Coloring Web Graphics .2

Rating:
Summary: Great book for those just getting into graphics/colors!
Review: Coloring Web Graphics.2 contains answers to questions I have had for several years. It is a visual and well written index for web design work. Hundreds of suggestions for color and link combinations. Sofware includes test samples, swatches, cluts. This is a "must have" for web designers on any level.

Rating:
Summary: Fills a niche - not for everyone!
Review: I purchased this book after reading Ms. Weinman's other book, "Designing Web Graphics 3." I wanted to learn more about color combinations and how to make a more attractive web page. This book is not for everybody - therefore I can understand the mixed reviews. It is an expensive book (I guess you pay for all the color) but if you are looking for ideas as to color combinations and how color is presented on the web, this is a useful book. In reply to the person who complained that the colors in the book don't match the RGB colors on the screen, in all fairness the authors say that right up front! They tell you to use the CD to get accurate colors since the printing process used for the book is not the same as the way web colors are produced. So that is not a valid criticism; the authors did the best they could do under the circumstances. If you are looking for color combo suggestions and want to know more about basic color principles, then decide whether the relatively high price is worth it. Me, I am satisfied with my purchase!

Rating:
Summary: Great book for those just getting into graphics/colors!
Review: I've been designing web pages for about 2 years now; while I've got the HTML end down, I was desperately beginning to feel the need to begin my graphical education. Coming across this book in a store, I found it to be exactly what I needed: definitions, samples, the essential dos and don'ts of graphic design. The only drawback is that the book is over 2 years old; anyone just getting into Photoshop at v. 5 will be confused by directions for loading paletes into PS 3 and 4. Still, many of the information on color itself is invaluable to someone with little background on the subject. I would highly recommend reading cover-to-cover!

Rating:
Summary: impressive... at first glance
Review: This book is semi-useful.. it begins with a painfully basic introduction to web colors, file formats, etc. then proceeds to some pretty useful color schemes. I have had some success with them but beware.. this book is full of spelling and grammatical errors.

Rating:
Summary: Takes the work out of figuring out color schemes
Review: This is an elderly book, bordering on ancient (1997!), but still useful.

Pro designers will find the book useful for the tools it provides, most especially if they are new to the net. The palettes make a lot of sense to me, whereas they seemingly don't to non-design people (who look at me oddly when I try to explain why).

People who design web pages but who are not graphic designers will not find it very useful, since Weinman and Heavin start at the very beginning of how to present color on the web (meaning the mechanics, not color theory). Most geeks already know this information; they're looking for plug-and-play solutions (ie: instant color palettes for web pages), and this book doesn't appear to be written for that, although it does offer many groupings of colors. (I personally would move the assignment of color around on almost all of them.)

Designers approach web work from a different place than tech types.

Beefs about the printed colors on the page being different from the RGB colors just point up the difference between someone who knows the field and its tools, and someone who is not an experienced designer for print as well as web. As someone else mentions, Weinman and Heavin point this out from the beginning.

It's outdated in terms of some of the stuff on the CD -- Weinman has a website somewhere correcting some of the mistakes on it. There are also some god-awful backgrounds that I will probably never use unless it's for something very specific (and certainly not for a client), but what the hey. The palettes are worth the price of the book to me, but are not to my geek fiance.

I'm also very pleased with the information on making hybrid web-safe colors. There are many times I've longed for a color that I can't use, and this'll get me a lot closer!

Rating:
Summary: Designers only please
Review: This is an elderly book, bordering on ancient (1997!), but still useful.

Pro designers will find the book useful for the tools it provides, most especially if they are new to the net. The palettes make a lot of sense to me, whereas they seemingly don't to non-design people (who look at me oddly when I try to explain why).

People who design web pages but who are not graphic designers will not find it very useful, since Weinman and Heavin start at the very beginning of how to present color on the web (meaning the mechanics, not color theory). Most geeks already know this information; they're looking for plug-and-play solutions (ie: instant color palettes for web pages), and this book doesn't appear to be written for that, although it does offer many groupings of colors. (I personally would move the assignment of color around on almost all of them.)

Designers approach web work from a different place than tech types.

Beefs about the printed colors on the page being different from the RGB colors just point up the difference between someone who knows the field and its tools, and someone who is not an experienced designer for print as well as web. As someone else mentions, Weinman and Heavin point this out from the beginning.

It's outdated in terms of some of the stuff on the CD -- Weinman has a website somewhere correcting some of the mistakes on it. There are also some god-awful backgrounds that I will probably never use unless it's for something very specific (and certainly not for a client), but what the hey. The palettes are worth the price of the book to me, but are not to my geek fiance.

I'm also very pleased with the information on making hybrid web-safe colors. There are many times I've longed for a color that I can't use, and this'll get me a lot closer!

Rating:
Summary: Takes the work out of figuring out color schemes
Review: This is one web design book I don't think I could ever part with! The CD alone is well worth the money. I haven't read any of the text, so I can't comment on that part. But the rest of the book (75%) is nothing but color information and swatches. This book even makes a bright red background look doable on the web!