The Non-Designer's Design Book - pearsoncmg.com

1 ROBIN WILLIAMSDESIGN AND TYPOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLES FOR THE VISUAL NOVICETHE AWARD-WINNING, BEST-SELLING book ABOUT Design !THIS ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO Design WILL TEACH YOUP eachpit @peachpit The four principles of Design that underlie every Design project How to Design with color How to Design with type How to combine typefaces for maximum effect How to see and think like a professional designer Specific tips on designing newsletters, brochures, flyers, and other projectsISBN-13:ISBN-10:978-0-13-396615- 20-13-396615-19 780133 96615253499US $ Canada $ For nearly 20 years, designers and non-designers alike have been introduced to the fundamental principles of great Design by author Robin Williams.

2 Through her straightforward and light-hearted style, Robin has taught hundreds of thousands of people how to make their designs look professional using four surprisingly simple principles. Now in its fourth edition, The Non-Designer s Design book offers even more practical Design advice, including a new chapter on the fundamentals of typography, more quizzes and exercises to train your Designer Eye, updated projects for you to try, and new visual and typographic examples to inspire your creativity. Whether you re a Mac user or a Windows user, a type novice, or an aspiring graphic designer, you will find the instruction and inspiration to approach any Design project with WILLIAMS is the author of dozens of best-selling and award-winning books, including The Non-Designer s Presentation book , The Non-Designer s InDesign book , and Robin Williams Design Workshop.

3 Through her writing, teaching, and seminars, Robin has educated and influenced an entire generation of computer users in the areas of Design , typography, desktop publishing, the Mac, and the NON-DESIGNER S Design BOOKFOURTH EDITIONL evel: Beginning / Intermediate Category: Graphic DesignCover Design : John TollettTHE NON-DESIGNER S Design book FOURTH EDITIONWILLIAMSROBIN WILLIAMSDESIGN AND TYPOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLESFOR THE VISUAL NOVICETHE AWARD-WINNING, BEST-SELLING book ABOUT Design !THE NON-DESIGNER S Design BOOKFOURTH EDITIONLEARN THE BASICS OF Design AND TYPE FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE NON-DESIGNER S book SERIES (OVER 800,000 COPIES IN PRINT)THE NON-DESIGNER SDESIGNBOOK fourth editionJdesignandtypographicprinciplesfo r the visualnoviceRobin WilliamsPeachpit Press San Francisco California 2015 by Robin WilliamsFirst edition published is a division of Pearson report errors, please send a note to Nikki McDonaldInterior Design and production: Robin WilliamsCover Design and production: John TollettProofreader: Jan SeymourPrepress.

4 David Van Nessthe non-designer s Design book fourth edition robin williams<The quote by Jan White on page 209 is from the out-of-print book How to Spec Type, by Alex White. Reprinted courtesy of Roundtable Press, Inc. Copyright 1987 by Roundtable Press, portions of Ladle Rat Rotten Hut and other stories, such as Guilty Looks Enter Tree Beers, Center Alley, and Violate Huskings are from a long out-of-print book by Howard L. Chace called Anguish Languish. It is our understanding that these delightful stories are now in the public domain. They are easily found on the of RightsAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the information on obtaining permission for reprints and excerpts, please contact of LiabilityThe information in this book is distributed on an as is basis, without warranty.

5 While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book , neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book , and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark.

6 No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this 13: 978-0-13-396615-2isbn 10: 0-13-396615-110 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed and bound in the United States of America To Carmen Sheldon,my comrade in Design ,my friend in great love, matter is being printed and published today than ever before, and every publisher of an advertisement, pamphlet, or book expects his material to be read. Publishers and, even more so, readers want what is important to be clearly laid out. They will not read anything that is troublesome to read, but are pleased with what looks clear and well arranged, for it will make their task of understanding easier.

7 For this reason, the important part must stand out and the unimportant must be subdued ..The technique of modern typography must also adapt itself to the speed of our times. Today, we cannot spend as much time on a letter heading or other piece of jobbing as was possible even in the nineties. Jan Tschichold 1935typefaces Modernica Light and BlackCONTENTS12345Is this book for you? ..10 Introduction 11 The Joshua tree epiphany .. 11 The four basic principles .. 13 Proximity 15 Summary of proximity .. 32 The basic purpose .. 32 How to get it .. 32 What to avoid .. 32 Alignment 33 Summary of alignment .. 54 The basic purpose.

8 54 How to get it .. 54 What to avoid .. 54 Repetition 55 Summary of repetition .. 68 The basic purpose .. 68 How to get it .. 68 What to avoid .. 68 Contrast 69 Summary of contrast .. 84 The basic purpose .. 84 How to get it .. 84 What to avoid .. 84 Design Principles6contents678 Review of the Four Design Principles 85 Proximity .. 86 Alignment .. 87 Repetition .. 88 Contrast .. 89 Little Quiz #1: Design principles .. 90 Little Quiz #2: Redesign this ad .. 91 Summary .. 94 Design with Color 95 The amazing color wheel .. 96 Color relationships .. 97 Complementary.. 98 Triads .. 99 Split complement triads.

9 100 Analogous colors ..101 Shades and tints ..102 Make your own shades and tints ..103 Monochromatic colors ..104 Shades and tints in combination ..105 Watch the tones ..106 Warm colors vs. cool colors ..107 How to begin to choose? ..108cmyk vs. rgb: print vs. web ..110 Print vs. web color models ..112 Little Quiz #3: Color .. 112 Extra Tips & Tricks 113 Creating a package or brand ..114 Business cards..117 Tips on designing business cards ..120 Format ..120 Type size ..120 Create a consistent image on all pieces ..120 Letterhead and envelopes ..121 Tips on letterhead and envelope Design ..124 Envelope size ..124 Create a focal point.

10 124 Alignment ..124 Second page ..124 Faxing and copying ..1247contentsFlyers ..125 Tips on designing flyers ..128 Create a focal point ..128 Use subheads that contrast ..128 Repetition ..128 Alignment ..128 Newsletters ..129 Tips on designing newsletters ..132 Alignment ..132 Paragraph indents ..132 Not Helvetica/Arial! ..132 Readable body copy ..132 Brochures ..133 Tips on designing brochures ..136 Contrast ..136 Repetition ..136 Alignment ..136 Proximity ..136 Postcards ..137 Tips on designing postcards ..140 What s your point? ..140 Grab their attention ..140 Contrast ..140In general ..140 Advertising ..141 Tips on designing ads.