Before & After How to Design Cool Stuff

by McWade, John

• ISBN13: 9780321580122
• ISBN10: 0321580125
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-11-11
• Publisher: Peachpit Pr

Summary

Before and After magazine's focus on clarity, simplicity, and elegance has won it legions of fans--fans who will welcome this second volume of the definitive Before and After Page Design by John McWade. Truly an icon of the graphic design community, his insistence on approaching design not as mere decoration but as an essential form of communication is vividly apparent in this cohesive primer on page design and layout. And you could not hope for a better, more qualified teacher.

McWade shows readers how to arrange and present information using today's powerful graphics tools. Readers will learn how to design single-page and multi-page documents, brochures, and ads; why one typeface works better than another; and much more. Best of all, they'll discover how to think visually transforming the images in their heads into something that communicates effectively on the page.

Author Biography

Designer, teacher, and author John McWade has been at the forefront of the graphic design and desktop publishing worlds for several decades. The very first beta user of the desktop publishing program Aldus PageMaker, he went on to found the first desktop publishing company, PageLab, to take advantage of the new tools. With his partner Gaye McWade, he founded the acclaimed Before and After magazine.

Table of Contents

Design without rulers	p. 2
Put away your ruler. Here's how to design the way you see.
The empty page has a lot to say	p. 16
Don't fly past that setup dialog! It's where your design begins!
Our color wheel	p. 22
The color wheel is our tool for understanding which colors go with what.
How to find the perfect color	p. 27
The color palette you need is already hidden in the photo. Here's how to find it.
What typeface goes with that?	p. 35
How to pick a typeface that complements a graphic.
How contrasts create type style	p. 42
Using contrast properly can make or break your typographic design.
Typography 101	p. 45
Type is a tool: Learn how to use it properly, and your work improves.
Character parts	p. 50
Many from one	p. 54
Big photos have small photos inside. Here's how to get several images out of one original.
More from less	p. 62
Cropping basics	p. 63
How to crop photos for function and meaning.
Background selection	p. 67
Focal points	p. 68
Complex or ambiguous photo? Eight simple ways to put the reader's eye where you want it.
Cool covers	p. 76
Ten simple ideas for great-looking covers.
How to design a second page	p. 86
You've designed a beautiful outside. How do you follow it up inside? Simply.
Bring the outside in	p. 93
Simply borderless	p. 94
How to design pages for desktop printers that can't print to the edge.
Voice-over captions	p. 102
A caption can be much more than a label. Here's how to get it onto your picture and into your story.
Multi-caption photo tells many stories	p. 109
Multiple captions in high style	p. 112
Lessons from a beautiful site	p. 113
The University of Miami College of Arts & Sciences shows that beauty really is in the details.
A welcoming home page	p. 122
Greet all of your online viewers.
Simple, bold, bright	p. 124
Minimalism works on any scale.
Organize that card	p. 125
The power of the postcard	p. 126
Big image and small type, or big type and small image: Either works well.
Put a photo in your name	p. 128
Words and pictures can be stronger than words alone.
Functional beauty	p. 130
Make a theme	p. 132
A simple graphic can provide a focal point, color, and continuity
Design a story-style brochure	p. 141
Fold-and unfold-a single sheet into an appealing, narrative-presentation.
Template: Story-style brochure	p. 147
Design a pocket-size brochure	p. 148
Eight small pages tell a big story.
Template: Pocket-size brochure	p. 152
A small newsletter that reads big	p. 153
Half-size page is easy to design and creates a strong impression.
Design a "photo" graph	p. 159
Design a card the easy way	p. 160
A photo and one block of type is all it takes to make a beautiful card.
Design a dual-purpose letterhead	p. 168
Legal-size sheet can serve as your letterhead and provide a bonus, too.
How to set a text-only logotype	p. 172
The key is to work with the natural pattern of your letters.
Design a flier that comes back to you	p. 181
On a budget? Design a flier that doubles as its own return envelope!
Template: Flier that comes back	p. 187
Small site, great format	p. 188
This simple beauty is ideal for professionals and small enterprises.
Template: Small format website	p. 193
Design a beautiful Web header	p. 194
Create an effective header the easy way. Just think in sections.
Design simple presentations	p. 199
Visual brevity will help a great talk.
Picture your presentation	p. 204
Photographs give your audience an emotional connection to your words.
Design a panoramic booklet	p. 212
A cross between book and magazine, this landscape format is unusually easy to lay out.
Template: Panoramic booklet	p. 220
Design below the line	p. 221
Simple technique creates a report that looks open and inviting.
Index	p. 227
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