Like many people in front-end development, as I’ve grown and learned, I’ve also come to specialize in different aspects of the field—I’ve built my expertise in HTML, CSS, and how to keep websites speedy. But, no matter what skills I’ve explored, there’s an ever-growing—and tremendously intimidating—list of tools and tech to learn.
JavaScript is on that list, and for many years, I successfully avoided learning too much about it. Instead, I relied on Googling error messages, or copying and pasting scripts and trying to tweak them, never fully grokking what the code was doing.
More than a decade into my career, I was handed JavaScript for Web Designers and I felt that old twinge of intimidation. JavaScript was still a foreign language to me; I’ve been able to rely on search engines and the kindness of strangers to help get me this far— why not continue to punt on this scary, big piece of technology?
Ten pages in, all my fears of this nebulous JavaScript beast were gone.
I’ve learned more about this language from JavaScript for Web Designers than in the entire time I’ve worked in this industry. Mat's writing makes JavaScript remarkably straightforward to learn. From data types to loops, I was able to make sense of—and then easily try my hand at—this language that had been a black box to me. The book successfully builds on foundational concepts and doesn’t rush things, instead navigating the reader safely through easy-to-try examples.
But this book’s not just good at teaching you about JavaScript; its superpower is how effectively it’ll calm your fears. I walked away from the book feeling unafraid: I can finally approach and use JavaScript without getting anxious about typing in my console. No matter your background—designer, developer, new to the game, or just new to JavaScript—you’ll find that JavaScript for Web Designers is accessible, empathetic, and fun to read. I’m so excited for you to turn the page and dig in.
—Lara Hogan