Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual

by Timothy Samara

The graphic design equivalent to Strunk & White's The Elements of StyleThis book is simply the most compact and lucid handbook available outlining the basic principles of layout, typography, color usage, and space.

Being a creative designer is often about coming up with unique design solutions. Unfortunately, when the basic rules of design are ignored in an effort to be distinctive, design becomes useless. In language, a departure from the rules is only appreciated as great literature if recognition of the rules underlies the text. Graphic design is a "visual language," and brilliance is recognized in designers whose work seems to break all the rules, yet communicates its messages clearly.

This book is a fun and accessible handbook that presents the fundamentals of design in lists, tips, brief text, and examples. Chapters include Graphic Design: What It Is; What Are They and What Do They Do?; 20 Basic Rules of Good Design; Form and Space-The Basics; Color Fundamentals; Choosing and Using Type; The World of Imagery; Putting it All Together?Essential Layout Concepts; The Right Design Choices: 20 Reminders for Working Designers; and Breaking the Rules: When and Why to Challenge all the Rules of this Book.

Genres: Design, Art, Nonfiction, Art Design, Reference, Education, Graphic Novels

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[ashleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The info was good but my head hurt from trying to read this. The format was the worst.

[Tatiana Jimenez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book. Don't try to read it cover to cover though. I don't think it was meant to be read that way.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a design book since the early 80s and felt like a dinosaur while thinking of today’s concepts and how the computer has changed so many things. This book was over 1,000 pages. I only read chapters that interest me and relate to my art. The color chapters were my favorite.

[Zelolvousiously Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for design noobs. It really helped boost my understanding of why design IS what it is. It is mostly well articulated and explained throughout. Although, some parts may require more re-reading as its concept is complicated or too technical. Definitely a great read and a must-have overall.

[Seulky · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a primer on design, this book failed to model its own examples. The type was way too small and hard to read and the written content was often too generic to be useable. The examples were good in some chapters but replicate the works of others (and not good replications). This could have been a much better primer but ultimately in its current version, not useful.

[Brian Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent and thorough overview of graphic design principles. The only disappointment was the high number of errors and typos in the text. It seemed like updates were made to a previous edition but the updates weren't edited carefully. I would see if there is a later corrected edition available if you are interested in this book.

[Saiduck · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s really good for anyone who’s interested in design and art in general
Has really good informations and it’s very useful
Uses some already made designs as case studies to further explain thing- which I really liked.
My only bad thing about it is the layout

[Karolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a total novice in the world of design and this book was really good. However, as I don't know many other books, I can't say if it's better than others.

[Papilina Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book eveeer

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

1

[Kevin Driskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging and well written. There are many concept that even graphic designer needs to know. You will find most of them here. Must read for those going into the industry.

[Mercy · Rating 2 out of 5]

For class
Feels like an encyclopedia it’s useful but so. boring.

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reference book

[Erika Mulvenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the many other reviewers that mention the layout of this book as problematic. The distracting layout makes it difficult to follow through the text and photos, and I found I could only read a few pages at a time. There are still some bits in this book that I enjoyed reading, especially the parts about text and text layout.

This is more of an overview of styles and layouts than an in-depth manual or textbook. You might enjoy this book if you are interested in learning a bit about the art of design. If you are an art or design student or professional, there's probably nothing new for you here.

[Rapunzella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pretty.

[Graham Herrli · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have nothing new to say, you shouldn't write a book on it.

I'm not sure Samara's saying anything, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he's saying that the key to graphic design is balancing static with dynamic, integration with variation, reliability with surprise. Because his exploration of this balance has given me a little to think about in relation to a current project, I'll give this book two stars. Otherwise it would merit only one.

Samara begins by writing that graphic design is about communicating — not decorating — yet throughout the book, the examples he gives are largely decorative, and his written communication is through tidbits of cramped, dry text that put me to sleep (literally) multiple times. "An image cropped into a rectangle presents three options: the type might be enclosed within the image; the type might be outside, or adjacent to the image; or the type might cross the image."

He writes that the text plays as large a role as the image, but he doesn't listen to his own advice. He advocates for the importance of paying attention to minor graphical details, yet leaves a dozen typos throughout his own published work.

Some things the book says are:


* Creating ambiguity (such as ambiguity between what's foreground and what's background) creates an unresolved tension in the viewer, stimulating interest if used well and anxiety if used to excess.
* Rather than having a clear symmetry or balance, presenting forms and spaces with dynamic relations between them is more likely to engage the viewer's attention.
* The weight and tracking of letters looks best when there is a regular alternation of ink and background.
* When printing light text on a dark background, it's necessary to adjust the weight and size of font to account for bleeding shrinking rather than enlarging the letters.
* A line length of 50-80 characters is optimal for extended reading.
* "Supersign" is a term for a visual sign with several layers of meaning, an iconographic pun.
* When two images are placed next to each other, people will visualize a story connecting them, regardless of whether such a connection actually exists.
* Text and image can be integrated in various ways, one of the most effective of which is by using a silhouetted image to break free of the textual grid.
* When creating a series of works, a grid can unify them, but it shouldn't be followed too closely or else it will sap the energy from the display.

[Matthew Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of Graphic Design, giving a first rate look at the fundamentals that every design student should know. My only complaint is that the layout, while novel at first, is extremely busy and the type small enough that it can hurt the eyes if you try to read too much at one time. The book is designed to be enjoyed in spurts, not read in one session.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every page of this manual is both informative and fun to look at. Checked it out so I could make better flyers and posters, got tons of inspiration from the hundreds of examples and the succinct, suggestive text.

[Cara]

Read just enough of this book to feel bad about the overdone design I had just finished for a client book. But it seems like a good book with the potential to make me a better designer if I read it. I'm just out of time right now.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good reference and idea book for anyone interested in visual design.

[Dandelionwishes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A design rule book - with perspective.

"Rules can be broken - but never ignored. - David Jury [Typography; author of About Face]"

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The typography and layout chapters are great!

[Andrea Laureti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro è stato il mio punto di riferimento sulla grafica in generale. Da qui poi sono partito con la ricerca di libri più approfonditi. Acquisto consigliato.

[Tammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a design manual, how ironic that it was ridiculously difficult to read [font size, layout]. Not finished.

[Mary Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very informative book about Graphic Design. I will refer back to it throughout my career

[Mariyam Shahindha · Rating 5 out of 5]

My good ol' trusty design manual