The Book That Smashed My Expectations

Smashing Magazine, the publisher of The Smashing Book has had its share of negative criticism in the recent past. Though the reason can partially be due to the type of designers who are usually attached to it, Smashing Magazine has still gained name and respect for what they do. They haven’t stopped providing unique articles relating to a variety of subjects. With that said, I was somewhat excited yet skeptical about the book at the same time. I honestly didn’t think the book would have this much meat stuffed inside it.

Impression

The size of the book feels smaller than expected, but that makes it portable to read while traveling. The book can’t be kept open on a table due to its adhesive binding. I partly don’t regret it because it’s not a reference book in a wider sense, though I would have liked it that way. And yes, I hate the paper used in the book, it’s smelly, difficult to turn over and a bit thick for my taste.

Design

May be the publisher was trying to be out of the ordinary or something else but the design of the book isn’t up to par with other design books available in the market today. A larger body text with better choice of typeface would have done wonders. Overall, the design feels boring. The layout on the other hand, is well thought out. The margins compliment the whitespace and makes the experience easier on the eyes.

I am annoyed whenever I see the browser chrome in the screenshots of a book, especially, when the subject isn’t the browser itself. This was apparent throughout the book which makes it a distraction to the content being presented.

Errors

Spelling errors became my biggest disappointment. I noticed them as soon as I read the table of contents. I think the publisher should have given more importance to proofreading as the nature of the book is way different than their content on the web, the usual medium of the publisher.

Content

Surprisingly, I think this is where the book shines. I don’t believe a book that covers a wide range of topics does any good but The Smashing Book squashed all my prior beliefs in this regard! The chapters are well detailed and written by seemingly established experts. Almost all important topics that a freelance designer should know about are covered in it.

An advantage of picking up a book like this is that the book is useful even if you’re an expert in one niche of your field. With topics ranging from User Interface Design and Usability to Color Usage and Typography, every web enthusiast is going to find something useful in here. I enjoyed the interviews from renowned designers the most.

Verdict

So should you buy this book? Yes. Although it didn’t meet my expectations, The Smashing Book did give me a few more things to think about when working for the web. I can only sincerely hope that The Smashing Magazine does a better job with their next book.

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