Foreword

The number one question I hear from people getting involved with SharePoint is “Can I change how SharePoint looks?” The answer is yes! You can certainly alter the default user interface for any SharePoint product and technology. The logical next question then is “How?”

Out-of-the-box, SharePoint provides some very limited and basic ways to alter the site interface. Most companies and site installations, however, need to go to the next level and really customize several elements of the user interface. Sites need to express ideas and emotions and quickly deliver content to their target audience. Corporate identities, complementary colors, and relevant images need to be used. Pages need to be structured, and content needs to be dynamic, eye-catching, and effective. All of these elements are necessary to create usable and functional Internet and intranet sites.

This is where SharePoint Designer comes in. This product allows you to design for SharePoint. It has a direct connection to your SharePoint site and allows you to interact with your site and see results immediately. With SharePoint Designer, you can create and alter the user interface for SharePoint.

Some of the buzzwords you hear most often around SharePoint branding are master pages, page layouts, and features. This book explores these items and how you can effectively use them in your site. Beyond the buzz, there are many other ways you can change the interface for SharePoint and affect both site design (logo, header, navigation, footer, and so on) and content design (text, content, data, roll up views, and so on). While themes and Web parts have been around a lot longer and do not seem as glamorous, they are both highly useful and effective for branding SharePoint. This book serves as a definitive guide and a single source for the information and expertise you need in order to make the SharePoint site your own. SharePoint Designer can help make your sites both beautiful and functional, and this book shows you how.

Jacob, David, Coskun, and Randy walk you through the steps involved and help you learn the skills to change the interface successfully. They have all worked on SharePoint implementations and they understand the challenges and pain points that come with this task. This book is a must-have for designers and will bridge the gap between what you know and what you need to know to brand SharePoint successfully!

Heather Solomon

Owner and President, Solomon Creative, Inc.

Director of Creative Services, SharePoint Experts, Inc.

Senior Trainer, SharePoint Branding Bootcamp