Non-Designer's Design Book : Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice

by Williams, Robin

• ISBN13: 9781566091596
• ISBN10: 1566091594
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-01-01
• Publisher: Peachpit Press

Summary

Robin Williams wrote this one for people who now need to design pages but have not background or formal training in design. Follow her basic principles and your work is guaranteed to look more professional. organized, unified, and interesting. Witty and easy to read, this book is full of practical information, exercises, and quizzes that ensure you'll never look at a page in the same way again.

Author Biography

Robin Williams' clear, concise style of writing has made her popular with hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide. She has a knack for taking technical or esoteric information and making it easily accessible. Robin has taught traditional and electronic design for over twelve years, and this slim volume is a distilled version of what she has seen to be the most common pitfalls of most beginners' work. Robin is also the author of several best-selling, award-winning books, including The Little Mac Book, The Mac is not a typewriter, and Jargon.

Table of Contents

Is this book for you?	11	(1)
Mini-glossary	12	(1)
Design principles	13	(62)
The Joshua Tree Principle	13	(2)
The Four Basic Principles	14	(1)
Proximity
Alignment
Repetition
Contrast
Proximity	15	(12)
Summary of Proximity	26	(1)
The basic purpose
How to get it
What to avoid
Alignment	27	(16)
Summary of Alignment	42	(1)
The basic purpose
How to get it
What to avoid
Repetition	43	(10)
Summary of Repetition	52	(1)
The basic purpose
How to get it
What to avoid
Contrast	53	(10)
Summary of Contrast	62	(1)
The basic purpose
How to get it
What to avoid
Review	63	(12)
Proximity	64	(1)
Alignment	65	(1)
Repetition	66	(1)
Contrast	67	(8)
Little Quiz #1: design principles	68	(1)
Little Quiz #2: redesign this ad	69	(1)
Increase your visual awareness	70	(5)
Designing with type	75	(52)
Type (& Life)	75	(8)
Concord	76	(2)
Conflict	78	(2)
Contrast	80	(2)
Summary	82	(1)
Categories of type	83	(12)
Oldstyle	84	(1)
Modern	85	(1)
Slab serif	86	(1)
Sans serif	87	(2)
Script	89	(1)
Decorative	90	(1)
Be conscious	91	(3)
Little Quiz #3: categories of type	91	(1)
Little Quiz #4: thick/thin transitions	92	(1)
Little Quiz #5: serifs	93	(1)
Summary	94	(1)
Type contrasts	95	(32)
Size	96	(4)
Weight	100	(4)
Structure	104	(4)
Form	108	(4)
Direction	112	(4)
Color	116	(6)
Combine the contrasts	122	(1)
Summary	123	(4)
Little Quiz #6: contrast or conflict	124	(1)
Little Quiz #7: dos and don'ts	125	(2)
Extras	127	(14)
So, do you get it?	127	(4)
The process	128	(1)
An exercise	129	(1)
Okay--redesign this!	130	(1)
Answers to quizzes	131	(4)
My philosophy on tests and quizzes	131	(1)
Answers to quizzes	132	(3)
Bibliography	135	(2)
Magazines
Design
Desktop technology
Typography
Typefaces in this book	137	(4)
A list of all 103 typefaces used, shown in each style
Index	141