Before and After Graphics for Business [Paperback]

John McWade (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321334159 | ISBN-13: 978-0321334152 | Publication Date: April 17, 2005 | Edition: 1

As the founder of the very first desktop publishing company (PageLab) and the publisher of Before and After magazine, John McWade knows graphics. He also knows business–and the depth of that knowledge comes through in every page of this handsome primer on creating effective business graphics! In these pages, a master of the medium shows you how to use today's tools to create business graphics that communicate your business's identity in a variety of forms. From creating charts, graphs, calendars, and maps to designing newsletters, creating various types of stationery, coming up with an identity, using photos to convey a message, and creating gift certificates, Yellow Pages ads, coupons, forms, and more, this elegantly designed volume shows you how to present your business to the world graphically. Best of all, you'll discover how to think visually–ensuring that your perceptions of your business are the world's perception of your business through the effective use of business graphics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Designer, teacher, and author John McWade has been at the forefront of the graphic design and desktop publishing worlds for several decades. As the first beta user of the desktop publishing program PageMaker, John went on to found the first desktop publishing company, PageLab, to take advantage of the new tools. With his partner Gaye McWade, he founded Before and After magazine. He is also the author of Before and After Page Design from Peachpit Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (April 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321334159
• ISBN-13: 978-0321334152
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Designer, teacher, and author John McWade has been at the forefront of the graphic design and desktop publishing worlds since 1985. 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 wife Gaye McWade, he founded the acclaimed Before & After magazine, long a favorite resource for graphic designers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Focuses On GOOD Design, June 16, 2005

By 

R.M. Fernandez - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Before and After Graphics for Business (Paperback)

What a wonderful book this is. As a graphic designer, I have quite a collection of design books - this book offers a tremendous amount of practical design tips and instruction. Take a look at the topics covered in the book:

- Newsletter Design
- Using Typefaces
- Designing Stationary
- Logos & Identity
- Business Forms
- Charts
- Annual Reports

I think the most important aspect of this book is that it doesn't just show you HOW to design a report, it emphasizes how to create a GOOD LOOKING report - that's pretty rare. Most design books are little more than instruction manuals for the latest software. Here we have a book that is software independent and focuses on making your designs look good.

The title of this book is misleading, a more appropriate title might be "Graphics For Design" because this book has a wealth of knowledge that relates to more than just business.

I urge anybody reading this to buy this book - especially young graphic design freelancers looking to establish a business identity.

VERY WELL DONE.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could actually *do* this!, May 4, 2005

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Before and After Graphics for Business (Paperback)

I'll take any and all help I can get when it comes to doing graphical design for a website. I got the book Before and After Graphics For Business by John McWade (Peachpit Press), and it's a wealth of ideas and concepts.

Chapter List: Newsletters; Stationery; Logos & Identity; Sales & Forms; Charts, Reports, Calendars, & Maps; Index

Like all good (or at least what I consider "good") books on graphic design, this is a lavishly illustrated volume that does a great job on taking "before" examples of business literature and giving them a make-over to enhance their image and design. McWade does an excellent job in explaining the use of fonts, colors, and spacing in creating designs that convey a consistent theme and image for the company. Along the way, you pick up a working understanding of typesetting vocabulary, like kerning and leading. By the time you get done, you might actually understand what that "art-y guy" in the next cubicle is talking about...

The other thing I appreciate about this book is the large number of examples. While you wouldn't necessarily want to "borrow" exact images and logos that he's created, you can easily follow how he's built them and the techniques you can follow to come up with your own ideas. I actually came away from this book thinking I could possibly come up with a redesigned logo for my blog site. I don't know that I *will*, but I think I could now.

This is one of those books I'll take into work and make sure no one walks off with it...

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for ANY business, November 8, 2005

By 

Jeff Fisher "Engineer of Creative Identity" (Portland OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before and After Graphics for Business (Paperback)

Before & After is one of my favorite design magazines. The project examples, step-by-step guidelines and practical articles have always been excellent resources for designers of all education and experiences levels. With Graphics for Business, author, designer and teacher John McWade teaches the reader how to make their business look great. The book is not logo or corporate identity specific. In addition to logo design, McWade covers the creation of newsletters, stationery, sales pieces and forms, and charts, reports, calendars and maps. Still, the logo and identity section of the book (44 pages of the volume) explains logos very well and provides great examples of how to design lettermarks, wordmarks, monograms, ligatures and other forms of identities. Playing with type, words, shapes and illustrative elements are all presented in fun and well-illustrated manner. The book will be a great addition to the design library of anyone interested in producing a strong image for their business, or that of a client. - Jeff Fisher, writer of bLog-oMotives and the "Logo Notions" column at CreativeLatitude.com