Over the course of the last several years, the DIY market has exploded spawning magazines, books, movies and fueling the growth of the online, handmade marketplace. In Robin Williams Handmade Design Workshop: Create Handmade Elements for Digital Designs, best-selling author Robin Williams and Carmen Sheldon take designers away from their computers and show them, step-by-step, how to use traditional artist's tools to create handmade elements for their digital artwork. The authors provide a wealth of new ideas to jump-start creativity and get graphic designers thinking in new ways. Each how-to is illustrated with tons of photos to show how to use paints, inks, textures, modeling pastes, and more to create handmade materials that can then be scanned in and used to create one-of-a-kind print projects or web sites. Examples of finished projects and Web sites are featured throughout the book to provide both instruction and inspiration for designers to use in their own projects.
Learn design theory and practical know-how from the award-winning author/design team, Robin Williams and John Tollett! Robin Williams introduced design and typographic principles to legions of readers with her best-selling Non-Designer's book series. Now she and designer/co-author John Tollett take you to the next level of creative design with practical advice and lessons in composition, visual impact, and design challenges. Presented in Robin and John's signature style—writing that is so crystal clear, it's accessible to absolutely anyone—and illustrated with hundreds of full-color design examples, the ideas in this book tackle design theory, visual puns, and layout and graphics strategies for real-world projects. Developing designers will appreciate the authors' imaginative approach and well-chosen examples. Discover practical and effective design principles and concepts—and how to apply them to virtually any project. Learn why some designs are attention-getting and others are not. Learn how to choose just the right look—corporate or casual, classic or trendy—for specific types of projects, such as business cards, letterhead and envelopes, newsletters and brochures, logos, advertising, and more. Test your design acumen by comparing before-and-after examples. Find a wealth of inspiration for your own design projects. Gain insight into the design process by studying the work of guest designers, who offer their personal commentary and insights.
Have you ever struggled to complete a design project on time? Or felt that having a tight deadline stifled your capacity for maximum creativity? If so, then this book is for you. Within these pages, you'll find 80 creative challenges that will help you achieve a breadth of stronger design solutions, in various media, within any set time period. Exercises range from creating a typeface in an hour to designing a paper robot in an afternoon to designing web pages and other interactive experiences. Each exercise includes compelling visual solutions from other designers and background stories to help you increase your capacity to innovate. Creative Workshop also includes useful brainstorming techniques and wisdom from some of today's top designers. By road-testing these techniques as you attempt each challenge, you'll find new and more effective ways to solve tough design problems and bring your solutions to vibrant life.
This guide provides a simple, step-by-step process to better design. Techniques promise immediate results that forever change a reader's design eye. It contains dozens of examples.
From principle to practice, get it all in the revised edition of the comprehensive introduction to typography. Type Rules: The Designer's Guide to Professional Typography, 3rd Edition is an up-to-date, thorough introduction to the principles and practices of typography. From the fundamentals to cutting-edge applications, this edition has everything today's serious designer needs to use type effectively. Dozens of exercises reinforce authoritative coverage on such topics as how to select the appropriate type for the job, how to set type like a pro, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to design a typeface, as well as how to fully harness the power of major design packages such as InDesign? and QuarkXPress? -- with new coverage of their latest versions. This edition includes: New information on OpenType, font management utilities, font web sites, and interactive typography. An expanded?history of type and an updated glossary of key terms. Exercises throughout to help reinforce the concepts presented in the book. A wealth of tried-and-true as well as recently developed type tips. More in-depth type issues, including scaling logos. "I've purchased and read just about every book on typography written over the last twenty-five years. Ilene Strizver's Type Rules is one of the best. It's a book that will prove its value time and again." -- Allan Haley, Director of Words and Letters, Monotype Imaging "Type Rules is a must-have book for students and professionals alike. I highly recommend it." -- Prof. Ed Benguiat, world-renowned type designer and educator, School of Visual Arts
As visual design technology and tools become more accessible and widely used, it is important for digital artists to learn and apply fundamental design techniques to their work. Visual Design Fundamentals: A Digital Approach, Third Edition provides a basic understanding of design and how it should be integrated into digitally-produced 2D images. Whatever the medium or techniques, good visuals are the result of planning, and this book shows you how to apply organization and the classic elements of design, including line, shape, form, value, color, and texture, to the latest technology. The techniques and theories presented can be applied to both traditional 2D art forms, such as drawing, painting, and printmaking, as well as 3D art, such as interior and industrial design and architecture. Each chapter outlines and examines both content and form, and a variety of hands-on projects reinforces new skills and provides a digital representation of each concept being taught. The book has been updated with revised content and all new projects, and everything you need to complete the projects is provided in the book or on the accompanying CD-ROM.
Enhance learners' interest and understanding with visual design for instructional and information products No matter what medium you use to deliver content, if the visual design fails, the experience falls flat. Meaningful graphics and a compelling visual design supercharge instruction, training, and presentations, but this isn't easy to accomplish. Now you can conquer your design fears and knowledge gaps with Visual Design Solutions: a resource for learning professionals seeking to raise the bar on their graphics and visual design skills. This informal and friendly book guides you through the process and principles used by professional graphic designers. It also presents creative solutions and examples that you can start using right away. Anyone who envisions, designs, or creates instructional or informational graphics will benefit from the design strategies laid out in this comprehensive resource. Written by Connie Malamed, an art educator and instructional designer, this book will help you tap into your creativity, design with intention, and produce polished work. Whereas most graphic design books focus on logos, packaging, and brochures, Visual Design Solutions focuses on eLearning, presentations, and performance support. Visual Design Solutions includes practical guidelines for making smart design choices, ways to create professional-looking products, and principles for successful graphics that facilitate learning. Ideal for instructional designers, trainers, presenters, and professors who want to advance from haphazard to intentional design, this book will help them realize their design potential. Gain the knowledge and confidence to design impressive, effective visuals for learning Increase learner comprehension and retention with visual strategies offered by an expert author Serves as a reference and a resource, with a wealth of examples for inspiration and ideas Addresses an intimidating topic in an informal, friendly style In four parts, the book provides a thorough overview of the design process and design concepts; explores space, image, and typography; and presents workable solutions for your most persistent and puzzling design problems. Get started and begin creating captivating graphics for your learners.
'Book Design' takes the reader through every aspect of the subject, from the components that make up a book, to understanding how books are commissioned and created, to the intricacies of grid construction and choosing a typeface.
