Description:
To call something an "ultimate" guide might seem presumptuous, especially in the dynamic field of Web design, but Web Animation and Interactivity: The Ultimate Guide to Web Design thoroughly covers contemporary usage of a variety of Web animation technologies. Lavishly illustrated, Saucier wastes no space on a page. Twenty-two chapters cover every kind of Web animation imaginable, from animated GIFs to virtual-reality technologies, from dynamic HTML to Shockwave and Flash. Although an enormous amount of material is covered, details aren't lacking. In each chapter, an ample number of Web sites that use a specific technology are cited, along with sample code and explanations to describe exactly how the technology works. In addition, there are chapters and examples on things that are not related to animation necessarily, such as adding a hit counter to a page, implementing a search engine, how CGI scripts work, and maintaining and analyzing site statistics. The closing chapter, "Design Considerations for Animated Web Sites," offers insight into design aesthetics, and some suggestions to consider when choosing a given technology or style. This is an excellent book for the new Web designer, or for someone who's already plunged into the field, but still lacks an overall view of available technologies. Web Animation and Interactivity gives a clear, bird's-eye view of how many sites work and what's needed to develop them, and has enough depth to help adept designers implement it for themselves. --Mike Caputo
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