Web design links that matter

Originally published on the LTU Web Design blog, April 24, 2008:

I decided to give myself three simple parameters in choosing my list of all-time web design faves:

1. The web site must be timely, informative, inspirational and well-written, as well as provide excellent learning examples for both novices and experts alike.
2. It goes without staying that the design of the site itself must be creative, simple and elegant.
3. Were the site ever to stale or cease to exist, I would cry my eyes out, stomp my feet, quit my job and open a hot dog stand.

What I decided not to do was subjectively rank them in any way.  At the very least, I grouped them into a few basic categories. In alphabetical order:

Comprehensive web design sites
Soup-to-nuts coverage of XHTML, CSS, scripting, visual design, usability, information architecture, server administration, web standards, accessibility, search engine optimization, social media and so forth…

• A List Apart
• Digital Web
• SitePoint
• W3Schools
• Web Page Design for Designers (back from the dead!)

Speciality web design sites
Particular emphasis on best practices in (typically) one area of web design…

• 24 ways
• Alertbox (by Jakob Nielsen, usability guru and self-admitted non-designer)
• Boxes and Arrows
• Google Webmaster Central and blog
• MaxDesign (home of the Listamatic, Listutorial, Floatutorial and Selectutorial)
• Microformats
• Quirksmode
• ReadWriteWeb
• Stylegala
• UX Magazine
• Vitamin
• Westciv
• Yahoo! Developer Center, including the Design Pattern Library and User Interface Library

Web designers whom I sincerely respect
Well-known experts in the field that I would hire or wish would hire me, either way…

• Dan Benjamin
• Mark Boulton
• Dan Cederholm
• Jesse James Garrett
• Shaun Inman
• Roger Johansson
• Andy King
• Dan Shea
• Steve Smith
• Jeffrey Veen
• Jeffrey Zeldman

I’m missing many a name, truth be told. Molly Holzschlag, Dean Edwards, Eric Meyer (a fellow Clevelander, no less!), Tantek Çelik, Steve Champeon and countless others. Mention any more and I’d just be name-dropping. I fancy myself a trail guide, but these folks are the real trailblazers.

Not to mention other sites likes BrainJar, Web Developer’s Virtual Library, HTML Help, HTMLSource, HTML Dog, Evolt and The Web Standards Project—all sites I came to rely on over the years but fell out of favor for a variety of reasons. Again, your results may vary.

In fact, I’d love to hear from you. How about your “best of the web” sites? Which bookmarks wouldn’t you trade for water if lost on a desert island? And who or what did I sorely miss?

Not quite two years ago, but an eternity in web years.  And since this blog post first appear, Webmonkey rose from the dead.  Which web sites about web sites would you add?