Above the Fold
Understanding the Principles of Successful Web Site Design
If there was one book I’d recommend to those interested in web design, it’d be this one. This book provides a strong foundation for everything one needs to know to create beautiful and effective websites.
Many other books choose to focus on an aspect or two of the design process, but this book comprehensively covers it all (planning, designing, and analysis) in a way difficult to find elsewhere. It doesn’t assume previous knowledge and introduces industry jargon like information architecture, wireframe, baseline grid, analytics, and SEO.
Beyond being full of great usability and visual design principles, the book is also beautiful. I’ve found myself flipping through it on several occasions to refresh myself on certain topics or just get inspired by the example sites.