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Anneloes van Gaalen

Never Use White Type on a Black Background: And 50 Other Ridiculous Design Rules Hardcover – September 18, 2009

by Anneloes van Gaalen (Author)

11 ratings

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Design has many rules that claim to be big truths and full of wisdom. Designers all go by rules that work for them. However, their rules may not work for someone else, or for a particular piece of design work. When a rule is forced upon you, it stops working and becomes a joke, like “Never use a PC,” or “Leave it until the last minute,” or the most famous of them all, “Less is more.”

The problem is that every rule related to, or governing, design is ultimately ridiculous. In this book we have collected the most talked-about rules and the viewpoints of designers and thought leaders who live by them or hate them.

Print length

160 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Laurence King Publishing
Publication date

September 18, 2009
Dimensions

5.4 x 0.75 x 7.15 inches
ISBN-10

9789063692070
ISBN-13

978-9063692070
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Never Use White Type on a Black Background must be one of the most fun and quirky books one can read about rules in the world of fashion and design…beautifully laid out with an interesting and quirky visual language interpreting some of the design rules in the book. The size is nifty and small, like a little black book. Great for a laugh and to challenge your thinking and pre-conceptions as a designer."—Design Indaba Magazine

"Never Use White Type on a Black Background must be one of the most fun and quirky books one can read about rules in the world of fashion and design…beautifully laid out with an interesting and quirky visual language interpreting some of the design rules in the book. The size is nifty and small, like a little black book. Great for a laugh and to challenge your thinking and pre-conceptions as a designer."—Design Indaba Magazine

About the Author

Anneloes van Gaalen (1979) is an all-around creative, working as a writer, editor, curator, and documentary filmmaker. After receiving a MA and MPhil in English, American Studies, and Cultural Analysis, she started writing for a wide variety of publications.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 9063692072
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Laurence King Publishing; 0 edition (September 18, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9789063692070
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9063692070
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.75 x 7.15 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,393,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,739 in Book Design
- #7,130 in Humor Essays (Books)
- #11,098 in Graphic Design Techniques

Customer Reviews:
11 ratings

About the author

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Anneloes van Gaalen

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Anneloes van Gaalen is a writer, enterpreneur and all-round creative.

After receiving her MA and MPhil in English, American Studies and Cultural Analysis, Anneloes van Gaalen started writing for a wide variety of international publications including Wired Magazine, Dazed & Confused, ID Magazine and Surface. She also worked as editor-in-chief of LE COOL magazine Amsterdam. These days she writes for Amsterdam-based newspaper Het Parool.

A published author, Anneloes van Gaalen has written several books on (street) art, design, fashion, advertising, branding, new media and travel. She wrote and edited the popular Ridiculous Rules books and Indie Brands.

www.paperdollwriting.com

www.indie-brands.com

www.ridiculousrules.com

Customer reviews

5 star		43%
4 star		23%
3 star		25%
2 star		9%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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ak005

Fun and Easy Design Read

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2012

Verified Purchase

The cover and the title of the book grabbed me, and just like the title suggests, it's an interesting and fun read. It contains many inspirational or entertaining quotes from famous designers, while presenting the 50 commonly repeated design rules. It's a fun and easy read for designers of all level, but don't expect to learn a lot from it.

Helpful

M. R. Nelson

Interesting, but not life changing

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2010

Verified Purchase

Interesting read, but it did not change my mind about the way that I design or the way I look at other's designs. I think that there are very few "rules" to design, so breaking the rules is the norm for me and the studio I work in.

One person found this helpful

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Adam Marple

For use by all Designers

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2013

Verified Purchase

I use it as a reminder for my Theatre Design students. Short, pithy, thoughtful. Makes you question assumptions and then question those questions

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Claire Kirby

Thumbs up.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

Bought for college

sophiedibble

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

full of useful quotes, wouldn't take too seriously. very good book, i want to collect them all!

Dasypodidae

Ridiculous!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2010

Verified Purchase

One star for the idea and another one for design.

The book is just a collection of quotes. No real proof nor examples why these rules are ridiculous. Quoting famous people is way more ridiculous I think.

2 people found this helpful

Cliente Amazon

Non è quello che sembra

Reviewed in Italy on November 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

L'immagine di Amazon non rappresenta il prodotto fisico. La copertina è completamente diversa da quella con cui viene presentata su internet.

One person found this helpful

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PIERRE RASSAT

Délai de livraison acceptable bien que long. Je n'ai pas reçu l'édition que j'avais commandée (dommage mais je la garde)

Reviewed in France on December 31, 2017

Verified Purchase

Délai de livraison acceptable bien que long (15 jours). Je n'ai pas reçu l'édition que j'avais commandée et qui était affichée dans Amazon (couverture NOIRE, j'ai reçu une couverture JAUNE qui fait que tout l'humour du titre disparait "Never Use White Type on a Black Background" qui était imprimé en blanc sur fond noir dans l'édition originale ! - voir photos jointes).
Je ne pense pas que ce soit du à un problème chez BOOKS qui expédie le livre mais c'est dommage que Amazon n'affiche pas le livre correctement avec une image de l'édition qui sera livrée !