The Zen of CSS Design by D. Shea & M. Holzschlag

[Tami]

<r>The Zen of CSS design [ visual enlightenment for the web ]<br/>
- by Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzschlag<br/>
-Review by ner0<br/>

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One of the first things to become apparent from the front cover of this book is that there is no<br/>
obvious purpose suggested in the title, it is instead necessary to proceed past the acknowledgements<br/>
and a section about the authors to the introductory section.<br/>
It is then explained that the book is intended; in part to be a documentation and narrative about the<br/>
Zen Garden website (<URL url="http://www.csszengarden.com">http://www.csszengarden.com</URL>) but primarily it is intended as a tutorial on the<br/>
best practices and techniques relating to modern web design. Simultaneously the book serves as<br/>
a gallery of "eye candy" that can be referred to for inspiration for reader's projects.<br/>
<br/>
The intended target audience of this book falls under the umbrella of anyone interested in designing<br/>
and developing websites, and is then subcategorized into the following:<br/>
* Designers - Teaching practical design and real-world problem solving.<br/>
* Programmers - Using already logical skills and putting them into a design context.<br/>
* CSS Novices - Expand on knowledge of basic syntax/concepts and apply them to work.<br/>
Personally I'd classify myself as the programmer, however whilst reading through the book<br/>
it is certainly apparent how users falling under the other classifications would perceive things.<br/>
<br/>
The book is structured as well as any I've encountered, beginning with an introduction, then followed <br/>
by the main tutorial section which is constantly reinforced by examples from the Zen Garden Website<br/>
(<URL url="http://www.csszengarden.com">http://www.csszengarden.com</URL>) which I believe to be a strong tool as it means readers always have a <br/>
visual representation of what they are reading.<br/>
<br/>
Overall I would deem this book suitable for anyone wanting to learn more about CSS, for me the <br/>
main level on which The Zen of CSS Design reached me was the design aspect, as I consider myself<br/>
to be primarily logically minded, it's always extremely useful for me to have examples on which I <br/>
can base my own designs. Alternatively I'd assume that for a designer, the book will reach them<br/>
on the programming level by teaching them the basics of logical thinking in regards to CSS. Finally<br/>
for the novices this book will serve as a valuable and effective balance between the two areas, thus<br/>
creating the next generation of coders who will have proficiency in both disciplines.</r>