Over the next few weeks I’m going to be posting a series of articles on my favourite books related to web design. Not all of these books will be of the “Learn CSS” variety. In fact, some of them are not even directly related to the web, but they’re all ones which have helped me improve my skills over the years.

To kick off, I’m talking about a book which may not be the most exciting or sexy web design book on the planet, but one which has probably made me more money than any other: Web Redesign: Workflow That Works.

Web Redesign: Workflow that Works

Web Redesign: Workflow That Works has without a doubt changed the way I work. Web designers are always keen to improve graphic or technical skills, but one of the most often overlooked aspects of our business is the less glamorous side of planning and managing projects. For solo freelancers, or very small projects, this might not be so important (yet again it might), but for larger projects, organisation and a thorough workflow is a must. It truly makes the difference between the success and failure of a site.

Web Redesign: Workflow That Works lays out a detailed 5 stage core process for tackling the redesign of any site, although it’s just as relevant when designing sites from scratch. The core process takes you through the 5 key phases of a build:

• Defining the project
• Develop site structure
• Design Visual Interface
• Build and Integrate
• Launch and Beyond

It’s a rigorously methodically step by step approach, that might seem like a waste of time, but it’s actually there to save you time in the long run. As a less experienced designer, I would all too often jump straight into Photoshop and start whipping up designs when starting a project. This book taught me to take a step back, and concentrate on truly understanding the scope and requirements before worrying about design. If nothing else, this book taught me patience.

The material itself is solid gold and the book is supported by downloadable documents, such as Client Questionnaires or Budget Time Trackers, available from the companion website.

The book claims to be relevant for almost any size of project but I disagree slightly here, as it’s only larger projects that usually have the sort of budgets necessary to commit to this level of organisation and planning. The theory is sound for many small scale projects it’s just not always practical.

Bottom line: If you’re going to manage large projects this book is a must have.