Graphic Design on the Desktop: A Guide for the Non-Designer, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Marcelle Lapow Toor (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471293075 | ISBN-13: 978-0471293071 | Publication Date: August 11, 1998 | Edition: 2

The complete and user-friendly introduction to graphic design--in a new edition

Now with information on Web site design, plus examples, exercises, and more!

Today, anyone with a good basic computer setup can produce a newsletter or a Web page--but to create effective, professional-quality pieces that stand out from the competition, you need more than a hard drive and some decent software. You need an understanding of how visual communication works and a solid grasp of the principles of design, composition, and typography. You need Graphic Design on the Desktop.

Written specifically for those who have little or no design background or experience, this accessible guide teaches you the fundamentals of sound graphic design and gives you the practical know-how to put them to work on your own projects, from initial concept through final production.

This new edition covers every key element of the design process, including format, layout and page design, typesetting, color, and illustrations--and offers clear explanations of type terminology, printing terms, and more. It guides you step-by-step through the design and production of ads, posters, brochures, and other promotional materials, as well as newsletters and magazines. A separate chapter on designing for the Web helps you make the most of home page and Web site designs.

Complete with helpful examples, exercises, hints, and checklists, plus tips on common pitfalls and how to avoid them, Graphic Design on the Desktop is the ideal design partner for projects that get attention and get results.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This essential guide demystifies the graphic design process by providing a basic understanding of the thinking process required to create well-conceived designs for both the printed page and the Web. Including practical hints, ideas, and illustrations, this book was written and designed to give the novice designer and.or desktop publicher all the necessary information to produce more successful, and more professional-looking printed materials and Web pages.

From the Back Cover

The complete and user-friendly introduction to graphic design—in a new edition

Now with information on Web site design, plus examples, exercises, and more!

Today, anyone with a good basic computer setup can produce a newsletter or a Web page—but to create effective, professional-quality pieces that stand out from the competition, you need more than a hard drive and some decent software. You need an understanding of how visual communication works and a solid grasp of the principles of design, composition, and typography. You need Graphic Design on the Desktop.

Written specifically for those who have little or no design background or experience, this accessible guide teaches you the fundamentals of sound graphic design and gives you the practical know-how to put them to work on your own projects, from initial concept through final production.

This new edition covers every key element of the design process, including format, layout and page design, typesetting, color, and illustrations—and offers clear explanations of type terminology, printing terms, and more. It guides you step-by-step through the design and production of ads, posters, brochures, and other promotional materials, as well as newsletters and magazines. A separate chapter on designing for the Web helps you make the most of home page and Web site designs.

Complete with helpful examples, exercises, hints, and checklists, plus tips on common pitfalls and how to avoid them, Graphic Design on the Desktop is the ideal design partner for projects that get attention and get results.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (August 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471293075
• ISBN-13: 978-0471293071
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #475,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars perhaps useful as a poor man's "for dummies" book on design, June 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Graphic Design on the Desktop: A Guide for the Non-Designer (VNR computer library) (Paperback)

This book was required reading for a publication class taughtby Toor. In general, the book is extremely simple, even simplistic,and gives the reader only a cursory glance at desktop publishing, suggesting many obvious cliches and "tried and true" design solutions rather than training the reader's visual sense. Some of the design examples are crude and amateurish. Ironically, the book is poorly designed as well, making liberal use of overused default graphics software "effects" and muddy, low-resolution graphics. Very disappointing... I would suggest this book only to non-designers who do want to really learn anything about design, but are only looking for some easy answers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for beginners, April 12, 2001

By 

Subarna Ghoshal (India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graphic Design on the Desktop: A Guide for the Non-Designer, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

I just went through the book, the most important part i liked is its language which is very welcoming for a beginner. I know lots of graphic softwares very well, but unware of some basic designing fundamentals. This book showed me the way. Though the samples in the book is few and not very interesting but has lots of basic information written in compact form so that a beginner can refer back any time. The book is broken down into basic topics a designer should know and its related subtopics. I liked its exercises at end of each chapter. May not be interesting to a person who is already a professional, but its a very handy book for anybody who want to become a designer with limited knowledge about it. I think one should go through it before trying out very hi-end designing books.