I think that we all know good design when we see it, but what are the basic visual principles that are common to good design? And how can I become more creative with my own work?
The Non-Designer's Design Book, by Robin Williams, is one of the most practical, useful books I have read in my entire life. I refer to it just about every other week, and it never fails to inspire and inform me to new heights of visual creativity. Whether you create documents for business or pleasure, you would do well to read this accessible and charming guide to the basics of typography and document design. The book is filled with easy-to-understand illustrations of the principles she teaches, and the author even provides you with quizzes to test your understanding.
The first part of the book is organized according to the four principles of design: Proximity, Alignment, Repetition, and Contrast. In the second part, she addresses the basics of type setting, such as how to achieve “contrast” instead of “conflict.” After reading this book, I use font size more boldly and occasionally accent my handouts with scripts. The author’s promise, made on the back of the book, has actually come true for me: I feel that my documents look more professional, organized, unified, and interesting. And I myself feel more empowered!
Philosophers and pseudo-intellectuals out there will also find the book refreshing. Is art truly in the eye of the beholder? What does font choice say about a person, a time period, a culture? To what extent can layout be used to make an argument, and how does it affect the way we read text?
I used to think that personal preference played a much larger role in determining the appeal of an image or design, but the author provides insights that seem universal. In the examples she provides, it’s hard to disagree with her rationale for choosing one layout over another, and yet you still leave the book feeling that there are infinite possibilities for creativity. (After all, if it really were that cut and dry, there would only be a few good designs out there, right?)
This book has lead me to the broader realization that many plans and projects fail not by effort or ability, but by design. And this is why you cannot afford to miss out on advice like the kind provided in this book.
- Charlie
3 comments:
Two things...
1. I think I should probably borrow this book and give it a good read. Surprisingly (perhaps), there is a lot of graphic design sort of work in science for giving presentations, and making abstractions into easy to see figures, so I think it would be of great utility.
2. My friend Spade recommended this book to a friend of hers who is a government contractor based on your review... so you might be influencing future generations of government reports based on this blog. Yay you :-)
Awesome! I think it would be really useful for you and the government contractor friend.
"future generations of government reports"
--> More evidence that this blog is making the world a better place.
I need to check this book out sometime (especially as a fellow handout god). It seems like an interesting venture into the way the human mind works to categorize and understand, simply put through the lense of visual design.
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