Graphic Design for Non-designers: Essential Knowledge, Tips, and Tricks, Plus 20 Step-by-Step Projects for the Design Novice

This is a great help for those who can't spend money in small graphic design projects. The explanations are easy to understand, so you feel confident that you can do it, although it's clear that you are not turning into a professional graphic designer. This book is for people like me that are eager to design her own fliers, presentation cards or brochures with a better look than just putting information together.The organization of the information is the best for finding the subject you want with great ease. The book has a lot of pictures, graphics and comparative examples that help the reader to better catch on the idea.The author's sense of humour makes it enjoyable, too.The book is divided in 6 sections, in my own words:1.Materials and equipment you may need;2. Basic knowledge about graphic design, like the use of space, structure, how to group contents;3.Basic ingredients of graphic design, like color theory, harmony, fonts and alignment, the use of graphics and pictures;4. Preparation for the work, like getting the pictures ready, information about printing;5. Projects like invitations, tags and labels, newsletters, websites, brochures, fliers, posters, store signs, business stationery, banners, etc.I'd recommend this book for those who are starting a business and don't have enough money to spend in this kind of work but would like a better presentation than before reading this book. It will help, for sure. Because small changes can improve the way you present your small business in the eye of the prospective customers.

I loved this book!!! I have a BA in Graphic Design, but was looking for a way to sum up my collegiate experience. This briefly skims through all the primary areas. Taking your design from random to planned. This was a gift for a friend, that thinks just cause he owns photoshop, means he knows design. Great buy!!!

I purchased this book after seeing it in an art supply store. As someone with no graphic design training who creates a lot of brochures, flyers, posters and other publications for a small business I needed some professional guidance and this book seemed to be a answer to my prayers. However, I was somewhat disappointed. One of the first things the author tells you to do is to invest in a good set of markers. One would have to have SOME ability to draw in order to put these tools to use well enough to justify their purchase. If I was artistic enough to design layouts by drawing them I would probably not need this book. People who are naturally artistic may not have a graphic arts education, but they generally just wing it and their stuff comes out looking good. There is also a lot of information on photography and creating great artwork to use in your designs. Yeah, right. I use clipart, period.I do not have an artistic bone in my body which is why I needed this book. It appears more to be for artists (or artistic types) who want more knowledge in the field of graphic design. I needed a book that clearly spelled out how to produce professional(ish) printed materials with no expectations of me having art or design abilities. If you are like me then I would instead recommend The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams (no, not THAT Robin Williams).

I read through this book one afternoon at a book store and rushed home to order it from Amazon for less. I'd been looking for a basic overview of graphic design principles -- grids, use of color, grouping, etc. -- and found a great many books on design were more about the design of the book than about design instruction itself.This book is obviously well designed and easy to read, but it's also rich with practical, takeaway information, tips like the basic rules of typography (knowing which fonts to use for different projects), how to choose coordinating colors and how grids can help you figure out where to place the different elements in your design.The first half of the book covers principles; the second half contains a series of specific projects, like how to design a brochure. I'm less interested in the projects, but contained within the steps for each project are valuable little nuggets on design project management that can also be applied in other ways.My only complaint is just that I wish the first half were longer, but that's more to say that the book is so good that I want more.

The book is really good and it can be really helpful. In my opinion this is a book for people who plan to jump into the graphic design field or they are just starting as a graphic designers. If you are a graphic designer already, you will probably know most of the stuff.

Love this book. So easy to follow and gives great design examples and creative explorations. Learned a lot but my creative director husband liked it so much he bought it for his designer sister, too. Good find!

I don't feel that this book was for a beginner who knows nothing about this field. This books gives you a lot of stuff a beginner does not need or is irrelevant. People seem to forget what is means when a person truly does not know anything about a field when they write a book supposedly for that purpose. People who have no knowledge whatsoever needs an instructional step by step how to do book no a school lesson.

I got this book for my brother, who is just starting to get his feet wet in graphic design. He loved it! It's a very well-organized and helpful book for beginners.