Reviews (41)

Excellent photography / digital camera instruction
I have purchased this book twice, it is an introduction to digital photography, particularly for the fixed lense Nikon SLR cameras (such as the 8700) and SLR digital cameras.If you have a simple point and click camera you will get some benefit from the book but not as much.
Great for beginner
Bought this book to go along with Digital Rebel XT purchase. The book has not disappointed. Explains everything there is from aperture, exposure, shutter speed etc in great detail yet easy to understand. Recommend it to beginner, intermediate & expert alike

Latest edition excellent
Digital photography is a fast-moving target, and this book manages to keep abreast of the latest changes with valuable information that's vital for anyone doing digital photography.It explains all the key concepts clearly and completely, with lots of advice on getting the best photographs with any type of digital camera.I would have liked additional coverage of digital SLRs, but I have found that elsewhere, and still prefer Complete Digital Photography's treatment of the broader topics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer Graphics - Image Processing    4. Computers    5. Digital cameras    6. Digital techniques    7. Graphic Arts - General    8. Handbooks, manuals, etc    9. Image processing    10. Photography    11. Techniques - Digital    12. Techniques - General    13. Art / Graphic Arts    14. Special kinds of photography   

Reviews (27)

Great Reference Resource
Since the design of every day things impacts the quality of our lives, most people have a strong interest in things that are designed well, but just how do you arrive at a well designed thing?This book offers an extensive typology of design principles gathered from a wide variety of fields (ergonomics, human factors, psychology etc.) that have relevance for any design discipline, from web usability to product design for manufactured goods.If you do not have a design background, but work with designers, you may find some of these insights very useful for collaboration on design decision making scenarios.Some of the principles, such as the 80/20 rule or the pareto principle were pretty obvious but others were less so, making the book an interesting exploration of some old and new concepts from a cross-disciplinary perspective.After reading through these 100 design principles, you will arrive at a fairly good understanding of the factors that influence our preference towards one design over another.Of course, the all important "context" is missing from these generalizations, however, you can easily read through them and draw your own conclusions on how they relate to your particular design problem.
Applies to more than graphic design
This book is a tremendous book. While I think the target audince of this book are graphic artists it is useful for any industry or occupation. As an IT professional, the techniques offered in this book helped me design better interfaces for software systems.
Efficient, Concise, Well written
Every designer should own this book. It codifies an abundance of principles about usable design into a very useful reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Design    4. Design - General    5. Dictionaries    6. Graphic Arts - General    7. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    8. Reference works   

Reviews (16)

Typography
Please if anyone ever needs a type book, this one is perfect. It is a helpful wonderful book.

Well written, informative book
Worth reading if you need to learn more about type, layout grids, and popular fonts of the past decade.

Simple, Clear, and Logical
This book is possibly the best design education text I've seen. Everything is kept simple, and clear. Ellen Lupton's categorizing of typeface styles, for example, is logical and all inclusive, yet still a simple breakdown of the vast variety of typefaces. She is easier to understand than Robert Bringhurst in "The Elements of Typographic Style," something crucial to any budding designer. This book will serve you well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Graphic Arts - General    4. Graphic design (Typography)    5. Type and type-founding    6. Typography    7. Architecture / Design & Drafting    8. Graphic design    9. Non-Classifiable    10. Typographie   

Reviews (5)

Student Reference
This book was very useful in my color theory.The Professor recommended it and I bought.I used it for several projects and will use it in the industrial.

Good indices!
I bought this set for a student who is a beginner in design. They guide you through your design in the most meaningful way. They even come in a very cute case!
It's nice to have the set
This combination is great. You get the Index, the Color and the Layout all in one.In particular, it has evolutions.It takes a layout, and you watch the progression of it and the different layouts for the same information with differing media. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Graphic Arts - General    4. Graphic design    5. Reference works   

Reviews (12)

Most Helpful Book on Graphic Design!
This book is loaded with valuable (clearly stated) information and outstanding illustrations to demonstrate successful creative thinking and targeted solutions.

Very cool addition to my personal library
I read the 3rd edition of this book and found it to be incredibly helpful in explaining the different applications, how to create them and what their purposes are in the vis com field. Without this book, my understanding would not have been as keen. What I especially like is that so many of the designers included in this book are also the ones who win awards in the design competitions- very cool addition to my personal library.

Thorough and engaging
This book is used as a course text in many design classes across the country. I can see why. Not so much a history as it is a survey of the current state of graphic design, it's quite possibly the best treatment I've ever read on the subject in a single volume. The 3rd edition is significantly expanded in content and reformatted versus the 2nd, and the illustrative examples are abundant and well-chosen. Many of the examples are accompanied by remarks from the designers themselves, which helps shed light on the concepts and thought processes behind the work. The text strikes a good balance between commentary and pedagogy, and as a result the book works for both instructional reference and casual reading. The end of each chapter contains related exercises designed to prod your right brain into action. This book will help you discover -- or rediscover -- what's fun and exciting about graphic design. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Careers - General    3. Commercial art    4. Graphic Arts - General    5. Graphic arts    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Publishing    9. Art / Graphic Arts    10. Graphic design   

Reviews (22)

History of Graphic Design
The book is in wonderful condition and is filled with very interesting material.

The Man Behind the book
I was one of Philip Meggs students at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Our class was the first to use the first edition of this book as a classroom textbook for his History of Graphic Design class. He was a wonderful storyteller, with a true passion for graphic design. And more than that was the obvious joy he had in sharing that knowledge and whimsical annecdotes in his own style of humor. Philip Meggs was an exceptional man that will truly be missed.

Borrow
Borrow this book from a friend in class and photocopy the pages, thats my advice.Good book, just over priced. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Book design    4. Design & Drafting    5. Graphic Arts - General    6. Graphic design (Typography)    7. History    8. History - General    9. Typography    10. Architecture / Design & Drafting    11. Graphic design    12. History of specific subjects   

Reviews (1)

Simplicity complicated
The goal of the book is extremely worthwhile: to promote simplicity.It tries to do so in a small book, about 100 pages in small sized pages.Unfortunately it fails, it does not use it own lessons and presents a complicated description of "Simplicity".In order to simplify, it (ab)uses acronyms that do not elicit the thoughts that are intended. For instance, take SHE (Simplify, Hide, Embody).Using the word SHE is hard to turn your mind to "Simplify, Hide, Embody".Then there is BRAIN (Basics, Repeat, Avoid, Inspire, Never) and SLIP (Sort, Label, Integrate, Prioritize). Simple? To present the ideas, Maeda uses a random collection of recollections, of anecdotes, of circumstantial evidence, organized around ten laws, to illustrate the points it wants to make.As you read,you can find another anecdote from your own life, another experience that can contradict his conclusion.Not all is negative, there are some gems that make the reading worthwhile.For instance, law 10, or "the one": "Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful".Imagine if presentations in meetings, conversations or written reports were to keep this law, how more productive our lives would be. This is my simplified review!
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Design - Product    4. General    5. Graphic Arts - General    6. Industrial Design - Product    7. Systems engineering    8. Art / Design / Product    9. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    10. Technical design   

Reviews (12)

What a great resource!
From its unique plastic-encased cover to the excellent illustrations, this is a priceless resource. It's an entire bookshelf of reference books condensed into one book. I've been in printing for a long time, and I still picked up new information from this book. I'm going to add it to the list of "can't-do-without" resources that I recommend to training clients.

I for one am impressed.
As a freelance graphic and layout designer, I find myself asking why I didn't buy this book sooner (like while I was in college). The book covers many areas in depth that may not have sunk in while in school.
Indispensable!!
This book is a treasure! I've started flagging certain areas I know I'll refer to often (abbreviations of states AND countries), but even being able to quickly find an envelope size instead of tracking down my ancient e-gauge and a #10 envelope was great. If you buy nothing else, be sure to get this book if you are a graphic designer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Graphic Arts - General    4. Graphic design (Typography)    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Packaging    7. Printing    8. Shippers' guides    9. Graphic design   

Reviews (22)

An okay book but not worth the current second hand prices!
DBI gives a pleasant overlook of the branding process illustrated with various examples. It is however not a guidline to creating/building/maintaining a brand, so in this the title is misleading.
A great reference
This book serves as a great reference when developing brand identity. From what I have read about it, it truly seems to deserve the privilidge of being a definitive reference on the subject.

Feels like a textbook for graphic designers
I was able to get a few great nuggets of information to use in my seminar for salon owners about the keys to a strong logo.There is a lot of information that illustrates successful big business uses of color and font.I think it is more useful to someone who helps others create their brand than for the individual business.Aura Mae, author of Get Some Hairapy - a hairdresser's prescription for happiness. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Advertising & Promotion    2. Advertising Management    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Brand name products    5. Business & Economics    6. Business/Economics    7. Commercial - Advertising    8. Design    9. Graphic Arts - General    10. Management    11. Marketing    12. Trademarks    13. Art / Graphic Arts    14. Sales & marketing   

Reviews (2)

Spectacular!
Actually, I am not a golfer.But I purchased this book as a Christmas present for my aunt and uncle who are recreational golfers. And spectacular is the word they both used to describe it.The photographs are beautiful and there is a short description of each place that is photographed.My aunt particularly liked that the descriptions were short.She said it was just enough information about each place.And now, maybe, they are planning to visit some of these places and play a round...

Can't Go Wrong
This book was recommended as a Father's Day gift in a magazine and being that my Dad LOVES golf, I thought it was a sure thing.It ended up being way more than that.The book is beautiful!Don't tell anyone but it is way underpriced.It looks like a $50 coffee table book.My mom thought I had paid $80 to $100 for it.My Dad loves it so much that he displayed it on top of tv in the living room. He was giddy to find many courses in the book that he had played.The only downside I could see was that my Dad may find numerous golf courses around the world that he now feels he has to go and play. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Golf    2. Golf - General    3. Golf courses    4. Graphic Arts - General    5. Photography Of Specific Subjects    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Subjects & Themes - General    9. Sporting venues    10. Sports & Recreation / Golf   

Reviews (12)

For project boards & rendering
I bought this to help organize my project boards, which it is great for. The bonus is the information on rendering. There was better information here than in the other 2 books I own on color theory and rendering.

excellent resource
This book is an excellent resource for the interior design student. It's a book you should get as soon as you start studies. Great reference to compliment classroom lessons. I also recommended it to my Residencial Design teacher. It has basic information that will save you time.Great buy!!

good guide
good guide to lots of information. Good reference for any design library. It touches base on resumes, presentation, etc. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Color Theory    4. Design    5. Graphic Arts - General    6. Graphic arts    7. Interior Design    8. Interior Design - General    9. Interior decoration    10. Interior decoration rendering    11. Reference    12. Architecture / Interior Design   

Reviews (26)

Graffiti World By Nicholas Ganz
I am really interested in graffiti of the world and have found it somewhat hard to find good books on the subject. Overall this is a good book with many full-color illustrations along with text giving credit to the artists. Since there are not that many graffiti books out there I believe this one is one of the best I've read yet. Although many of the pictures in this book are really good, they are basicly the same works that you can find images of online and through other resources. What I'm tring to say is that I wish there could have been some more never before seen illustrations, not the same old stuff I've seen a million times!

The best global outlook of Urban Art
Nicholas Ganz has done a great job at traveling the world tocapture in this book the state of street art everywhere. Taking the reader through it by continents (Americas, Europe, Rest of the World), the book takes you on an in-depth, visually-loaded trip that highlights the work of the best street artists around these days.
Great book a must have
I got this book last year the WHOLE thing is art down to the cover (I had framed). It shows many styles of art from walls to ships postboxes the list would go on .........anyway great fo the end table or for ideas ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Folk & Outsider Art    5. Graffiti    6. Graphic Arts - General    7. History - General    8. Mural painting and decoration    9. Popular Culture - Counter Culture    10. Popular Culture - General    11. Street art    12. Techniques - General    13. Art / Popular Culture   

Editorial Review

A remarkable range of examples for the idea of visual thinking, with beautifully printed pages. A real treat for all who reason andlearn by means of images. -- Rudolf Arnheim ... Read more

Reviews (38)

An outstanding addition to my library
An outstanding addition to my library, Edward systematically explores the presentation of data showing the value of data rich content when it is properly displayed.After reading half the book, I couldn't sit through a presentation without coming up with at least 3 ways to improve it.The illustrations in the book are beautifully rendered and cover a diverse set of subject matter each as interesting as the next.The only topic concerning this book that I struggled with is whether or not to mark it up.In the end, as I do with all of my books I intend to refer back to, I did.

So you thought you knew how to envision information...
I recieved this book along with the most excellent (almost a companion book) Visual Display of Quantitative Information, from my CEO. Since I work a lot with numbers and he had been stressing the importance of presenting data clearly and concisely.
Fleshes out and expands the work Tufte has done on presenting information
"Envisioning Information" by Edward Tufte further fleshes out and expands the work he has done on presenting information.This volume is best suited for designers of complex information such as maps or schedules. As with his other books, it is richly illustrated with many colorful examples of well and poorly designed information displays.
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Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Business Communication - General    3. Communication    4. Communication In Groups    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Design - General    7. Graphic Arts - General    8. Graphic Design    9. Language    10. Language Arts & Disciplines    11. Statistics    12. Visual communication    13. Computer graphics software    14. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    15. Mathematics   

Reviews (40)

True inspiration, great tool!
this book is really a manual for me, i keep it with me at all times and just look at it sometimes, the colors provide inspiration, the combinations take me to other places, the make me think, they are a true inspiration and a great tool to find solutions when you're stock, take it from a Graphic design student, you'll love to have this book. For color theory not so good you might want to get something that covers color theory in detail, this is just an index as said on the tittle. but even if you know nothing about color at all, you will still find it amazingly useful!

Thank goodness for books like this!
I love the resource this book provides in the creative and graphic aspect of my work.Designers of all media should have this book handy. I don't let it go too far,CAUTION: YOUR FRIENDS WILL STEAL THIS BOOK.
If you're a graphic designer buy this book
I just got my first graphic design job three months ago and once I got this book both my employer and I noticed a huge difference in my work.The most helpful thing about this book is the color coding for HTML, RGB and CYMK but aside from the codes the color combinations are very helpful, especially for a beginning graphic designer.Well worth the cover price, and the turtleback cover will ensure the binding's integrity after much usage and for many years to come. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Color computer graphics    4. Color in art    5. Graphic Arts - General    6. Graphic Arts - Use of Color    7. Graphic arts    8. Handbooks, manuals, etc    9. National characteristics in ar    10. National characteristics in art   

Reviews (32)

Informative and Precise-But are the fees to EXPENSIVE?
I have read most of the reviews for this book and most everyone seems unanimous that the fees suggested are "high" and don't work with an unsophisticated client.
Almost perfect
This book is very informative and deals with just about every possible aspect of the business of being a working graphic desinger. It's almost perfect simply because every graphic designer or illustrator is going to work differently with a cornucopia of clients. It's simply impossible to account for every situation, especially in the case of smaller businesses. The recommended prices in this book are astronomical in comparision to the budgets that I'm used to dealing with. In a small city like mine, (pop. 100k) a lot of businesses are run by people that have little to no education or running a business, much less knowledge of the importance of graphic design. I find that I have to go way under what is usually recommended for certain projects.
Excellent resource
As a freelance photographer, artist, and designer, I found this an excellent resource for helping me establish fees and price my work fairly. It should be on the shelf of every graphic artist. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Graphic Arts - General   

Reviews (17)

Excellent primer for the novice and self-trained
I recently finished reading - and taking copious notes - from The Elements of Graphic Design. As an individual taking himself through the process of learning graphic design without having to go to school, this book is invaluable. White makes the concepts crystal clear and simple prose imbued with his own take on doing design correctly plus doing it well. I've always had a good eye for composition but White's work has helped me see the underlying methods for making my designs better. I'm now building a presentation from his work to share with our marketing team to build a consistent look for our work. His book is a superb work for anyone needing to get a quick grip on design fundamentals, too. Just put them to use! There's no magic here, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do design. White will show you the way.

The Elements of Graphic Design
The Elements of Graphic Design
well organized for reference
I used the book as reference for teaching design for HS publications. The visual & theoretical information worked well to show how to organize information and why. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Graphic Arts - General    5. Graphic design (Typography)    6. Layout (Printing)    7. Type and type-founding    8. Typography    9. Art techniques & principles    10. Graphic design   

Reviews (47)

Great starting point
This book is a great place to start when you've jumped into a project and have no idea of what direction you're going to go with color.
My Best Friend
Any new project I have, this is the first book to come out. It's great for everything from inspiration to seeing colors put together to working with clients!
Outstanding Color Resource
The Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color presents a foundation of basic color theory and then moves on to explain how individual colors, and their combinations, can evoke different responeses from the viewer.There are many photos to serve as examples so that you see the effects for yourself.The book does an excellent job of giving enough information to be useful without bogging the reader down with a lot of dry academic theory that would be of little practical use.In addition, there are Pantone color codes given for all of the specific color combinations shown for ease of use if you will be using professional printing services.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Color Theory    4. Design - Book    5. Graphic Arts - Use of Color    6. Graphic design    7. Theory of art   

Reviews (4)

The definitive reference for scientific illustration
Since its first edition this book has been by far the best single resource available for anyone with a serious interest in scientific, medical, biological, nature, botanical, or wildlife illustration. There is no greater guide to Scientific Illustration . . .
ELaine Hodges'"The Guild Handbook to Scientific Illustration" is truly a landmark as a referenceand the finest on my shelf-- and I cannot count the times I've sought it since 1989 out either to clarify a client's request or as a refresher for some obscure technique(carbon dust, for example). . . The book is the final word in scientific illustration
Over and over in my work I found myself referring back to this encyclopedic manual.A must for all those in the field of scientific illustration, and a huge help for graphic artists and illustrators ingeneral. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Commercial - Illustration - Science    4. General    5. Graphic Arts - General    6. Natural history illustration    7. Research & Methodology    8. Scientific Illustration    9. Art / Graphic Arts    10. Biology, Life Sciences    11. Illustration   

Reviews (8)

A book of great inspirations
Yes, we can all use some inspiration and this one hits the spot. With this many examples, there is at least one that will inspire you. I agree with many of the previous comments about the book. I'd only like to add that what I take from this book is that keeping it simple still works best. Many great ideas are suprisingly often formed and created by using few words, pictures and colors. I especially love the birth announcement by Vinas Design (0425) on page 122 and Rick Rawlings printed feather on page 128. Love the FedEX envelope wedding invitation on page 216 and there are many more that make me smile and keep me inspired.A truly great book, weather you keep it on the coffee table, as a reference close by or as part of your library.

Something for everyone
It is a big book with a great collection of designs.It will definitely inspire you to find new way of expressing yourself as a designer.There is truly something for everyone.There is a big emphasis on Christmas and rightly so, since this is the most popular occasion for sending greeting cards.

How good design can be when the designer is the boss
Many of the examples in this extensive book were created for the designer's personal use, not for a client. When a designer must answer to no one, incredible creativity is often the happy result. No committees to ruin the mood, no visual illiterates to kill the design before it gets into the light of the outside world.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Catalogs    4. Design    5. Graphic Arts - General    6. Greeting cards    7. Graphic design    8. Illustration & commercial art   

Reviews (10)

Best grid book in the known universe
This book unleashes the every aspects of grid use in universal graphic design. I'm very satisfied the detailed text. Recommend to every student or professionals. Thank you Timothy. I'm looking for more great books from you.

Good overview of grid systems and their uses
This book is pretty sweet. Samara gives an overview of grid systems, how they are constructed and when they are used. Also, there is a large selection of example works, with cross-references within the book to other similar works.
Maybe post-Lasik...
I can't vouch for the content; it seems sound. I'm just trying to read the friggin' thing, which is quite a challenge because the body text is light grey and <9 point, in small columns. It's all very lovely from 2 feet away; the headings really stand out. The composition is subdued and attractive. You could frame some of the spreads if you wanted to. But to actually read it, well, pity those without 20-20, like myself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Design - General    4. General    5. Graphic Arts - General    6. Graphic design