Visual Design: Ninety-five things you need to know. Told in Helvetica and Dingbats.(Creative Core)

Visual Design speaks design, through design, to designers, presenting 95 core design principles with concise text and a touch of visual wit. Author of the bestselling Index series on design basics, Jim Krause uses a combination of Helvetica and Dingbats to teach a wide range of design topics (both conceptually and compositionally related) in a one-topic-per-spread format. Using humor, practical tips, and inspiring visual examples, Krause makes it clear how each of the 95 axioms of effective design are relevant and applicable across all forms of visuals: print, Web, and fine arts. In this book, you’ll learn how to: • Direct the eye through your designs using size relationships, color, visual pathways, and typographic hints • Design effective compositions through grids, frames, outlines, dynamic spacing, symmetry, asymmetry, shading, patterns, and textures • Fool the eye with shadows, depth, op-art, and visual subtraction • Understand how color works and how to use it effectively • See and use type by understanding type rules as well as when and how to break them Visual Design is the first title in the brand new New Riders Creative Core series, which aims to provide instruction on the fundamental concepts and techniques that all designers must master to become skilled professionals.  

Table of Contents:
10   Introduction Directing the eye 16    Size relationships 18    Coloring with punch 20    Visual pathways 22    Pointers 24    Opposites attract 28    Typographic hints 30    Corner elements 32    Linear helpers Creating spaces 34     Proportional considerations 36    Unexpected outlines 38    Intentional confinement 40    Framing     42    Gridding Dividing spaces 44    Dynamic spacing 46    Static presentations 48    Varying sizes     50    Echoing forms 52    Curvaceousness 54    The golden mean 56    The invisible grid 58    Freeform          Filling spaces 60    Symmetry 62    Asymmetry 64    Busy 66    Minimal 68    Patterns and textures 70    Shading 72    Depth of interest 74    Images as filler Avoiding unsightliness 76    Tangents that hurt 78    Trapped spaces 80    Illogical waste 82    Visual competition    84    Buzzing colors    86    Out of sync Infusing with intangibles 88    Conceptual echoes 90    Thematic agreement 92    Stylistic considerations 94    Shock value 96    Creative radar 98    The power of juxtaposition Delivering visuals 100    Realism 102    Twisted realism 104    Degrees of simplification 106    Casting themes 108    Being in-step 110    Containment Fooling the eye 112    Shadows 114    Depth 116    Op-art 118    Visual subtraction 120    Much ado     Harmony and lack thereof 122    Avoid the middle ground 124    Set: more than a game 126    Variation within harmony 128    Radicalism 130    Color as connector 132    Nothing in common Comprehending color 134    The color wheel 136    The language of color 138    RGB, CMYK, HSV 140    Practical color 142    Building trust Color relationships 144    Value is everything 146    Monochromatic 148    Triads 150    Complements 152    Split complements 154    Analogous 156    Muting Speaking through hues 158    Punching with Color 160    Establishing agreement 162    When dark is light 164    When light is dark 166    Power personified 168    The power of one 170    Borrowing palettes     Seeing type 172    Details within details 174    Conventional conventions 176    Breaking rules 178    Spacing 180    Minding trends 182    Establishing hierarchy Gathering ideas 184    Inspiration is everywhere 186    Getting to the root 188    Fitting in 190    Standing out 192    Taking notes Idea development 194    Digging deep 196    Going it alone 198    Collaborating 200    Hide and seek 202    Exploration        204    Banking ideas Evaluation 206    Setting it aside 208    Looking in reverse 210    Seeing consistency 212    Input 214    Question everything 216    When is it finished? 218    Index

About the Author :
Jim Krause has worked as a designer and illustrator since 1982. His clients have included Microsoft, Boeing, Seattle Schools, Washington Apples, and dozens of others. Krause is the author of the books within the  Creative Core  series, and is widely known for his best-selling “Index” titles ( Color Index,  Idea Index,  Design Basics Index , and several others). When he’s not working, Jim Krause can usually be found riding a bicycle or a motorcycle, hiking, drinking good espresso, reading, taking pictures, or doing an art project of some kind.