Robin Williams Design Workshop (Paperback)

by Robin Williams (Author), John Tollett (Author)
Key Phrases: oldstyle numbers, lining numbers, centered alignment, Guilty Looks, Ballyhoo Headquarters, New Mexico (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If you just stumbled into design, maybe via a hobby that grew into a career, and you want to improve your work without having to enroll in a degree program, this book can bridge some of the gaps in your acumen. Not really a primer on basic facts, Design Workshop is more like a guide to style.

The first chapter quizzes readers on mostly technical, basic details of design (like dpi), all of which can be found in Williams's previous publications (for example, The Non-Designer's Design Book). Readers will be dismayed, possibly annoyed, that the quiz answers are not provided. Even if not knowing the answers means that you need remedial help, it feels like a bit of a tease.

The next chapters show how to use stock images, or your own images, to increase the visual impact of your piece (basically through an increase in contrast). The best part of this section, and the book as a whole, is the "before-and-after" approach in the examples; they're like a series of makeovers. The captions effectively describe what was changed in the image, and how it improved the design.

The book applies a similar set of makeovers to various types of design projects: logos, forms, newsletters, tables of contents, etc. In the final section, seven designers, including coauthor Tollett, break down the process that they went through on a job of their own.

Self-taught graphic designers probably would make the best audience for this book, but designers who are of their own "school of thought" might find fault with some of the tenets that are put forth. Graphic design by nature is a subjective enterprise--at the mercy of "styles." What you get in this book is more of a "desktop-publisher style" (many of the drawings are clip art, for example). There's a lack of sophistication in the design of the book, as well as in the illustrations of posters, letterheads, advertisements, and other applications that are used as examples. On the other hand, this same open, naive look gives the book an inviting appeal, and makes it perhaps a bit less daunting than style guides, such as Robert Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographic Style, that are intended for die-hard professionals. --Angelynn Grant

Topics covered:

Style advice for design projects, including:

• Logos
• Business cards and letterhead
• Invoices and forms
• Advertising
• Billboards
• Web sites
• Tables of contents and indices
• Newsletters and brochures
• Flyers

Product Description
A colorful tutorial in creative design, with advice and lessons in composition, visual impact, and design challenges. Filled with hundreds of full-color examples, the ideas in this text tackle design theory, visual puns, and layout and graphics for real-world projects. Softcover.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (November 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201700883
• ISBN-13: 978-0201700886
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #303,210 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Non-designers get another boost!, November 7, 2001

By	R. Stephen Gracey (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a self-taught, working graphic designer, I am indebted once again to Robin Williams' clear, principle-based teaching approach. Having become her fan through the "Non-Designer" book series, I found this one the best help yet.

Williams gives us more principles of sound design, which she then shows at work through a series of daily applications--letterhead, web sites, brochures, etc. She uses the principles in example after example, explaining why they are examples of good or blah design. I return to her examples again and again for simple ideas to juice up my non-profit communications and raise my customers' expectations of visual communication.

Snazzy pictures, lots of ideas, and comforting encouragement all make this one an essential part of my reference library.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference, March 8, 2001

By	Frank Sinkavich (York, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Robin Williams Design Workshop is a well written text that contains a lot of valuable information for both beginners and those already familiar with desk top publishing. Design Workshop gives you some new ways to look at things, including many good examples that demonstrate concepts discussed in the text. Design Workshop is directed at those who have some existing knowledge on the areas of typography, graphics, and layout software. However, she presents short quizzes that allow you to test your knowledge and if you feel the need, she also provides references where the information can be found. I do a lot of advertising layouts in addition to a quarterly newsletter that will benefit from the information and ideas discussed in the book. Robin Williams Design Workshop is the kind of a book you will read more than once-a good reference.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great learning experience, May 1, 2001

By A Customer

I am not a graphics artist nor an art student. I needed some ideas for a project and this book came in very handy. I learned a lot from "The Non-Designer's Design Book" by the same author and when I saw this book, I just had to get it. It is one of my best investments yet. I love learning new things and this book opened my eyes to many aspects of design.

At first, I was almost going to give up and hand over the project to a professional but after reading the book, I found many helpful ideas and was inspired to give it a try on my own. I produced a flyer, a Flash presentation, a product logo and a report layout and cover based on the lessons from these two books. I will not claim that they are works of art but many friends and clients have complemented on the outcome. Some of my clients even thought that I had had them professionally done.

Although there are others who will say that some of us just has the flair for designing, I don't think I would have been able to do all that without the help of these two books. For those of you who wish to create artwork for print, I would recommend starting with "The Non-Designer's Design Book" and then advancing to this book. Also check out some other books by the same publisher mentioned in the introductory chapter of this book.