Exploring Publication Design

by Poppy Evans

Book Overview

Even in a digital age dominated by the Web and DVD's, print media remains a primary means of communication in our culture. Exploring Publication Design tackles the unique challenges encountered in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401831478
• ISBN13: 9781401831479
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Course Technology
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.0" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Design for our times

I really like this book. The information is easily accessible and the type is laid out well. I had a easy time doing publication design with this as my class book. I think that because the information is organized in such a simple way that I will be able to look anything I want up without too much trouble. I would really recommend this book for the great information on publication design. It is very useful as a research and reference tool.

good design book

a really good, general design book that's easy to understand and makes perfect sense. gives great ideas and explains how to accomplish good designs.

A nice introduction to publications design, but...

I am a beginnner in the realm of publications design and I was looking for a good introduction to the field. This book offers just that. It serves as a great guide for things that you will need to study in more depth if you want to function in this realm of design. The writing is very reader-friendly. It is not too wordy or "text bookish". Here is a break down of the chapters you will find in this book: 1.) Publication Desing Within an Historical Context - Exactly what it says: The history and development of graphic design as a discipline. 2.) The Principles and Elements of Publication Design - Basic design principles as applied specifically to publications. 3.) Using Color Effectively - Color is a lot more complex than one might think, and managing its use is an important part of visual communication. 4.) Understanding Type - Typography (big shocker). 5.) Page Layout - One of the most valuable chapter (IMO). Discusses grid systems and properly organizing pages. 6.) Imagery - Different types of imagery, possibly sources, using it effectively etc. 7.) Publication in the Third Dimension - Another of my favorite chapters. Introduces you to printing concerns such as paper weights and binding techniques. 8.) Design Principles at Work - Case studies of specific publication types (magazines, newspapers, newsletters, catalogs etc.). 9.) Professional Opportunities in Pubcliations Design - Awesome chapter detailing the different areas one can find work in (yes, there are quite a lot). Overall this is a great introduction. However potential buyers should note this. These subjects definitely require further reading and study, but this book is a great starting point. My only real complaint with this book is in regards to another book in the Design Exploration series that Poppy Evans co-authored: "Exploring the Elements of Design". This book can be a bit repetitive if you already own EoD. Some chapters may as well have been copy and pasted between the two books. That's how similar they are (ESPECIALLY the imagery chapter). Quite a few of the diagrams are copied directly from "Elements" which did annoy me quite a bit. Despite this, the chapters not appearing in "Elements" make this book more than worth the money as far as I'm concerned. One other complaint is proof-reading. This book could have used a better dose of it. There are not that many mistakes, and I may just be nitpicking, but there were a few points where I said to myself "How did they not catch that?" For instance, in a diagram discussing gridlines, the caption references the gridlines that are supposed to be "indicated in red". Ok, this is good, except for the fact that the grid lines are actually blue. This is such a small mistake, I know, but I would think that the publishers would be more concerned about spotting inconsistencies like this. Overall though, this is a great buy. I really enjoyed it. If you are still not sure about the purchase, you can always vis