jQuery by Christian Heilmann
- Techniques for Building Better User Experiences by Dmitry Fadeyev
- Designing for the Future, Using Photoshop by Marc Edwards
- Redesigning with Personality by Aarron Walter
- Mobile Considerations in User Experience Design: Web or Native? by Aral Balkan
- Workflow Redesigned: A Future-Friendly Approach by Stephen Hay
- Becoming Fabulously Flexible: Designing Atoms and Elements by Andy Clarke
The 336-page Smashing Book #3 took seven months of production time, from brainstorming to finished project. It had a six-figure budget and was worked on by over forty people, from authors to editors to layout artists and designers. Fun side fact: there are 623 animals hidden within the pages of the book.
There are a few options for purchasing the Smashing Book #3. The regular print edition is available for $39.90. There’s also a printed bundle that includes the Smashing Book #3 as well as the Smashing Book #3 1/3: The Extension (a 160-page supplemental book that includes four extra chapters) for $49.80.
There’s also an ebook bundle available for $19.90 that includes both books for just $19.90. The ebook bundle includes PDF, ePUB, and Mobi versions of both books. And if you want all four (both books in print and ebook editions), you can get them for just $59.90!
As with all of the book released by Smashing Magazine, the Smashing Book #3 is an invaluable resource for web designers, regardless of skill level or experience and we highly recommend it.
Reviewed by Cameron Chapman
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