The Non-Designer's Design Book, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: Design for the rest of us
Review: I've been waiting for a book like this one for a while. Not just for myself, I wish people that designed some of these horrible documents and web sites would read this book. There is really practical advice to make good looking documents and sites. Not too flashy. Not too extreme. But solid, practical design that is far better than "doesn't suck".

Most of the book is set up so that one page shows what you shouldn't do and why, and the other page on the opposite side shows what you should do. This is a very effective way of presenting design material.

There is some reference material at the end of the book on the basics of typography and layout which should round out your practical design education.

Definitely a must buy. If only for the sake of the rest of us that have to look at your sites and documents!

Rating:
Summary: Accessible and Useful
Review: This is an excellent introduction to design principles. The principles are clearly explained, discussed in terms of practical applications, and illustrated with both good and bad examples. Despite a certain amount of repetitiveness, this book is well worth the investment for design beginners.

Rating:
Summary: Keeps your interest while teaching the fundamentals
Review: This is a great basics book, for the beginner or for the designer who needs to get back to basics. It gets right to the meat of designing and is interesting to read and easy to follow. There are samples and explanations, and the book isn't long enough to get boring. I'll be keeping this quick-reference guide for the duration of my career. (Also, it's a great book for teachers to use in their high school or college graphic design classes.)

Rating:
Summary: Four solid design principles and then an intro to type
Review: I've taken a few introductory graphic design courses and I learned more from this 190-page book than I did in any one of the courses. The trouble I found with the courses was that they were either 1) too "exploratoryEand nebulousEThere is no right or wrong way to design,Eor 2) focused on use of software tools. What I was looking for were some solid principles that I could apply to anything I was designing, whether is be a graphical user interface or a form.

And that's exactly what I found in this book. The author presents four basic principles of design:
Proximity
Alignment
Repetition
Contrast

Clear examples are presented of how to apply these principles when designing web sites, logos, newsletters, business cards, letterhead, forms, posters and more. Often, there are also examples of designs where one or more of the principles were not used so you can compare and see the affect of applying the principle(s).

After the principles of design are covered, the book tackles designing with type for another 50 pages. The author separates type into 6 categories. She explains that, due to the huge variety of type, there are hundreds of typefaces that won't fit neatly into any one of these 6 categories, but it is a useful way to start grouping type and heightening your awareness. The book explains how to identify the similarities and differences in type, and then describes how to combine different typefaces.

Throughout the book there are little self quizzes (with answers provided at the back) so you can gauge your comprehension of the material.

If you want a more in-depth discussion on type, the same author has another excellent book titled The Non-Designer's Type Book. I recommend reading this in addition to The Non-Designer's Design Book. I also recommend The PC Is Not A Typewriter. The books all have a lot of useful information presented in a clear and concise writing style.


Rating:
Summary: Terrific Book for Non-Designers
Review: I'm beginning to wonder if Robin Williams ever sleeps. She seems to have a new title out every couple of weeks. This is Ms. Williams' second offering of this title.

I have long said that the best thing about DeskTop Publishing is that it puts it in the hands of everybody and the worst thing about DeskTop Publishing is that it puts it in the hands of everybody. Some people just don't have an eye for design.

The fact is, because of DeskTop Publishing, many people with no formal training in publishing or design end up having to design something. They find they must create an advertisement, a newsletter, a brochure, a business card or a poster. Panic sets in for those who have no idea where to start, or don't understand the fundamentals of good design.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, The Non-Designer's Design Book is your "rescue in a book." I really like the many before and after examples she shows of web pages, brochures, business cards, etc. There is an amazing example of a tri-fold brochure before and after on pages 106-107, and a newspaper ad on pages 114-115.

She explains the use of typography very nicely, and explains when to use different kinds of typefaces. (Did you know that most people make the type on their home made business cards too big?)

This book is not a big, heavy tome that goes on forever on its topics. That's a good thing. It keeps things simple and easy to understand. Each topic is covered well and in an interesting manner.