Hello Web Books
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Tracy Osborn

Hello Web Design - A book for programmers who want to learn design

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Hello Web Books
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Design theory, thinking, and handy shortcuts to help programmers learn web design. Part one teaches visual and UI/UX principles in a down-to-earth and easy to understand matter, and part two walks you through the process of creating a design from scratch. Raised over $22,000 on Kickstarter, comes in eBook, paperback, and video formats.

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Tracy Osborn
Maker
Hey friends! Excited to share Hello Web Design with you today. I've written a few other books teaching programming for designers, which lead to me thinking I should write a book teaching design for programmers. I like to cut all the BS out and teach just what someone needs to know in order to get from 0 to 1. I've benefitted greatly from being able to do both design and programming (I can get an MVP out super quickly) and I want to help others do the same. You can use the code PHTHANKS for 20% off all products. I hope you enjoy! Happy to answer any questions as well. :) -Tracy
Tracy Osborn
Maker
I thought of some more things I should share! — HWD doesn't involve any code or front-end development stuff. It sticks to visual design principles and user interface/user experience tips. In a nutshell, it's all about making websites nicer to look at and (more importantly) easier to use. — No mention of silly things like the "golden ratio" (which drives me nuts every time I see it mentioned early on in a beginner design book.) But I do have a chapter of fun tidbits, like why it's a good thing to avoid pure black. — I designed it myself as well (I only outsourced editing) so happy to answer any self-publishing questions as well.
Jessica Rose

I've been a huge fan of Tracy's work on other guides so have been waiting for this to come out for some time. Tracy shows an unusual level of learner empathy in this and the rest of her "Hello" guides. Easy to understand and with enough of value for tech veterans, this is my new go-to resource to share with aspiring and new web designers.

Pros:

Well written and designed for immediate use

Cons:

It's only coming out now!

Antonis Tsagaris
Amazing stuff on Product Hunt today! I just purchased the paperback package, I have been looking forward to the release since I listened to your interview on... Indie Hackers? Can't remember, probably there. That the book looks freakin' GORGEOUS also made the decision easier. Yay design!
Tracy Osborn
Maker
@antonis_tsagari Aw yay, awesome! And glad you enjoy the design — being able to do my own designs is one of the reasons why I self-publish. The cover itself took *forever* to finalize, and I'm happy how it came out similar to my other books but also works on its own. And the spot gloss is near impossible to catch in photographs but looks awesome in person. :)
Antonis Tsagaris
@limedaring I had to try and design my own book cover to realize just how hard it can be. Your cover looks both gorgeous but the amazing thing about it is how _effortlessly_ beautiful it is. Such a cool balancing act.
Chris Scott
I’m a big fan of the Hello Web App series, can’t wait to check this out!
Tracy Osborn
Maker
@chrisgscott That's awesome to hear! A new Hello Web App for Python 3/Django 2.0 should be coming out very soon, stay tuned. 💪
Hazim Sami

Another fantastic self published book by Tracy Osborn. If you are interested I would highly recommend checking out her other books on coding on her website.

Pros:

Very simple, straight to the point explanation, practical UI/UX concepts that is very easy to follow along.

Cons:

Honestly none that comes to mind at the moment.

Jeff Triplett ✨👋

I needed to see the screenshots to solidify and learn based on examples and Tracy didn't let me down. She shares a lot of insight into design which my developer brain never quite understood before. Now I feel like I know the basics and I know what's wrong with my old designs vs. just not liking them. I highly recommend this book.

Pros:

I enjoyed this book and the format a lot. Tracy walks the reader through learning design skills which can improve anyone of any skillset.

Cons:

There wasn't any for me. The book was a deal.

Andrey Petrov
I've been watching Tracy work on this book for a long time, back from when it was just some sketches and notes in her notebook. It's really a labour of love and it totally comes through. Super excited and proud to see it all over place, on shelves at various startups. Everyone should have a copy. Even if you're not touching frontend development, the principles will give you more appreciation and sense for what good design is—and it will come in handy eventually! Maybe on your resume, or family newsletter, or whatever.
Tracy Osborn
Maker
@shazow Thanks Andrey!
Jan Piotrowski
It's an awesome little book, and Tracy did an awesome job with it. I adore the color of the cover and used it as a design color for an internal tool. PS: And I just noticed her signature on the first page for the first time - benefits of being a Kickstarter backer I guess :)
Tracy Osborn
Maker
@sujan That means I packed your book myself! Figured if I was packing them I might as well sign them too. And glad you liked the color cover, I recorded a podcast waaay back in the day where Mike Monteiro tried to convince me to go with another color. (Link, it's even the title of the episode, haha: https://soundcloud.com/lets-make...). Glad I stuck with my gut.
Jan Piotrowski
@limedaring And I didn't even notice it when I initially got it as I directly started reading. So: Thank you, these little details just make the difference <3 TIL that this color is called "teal" (which is "petrol" [peˈtʀoːl] in German if you ever need it... That name makes no sense at all. Have to find out where it comes from now.).
Tracy Osborn
Maker
@sujan ...Huh! Petrol. That I wouldn't have guessed. 😅
Tomek Paczkowski

This books is a blast, full of practical advice how to make things look good, while not trying to make it you career. Actionable from the first pages. If you are a developer and want your project not looking like it been designed by a dev, but this book.

Pros:

Short, practical, actionable

Cons:

People will take advantage of your new skills

Jarrod Drysdale

I bought the ebook version via Kickstarter. I was extremely satisfied with the book, and fascinated to learn more about Tracy's perspective on design. An excellent read.

Pros:

One of the best design books I've read (and I say that having written a few myself!)

Cons:

None. Really!

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