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Art Direction for the Web
Modern web technologies like CSS Grid, Flexbox and Shapes have made it possible for us to implement print’s often distinctive designs, and the web’s now full of tutorials on how to use them. But the most important question is not “how” we can use art direction techniques to improve our designs for the web, but “when” and “why?”
Based on Andy Clarke’s twenty years’ experience of working with clients, plus the expertise of the art directors and designers he interviewed, this book is about why art direction matters and how to art-direct compelling and effective experiences across devices and platforms.
Based on Andy Clarke’s twenty years’ experience of working with clients, plus the expertise of the art directors and designers he interviewed, this book is about why art direction matters and how to art-direct compelling and effective experiences across devices and platforms.
- GenresDesignWebsite DesignArt
345 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2019
31 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Andy Clarke
8 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database. For more information please see Andy Clarke.
Andrew Clarke is an art director and web designer at the UK website design studio ‘Stuff and Nonsense.’ There he designs websites and applications for clients from around the world. Based in North Wales, Andrew‘s also the author of two web design books, ‘Transcending CSS’ and ‘Hardboiled Web Design’ and is well known for his many conference presentations and over ten years of contributions to the web design industry. Jeffrey Zeldman once called him a “triple talented bastard.’ If you know of Jeffrey, you’ll know how happy that made him.
Andrew Clarke is an art director and web designer at the UK website design studio ‘Stuff and Nonsense.’ There he designs websites and applications for clients from around the world. Based in North Wales, Andrew‘s also the author of two web design books, ‘Transcending CSS’ and ‘Hardboiled Web Design’ and is well known for his many conference presentations and over ten years of contributions to the web design industry. Jeffrey Zeldman once called him a “triple talented bastard.’ If you know of Jeffrey, you’ll know how happy that made him.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 26, 2019
Hard to read at times because all the quotes and image captions destroy the flow. Might be a problem with the ebook though.
The book contains nice inspiring examples and works as a call to action to invest more care into page designs. Some examples are a bit far-fetched though and don't illustrate the authors point that well.
The code part felt out of place and it misses guidance on how to bring the ideas presented into larger projects where handcrafting every page isn't an option.
All in all an okay book that can be used as inspiration from time to time but to me doesn't feel like one of the professions must-reads that Clarkes earlier books have been.
The book contains nice inspiring examples and works as a call to action to invest more care into page designs. Some examples are a bit far-fetched though and don't illustrate the authors point that well.
The code part felt out of place and it misses guidance on how to bring the ideas presented into larger projects where handcrafting every page isn't an option.
All in all an okay book that can be used as inspiration from time to time but to me doesn't feel like one of the professions must-reads that Clarkes earlier books have been.
December 19, 2020
I read this book to improve my understanding of using art in designing, something I need because I usually approach product development from the logic / data point of view.
This book was very helpful. Andy, basically is urging the world to understand that designing for the web need not be boring / static due to technology limitations and performance considerations. Instead, he believes that it is possible to bring the same kind of creativity that print media has seen for decades. A key reason for his belief are new capabilities available in CSS now.
Andy starts by covering a bit of history of art direction over the last century or so. The best results have been produced when art direction and editorial have worked as one team rather than as two departments.
He then jumps into principles of design (e.g balance and symmetry, flow, scale, ratio (including the golden ratio and Fibonacci). He then talks in detail about grids, type and pictures in detail.
Andy's excitement about the possibilities of creativity and superior art design for the web stems from two CSS tools that he then explains in detail; CSS grid for layouts and flexbox for components. For both, he illustrates many examples that he feels should be seen more often on the web but are often rarely found and supports them with the relevant CSS code.
Finally, he goes back to talking about how to develop typeface and images using these tools.
I dont have any experience in writing CSS myself but have tried my hand at it a bit in the past and hence was able to get a sense of the many lines of code that fills up the latter chapter...enough for me to realise the possiblities that exist the next time I am working with my collegaues in design.
Again, a very helpful book to get a good sense of art in design! Thanks Andy.
This book was very helpful. Andy, basically is urging the world to understand that designing for the web need not be boring / static due to technology limitations and performance considerations. Instead, he believes that it is possible to bring the same kind of creativity that print media has seen for decades. A key reason for his belief are new capabilities available in CSS now.
Andy starts by covering a bit of history of art direction over the last century or so. The best results have been produced when art direction and editorial have worked as one team rather than as two departments.
He then jumps into principles of design (e.g balance and symmetry, flow, scale, ratio (including the golden ratio and Fibonacci). He then talks in detail about grids, type and pictures in detail.
Andy's excitement about the possibilities of creativity and superior art design for the web stems from two CSS tools that he then explains in detail; CSS grid for layouts and flexbox for components. For both, he illustrates many examples that he feels should be seen more often on the web but are often rarely found and supports them with the relevant CSS code.
Finally, he goes back to talking about how to develop typeface and images using these tools.
I dont have any experience in writing CSS myself but have tried my hand at it a bit in the past and hence was able to get a sense of the many lines of code that fills up the latter chapter...enough for me to realise the possiblities that exist the next time I am working with my collegaues in design.
Again, a very helpful book to get a good sense of art in design! Thanks Andy.
July 25, 2020
The book gives me a lots of inspiration. I finished the art direction part, but I given up the CSS part. Maybe I will come back this part in the future.
May 27, 2019
Several CSS code examples showing off what CSS can do in 2019 when it comes to art direction, including typography, images, and more. Clarke especially brings forth the excitement of grid and flexbox, which are big improvements for layout, moving away from floats and tables. This whole book even brands itself throughout each chapter, giving its own example of art direction.
I struggled a bit at the beginning of the book because I develop and design for government sites, and his examples seem best for news outlets and advertising. However, once I hit a lot of practical advice and code examples, I couldn't put it down. I learned several new tricks myself, and have ideas for the more creative parts of the government sites I manage.
2019 is, indeed, an exciting time to be designing websites!
As an added note, I jumped between hardcover and ebook. Ebook was more readable for me, personally, but the hardcover is beautiful to look through.
I struggled a bit at the beginning of the book because I develop and design for government sites, and his examples seem best for news outlets and advertising. However, once I hit a lot of practical advice and code examples, I couldn't put it down. I learned several new tricks myself, and have ideas for the more creative parts of the government sites I manage.
2019 is, indeed, an exciting time to be designing websites!
As an added note, I jumped between hardcover and ebook. Ebook was more readable for me, personally, but the hardcover is beautiful to look through.
February 23, 2022
Most know this author from his detailed articles on Smashing Magazine and from hearing him as a guest on the (now canceled) Boag World podcast. So expectations were already high.
This book is split evenly between design fundamentals and real code implementation. Having both perspectives at such a high-quality level is rare. It's also not for design to code newbies and is what makes this book really worthwhile given all the intro crap out there.
Real-world and fictional layouts highlight key points and are fantastic examples of what the web can be with great art direction. The author goes a step further by jumping right into key CSS properties and methods that make print-type/traditional layouts possible for the web (many of which are overlooked -- i.e. -- columns blew my mind. Why are these not being used everywhere?).
However, I really wanted to see some of the art-direction examples live. Many of the designs (in the art direction section) were questionable in terms of real-world usability and appearance across multiple platforms. Having the ability to click around and play with some of these would've been nice.
This book is split evenly between design fundamentals and real code implementation. Having both perspectives at such a high-quality level is rare. It's also not for design to code newbies and is what makes this book really worthwhile given all the intro crap out there.
Real-world and fictional layouts highlight key points and are fantastic examples of what the web can be with great art direction. The author goes a step further by jumping right into key CSS properties and methods that make print-type/traditional layouts possible for the web (many of which are overlooked -- i.e. -- columns blew my mind. Why are these not being used everywhere?).
However, I really wanted to see some of the art-direction examples live. Many of the designs (in the art direction section) were questionable in terms of real-world usability and appearance across multiple platforms. Having the ability to click around and play with some of these would've been nice.
June 5, 2025
This book leans more toward design principles and layout techniques than true art direction. While each section presents multiple examples of how to apply a technique in different ways, it lacks the context that would make those variations meaningful.
The scope of the examples is also frustratingly narrow. Nearly all of them are centered around blog post layouts, ignoring the broad landscape of web design. As a result, it often feels more like a print design manual awkwardly applied to the web, rather than something built for the digital medium.
Adding to its limitations, there's no dedicated section on color—a fundamental tool for visual storytelling and emotional impact. Omitting it makes the book feel incomplete and out of touch with the essentials of art direction.
In short, this book might offer some visual inspiration or layout ideas for breaking away from cookie-cutter templates, but if you're looking for genuine insight into web-based art direction—how to craft a cohesive visual story across a project—this book doesn’t deliver.
The scope of the examples is also frustratingly narrow. Nearly all of them are centered around blog post layouts, ignoring the broad landscape of web design. As a result, it often feels more like a print design manual awkwardly applied to the web, rather than something built for the digital medium.
Adding to its limitations, there's no dedicated section on color—a fundamental tool for visual storytelling and emotional impact. Omitting it makes the book feel incomplete and out of touch with the essentials of art direction.
In short, this book might offer some visual inspiration or layout ideas for breaking away from cookie-cutter templates, but if you're looking for genuine insight into web-based art direction—how to craft a cohesive visual story across a project—this book doesn’t deliver.
July 28, 2019
This is a great book for understanding how to design art-directed webpage design. There are also many layout examples and the author explain how we can achieve them with css code provided but not as detailed as I would like them to be, especially you would need a certain degree of knowledge about css before you can really understand it.
One of the best thing I like about this book is that the author also showcased how a design can be done a different screen size like mobile, tablet and desktop. Understanding that some parts of design gets to be responsive while some parts gets to be adaptive as the whole point of web design in this era are meant to fluid, not rigid.
One of the best thing I like about this book is that the author also showcased how a design can be done a different screen size like mobile, tablet and desktop. Understanding that some parts of design gets to be responsive while some parts gets to be adaptive as the whole point of web design in this era are meant to fluid, not rigid.
June 25, 2019
I didn't keep up with all the new CSS properties that were introduced over the past years, since I was more focused on other areas of design. I got way behind and feeling like my websites were stale and predictable. This book was an excellent introduction to all these tools that make designing for the web much more interesting and way easier than it used to be. It provided both the inspiration and the knowledge to make engaging layouts that tell a story. I read it quickly, but I'm pretty sure I'll be revisiting it regularly.
May 5, 2019
This book is amazing! With tons of clear examples the author let you understand what art direction is and why it's so important for the web; he embraces the latest features of the browsers to explain how to craft layouts once thought impossibile.
This book is a must for UX Designers, Visual Designers and Front-end developers to understand betterthe value we can bring to the web platform.
This book is a must for UX Designers, Visual Designers and Front-end developers to understand betterthe value we can bring to the web platform.
April 1, 2019
Read it non-stop. The history of art direction in part one is fascinating for anyone interested in the history of design. The sample layouts are inspiring and I loved trying out the css grid code to learn for myself how to build inspired layouts. This book is ace!
December 8, 2024
Most likely the usefulness really depends on the reader in this case. With little knowledge of CSS / grid / flexbox, this examplified reading really strengthened my toolbox and gave good visual ideas.
March 3, 2021
Super excited about this book, it blows my mind what one can do with the web with Art Direction design thinking in your arsenal.
October 15, 2019
"Art Direction For the Web" is an amazing book that provides inspiration for better web design, and practical tips on just how easy it is to implement good design through modern CSS with little to no CSS hacks or 'presentational HTML'.
Andy Clarke does a masterful job of showing the rich history of art direction in print design, and he inspires us to tell stories in the same way through web design. He encourages us that there are no longer the same limitations on web design that we once had. The book also breaks down code examples that are very easy to grasp and use.
I'm really excited to start implementing this book into existing sites and new projects.
Do yourself a favor, spend the money and get the hardcover edition. It's beautifully laid-out and well-written.
Andy Clarke does a masterful job of showing the rich history of art direction in print design, and he inspires us to tell stories in the same way through web design. He encourages us that there are no longer the same limitations on web design that we once had. The book also breaks down code examples that are very easy to grasp and use.
I'm really excited to start implementing this book into existing sites and new projects.
Do yourself a favor, spend the money and get the hardcover edition. It's beautifully laid-out and well-written.
December 30, 2019
Great practical tips for creating inspiring layouts for the web inspired by print. Many of the examples does not feel realistic though.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews