Customer Reviews

Non-Designer's Design Book, The (3rd Edition)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Once again when a real expert writes a book the complex can seem so simple. This is a gorgeous book. She shows you exactly what to do about keeping items with intellectual connectivity proximate. She holds forth on how to best use Alignment, Repetition, Contrast and Colour for print, web and all types of content. Thoroughly done asd 100% enjoyable ot read. I loved the sections on Fonts; begone Arial/Times Roman !

I started reading this book yesterday afternoon because I wanted to spruce up my business card. The author's introduction & explanation to basic design principles was clear, easy to understand, & illustrated with plenty of visual examples. I've always been a hobbyist designer, initially relying on MS Publisher templates to put things together but then gradually started making my own designs from scratch over the years, so I thought my initial design for my business card was pretty good. But as I read through this book, the author gave several examples of amateur mistakes, many of which I was guilty of. But then the author also gave examples of how to fix these mistakes by employing the design principles she explains. This is probably one of the most useful books I've ever purchased!

Robin has packed in a ton of experience and design principles into this easy to read book. Unlike some other books drone on and convey little, each page of this book seems loaded with tips and techniques that you can put into practice. For example, I learned more about type design from a single chapter in this book than from an entire book on type (Thinking in Type) that I had purchased simultaneously.

This is a great book. I would not have guessed I could learn so much about design in a couple of hours. Of course, knowing little to begin with makes it easier to learn something useful, and this book is oriented toward novices. For us, it's perfect.

The Kindle (in 2010), obviously does not display color or fine detail. I would not recommend the Kindle version if you can get the hard copy just as easily, but if for whatever reason you need a Kindle book, this one does work quite well. It's not as fun or pleasant as the hard copy, but you can learn the material just the same.

I'm giving a 5 star rating anyway, since Amazon still doesn't distinguish ratings of content from those of form.

The Non-Designers Design Book is well thought-out and organized. I come from a programming background and my ability to design visuals is limited, so whenever I find a book that can shed light on how designers think and put it in terms that a programmer can understand I am all for it. If you are a designer I think this book would be too basic for your liking, but us non-designers it is as simple as it gets. Do not get the wrong idea the information may be presented in a simple organized way, but the information is very valuable. I would have liked more examples for the web, but the concepts can easily be translated to the web. It was a pleasure to read and I recomend it for any non-designer. I give it four out of five stars.

This book has the power of Greyskull. There's really not much else to say. It's concise, well organized, and will up your design game, no questions asked.

I received this book a couple of weeks ago as a gift (from a very accomplished designer) and I have to admit I read it in three sittings. I plan on reading it more thoroughly and taking copious notes next time around. From the C.R.A.P. acronym to the side-by-side comparisons, this book will clearly help you see that a few changes in your design will go a long way. Whether you're writing for class, publication, your blog, or professionally, this has something for everyone. I wish I had read this when it was originally written, and plan on purchasing more of Williams' books soon.

Ms. Williams, thanks so much for this great guide, and for the sage advice to not be a wimp!

As each revision to Ms. Williams' books are released, I'm more and more impressed with her work. She has a subtle sense of humor that you have to learn to understand, but she's great. Her design ideas are very easily understood, and it's such a good book for beginner designers! I use it in my high school classroom and I love it!

I have never felt compelled to write a review for a book before but this one in excellent. Very easy to read and understandable for non-graphic designers. I see an improvement in my marketing materials already!

An alternative to the bleeding-edge, too-much-talking, no-context, historical design books. Perfect for small business owners, students new to design, and experienced designers who have fallen off the rails.

nice book, simple but deep. easy to read with lots of helpful ideas. I like it and I will definitely keep it.