The Smashing Book 2 Is Available: Get Yours Now!
The Smashing Book 2 is here. It’s printed (+ free eBook). It’s available. And it’s being delivered worldwide at this very moment as you are reading this. All pre-ordered books have been sent out from our warehouse via air mail and should reach all countries soon. In fact, some readers have already received a copy of the book. What didn’t work the first time with the Smashing Book 1 has been hopefully accomplished this time. We’ve worked very hard to produce a high quality, valuable book for you, guys. So here it is, the brand new printed hardcover Smashing Book 2.
What’s In The Book?
The Smashing Book 2 is a printed book about best practices in modern Web design. The book shares valuable practical insight into design, usability and coding. It provides professional advice for designing mobile applications and building successful e-commerce websites, and it explains common coding mistakes and how to avoid them.
You’ll explore the principles of professional design thinking and graphic design and learn how to apply psychology and game theory to create engaging user experiences. We also feature interviews from experts on the future of Web typography and describe how you can publish a book on your own.
Well-respected professionals have worked with us to provide exciting and comprehensive chapters:
- “The Principles of Great Graphic Design,” Matt Ward and Alexander Charchar,
- “Visible vs. Invisible Design (free PDF sample)”, Francisco Inchauste,
- “Designing Mobile User Experiences,” Mike Rundle,
- “Sketching, Wireframing and Prototyping,” Janko Jovanovic,
- “Red Flags in Web Development,” Christian Heilmann,
- “The Future of Web Typography,” Vivien Anayian,
- “Game Design Techniques Applied to UX Design,” Christoph Kolb,
- “When They Click: Psychology of Web Design,” Susan Weinschenk,
- “Design Patterns on E-Commerce Websites (A Study),” Steven Bradley,
- “How to Make a Book (Like This One),” The Smashing Magazine Team.
You will find more information below, and you can read a sample chapter—“Visible vs. Invisible Design” (PDF, 5.6 MB) by Francisco Inchauste—for free.
Exclusive Artwork for the Book
The Smashing Book 2 features exclusive full-page illustrations for each chapter. And this is something special we’ve got for you. The illustrations were created by the talented Australian illustrator and our dear friend Yiying Lu, who is well known as the designer of the famous “Twitter Fail Whale.” She has designed an exclusive new series called “Smashing Animals” for this book. (And by the way, you can purchase it as wall art on Yiying’s website.)
The Names of Our Readers and an Exclusive Poster
In November 2010, our readers and fans had the opportunity to add their names to the book. We sorted through all of the participants alphabetically and created an exclusive double-page feature on pages 6 and 7. Overall, 2970 names form the “S” in Smashing—ASCII art at its best.
We’ve selected the winners of the A3 poster (.txt) as promised. And to make the poster a bit more special, we decided to put the entire contents of the book—every single word—in the poster. Take a look at the (large) preview of the poster (JPEG, 8 MB). The posters are being sent out at this very moment.
The Smashing Book 2 Is Available Exclusively In The Smashing Shop
… and nowhere else. The Smashing Book 2 is a hardcover book (the ebook is uncluded and free) with quality stitched binding, 360 pages and a size that is a bit larger than its predecessor. The price is again just $29.90 (23,90€). Also, we want to make the book affordable for everyone, so Smashing Magazine will pay the shipping costs and ship the books for free, no matter where you live in the world.
The new Smashing Shop.
And it gets even better: the book will be sent only via air mail (except within Germany). Delivery will take between 3 and 15 working days at most (you can check delivery times for your country), and it will ship from Freiburg, Germany. Of course, if you are not satisfied or have questions, there is a 100-day money-back guarantee in our Smashing Shop.
But That’s Not All, Right?
Right! Initially, the book was supposed to contain more chapters, but because most of our contributors delivered (much) more content than the book’s size could accommodate, we couldn’t include it all. (We could have added more pages, but then shipping costs would have increased significantly.) So, we are releasing four chapters as a free bonus eBook, called “The Lost Files.” This 140-page eBook is now available in PDF, ePUB and Mobipocket formats. Every registered user can download the book for free, no strings attached.
To download your free copy, just register in the Smashing Shop and go to My profile → My downloadable products. You can download the free eBook there. Again, you don’t have to buy anything: registration is free and takes just 30 seconds.
The free bonus eBook contains the following exclusive chapters:
- “The Ultimate Web Design Questionnaire and Checklist,” by Kat Neville,
- “Plagues in Web Design and How to Deal With Them,” by Speider Schneider,
- “Interviews: Expert Tips From Renowned Designers,” by Steven Snell,
- “Web Design Community: Where Are We Going?,” by Paul Scrivens (Drawar).
Features Of The Book
- Solid hardcover,
- Quality stitched binding with a red bookmark,
- 360 pages with full-color images on coated paper,
- Free eBook included
- Free air mail shipping
- Worldwide availability
- Smashing packaging
- Risk-free purchase with a 100-day money-back guarantee,
- Free eBook with four bonus chapters (140 pages),
- Buy the book now!
A Closer Look At The Book’s Chapters
Chapter 1: The Principles of Great Graphic Design, by Matt Ward and Alexander Charchar
This chapter looks at some key concepts of graphic design as they relate to modern Web design. It looks at a number of the central elements and methodologies that drive the act of designing itself, and it discusses the sometimes subtle but always significant divide between the merely good and truly great. You can read details about the writing of this chapter in Alexander Charchar’s article “Working Hard to Leap Buildings.”
This chapter is about: The meaning of graphic design. The difference between good and great design. Timeless design. Relational minimalism. Importance of contrast, space and tension. Typography. Visual voice.
Chapter 2: Visible vs. Invisible Design, by Francisco Inchauste
Basic principles and techniques of producing the visible layer of design in tools such as Photoshop are widely covered in books and online. Design is generally understood to be only what we see: a visual and primarily artistic medium of communication. However, the invisible part of design takes on several forms. When we design a website or application, we don’t (and shouldn’t) start from scratch. We start with certain patterns, and we need to understand their limitations in order to create effective solutions and experiences. Balancing invisible and visible designs enables us to create effective and meaningful interfaces for websites and applications.
This chapter is about: Seeing the invisible in design. Designing how users think. Mental models. Excise design. Design patterns and interface guidelines.
Chapter 3: Designing Mobile User Experiences, by Mike Rundle
The best apps work well, but building an app that looks good and works well isn’t easy. Designing a mobile app’s user experience is particularly challenging because it requires skill in a variety of disciplines: interaction design, graphic design, information architecture and ergonomics, to name a few. User experience design is a combination of disciplines, and so designing a fantastic mobile app calls for a combination of perspectives and skills.
This chapter is about: Building and selling apps. Peculiarities of mobile software. Principles of good app design. User interface design patterns for mobile apps. Visual design of mobile apps.
Chapter 4: Sketching, Wireframing and Prototyping, by Janko Jovanovic
Every design process starts with an idea. Many ideas, actually. The truth is, only a few of them prove to be good, and the others are just bad. Many people believe that they have an excellent idea and know the path to realizing it, yet most fail. And that’s not surprising, because having an idea is not enough. Knowing how to choose an idea, shape it and develop it is crucial to success. This chapter describes the process of moving from abstract ideas to concrete solutions and explains the workflow, tools and techniques available when designing websites and user interfaces.
This chapter is about: Design process. Ideation through sketching. Storyboards. Techniques and tools. Wireframing. Prototyping. Testing and refining.
Chapter 5: Red Flags (Warning Signs) in Web Development, by Christian Heilmann
We spend a big part of our lives working hard to clean up and maintain products, rather than building great things to make the lives of our users easier. That’s just the way it is. If your code is hard to clean up, then you’ll be eating up even more time in the already short development process. Discovering that the product you’re having trouble extending or fixing is your own from some time ago is all the more aggravating. That’s when you start thinking that something must have gone wrong along the way. Well, something has. A few things will make good solutions go bad and start to smell, and this chapter goes over them.
This chapter is about: Building for maintenance, not the moment. Why HTML and CSS code goes bad. HTML painting and convoluted CSS syntax. Issues with JavaScript and back-end code.
Chapter 6: The Future of Web Typography, by Vivien Anayian
In the foreword to The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst points out that the underlying principles of typography are independent of any particular typesetting medium. Yet it is only after almost 20 painful years of setting type on the Web that designers can finally breathe better and apply the essential elements of style without compromising on detail or execution. Recent years have been pivotal in shaping the future of typography on the Web; what was unthinkable only a few years ago has become possible today, and it will get even better tomorrow.
You can read details about the writing of this chapter in Yves Peters’ short article “Some Thoughts On Web Fonts.” The following typography experts generously contributed their time and expertise for this chapter:
- Richard Rutter, Director at Clearleft, and co-founder of Fontdeck;
- John Boardley, designer, writer and founder of I Love Typography;
- Jon Tan, designer, Web typographer, co-founder of Analog, Fontdeck and Mapalong;
- Yves Peters, graphic designer, typography writer, editor of The FontFeed and Unzipped;
- Oliver Reichenstein, CEO of iA Inc., creator of the iA Writer for iPad app;
- Stephen Coles, editor of Fonts In Use, Typographica, Chromeography, Type Tide and The Mid-Century Modernist;
- Jos Buivenga, type designer and owner of the exljbris Font Foundry;
- Tim Brown, type manager for Typekit and editor of Nice Web Type;
- Trent Walton, founder of Paravel Inc.;
- Kyle Meyer, designer at Indie Labs, Director of Interactive Design for AIGA MN, creator of Astheria, Typesites and Needs/Wants;
- Caroline Hadilaksono, Director of Goodness at A Good Companyª, co-creator of The League of Movable Type;
- Micah Rich, Chief Awesomeness Technician at A Good Companyª, co-creator of The League of Movable Type;
- Ralf Herrmann, designer, blogger at Opentype.info on topics of typography, Web fonts, signage and wayfinding.
This chapter is about: Evolution of Web typography. @font-face. WOFF. The open-source type movement. Font licensing. Web font services. Current problems in Web typography. Fonts Module and CSS3. Exclusive interviews.
Chapter 7: Applying Game Design Principles to User Experience Design, by Christoph Kolb
The ultimate goal of a business is simple: to engage as many people as possible in favorable interactions. These interactions could include buying a product, spreading the word, advertising or just generally becoming a fan. Such objectives clearly require us to explore paradigms and perspectives that go far beyond aesthetics and traditional user interaction. This is where game design theory comes in handy. We can apply game design to certain areas of interaction to create user experiences that engage people and bind them to the company. In this chapter, we will learn how to apply some of techniques and theories of game design to website design, user experience and business.
This chapter is about: Combining social psychology, game design theory and economics. Game mechanics: world, players and rules. Winning strategies for users and companies. Playbook and strategy for interaction designers. Game design techniques and real-life examples.
Chapter 8: When They Click: Psychology of Web Design and User Behavior, by Susan Weinschenk
From the chapter: “I’m a psychologist by training and education. This means that I consider design in the context of the mental model of the user. Whether the design is of software, a website, a medical device, online instructions or product packaging, I can’t help but see it from a psychologist’s point of view. I enjoy applying what psychology research tells us about how people think, learn, play and work to design challenges. I take research and insight into the brain, the visual system, memory and motivation and extrapolate design principles from them.”
This chapter is about: Different views on design. The importance of social interactions. Unconscious decision-making. Social validation. Goal-gradient effect. Using distractions to grab attention. “Satisficing.” Mental models. Error handling. Inattentional blindness.
Chapter 9: Design Patterns in E-Commerce Websites (Study), by Steven Bradley
Designers of e-commerce websites have to take into account many things that designers of informational websites don’t. How to design the check-out process? How will the website establish trust so that visitors are willing to hand over sensitive credit card data? Common design patterns have evolved over time, and this chapter explores how well e-commerce websites match up with theory and best practices. What’s the average number of check-out pages for an e-commerce website? Do certain patterns emerge from the data to show how different websites approach such issues? Shopping websites were chosen and surveyed each based on a set of elements in several categories.
This chapter is about: Layout. Information architecture. Navigation. Color. Product, check-out and shopping cart pages. Wording and design of call-to-action buttons. Contact and support pages. On-site marketing.
Chapter 10: How to Make a Book (Like This One), by The Smashing Editorial Team
Holding your very own book in your hands for the first time is a truly remarkable experience. You suddenly realize that you’ve given your ideas—ideas conceived in some abstract state in your mind—a certain shape, a physical reality, making them tangible, visible and enduring. The feeling is overwhelming: it fills your heart with pride, in the way that a painter admires their creation. The feeling has not been alien to those who have participated in book manufacturing over the centuries, and yet experiencing it has never been so affordable and accessible as it is now.
This chapter is about: Printing a book on your own or with a publishing house. Writing, editing and preparing the book for printing. Pricing, marketing and fulfillment. eBook production: PDF, ePUB, Mobipocket. Print on demand.
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers related to The Smashing Book 2.
Contents and Format of The Smashing Book 2
- What’s the difference between The Smashing Books 1 and 2?
Both books cover best practices in Web design and development, and they have similarities, but on a broad scale they cover different areas of design. Book 1 presents coding and layout techniques, color theory und UI design, while Book 2 covers psychology, designing for mobile devices, graphic design, wireframing and book production. They complement each other very well but are also distinct enough for standalone reading. - Is The Smashing Book 2 an update, a new edition or a completely new book?
The content was written from scratch, specifically for the book. It’s a completely new book. - Is The Smashing Book 2 available as an eBook?
Yes. It’s included. Mobi (Kindle), eBook and PDF. - What’s with the extra eBook (the “Lost Files”)?
Initially, the book was supposed to contain more chapters, but because most of our contributors delivered (much) more content than the book could accommodate, we couldn’t include it all in the book. (We could have added more pages, but then shipping costs would have increased significantly.) Therefore, we released four chapters as a free bonus eBook called “The Lost Files.” The 140-page eBook is available in PDF, ePUB and Mobipocket formats. Every registered customer is welcome to download the book, even if they haven’t bought The Smashing Book 2. - Will the book be available in other languages?
No.
Payment, Costs, Shipping
- Can I get a bulk discount?
Yes, of course! Please contact us at sales@smashing-media.com. We will be glad to answer all of your questions! - What are the shipping costs for my country?
W e’re paying the shipping cost ourselves to make it possible for anyone to purchase the book, wherever they are in the world. We don’t have any hidden costs and haven’t made any tricky calculations. - What are the delivery times for my country?
All books will be shipped via air mail to keep the delivery times as short as possible. You can find the anticipated delivery time for your country in the delivery times overview. - What payment methods are accepted?
We primarily support PayPal, VISA, MasterCard and American Express. We use a secure connection, with 256-bit AES encryption and a GeoTrust Extended Validation SSL CA certificate. - Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes, absolutely! There is no risk involved. Our 100-day full money-back guarantee keeps you safe. Don’t hesitate to return your purchase. You’ll get your money back—no ifs, ands or buts about it. - I’m experiencing problems with the check-out?
You can either check our Smashing Shop FAQ page or contact our live support team by clicking the “Chat” button in the upper right of any Smashing Shop page. - I have a problem not discussed here.
Please leave a comment below, or contact our live support team by clicking on the “Chat” button in the upper right of any Smashing Shop page. We would love to help you any way we can!
Download the Free Media Kit, and Please Spread The Word
We’ve tried our best to make the book affordable and useful to every Web designer and developer worldwide. Please spread the word about The Smashing Book 2 in your blog posts and tweets. We really appreciate your support.
If you are planning to write an article about or to review The Smashing Book 2, please feel free to use the free Smashing Book 2 Media Kit (ZIP, 7 MB). The kit contains images, illustrations and photos that you might find useful for your article. Also, please don’t forget to tweet the link to the review with the hashtag #smbook2 so that we can track it and add it to our list of reviews. Your help is sincerely appreciated. Thank you for your time and help, guys!
Photos of The Smashing Book 2
The Smashing Book 2 is here. It’s printed (+ free eBook). It’s available.
(sl, al)
SloDive
February 1st, 2011 5:18 amWow. Really great work you did with First release and I am pretty sure, this will be much better, you must have learned many things in the way and after the release of first one. Thanks. Keep up the great work. Will get this one for sure.
slegolego
February 1st, 2011 5:25 amI’ve preordered the book, looking forward to browse it.
The free PDF is a real treat.
Thanks
Petar`
February 1st, 2011 5:37 amNot available as eBook only?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 1st, 2011 6:00 amNo, sorry. Our goal was to print a large, unique, comprehensive and extremely valuable physical book. We don’t have any plans to release it as an eBook yet.
Ferdy
February 1st, 2011 11:09 amThat is your decision to make, but I just want to say that you can lose customers over this. I have permanently switched from dead trees to eBooks. I am interested in this content (but not the format) and want to spend money on it but I can’t. You have lost me as a customer on this sale.
Again, I respect your decision on this. I just hope you give it some thought and consideration for a next release or even this release. The format is not relevant for how “large, unique, comprehensive or valuable” the book is. The content is.
nadim
February 2nd, 2011 1:34 amI prefer printed ones instead of eBooks. Can we have printed copies of the other eBooks in the future ? I’ll buy them all (i havn’t bought the eBooks but have bought both the printed ones)
nadim
alienworkers
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 3rd, 2011 6:53 amThanks for you suggestion, but currently we’re not planning to release the eBooks in printed form. It is quite an effort to release a (good) printed book, so that path is reserved for the Smashing Books for now.
edge07
February 1st, 2011 11:16 pmI would also love to see an eBook or at least a PDF version of the book. It’s much easier for me to read a book onscreen than as a pyhsical media. As there should already be a digital version available of the book for printing it shouldn’t be too hard to make a PDF out of it. Andy Clarke did it and A book apart did it, so why can’t you?
Ferdy
February 2nd, 2011 2:13 amIndeed. I bought all A Book Apart books. They understand customer service. Instant download and a low price point for eBooks, it is what people expect in this century. I find printed content to be wasteful, inflexible and slow to deliver. I will never ever purchase a physical book in this lifetime again. I respect other people’s preference for prints and therefore think you should serve both customer needs. Like I said, I’m perfectly fine paying for it, even if the eBook would not be cheaper than the print edition.
Nene Odonkor
August 17th, 2011 8:46 amExcuse me Mr Ferdy but you don’t need to bash them because they do not want to put it in pdf format. And if they have lost you as a customer well companies always loose customers so it is not like it is new. Instead of focusing on the content of the book you are here arguing over whether it should have being better in pdf or not. Leave your personal preferences out of the this argument.
To the team nice book. I really I appreciate the work and probably there are reasons why you do not want it in pdf. But I hope in the future the team will try to take advantage of the digital media.
Lucina
February 1st, 2011 5:51 amUhm. I’m really interested in the topics of smashingbook #2 – but what about the quality of print & stitching? Better than last time? That was unbeliebvable – getting smashingbook #1 via mail, flicking up the parcel, reading the first chapter, and then having some 20 or so pages simply falling out of the book *and nobody of you cares about my complaints* … and I tell you, folks, that was not amazing. I’m still asking myself if this will happen again – with *no* PDF to download. So what about the stitching?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 1st, 2011 6:06 amThe binding of The Smashing Book #2 is much better than of the first book. It has a stitched binding and hardcover so it will withstand even rough handling.
Check out the photos above and you can see the binding. We’re sure that the first reviews will confirm this.
Vitor
February 1st, 2011 6:06 amNo worries, Lucina, the new Smashing Book not only comes with a hard cover, but with perfect stitching and a silky book mark. I already have a copy at hand and I can reassure you that the quality is great. Also, there is a free PDF-download here: http://bit.ly/fteE2M
Johan de Jong
February 1st, 2011 5:58 amI did preorder the book and according to the shop it’s shipped, although I didn’t recieve any e-mail about it. I hope this is correct…
But if the package is send today it should be in my hands at the end of the week, otherwise I’ll let you guys know ;)
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 1st, 2011 6:07 amThat is correct, don’t worry. We used a bulk shipping process for the pre-orders, so there is no confirmation email, but your book has been shipped.
Andre Teich
February 1st, 2011 6:00 amLove the Book! I got my one yesterday in a pretty cool package! Now I’ve to find some time to read it ;)
Michael Genfen
February 1st, 2011 6:25 amAgree! The books is truly amazing! Excellent quality, wonderful illustrations, top notch content, much much better than the first one. Just received mine yesterday and I couldn’t put it away, especially the game design chapter is very useful. Highly recommended.
Tom Clarke
February 1st, 2011 6:09 amhow big is the book?
Daniel Miguel
February 1st, 2011 6:19 amI want one!
Great to see this new version of the book!
Steve Fenton
February 1st, 2011 6:25 amI’m excited… it might be waiting for me when I get home.
Jaimee
February 1st, 2011 6:42 amI got mine yesterday and started reading it! It’s awesome!
Mário Santos
February 1st, 2011 6:57 amCan’t wait to receive it! But no doubt will be very professional and educational! :)
And btw, thanks for the poster! I’m happy to be one of the winners! :)
Start thinking on the SM Book #3 ;)
Alexandru
February 1st, 2011 7:02 amI from Moldova. I look forward to get my book!!!!!
lush
February 1st, 2011 7:14 amthis is so exciting!! thank you smash team!! :)
Muneeb Ahmad
February 1st, 2011 7:16 amLooks and sounds fantastic! How much is the price of the book in UK Pounds?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 1st, 2011 8:03 amYou cannot pay in UK Pounds directly, but with the current exchange rate it should be about 20.40 GBP.
By the way, if anyone else is wondering: You can easily and quickly calculate the price in any currency by just searching for “[price] [origin currency] in [target currency]” on Google. It is quite handy in international transactions. :)
Muneeb Ahmad
February 1st, 2011 10:43 amThank you very much for your swift and helpful response. One final question; is the original book still on sale and if so how much would it cost me?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 1st, 2011 11:24 amThe Smashing Book #1 is still available in our shop. It costs $29.90 / €23.90.
ADrian
February 1st, 2011 8:57 amCan’t wait to get it in the mail.
Marios
February 1st, 2011 9:44 amI ordered mine yesterday, can’t wait to get it.
Skat
February 1st, 2011 10:08 amJust received mine today. It is awesome. Great work!
Sahra Tamo
February 1st, 2011 10:14 amno delivery to Syria :(
That’s not fair I emailed you when you published the first book to fix this issue …
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 1st, 2011 11:28 amWe do deliver to any country in the world, including Syria.
In some countries it can be difficult to get the payment transmitted because Paypal and credit card companies are causing problems, though. If you are still having trouble with your order, please contact us (again) at orders@smashingmagazine.com with more details so that we can help you.
Nigel
February 1st, 2011 11:15 amSorry, crap image of the book on your intro
Brandon
February 1st, 2011 1:09 pmDon’t judge a book by its cover
Dutch
February 2nd, 2011 3:57 amSorry, but the image is horrible (what happened with the left corner area?). That doesn’t mean that the book is awful.
Michael Wagner
February 1st, 2011 11:59 amI became my one yesterday and althougth I’m german, I’m understanding most of it. In my opinion it’s very good!
Michael
Merv
February 1st, 2011 12:00 pmOh dear god, make an iPad version, it’s 2011.
Brandon
February 1st, 2011 1:29 pmI thought that meant the iPad hype is finally over now that it’s 2011?
Merv
February 3rd, 2011 2:04 pmgoogle.com “define:hype”
Dorothy
February 1st, 2011 12:32 pmI ordered yesterday … I am a brand new Smashing fan *hangs head in shame* so I had to order #1 and #2 after hearing great reviews on both! Wahooo! Can’t wait!
Phill
February 1st, 2011 2:30 pmNo threat to shut down this time if we don’t buy it?
Dean Karasinski
February 1st, 2011 5:34 pmI would love it if you guys put together a bundle of both books. Book 1 and 2 for like $50 bucks. I would buy it immediately.
Tian Permana
February 1st, 2011 7:21 pmi’ve ordered this book yesterday. Let me know if another Indonesian already bought this book. If not, i’m the first. yeah !
sam
February 1st, 2011 7:42 pmLooking forward to picking this up this week
Anand Prabhu
February 1st, 2011 8:45 pmI received my Smashing Book 1 couple of days back and waiting for the Smashing Book 2 eagerly. Great job guys !
marvin
February 2nd, 2011 12:41 amConfirmative from Germany. The book arrvied around yesterday and it’s a real treat. Thanks for the good work, online and offline!
Naga
February 2nd, 2011 12:59 amGuys. Under Features of the book, you’ve mentioned $29.90 or €23,90. Should it be €23′.’90 or €23′,’90?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 2nd, 2011 2:03 amThat depends on which country you’re living in. :) In some countries, a dot is used as decimal separator and in others it’s a comma. In Europe, the comma is more common, thus the comma in the Euro price.
To be absolutely clear: It is 23 euros and 90 cents.
Guillaume
February 2nd, 2011 1:45 amAlready pre ordered a couple weeks ago. Can’t wait to receive it :)
soulwasted
February 2nd, 2011 2:05 amSuperb book. Just has arrived to my table – there will be no work today :)).
But, there isn’t my name in the first two pages, such a shame. Was looking forward to see it there :,(
slegolego
February 2nd, 2011 2:24 amis this one printed on recycled paper?
if not, do you think it could be a viable option for next issues?
Cheers
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 4th, 2011 2:20 amPure recycling paper is not suited for high quality prints, including graphics and illustrations. For prints of the quality of the Smashing Book #2, you can only use paper with very limited additives of recycled paper (10-15% max). We only used paper from ecologically responsible sources, so you will not find any tropical wood or similar in a Smashing Book. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the exact composition of the paper we used, but I believe the wood came from Scandinavia, most likely from spruces or firs.
Konfusius
February 2nd, 2011 3:24 amGot my copy of the book today! Yay!
The book looks realy solid to me (in terms of binding etc.)
Jozan
February 2nd, 2011 3:59 amI received the book today. It’s awesome! :)
Milan
February 2nd, 2011 4:36 amGot it! And with my name inside! :)
Milan
February 2nd, 2011 4:39 am*IDEA: maybe it will be nice if you can make some map of places all around the world, where this book was shipped :)
Fredrik
February 2nd, 2011 4:48 amCan’t wait to receive it :) Already pre ordered a couple weeks ago.
Daniel
February 2nd, 2011 4:58 amJust got the book and the binding is much better than the first book which was awful to say the least.
I still haven’t read the #1 book as it was a hassle to read due to the binding issue, but would it be possible to have a ebook for the #1 so my money isn’t down the drain? Or are you planning on releasing the #1 book with the same binding as this one?
Thanks
Milan
February 2nd, 2011 5:47 amc`mon, that binding wasnt that bad ;)
Adeniyi Makinde
February 2nd, 2011 5:11 amGreat read, I think i have to get a copy for myself.
ciro207
February 2nd, 2011 5:30 amI preordered some weeks ago! I can’t wait!!
Igor Jovic
February 2nd, 2011 6:41 amJust received my book this morning, and the quality of the book is much better then the first one where basically all of the pages where torned out and I had to put the pages in a folder :(
In this book all the pages are firmly attached to the book :)
I am really looking forward reading this, and to those who prefer an eBook instead and say that people expect an eBook in this century, well maybe people expect that but for me, there is still something, the feeling, about holding and reading a real paperbased book over an eBook. Just can´t take that feeling and transfer to an eBook.
Ferdy
February 2nd, 2011 2:27 pmYour preference for print is fine. Like I said, I think both options should be offered. I have not heard one valid reason yet as to why not ship an eBook. “Unique content” is no reason, you can deliver that digitally as well, especially since it was created that way in the first place.
I do think sending dead trees across the world is ineffective, wasteful and a physical copy is far less flexible. But anyways, the decision is taken, so there is nothing I can do. It is not about me, you know. I wanted to buy the book but will now simply not buy it. I can live with that and SM can live with that. I just want to point out that they may be missing out on a group of customers, size unknown.
Manuela
February 3rd, 2011 1:16 amHi Ferdy,
Publishing content as a printed book is different from publishing content as eBook. Even though print files are furnished digitally, the files are completely different from one another. For printing you need images in a much higher resolution – 300 dpi minimum – and you need color separation, i.e. color mode CMYK, which requires for a special layout program like Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress that are capable of color separation. This means that we do have to produce two completely separate layout files – one for printing, one for digital publishing.
Then again, we’ve been showered with protest upon former releases of eBooks, claiming that it wasn’t comfortable reading books on a computer screen (http://bit.ly/i7v6OK), but much nicer taking a real book outside and reading it in a comfy armchair in the sun ….
Last but not least, it’s not a good idea to have exclusive print content (which involves immense expenses) to be published as digital version at the same time, due to pirat copies and free proliferation of the content thus depriving authors, editors and publishers of their income.
This is why we’ve decided to publish e-book formats of our printed book series later. Actually, we are working on the e-book version of Smashing Book #1 at this very moment, which by the way is a lot of hazzeI let me tell you as the editor in charge.
Cheers,
Manuela
Ferdy
February 3rd, 2011 3:18 amManuela,
Thank you for the detailed response I appreciate it. You still have not given any valid reason for your customers though, for the simple fact that allmost all other publishers apparently CAN deliver eBooks.
- The technical process of publishing an eBook is not relevant. It is no excuse to not make one.
- People protesting against eBooks have no point, since if they prefer print, just get the print edition.
- Pirating is somewhat of a good reason, but it seems other publisher don’t make an issue out of it. You should not make the intellectual copyright issue and issue of your customers, it is your problem.
Anyway, it is good to hear that you will deliver e-Book versions later. I can wait.
Steven
February 2nd, 2011 7:01 amJust got my book, thanks :D
Joe Bodego
February 2nd, 2011 7:20 amThe concept of a paper book is increasingly becoming irrelevant. How could an organization like yours that’s on the edge of technology produce a book and expect people to buy it. Come on guys get a grip, practice what you preach.
Manuela
February 3rd, 2011 1:19 amSee my comment above :)
Christian Bardin
February 2nd, 2011 7:24 amJust receive my book! Great!!!
And I love the paper version, dont’ want to read it on my Ipad!
bli dodi
February 2nd, 2011 8:14 amI have already bought this book and also the #1 one, in the pre-order section… I hope come as soon as possible. Can’t wait actually, but be patient…. after that I will review…
ahay
ernie
February 2nd, 2011 9:35 amGot mine today. Thanks!
Michał
February 2nd, 2011 10:39 amWell… I just can’t wait for mine to come – I’m looking out the window for my mail man :D
This is amazing!
Dorothy
February 2nd, 2011 1:26 pmSo, I know its not the most environmentally conscious thing, but I really enjoy having my favorite pieces of lit – and more specifically the thoughtfully designed business reads – printed out on paper. My collection of marketing and design books is my favorite corner of my office at home. I have post-its and sketches sticking out of most of them and refer back to them all the time. Does this make me an archaic freak? I’m just suprised at how many people are so annoyed about the ebook issue. Although if your collection is now digital, I do understand there is an element of inconvenience.
Ferdy
February 2nd, 2011 2:31 pmI don’t see how you can be surprised at the desire for eBooks? They have many advantages and many people have switched to them. Have you not witnessed the Kindle and iPad trends? Why do you think people buy those in masses? To consume digital content. They come to expect this content to be available in this day and age. Come on, if even conservative newspapers do it, how can a magazine about digital design not do it? And if not, give me one valid reason why not?
None of this has anything to do with your personal preference for prints. That preference is still fine, and respected. However, I do not see how print excludes eBooks from being an option.
Petar`
February 3rd, 2011 6:44 amFredy is fighting a valuable cause here and that is the right to evolve and choose.
I personally don’t get involved in eArguments but this is something I can really get behind. Here’s a few reasons why I asked for an eBook in the first place:
1) Referencing! – Ctrl + F + notes
2) Efficiency – I can have thousands of them without cluttering space (i.e. having to find them later or forgetting to bring them somewhere)
3) Ease of use (I can make pancakes while reading them)
However I also understand that eBooks do come with their problems such as unlawful distribution etc… but everything you can do with a physical book, you can do with an eBook, (after all it’s not like you can’t just hit Ctrl + P) it’s not the same the other way around.
This content is being published for us and I see there are quite a few demands out there for an eBook, others should speak up!
Tyler Collins
February 2nd, 2011 4:50 pmIs there a limited number of books available? Will be purchasing mine towards end of this month…
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 3rd, 2011 1:06 amWe have enough books on stock, so there should be no shortage anytime soon.
Tyler Collins
February 3rd, 2011 1:11 amThanks! Look forward to purchasing it :D
Tyler Collins
February 24th, 2011 4:44 pmJust bought my copy! Can’t wait till it arrives :D
Ken Buis
February 2nd, 2011 10:11 pmShame it wasn’t an ebook…I would have bought the electronic version instantly.
Hopefully you will release a pdf version soon!
Bogdan Silivestru
February 2nd, 2011 11:47 pmI just got my book today. The delivery to Romania was really fast. Great cover, great binding. I’m pretty sure that the content will meet my expectations.
Thank you guys.
Nuno
February 3rd, 2011 12:43 amI am just waiting for mine #2 (already got the #1). Why do not you guys do a bundle with the 2 books for people who still haven´t got the first one…?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 3rd, 2011 1:09 amWe’re sure #2 will be at your doorstep soon as well. :)
The shipping is currently already heavily subsidized and shipping two books at once does not really make it cheaper, so there is currently no no point in a bundle, sorry.
Dan Howard
February 3rd, 2011 6:33 amOnly sold here? Why afraid of the bad reviews it would get on Amazon?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 3rd, 2011 7:12 amNope, not afraid. :) We don’t censor critical reviews in our shop either, so there’s no difference to Amazon in regards to reviews.
The reviews are also generally very positive, so it wouldn’t be a problem either way. :)
Jeroen Ransijn
February 3rd, 2011 8:05 amFlicked through it quickly and love it!
Kai H. Chan
February 3rd, 2011 9:57 amThe Smashing Book #2 looks very promising!
I just ordered one
Ed Carbery
February 3rd, 2011 12:57 pmThis looks like a great resource for anyone in the web design, development, or graphic design industry. I like the glossy book feel and look…great for the coffee table here in the office.
Andy Paddock
February 3rd, 2011 1:07 pmI think I’m going to make my team read it. I’ll even let them do it in my time.
Erick the designer
February 3rd, 2011 3:05 pmGlad to see a nice hardcover on this book! I hope the binding job isn’t equal to the first book. I’ve had a few pages fall out, missing a few now. Definitely getting it either way though, provided a good read.
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 4th, 2011 2:25 amPlease be assured that the binding is rock-solid this time. :) Anyone who already received the book can confirm that.
Ashish
February 3rd, 2011 8:25 pmI can’t wait for my book. I am daily waiting for the post man :)
Paulo Costa Monteiro
February 4th, 2011 12:27 amThe book is here:) Thanks!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6194853&l=a4ed95826c&id=745558211
Charl
February 4th, 2011 12:46 amChecking the post pox every few hour, cant wait!
davood
February 4th, 2011 2:10 amhi
i bought it , but mine is different about the cover !! ,
why my book has different cover ?! this pics have strong cover but mine has normal cover !
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 4th, 2011 2:28 amHi davood,
the Smashing Book #2 has, without exception, a hardcover. Either you ordered the first Smashing Book (which has a soft cover) by accident, or there has been a mixup. Please contact us through orders@smashingmagazine with more details (don’t forget to include your order number) so that we can help you.
Greetings,
Florian
Oleg Xtraboy
February 4th, 2011 4:15 amJust received my copy, only the pack is awesome and i don’t immaginate that is really inside!!! Thank you for this great book, first book gives me a quality UP in my work.
There’isnt 2 without three :) waiting to read this one and your next creature.
Regards.
Wil
February 4th, 2011 6:48 amWhen did shipping start, specifically for Canada? I know the expected delivery time for Canada is 3-10 days, but just wanted to know what to know when you started shipping before I start asking about my order.
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 4th, 2011 9:14 amPre-ordered books have been shipped in a bulk process over several days. If you ordered during the pre-order period with the 20% discount, your book has been shipped on Jan 31st by the latest, possibly even a few days earlier.
DesignerZak
February 4th, 2011 9:42 amThe first book was really low quality from a content standpoint. Hopefully I can get access this to book before I blind buy again.
sinavbilgi
February 4th, 2011 2:04 pmGreat read, i have to get a copy for myself ..
Satish Gandham
February 5th, 2011 2:48 amGot my copy today :D
PS: I’m from India.
Nigetgd
February 5th, 2011 3:09 amReceived mine today, looks great sadly mine got bashed around in transit by the looks of it as the corners are damaged. Shame considering the first one got here fine.
Satish Gandham
February 5th, 2011 3:13 ameven one of my corner is damaged :(
KABUKIGIRL
February 6th, 2011 2:15 amHi Smashing,
I ordered both books at once, & paid 60.80$ (before the end of SM book#2 20%off sale)
today I recieved smashing book #1, with an invoice says:
“The Smashing book#1 (printed), #smashing-book-intl
The smashing book #2 -pre-sale (20% off),
#smashing-book-2-intl”
with total = 60.80$..
but i received only one book in a package with the above desc!!
Please don’t tell me the new book lost on the way!!!!
was soo waiting for it ;_;
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 6th, 2011 7:18 amYour books have been shipped seperately. The first book was shipped immediately since unlike the second book it was already on stock during the pre-order period. So don’t worry, your Smashing Book #2 is not lost, it is just still on it’s way.
kabukigaze
February 6th, 2011 8:06 amthanks =)
Satish Gandham
February 6th, 2011 3:25 amPage cutting is little off, feels a book made from eCopy for personal use. A big turnoff.
Something that one wouldn’t expect from people talking about user experience and design principles.
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 6th, 2011 7:21 amYou are the first to complain about the cutting and our copies here at the office seem fine as well. Can you maybe make a photo and send it to orders@smashingmagazine.com so that we can check this out?
Satish Gandham
February 6th, 2011 12:53 pmSure, I will send it tomorrow.
Bijan
February 6th, 2011 4:30 amNice! And I already found my name on the Name-Art-Page… :D
Julien P.
February 6th, 2011 3:49 pmI received my copy of this amazing piece of art! And I found my name on the members’ page, this is so exciting…!
The Smashing team is doing such a great work! :)
Tina_Ta
February 6th, 2011 8:06 pmThank you very much Smashing!! I’ve received the poster this morning, it’s so sweet and informative! I definitely will get one copy either Ipad or hardcover. I loved the “add to cart” part :D. I’m doing an e-commerce website atm
Pascal
February 7th, 2011 2:59 amI received the book saturday afternoon…it’s awesome! even i founded my name on the “names”-page :D there’re nice stats includet…like the most color chosen for “add to cart” buttons..i like this stuff!
Anand Prabhu
February 7th, 2011 5:33 amI received the book on Saturday afternoon and i am really proud to have bought it. Amazing work guys !
Mikey Hogarth
February 7th, 2011 5:46 amBook arrived this morning, looks really good on the whole but I happened to open at page 258 where there’s a bold statement saying that the best types of photos to use are those of people looking straight at the camera, whereas in this article from this very same site;
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/09/24/10-useful-usability-findings-and-guidelines/
Point 2 suggests NOT to use photos of people looking at the camera… with hard evidence to back it up. Would really like to see the evidence behind the “looking into the camera” statement if it’s available?
Vitaly Friedman (editor-in-chief of Smashing Magazine)
February 8th, 2011 3:15 amMikey, that’s a very good question. Actually, the choice of types of photos depends on your objectives and goals. If you’d like to focus user’s attention on some specific details or a feature area on your website, it’s better to use photos on which eyes look at this area.
However, if you want to make users connect with your site and leave a lasting impression, it’s better to use photos on which eyes are looking direct in the camera.
The point in the article you are referring to is backed up by an eye-tracking study; the point in the chapter in the Smashing Book 2 refers to the study conducted by Dr. Susan Weinschenk who has a Ph.D. in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University.
I hope it helps to clarify the issue, Mikey.
Mikey Hogarth
February 11th, 2011 3:49 amThanks for the reply – all clear now!
Matt
February 7th, 2011 7:22 amMy copy has finally arrived. I feel reluctant to throw away the nice little smashing box it came in. I didn’t purchase the first smashing book so I can’t compare the quality but I will say that this book is well put together and the bookmark is a useful addition.
My only annoyance really is that there are some light scratches on the cover, otherwise all is good.
Citra Pramadi
February 7th, 2011 7:44 amMy book has arrived to Jakarta, Indonesia. Thanks.
Citra Pramadi
February 7th, 2011 8:43 amAnd I found my name on members page. Thank you.
Vijayanathan
February 7th, 2011 8:27 amI received my book today in London, Thanks guys, good stuff :)
Clivant Yeo
February 7th, 2011 4:51 pmI received mine yesterday! It is indeed a good quality print :) Keep up the good work people!
Kerim
February 8th, 2011 6:42 amOrdered it weeks ago and confirmed with the staff when it was shipped. It has been over 10 days and I still have not received my copy. Anyone in the states got the book?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 8th, 2011 9:19 amThe estimated delivery times to the states are 5-10 business days, so there is no need to worry, yet. Also, there was a strong blizzard – it might have interrupted the postal service.
On the other hand, shipments have already been received in the USA, so we’re confident that yours will arrive soon as well.
bossstart
February 8th, 2011 4:18 pmNew fan of Smashing. Cant wait to get mine!!! its coming as a Birthday gift.
adriantee
February 9th, 2011 2:40 amI got it a few days ago and read a couple of chapters. I can say that the book and binding quality is definitely pretty good and the content is good reading material. Kudos!
Ionut Zamfir
February 9th, 2011 4:04 amMy book just arrived, thanks :)
Adoxus Suxoda
February 9th, 2011 10:40 amArrived in Ankara, Turkey. BTW when will be the Smashing Book 3 published? =)
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 10th, 2011 1:04 amGlad to hear that! We have nothing to announce, yet. :)
dj
February 9th, 2011 10:56 pmwhat is the total price (book price + handling charge) of the book in the India?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 10th, 2011 1:06 am$ 29.90 for the book + $3.50 shipping, so $33.40 total.
Rachid
February 10th, 2011 12:30 amI just Got the book, excellent.
Thanks a lot smashingmagazine.
Bye.
Jozef Šumaj
February 10th, 2011 10:50 amJust received my piece to Slovakia :) [ordered on 3rd of February]
It’s awesome :) Thanks to all Smashing guys&girls for providing us such a state of art masterpiece.
D3ckard
February 11th, 2011 2:19 amHmm… nice, I’m from Poland and I ordered mine on 2sc of february and I still didn’t get it…
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 11th, 2011 9:27 amThat’s a bit strange. Can you send us your order details including the order number to orders@smashingmagazine.com? We’ll check your order.
Manon
February 12th, 2011 8:18 pmOrdered mine in January, but haven’t received yet. Any idea of when it’s supposed to make its way to New York.
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 13th, 2011 1:45 pmThanks for ordering! Pre-ordered books have been shipped by January 31st. The estimated delivery time to the United States is 5-10 business days. We think most books should have arrived in the states by now. If yours hasn’t, it will probably arrive this week.
Adam
February 13th, 2011 8:14 pmShould this have arrived to Australia as yet? I pre-ordered it well before the release?
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 14th, 2011 1:37 amEstimated delivery times to Australia are 6-10 business days, so it should arrive this week. Thanks for ordering!
Adam
February 15th, 2011 5:54 pmToday i’ve discovered a person i work with has already received his and we work in the same building! should i be concerned??
He lives in the same town as me.
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 16th, 2011 1:43 amThat is indeed unusual, but doesn’t necessarily need to be a reason for worry. We shipped such a high number of books initially, that the postal service probably had to process them in batches and not necessarrily sorted by town. Your’s probably just went on the next flight or something similar. We’ve had similar split deliveries in the past.
However, it is really getting time for your book to arrive. So if it doesn’t arrive this week, please contact us through orders@smashingmagazine.com and we’ll investigate. Don’t worry, we will make sure that you receive your book.
Jens Ahrengot Boddum
February 15th, 2011 2:24 pmLike Ferdy said, it’s a real shame you aren’t making this as an ePub for the iPad. You loose a purchase from me as well with this decision.
The content looks very interesting, and i enjoy reading articles on your site, but i’m just not going to buy it in this form. I mean it’s a frickin’ book about web design, so what’s the point of having to sit in front of a computer while reading it if you want to check out the links et cetera in it?
I really, really don’t understand this decision.
Adam
February 15th, 2011 4:28 pmI would say the decision here is a simple matter of avoiding piracy.
No eBook version = no piracy (well somewhat lol)
I mean i have an iPad which i use for reading eBooks so i get wanting the electronic version (hell i would have bought it) but in the end, as long as i get the content i’m happy :)
Plus realistically i’m sure in 6 months time or so, they’ll release in eBook version to make some extra money for the authors after people have picked up the print version :) so just be patient.
Karen Varnado
February 15th, 2011 9:49 pmMust have book!! I hoping I’m one of the five winners!
Renato Stuparić
February 16th, 2011 4:05 amI am waiting my preorder book. The first book (Book 1) I recived 4 days after i payed, now is Feb 16 and i stil didnt get my copy.
BTW I’m from Croatia
Smashing Media Customer Support
February 17th, 2011 1:52 amPre-ordered books to Croatia should indeed have arrived by now. Can you please send your order details to orders@smashingmagazine.com? We’ll check your order and make sure that you receive it.
Renato Stuparić
February 25th, 2011 6:01 amI just recived my copy of the book :)
Thank you Smashnig Magazine Team for your concern and your fast investigation :)
New book was sent 18.02. and I recived today :)
PS Thanks Helen :)
John McDuffie
February 16th, 2011 5:11 amMost books on any topic these days are filled with 10 or 15 pages of good content and the rest is fluff and filler. This book is good content from cover to cover.
I’m ready for book #3!
Adham Dannaway
February 24th, 2011 2:34 amJust ordered it. Thanks for featuring my portfolio site! :-)
Jean-Paul Rossetti
March 3rd, 2011 2:56 amI received my copy, and can confirm this second book rocks (and not only for featuring my name ;-). Hope the third will improve again !
EnergonCube
April 4th, 2011 12:56 pmJust received my copy in the mail. I have to say that this book is, by far, one of the worst typeset books I have come across in quite some time! I don’t know who you chose to do the layout for it, but he/she/they is a rank amateur.
That being said, the content is pretty good so far.
Maybe next time you should consider a professional typesetter. Just sayin’.
Ben
May 4th, 2011 3:08 pmLooks like a great book. Do you offer desk copies of the book for Educators? I would consider using this for my web design classes.
Nelson Frazee
January 29th, 2012 9:42 amIm obliged for the blog.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.