Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design 2nd Second Edition, Revised and Up ed. Edition

by William Lidwell (Author), Kritina Holden (Author), Jill Butler (Author)

153 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-1592535873

ISBN-10: 1592535879

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Whether a marketing campaign or a museum exhibit, a video game or a complex control system, the design we see is the culmination of many concepts and practices brought together from a variety of disciplines. Because no one can be an expert on everything, designers have always had to scramble to find the information and know-how required to make a design work—until now.

Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopedia of design. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, it pairs clear explanations of every design concept with visual examples of the concepts applied in practice. From the "80/20” rule to chunking, from baby-face bias to Occam's razor, and from self-similarity to storytelling, every major design concept is defined and illustrated for readers to expand their knowledge.

This landmark reference will become the standard for designers, engineers, architects, and students who seek to broaden and improve their design expertise.

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26 Anthropomorphic Form A tendency to find forms that appear humanoid or exhibit human-like characteristics appealing. The Method Dish Soap bottle designed by Karim Rashid put the Method brand on the map. Though not free of functional deficiencies (e.g., leaking valve), its abstract anthropomorphic form gave it a sculptural, affective quality not previously found in soap bottles. Contrast it with its disappointing replacement.	62 Contour Bias A tendency to favor objects with contours over objects with sharp angles or points. From top left to bottom right, the Alessi il Conico, 9093, 9091, and Mami kettles arranged from most angular to most contoured. At the extremes of this continuum, the il Conico will be most effective at grabbing attention, and the Mami will be most liked generally. The 9093 and 9091 incorporate both angular and contoured features, balancing attention-getting with likeability. Historically, the il Conico and 9093 are Alessi’s best-selling kettles.	120 Hick’s Law The time it takes to make a decision increases as the number of alternatives increases. The Hick’s Law equation is RT = a + b log2 (n), where RT = response time, a = the total time that is not involved with decision making, b = an empirically derived constant based on the cognitive processing time for each option (in this case 0.155 seconds for humans), n= number of equally probable alternatives. For example, assume it takes 2 seconds to detect an alarm and understand it’s meaning. Further, assume that pressing one of five buttons will solve the problem caused by the alarm. The time to respond would be RT = (2 sec) + (0.155 sec)(log2 (5)) = 2.36 sec.	168 Not Invented Here A bias against ideas and innovations that originate elsewhere. In 1982, the Sinclair ZX81 was licensed to Timex for resale in the United States as the Timex Sinclair 1000. The computers were identical except for the name on the case and minor motherboard differences. Sales were strong. With subsequent models, however, NIH syndrome inclined Timex to introduce more and more changes. Eventually, the product divergence created issues of software compatibility — costs went up, sales went down. Timex dropped out of the computer market in 1984.

About the Author

William Lidwell is the Director of Design at Stuff Creators Design in Houston, Texas. He is author of the best-selling design book, Universal Principles of Design, which has been translated into 12+ languages; Deconstructing Product Design, a social deconstruction of 100 classic products; and lecturer of two video series on design: "How Colors Affect You: What Science Reveals" available from The Great Courses, and "The Science of Logo Design" available from Lynda.com.

William Lidwell writes, speaks, and consults on topics of design and engineering. He is the author of multiple books including the best-selling design book Universal Principles of Design, which has been translated into 16 languages. He lives in Houston, TX.

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Rockport Publishers; 2nd Second Edition, Revised and Up ed. edition (January 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592535879
ISBN-13: 978-1592535873
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 0.8 x 10.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 153 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #37 in Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Commercial
- #58 in Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Techniques
- #67 in Books > Arts & Photography > Decorative Arts & Design

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When you see bad design, do you see why it's bad? This book will help you understand.

August 27, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I've been using this book as the basis for content in my UX design courses for over seven years. It is the best single resource available for the principles of design. It sets out design principles, based in the way the human brain and visual system work. Using these principles, you can judge not only if a design is good or bad, but also *why* it's good or bad.

Befitting a book on design, the book itself is well designed. Each principle is summarized in a single page, and the face page shows examples of the principles in action, or being violated.

Don't read it at a sitting. Read ten or twelve of them and give them some time to digest. But definitely get through all of them. You'll never think about design of the products and software you use the same way.

8 people found this helpful9 people found this helpful

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Reinold F.

So good that at the end you know to spot why the cover is a bad one. xD

February 10, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is a fantastic book about design very well written; meaningful data that empowers you to understand and create in several fields of human knowledge. Besides it is so well researched that as a tree it opens in many other books you want to read from its bibliography.

The only curious detail is the design of the cover... it doesn't change the high quality of the content but is so dull and fragmented in its composition that could make you mislead into think the book is a not very valuable manual.

6 people found this helpful7 people found this helpful

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The RBG Review

If You are Creative, You Should Have Designs on This Book

August 28, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

If you want to think like Einstein, DaVinci, Newton, Kepler, Gates and Jobs all rolled into one, this book is your cup of Eureka! It gets right to to heart of what makes design, any design: graphic, mechanical, architectural, technological, programming work for the customer/user. As you read over this wide range of examples of what makes great design, it begins to give the reader insights on how great designs work, how good designs become great and how it's time to drop those things that just aren't working. If we are in a business, any business, we must create and provide what users/customers want in a way that they want, a way that is clear, a way that is inviting. Nobody buys great ideas if they're to vague or shoved down their throat. A book of good examples to emulate and bad examples to avoid.

7 people found this helpful8 people found this helpful

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Math Mom

So many topics! So engrossing!

August 30, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

As a math-person rather than a design-person, I really just wanted something that could give me a Reader's Digest version of some design principles to give me the flavor of the field (the same reason why I love the series "101 Things I Learned in ... School").

I have learned so much from this book! Not only does it give me insight into the question of why things around me look they way they do, but it has given me ideas of how to better design my lectures, slides, and hand-outs to improve information acquisition and retention for my students. Moreover, there were several topics with roots in mathematics that I might bring up in my Math for Liberal Arts course. It was also interesting to read about the design principles (or lack of adherence thereof) behind such epic failures as the Jeep Grand Cherokee "unintentional acceleration" debacle.

My only "problem" with this book is how engaging and engrossing it is. You might think that because of the little bites of information it presents, it would be easy to read a topic or two in what snippets of time you have, but no, it's more like eating from a huge bag of M&Ms. Each morsel of idea seems to pass too quickly and you want another one. Before you know it, you've nibbled your way through the whole book and it's 4am on a day when you have to get up at 6am. Consider yourself warned!

11 people found this helpful12 people found this helpful

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Gary E. Hoover

Exceptional.

January 23, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is one of my favorite books of the last few years.
I buy around 1000 books a year, so that is saying a lot.
There are so many parts of life to which this book applies.
And so many new and different ideas for the design of anything -- museum exhibits, stores, factories, products, websites, and on and on.
I cannot imagine anyone in a leadership position in any field who would not benefit from studying this great book.
It is also incredibly well organized, easy on the eye and the brain.
But stop on each of the 100+ ideas and think about it for at least a day; how it applies to whatever your own goals are.
Remember that Apple's huge success is not based on science and hardcore technology so much as human factors and design -- the kinds of things you will learn in this book.

4 people found this helpful5 people found this helpful

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J. Taylor

A Must-Have for Any Designer

November 2, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I'm a college student majoring in interactive media and I bought this book for independent study. My degree courses often deal with specific aspects or applications of design, but I wanted to gain a better understanding of general design principles. I am happy to report that this book is rich with design information that can be utilized by all species of designers!

Each topic is given two pages - one page is more text-heavy and the other has visuals that demonstrate or exemplify the design principle at hand. Despite the seemingly brief dedication to each principle, the book is dense, efficient, and favors minimalism so although you may be able to scan over a principle in seconds, you need to take the time and study the information being presented in order to soak all of it in. Lidwell does a fantastic job at providing a survey of some of the most pertinent design principles. I foresee referencing this book throughout the rest of university studies and beyond.

34 people found this helpful35 people found this helpful

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What a cool book that can be used for so many purposes

September 6, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

What a cool book that can be used for so many purposes. I am a sales leader and I found this book extremely useful in designing systems and promotional material. Not only is the book interesting, pick up a few tips here and there and it will make your presentations so much better. I would suggest this book to anyone who is looking to add a little spice to their presentations.

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Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design 2nd Second Edition, Revised and Up ed. Edition

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