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Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual
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| List Price: | $30.00 |
| Price: | $19.80 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
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Product Description
This book is simply the most compact and lucid handbook available outlining the basic principles of layout, typography, color usage, and space.
Being a creative designer is often about coming up with unique design solutions. Unfortunately, when the basic rules of design are ignored in an effort to be distinctive, design becomes useless. In language, a departure from the rules is only appreciated as great literature if recognition of the rules underlies the text. Graphic design is a "visual language," and brilliance is recognized in designers whose work seems to break all the rules, yet communicates its messages clearly.
This book is a fun and accessible handbook that presents the fundamentals of design in lists, tips, brief text, and examples. Chapters include Graphic Design: What It Is; What Are They and What Do They Do?; 20 Basic Rules of Good Design; Form and Space-The Basics; Color Fundamentals; Choosing and Using Type; The World of Imagery; Putting it All Together?Essential Layout Concepts; The Right Design Choices: 20 Reminders for Working Designers; and Breaking the Rules: When and Why to Challenge all the Rules of this Book.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #13742 in Books
- Published on: 2007-04-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 272 pages
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Timothy Samara is a New York City-based graphic designer and educator. His fifteen-year career, focused primarily on visual identity development, includes a diverse project history-from branding systems and user interfaces to books, animation, and architectural work. He is currently a member of the design faculty of the School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology, Purchase College School of Art + Design, and New York University. He is the author of Making and Breaking the Grid, Typography Workbook, Publication Workbook, and Type Style Finder, all from Rockport Publishers. Tim lives in New York, NY.
Customer Reviews
GREAT BOOK!!!
I have purchased a lot of books from Amazon; this is the first time I have actually taken the time to write a review. I have decided to take a minute to write this review simply because I am so impressed with this book.
I have been creating various media that involve graphic design; including web design, print material, graphics for video, etc., for about three years now. Like many other people, I am 100% self taught. I have never been to graphic design school or taken classes in the field. So I don't know the basic fundamentals of Graphic Design & color treatment, and often find myself struggling with creativity and coming up with ideas.
This book lays out the fundamentals really well. One of the nice things about this book is this; all of the examples are modern illustrations that you see in the real world today that reflect really good design. Not some hokie, boring examples that you see in a lot of other books. I have a lot more that I want to say but I will keep it short. I will say this; if you are like me a self taught web designer, print developer, or work with graphic design in any other capacity and struggle with ideas and creativity, YOU GOTTA GET THIS BOOK!!! This book is definitely opening new doors of creativity for me.
Joseph K.
Great refresher and excellent as a teaching assistant
The first day I started reading this book, I realized it would be perfect for my Type students. They loved the front content (20 rules for good design). This book is a must have in the library.
Great book; too bad you won't be able to read it
It is a shame to see such a Herculean effort rendered unreadable by a low-contrast and minuscule font. I have 20-20 vision, but simply could not get even half way through this book before giving up. I feel for the author and hope that he will try again with this same material.
