If you're just starting out in doing visual design for your website or your mobile app, this book is going to set you off on the right path.
Robin Williams starts out the book with the four cornerstone visual design principles:
1. Proximity
2. Alignment
3. Repetition
4 Contrast
These principles are then applied to a real-life design exercise. A series of "before" and "after" images make it very easy to understand just how much visual improvement is brought about by just applying these basic principles.
If you observe professional UX designers in action, you will notice that they always start out on a grid not an empty canvas. The author of this book will show you why alignment is important and how to apply alignment techniques correctly.
The book also covers other practical design tips like:
how to use multiple colors together
how to pick pairs of font faces that complement each other
What makes this book great is that all of these tips are explained clearly from first principles.
Without the right theory, jumping straight into apps like Sketch or InDesign will not be able to help you produce awesome designs. The Non-designer's Design Book is the concise prerequisite you need before you start with actual hands-on design. If you're thinking of taking a course in Sketch or InDesign, make sure you've at least skimmed through this book once.
About the author
Robin Williams is the author of dozens of bestselling and award-winning books, including The Non-Designer's Presentation Book, The Non-Designer's InDesign Book, and The Mac is not a typewriter. 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 Web.
If you're just starting out in doing visual design for your website or your mobile app, this book is going to set you off on the right path.
Robin Williams starts out the book with the four cornerstone visual design principles:
1. Proximity
2. Alignment
3. Repetition
4 Contrast
These principles are then applied to a real-life design exercise. A series of "before" and "after" images make it very easy to understand just how much visual improvement is brought about by just applying these basic principles.
If you observe professional UX designers in action, you will notice that they always start out on a grid not an empty canvas. The author of this book will show you why alignment is important and how to apply alignment techniques correctly.
The book also covers other practical design tips like:
how to use multiple colors together
how to pick pairs of font faces that complement each other
What makes this book great is that all of these tips are explained clearly from first principles.
Without the right theory, jumping straight into apps like Sketch or InDesign will not be able to help you produce awesome designs. The Non-designer's Design Book is the concise prerequisite you need before you start with actual hands-on design. If you're thinking of taking a course in Sketch or InDesign, make sure you've at least skimmed through this book once.
About the author
Robin Williams is the author of dozens of bestselling and award-winning books, including The Non-Designer's Presentation Book, The Non-Designer's InDesign Book, and The Mac is not a typewriter. 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 Web.