Web Design on a Shoestring

Wish I had read Web Design on a Shoestring when I was still doing freelance projects. It would have saved me so much time and energy. Although I am no longer freelancing, this book still helps me tremendously with retrofitting the sites at Vassar.

One of the greatest strengths about this book is the presentation itself. The book is lean, clear and focused. Carrie Bickner doesn’t waste any time getting her points across whether dealing with clients, retrofitting the sites, implementing CMS (Content Managing System), or using CSS and XHTML.

The comparison between different CMS is extremely useful. Carrie carefully breaks down the advantages and disadvantages of each CMS so you know which one is right for you. Read this section before invest your money in a CMS. As you already know, these things aren’t cheap.

The last chapter, which deals with hosting and domain registrations, is invaluable. Every web designers must went through the frustration experiences of down time and registration at one time or another. I always ended up switching host at least once a year. Last year, I even gave up on my own domain name (d3stusdio.net) because of a week down time and no support from the company. My current host has been great so far and I am keeping my fingers crossed. Anyhow, this book will give you tips and techniques to find the right registering and hosting solutions. On top of that, it will help you protect yourself from hosting companies.

I highly recommend this book to freelance web designers and companies with small budget toward the websites. You will be thankful for the amount of money and energy you saved for your companies and your workers.