Customer Reviews

Layout Index: Brochure, Web Design, Poster, Flyer, Advertising, Page Layout, Newsletter, Stationery Index

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I wrote a positive review of J. Krause's first book, the Idea Index, and have to remark on this one as well. Filled with lots and lots of images and very little commentary, these books are a bit hard to explain to non-designers, but they make perfect sense to people in the creative visual arts. I constantly use the first book, Idea Index, to help me get ideas flowing for logos and images. The new book, Layout Index, is packed(!) with full-color idea-starters for all kinds of print and web media. There is hardly a spread in this very fat little book that does not capture and hold my interest for one reason or another; hardly a page that does not offer serious fuel for creativity, no matter what the project. As the author says in his intro, these are NOT answer books, they are "WHAT IF" books. They get your mind cranking on all kinds of possibilities very quickly. I have shelves full of design books, but I keep these two on my desk, within reach at all times. A superb duo!

While Idea Index provides actual ides for nice graphical renderings, the layout index is very simple and very scarce when it comes to layout ideas. It has a limited number of sample ideas which only look good due to the images present in the layout. The layouts provided don't really add much to the presentation of the information in the examples. Also, the web layouts are especially horrendous - despite looking semi-pretty, they do not consider at all the medium (e.g. giant images take longer to load, etc.). I was pretty disappointed by this book after liking Idea Index so much.

Overall, the book is so-so. Going through it at a library will give you all the layout ideas this book could ever provide - there's no need to keep it on your shelf for future reference. If you're looking for good, or at least original print layout ideas, you better look elsewhere.

Like other reviewers of this book, I am a professional designer. This book is one of the most helpful tools I have ever found. With all due respect, I would like to emphatically disagree with the comments of some other reviewers--I beleive that it is very easy to misunderstand a book like this. The author mentions in the intro (I'm paraphrasing) that this is NOT a book a answers, it's a book of suggestions. A person might think that some of the layouts are unfinished, or plain (not always the case--some layouts are finished and beautiful); I think that this is because a significant effort has been made to avoid presenting layout ideas that leave no room to build. The essentials of good design are never dated. If you are able to look at this book as a treasure chest of ideas, rather than a showcase of someone else's finished work, you will find endless fuel for your own work. As for the size: i LOVE the small format and the plastic cover!! It sits unobrusively on my desk at all times--easy to grab at a moment's notice. This is an amazing book, not like any other in concept, content or form.

I'm fussy about books in general, and I'm even fussier about books for my business. This book represents money well spent. It is so small, but don't let that deceive you, it is packed with ideas that springboard you into your own creations. I begin looking through the book when I feel I've hit a wall with ideas... soon I say to myself "hey, that is a neat way to handle things, I wonder if I could adapt that..." and soon enough I have my own design for the client. I have never seen any of my designs turn out like cookie cutters of the book's concepts...but I have had some good inspiration from it! I love the way this book gets me thinking.

I love Idea Index. You can flip to any random page and get some creative solutions that hadn't occurred to you. Layout Index, however, is not nearly as useful, innovative or even interesting, unless vintage 1994 design is your idea of "cutting edge". I think the author had these ideas sitting in his desk drawer a little too long.

Unlike Idea Index, which is a hodgepodge of design ideas that are far from finished, Layout Index walks the reader through some solutions. Instead of ideas, you get second-rate finished pieces that won't spark your own ideas. The beauty of the nonlinear index is lost.

I guess this book might be useful for those who need help with their church newsletter or flyers for the kids' birthday party. Will professionals get any use out of this? Nope. I'll give it two stars just because it might come in handy for the soccer moms.

I hate to dog the book... his first one was so good, but I guess that's why this one is such a dud. My expectations were not met.

Design inspired by this little book leans towards clean & well ordered displays of information. This book provides basics of page building & information distribution.
Beginners will like this book, however, those looking for more complex layout ideas should either work on the existing ideas taking them to the next levels, or peruse other books.

I mainly do websites for small businesses, but if they like my work, they often ask me to re-do their business cards or create a newsletter template to match their website. Of course, I lie and tell them I know how to do these things. This book has made an honest person out of me. It provides inspiration for these different media formats. If I'm stuck when trying to create a new web identity from scratch, these pages have provided that spark of inspiration. Worth the money and it doesn't take up much room on your desk.

I recommend having this whole series. They are nice little books to flip through when you are ready to start a new project. I agree that the design elements appear a little stale and dated, but when I look past the actual examples they use and envision my own layouts, they still give me ideas to expand upon.

A good deal for the money.

I bought this along with the Color Index, and I must admit I'm not overly impressed with the ideas in this text.

I will keep it onboard because you -never- know what might spark your creativity, and I must admit there are a few good ideas to jump off from in this book. I donno, I guess I just feel underminded when I flip through this book. It is a bit too kitchy for me (think clip-art-like graphics), and many of the solutions presented in it are too busy and hardly professional.

This is part of a three book set, which is a great addition to any design library. Unfortunately, this is the weakest of the set - there are a few tidbits, but nothing much. If you buy the other two (Color Index & Idea Index) you will be set. This one I don't recommend to often.