Web Style Guide, 3rd Edition

The Web Style Guide site houses an unabridged, online version of the third edition of Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites, by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton. You’ll find the complete text and illustrations from the printed book here under Web Style Guide Online.

About the Authors

Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton have been working together on award-winning interface and graphic design projects since 1991. They began collaborating on Web Style Guide in 1997, moving from a web-only version to print and web in 1999. The print version is in its 3rd edition and has been translated into more than eight languages. Read more about Pat and Sarah.

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Praise for Web Style Guide

“A style guide for the interface with real long-run value, showing us deep principles of design rather than simply fashion and technology.”
—Edward R. Tufte

“An Elements of Style for Webmasters.”
—J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, Circuits Section

“At last a book on the design of web sites with the viewer in mind. Non-technical, yet informative and lively: it delights as it informs.”
—Donald A. Norman, The Nielsen Norman Group

“Tells you what you need to know about Web-site design in plain language, with understandable examples, in a format that won’t test your techno-wonk decoding skills…. Whether you’re just starting out in Web design, thinking about constructing a corporate intranet site, or planning to retool a mature Web site, this little book is a gem.”
—Mary Creswell, Presentations

About Web Style Guide, 3rd edition

Consistently praised as the best volume on classic elements of web site design, Web Style Guide, now in its third edition, maintains an emphasis on fundamentals while bringing every chapter topic up-to-date.

Written for web site designers in corporations, government, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions, the book explains established design principles and covers all aspects of web design—from planning to production to maintenance. The guide also shows how these principles apply in web design projects whose primary concerns are information design, interface design, and efficient search and navigation.

Beginning and advanced designers will find this to be the most practical guide available. New for this edition:

• a chapter devoted to universal usability
• information on search engine optimization and the designs that improve it
• a chapter on information architecture and how to promote its robust development
• techniques for employing cascading style sheets in layouts and typographic design
• 185 full-color illustrations