The Non-Designer's Design Book: Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice
Category: Books,Politics & Social Sciences,Social Sciences
The Non-Designer's Design Book: Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice Details
From the Back Cover This book is for the secretary laying out an office newsletter, the entrepreneur designing her own advertising, the student wanting a better-looking term paper, or the professional creating a lasting impression with a new client. As a book of general design principles, it doesn't matter what computer one is using, or whether one is using a computer at all - the principles and terminology of good design remain the same. Robin assumes that readers simply want to know how to make pages look better. She equips them with the four basic concepts used in virtually every well-designed job. Dozens of real-world examples enliven the text and demonstrate that Robin practices what she preaches: Good design does indeed capture the reader's attention. In the second half, the focus is on type, specifically the problem of combining multiple typefaces. Robin demonstrates that in page design, as in life, a relationship is established that is either concordant, conflicting, or contrasting. Each chapter is conveniently summarized, and there are practical design exercises, optional quizzes, and bibliography. Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to feel at ease in the often confusing world of graphic design. Read more
Reviews
I am a "non-designer" and purchased this book to learn more about basic design principles. I must admit that it was very helpful. The author covers many important aspect of good design such as repetition, placement, typography, and others. The writing style is light and the author tries to inject a lot of humor into her work. A good part of the book is devoted to typography and I found it to be especially helpful for me. This section provided me with some very good ideas. The only negative comment that I have about the book is that it has a section on the use of color. The problem: The book is entirely done in black and white. Although it would have added to the cost of producing the book , I think that they should have added a few color illustrations to illustrate the principles on color that they were trying to explain. Instead, I suppose that you are supposed to use your imagination. This book retails for $15 and is only 144 pages, some color could have been added, and the book could still have been profitable.Overall, I think that it is a very good book. It's a little pricey (although most graphic design books tend to be) for what you get but I don't regret purchasing it. If you're a non-designer, and want to learn more about graphic design, then you will benefit from this book.