Drupal is an open-source content management system (CMS) that has been available for more than ten years and is generally considered to be a highly feature-rich and robust product. However, it is often seen as a relatively difficult CMS to install, maintain, and configure.

This book is aimed at competent web designers who wish to apply their skills to Drupal version 7. It is assumed that the reader has a basic understanding of web technologies--Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and cascading style sheets (CSS)--but is unfamiliar with Drupal.

The book is divided into six sections, spanning 22 chapters and three appendices. It opens with a useful glossary of terms and a description of the file hierarchy, followed by the author’s view of how a Drupal project should be organized (a project life cycle).

The first section discusses techniques for designing how a web site should look, in consultation with a project client. These are standard techniques a web designer might employ, but it is useful to discuss them within the context of Drupal.

Section 2 then considers how to design and develop page layouts suitable for coding. Again, this is not Drupal specific, but the examples taken from the author’s own projects are instructive. Grid layouts are discussed, as well as how to incorporate tools such as Adobe Fireworks into the design process.

The next section explains the command-line tools, which should be familiar to a developer using a Linux or Mac system. The author also discusses the Drush tool for downloading extra Drupal modules and Git for version control. This leads into a step-by-step guide to installing Drupal on a typical system.

Section 4 looks at the issues of prototyping a site, and covers a selection of useful modules that can be downloaded and incorporated in a Drupal installation. This is followed by a worked example using the views module to display data on a site according to the type of material the data represents, and concludes with a discussion on applying themes and managing style sheets with the LESS utility.

A short Section 5 considers the features module and advanced use of Drush. Section 6 returns to the project management theme and discusses client relationships before, during, and after development. Finally, Section 7 contains the appendices, including draft documents for a project brief and a work agreement. A comprehensive index concludes the book.

Overall, this very well-written book is comprehensive in its coverage of the important aspects of Drupal. Although the title states it is “for designers,” it will be of interest to anyone creating a web site using Drupal. The practical advice is clear, and the basics of installing and maintaining a Drupal site are thoroughly covered. The use of two real-world case studies on which the author has been working gives the reader confidence in the authenticity of the guidance being offered. Furthermore, a wide variety of third-party tools are mentioned, and their suitability for assisting a Drupal designer is clarified.