The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book, Second Edition [Paperback]

Chuck Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book: One-Of-A-Kind Projects, Expert Tips, and Hard-To-Find Sources 100 STEP-BY-STEP DESKTOP PUBLISHING AND WEB DESIGN RECIPES. The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book is about breaking new ground. Beyond the obvious newsletters, envelopes, and letterheads, there are a wealth of useful, eye-catching, and unusual projects perfectly suited to your computer and graphics or laser printer.

UNIQUE PROJECT IDEAS. The idea book features scores of projects you can easily recreate using any DTP or word processing software program. Whether you're a new computer user with no design experience, or an experienced pro, the idea book provides the design and production details that put the power of print to work for you.

COMPLETE DETAILED LAYOUTS. Each project includes one or more designs, page dimensions, typeface names and sizes, sources for clip art and photos, and the names of companies that can supply you with production help and special materials.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BOOK. All of the idea book projects were created exclusively for you to integrate into your own work. You are free to recreate any element of a project—the design, the production techniques, the font choices, even the headline and text ideas.

EXPERT TIPS AND TECHNIQUES. Chuck shares the basics of project production and tips for working with illustrators, photographers, and commercial printers. He helps you rethink the design and function of everyday documents and explore ways to maximize their effectiveness.

TURN YOUR IDEAS INTO RESULTS. The idea book includes over 350 pages packed with hundreds of illustrations and scores of ideas to help you tap the creative power of your PC or Macintosh computer.

PROJECTS INCLUDE THE: Instant binder, Gift Folder, Catalog, Cookbook, Infobook, Brochure Book, Quick-Change Menu, Take-A-Test Brochure, Business Greeting Card, Pop-Up Card, Letter/Coupon Combo, Two-Way Message, Map Flyer, Play Sheet, Computer Files Record, Newsletters, Billboard Box, Poly Bag Pack, Great Quotes, Dry Erase Board, Coasters, Decals, 3-in-1 Labels, and many more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...brims with powerful ideas, presented simply and engagingly. ...mandatory reading for anyone who takes their marketing seriously." -- Jay Conrad Levinson, Author, Guerrilla Marketing

"If you’re getting bored producing the same, old promotions and publications, this book is a great idea generator." -- Catharine Fishel, Dynamic Graphics Magazine

"The tips, the techniques, the tricks and the examples in this book can make any business a better guerrilla marketer." -- Seth Godin, Author, Permission Marketing

From the Inside Flap

Professional designs -- create them yourself -- for print or for web

Using your own desk top publishing or word processing software and laser printer, you can easily create all 104 design projects inside The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book, 2nd Edition. The author shows you step-by-layout-step how to create professional, eye-catching designs that boldly and creatively state your message. This new edition is packed with simple, inexpensive, effective designs for brochures, business cards, catalogs, invitations, stationary, t-shirts and over 98 more!

Each project comes complete with page dimensions, typeface names and sizes and sources for clip art and photos. You'll find valuable information for working with illustrations, photographers and printers. There's also a resource list for locating supplies and special materials. No other DTP design book offers you as many project layouts. It's simply the very best book of its kind. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: Logic Arts Corporation; 2nd edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096695873X
• ISBN-13: 978-0966958737
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chuck Green is the principal of Logic Arts Corporation--a design and marketing firm--and the host of ideabook.com--a popular center for the exchange of print and online communication ideas.

He is a contributor, past and present, to many publications including:
Before & After Magazine
Dynamic Graphics Magazine
Layers Magazine
Home Office Computing
InDesign Magazine

Sites:
Web > http://www.ideabook.com
Links > http://www.jumpola.com
Blog > http://www.pageplane.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous for all but the least creative reader, March 15, 2000

By 

tropic_of_criticism - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book: Second Edition (Paperback)

With so many desktop publishing books on the market, it's easy to get confused as to quality. The truth is that there's something of knowledge to be gained in just about every book. What's difficult is finding one right for your current level of knowledge-and one that will help you move on in your education.

This book will be of such help to at least three distinct types of reader.

First, despite the fact that it's not the book's focus, design theory makes its way almost unintentionally onto each page. This isn't a design book, so it doesn't actually _instruct_ you in the art. But the images in the book are competent, generic examples of standard principles of design. If you follow the basic constructs the author offers, you will, perhaps without meaning to, produce work that is suitably well-designed for almost any commercial purpose.

Second, the book gives an overview of how to get your designs from idea to computer to paper. It doesn't tell you specifically how to use your particular software or a particular printing company. I'm not sure the word "Adobe" or "Corel" appears anywhere in the text. What it gives you are the steps necessary to create high quality work on a shoestring budget. It gives you information about where to get clip art, how to deal with an illustrator specifically hired for a certain job, what are the most common fonts used in professional applications, how to ensure you're not violating copyright. These are areas that have had relatively minimal coverage in the instructional press, so the somewhat scant attention this book gives is a comparative abundance. In particular, the book has helpful information on how to find a good service bureau for your final output. The notion of contracting with printers in other parts of the country is a concept that will be foreign to a number of readers. It's a common practice to large companies, but this book makes real the possibility for smaller businesses and home enthusiasts.

Third, the book reaches people who have a great deal of experience with desktop publishing, but may need a single, unified resources for the multiplicity of "special" projects they infrequently may be called upon to make. How do you make buttons, for instance? How do you label a shipping tube? How do you create a magnetized memo? Who makes baseball caps and can I create my own design for them? Can I really make personalized coasters for my 15th high school reunion? Where can I have personalized Post-It (tm) Notes made? These, and many other "unusual" projects are given great attention in this book.

Indeed, this is really the book's focus. The author, Chuck Green, has an obvious passion for personalization. He wants you to know that for any purpose, be it commercial or personal, there's a way to make a great impression that you haven't thought about. In that quest, Mr. Green has used his book to centralize thousands of disparate addresses, phone numbers, and ideas into one location so that you can get started almost immediately. For its modest price it will give you more solid, usable advice than many more expensive, application-specific volumes.

And the book doesn't stop with the last page. There's a very cool website associated with the book that will help you continue on in your knowledge. To be sure, you don't need to read the book to access the website, but I think it's a measure of the passion the author has for his subject that he's willing to continue devoting time to it by maintaining an active, growing website. This is no `hack' author trying to cash in on the desktop publishing phenomenon. This is someone who really cares about what he writes and wants to continue giving you the most up-to-date information possible.

Despite all this, I think there are groups who might be disappointed with the book. If you already do a lot of specialized jobs for your clients, the ideas may seem quite basic. I think, too, that if you're just printing newsletters or the occasional flyer, you might think this book is full of useless information.

But I think that such people are entirely in the minority. This book has a tremendous amount to offer for the even slightly creative. Even if you _thought_ you only did newsletters for your church or flyers for your club, the wealth of information here makes you _want_ to do more and better work than you've done before. And that, I suppose, is the very point of desktop publishing in the first place.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Practical, November 21, 1999

By 

Mike Dickison - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book: Second Edition (Paperback)

I used this book as a classroom text for a DTP course I was running. The students loved it, not just because it showed sample layouts with good use of contrasting fonts and plenty of white space, but also because the projects were practical and small scale, aimed at someone with a laser printer and office supplies. Green's ideas show that with a couple of quality fonts and classy clip art anyone can potentially do good design. I'd like to see a new edition that takes advantage of the low costs of digital presses, but as it stands the book is inspiring. Note, by the way, that most of the projects are designed for US-sized stationery, but can be adapted.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very important book., September 28, 1997

By 

Betsy Parker - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book: Second Edition (Paperback)

The first edition of the Chuck Green's Desktop Publisher's Idea Book was an important book; the second edition is even more important. It covers more topics and includes a very important section on web design.

The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book is noteworthy from several points of view. For example:

1) Text is limited, providing space for large, informative story-telling illustrations.

2) Full information is provided, including typeface, type size and other formatting specifications.

3) Unlike many so-called "design" books, the Desktop Publishing Idea Book practices what it preaches. Pages are open and uncluttered, with plenty of white space.

4) A far wider variety of projects are included than most desktop publishing design books.

This is an easy book to like.