I got this email the other day. I thought I’d just...

I got this email the other day. I thought I’d just publish the answer since I’ve gotten this a few times, and if it’s helpful to anyone, it can’t hurt. So here goes:

My name is Justin and I really admire your web work.
I would like to get into (X)HTML/CSS and some AJAX and start freelancing a little around my town. I’m wondering if there are any resources or books that you would recommend that teach web standards while also teaching great looking design practices. I’ve started reading a couple books that teach web standards but fail in the visual department…
Any advice would be great.
Thanks, Justin.

So here are some of my favorites:

Designing with Web Standards by Jeffery Zeldman - Probably most web professional’s goto book on web standards.
Bulletproof Web Design by Dan Cederholm (not pictured, I know, I let a friend borrow it) - a great book about solving common problems in web design so that your web sites function under almost any condition.
Meggs’ History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs - a very thorough history of Graphic Design. Great for learning about where design started, the great designers throughout time, major trends, and full of inspiration.
Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide by Ellen Lupton - a great intro to type and later a great reference. Full of great typeface suggestions for use in your own design work.
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst - Most typographers or type designers will point to this as the definitive guide to typography. Keep it on your desk.
Swiss Graphic Design by Richard Hollis - I just think the Swiss/Internatinal Typographic style is the most important to understand if you want to understand modern Graphic Design.
Hand Job: A Catalog of Type by Michael Perry - All hand drawn design work, great for inspiration after looking at computer rendered work all day