Web Design Playground, Second Edition

Enter the Web Design Playground and start experimenting with all aspects of creating a web page—from design, to development, to publishing—in an easy-to-use free online workspace.

This exciting second edition of Web Design Playground is fully updated with new technologies and thoughtful approaches for building modern websites. You’ll have a blast experimenting with a landing page, photo gallery, portfolio site, and more while you learn important web design skills.

In Web Design Playground, Second Edition you’ll learn essential tools of the web design trade, such as:

• Structuring a web page with HTML
• Styling a web page with CSS
• Modern page layout techniques
• Using colors in web design
• Making text look awesome with typography

HTML, CSS, and the principles of good web design are all you need to build something beautiful! You’ll find them all inside this one-of-a-kind guide. Best of all, this book gives you free access to a custom online workspace, the “playground!” You can concentrate on core skills like page layout and adding images and video, as well as learning typography, responsive design, and the other modern web design techniques.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About the technology

If you can use a web browser, you can create a web site! Web Design Playground, Second Edition shows you how, progressing step by step through fun and engaging projects. You learn the basics of HTML, CSS, and other important web skills. With its unique online “playground,” the book helps you build a landing page, a photo gallery, a portfolio site, and more, all from scratch. No prior experience or knowledge of special tools is required.

About the book

Web Design Playground, Second Edition takes a creative, visual approach and clear explanations of the components, concepts, and of each step you’ll need to build your own web pages. You’ll become a confident web designer as you practice each new skill in the Playground. The many small projects introduce everything from page layout basics to new tags and features like Flexbox and CSS Grid—all presented in author Paul McFedries’s inimitably friendly style.

Don’t worry about setting up your own servers and domain names—the book comes with a free online “playground” to experiment with and get creative. You can concentrate on core skills like page layout and adding images and video, as well as learning typography, responsive design, and the other modern web design techniques. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to create gorgeous pages that reflect your creativity and style.

What's inside

• Structure a web page with HTML
• Style a web page with CSS
• Modern page layout techniques
• How to use colors and typography

About the reader

No web design experience required.

About the author

Paul McFedries has written more than 100 books, which have sold over four million copies worldwide.

Table of Contents

PART 1 GETTING STARTED WITH HTML AND CSS
1 Getting to Know HTML and CSS
2 Building Your First Web Page
3 Adding Structure to Your Page
4 Formatting Your Web Page
5 Project: Creating a Personal Home Page
PART 2 WORKING WITH IMAGES AND STYLES
6 Adding Images and Other Media
7 Learning More About Styles
8 Floating and Positioning Elements
9 Styling Sizes, Borders, and Margins
10 Project: Creating a Landing Page
PART 3 LAYING OUT A WEB PAGE
11 Learning Page Layout Basics
12 Creating Page Layouts with Flexbox
13 Creating Page Layouts with Grid
14 Designing Responsive Web Pages
15 Project: Creating a Photo Gallery
PART 4 MAKING YOUR WEB PAGES SHINE
16 More HTML Elements for Web Designers
17 Adding a Splash of Color to Your Web Designs
18 Enhancing Page Text with Typography
19 Learning Advanced CSS Selectors
20 Project: Creating a Portfolio Page
Appendix A From Playground to Web: Getting Your Pages Online