Creative Composition&design
598700
Book:  Creative composition&design
  I am very please whith this book, thankyou.
2735560
I think this will be a great asset in my creative writing class.  I like the way it is laid out. Very helpful!
3938204
Design to Renourish shows how the role of graphic designers, or all designers, have matured during the last few years. We are now much more responsible in the ways we work, what we produce, and how we contribute to the world. Eric and Yvette illustrate this with examples and stories that shows us that graphic design is more than just pushing pixels, learning the latest applications, or designing cool posters. Our profession impacts our world in every aspect; by the resources we use to produce physical deliverables to the cultural implications of the messages we convey.

Eric and Yvette not only show the outputs of what great design can be, but they also cover equally important areas; like business, systems thinking, client engagement, and strategytouching on where each of these areas fit into the creative process. They refer to a number of resources that will help the graphic designer of today with the information and knowledge needed to practice their field in the most responsible and considerate way.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more practical lessons, approaches, and frameworks. This should be on the book shelf of every student and professional looking to raise their level of design responsibility.  Marc O'Brien, co-founder of The Determined
837000
This book serves as a constant source of inspiration. It contains many samples of excellent design work. The book is split up into five sections: Posters, Editorial Designs, CD & Music Graphics, Brochures and Business Collateral so you can find the kind of work you want to see quickly. The work is inspiring and one of the greatest features is the information provided on each piece of artwork. The book lists the size, colors, clients, artists/designers, and the fonts used in the piece. I am always curious to see which fonts are used by other designers and this book provides that. I love this feature! If you see a font you like you can then hunt it down and buy it. Very cool. Very useful.
1065039
This is one of the DESIGN books from Ava Academia's celebrated "Basics" series.

Is it for me?

Ava traditionally focuses on "student" readership which may appear niche in its focus but one should really apply the principle that "all life is learning" and then Ava books have a much wider application than just your traditional student at university or college.

I for one, am a director/owner of a small freelance design agency and I find their Basics range excellent reference books for me and my staff. I have most of their Basics - Design series to hand for quick references, to substantiate current understanding of design terms and standards, and of course to settle any design "arguments". ;)

What it covers:

The principal chapters - The Basics, Techniques, What Images Mean, Using Images, Images in Practice and Mark Making.

Things that stand out for me:

* Brilliant, succinct definitions.
* The book itself is testament to exquisite high quality print production and design.
* The sample artwork used to illustrate the various definitions, processes and design concepts are from cutting edge design agencies.

Why would I recommend this book?

* Very useful for interns and juniors to get up to speed with agency lingo and technical processes in graphic design and production.
* A excellent aid to use when illustrating different printing options to clients.
* And like with many of the collaborative publishing efforts from Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris this book is full of artistic inspiration.

Is it value for money?

Yes! As always with Ava Publishing this book is definitely worth your pennies.

What next?

On my wish list - Basics Design 05 - COLOUR, not to mention the more advanced reader of the series - The Production Manual - A Graphic Design Handbook.
1483699
No surprise, but the design process -- specifically spearheaded by design professionals -- has become more important. How does one organize and recognize the centrality of this process? How can design and designers flourish? Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give this book is that it is a time-saving device that won't waste much of your time. It is short book. Much shorter than an airplane read.

The authors give you a list of the 12 qualities of effective design organizations, but, more importantly, discuss how design teams role tend to change ("evolve") and that sophisticated management recognizes this and enlists it as an ally.

The imporant thing about Org Design for Design Orgs is that this isn't just a Power Point slapped down in book form. Sure, it is listy in spots, but there is also an encouraging, supportive, and wise tone to the prose here which suggests that the authors are the sorts of people you'd want to sit down with over drinks and share work story after work story after work story. Stated another way, this is a mentor-y book and I really appreciate that.

There is also information about hiring and recruiting designers which I found adequate but not earthshaking.
3710110
Graphic Design Portfolio Builder is a good supplemental book for designers and beginning students. I wrote supplemental because this book does not comprehensively cover the features of Photoshop and Illustrator software (and it wasn't suppose to) but to help beginners you get familiar with the software and up and running.

The book is very colorful, well laid out and full of useful information. What is comphrehensive is that it covers all aspects of what designers or artists would face and be challenged at work or in classrooms. Each lesson is written by an professional designers and artists with years of experience and I highly enjoyed reading the chapters so far.

The projects in the book are fairly challenging and somewhat time consuming which is good since it makes you explore the software to its full potential if you're feeling ambious.

For inspirations, I recommend you checkout other students work in the book or on their website. It really challenges you to come up with your best work and experiment with different ideas and creative concepts.
793824
I first borrowed this book from the library and then knew I wanted to own this book.  What I like best is the way the designs are not exacting, but free flowing.  This helps with my own creativity. A nice book to have on hand to refer to.
2390296
The book gives some really good ideas of design work and marketing / advertising campaigns.  It's not a how to book, so if that's what you're looking for this isn't it.  I draw a lot of inspiration from reading and reviewing the work featured.  Good book, pretty pictures.
3211911
I found this book to be very insightful, and intriguing, as it touches on a wide variety of design information. And I think there must have been quite a bit of editing done, because the sections are really an overview, not in-depth / step by step- with regards to technique, but more of a show case of design work to Illustrate the works from students, and professionals in the field. This book doesn't cover what they teach in the design schools, It's more of a guide, or glimpse into the design world. The book is broken into 4 sections:
1) What is Design?
2) How to do it.
3) History of Design.
4) reference.
Being a design student, I found this book to be a welcome addition to my design reference library, and I would recommend it to aspiring designers.
42596
This book is written for educators to understand how to help students organize their thoughts to create projects like reports and home work assignments. The view point is that each of us learns and grasps concepts differently.  Using visual tools, like quick stick man sketches, students of all levels are able organize and synthesize their ideas in preparation for tests and reports.
449649
I love it.  The book is beautifully designed.  I really enjoyed the layout and photos.  My creative juices are flowing.  So many ideas and unique design tips I never would have thought of.  I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for inspiration or just a beautiful book to enjoy.
1190054
This book has alot of interesting ideas using many forms of creativity and many different types of medium to spark your internal creative powers. I have used this book, not everyday as recommended, but between my projects and is definitely a creative inspiration! I probably will not use all of them but have already used many and have definitely enjoyed the experience.
2568634
Advertising by Design is a beautiful and well-written book with great examples and case studies of advertising, mixed with lots of best practices and information about how to design great ads. It's great if you want to flip through the book to get inspiration, or if you're looking to learn more about the conceptualization and design process of creating an effective ad campaign.

The book goes into ad design, composition and typography, tying advertising into the brand messaging, storytelling, effective copywriting, thinking creatively, and even touches on digital creative and animation/motion ads.

If you're just getting into advertising design, this is a great book to check out. I've given it to my designer to read and hope he can gain some insights from it as well.
3949539
This book is more of an INTRO or PRE-101 to user/human-centered design. Norman is really good at introducing concepts and painting it with examples. I only wish that this book picked our brains more. There could have been many times he could have displayed the information in fun, amusing, and even trivial ways. It felt like he was giving us the cheat-sheet without doing what great teachers do: use creative means to present the information. This book is a primer, so if you are expecting some sick UX skill-based tips and tricks, you are out of luck. The text is foundational information that helps create a thought-leading designer. In a classroom setting, using this book would be fantastic. It lends some great inspirational food-for-thought for the aspiring designer. There are many broad concepts, each with endless possibilities for lesson plans and teaching material.
1884202
I loved Universal Principles of Design so I was confident this book would be good too, and it certainly delivered on it. It's great for a reference and prompt but I even learned some new techniques as well. Beautifully designed and illustrated. Recommended for designers, design researchers and anyone working in business or public sector who cares about people.
184685
Alex White has hit a home run with his book The Elements of Graphic Design. This definitive introduction to the basics of what makes a succesful visual composition should be in every design classroom and student backpack. The writing is clear and the principals easy to understand and apply. I especially liked the examples and advice on the use of "negative space" and typography. Although the book is geared toward the beginning designer, there are enough advanced concepts and examples to make this a worthwhile reference for designers at all levels. A fine addition to design literature.