What do you think?
Rate this book
White Space is Not Your Enemy: A Beginner's Guide to Communicating Visually through Graphic, Web & Multimedia Design
Designing a brochure or web site without an art background? Step away from the computer and read this breezy introduction to visual communications first. Written for non-designers, White Space is Not Your Enemy is a practical graphic design and layout text introducing the concepts and practices necessary for producing effective visual communications across a variety of formats, from print to Web.
This beautifully illustrated, full-color book covers the basics to help you develop your eye and produce attractive work. Topics include:
* The basics of effective design that communicates its intended message
* Pre-design planning
* 13 Layout Sins to avoid
* Basic typography
* Working with color
* Storyboarding for video, Web, and presentions
* Information graphics
* Mini Art School--all the basics in one chapter
* Outputting your work
This beautifully illustrated, full-color book covers the basics to help you develop your eye and produce attractive work. Topics include:
* The basics of effective design that communicates its intended message
* Pre-design planning
* 13 Layout Sins to avoid
* Basic typography
* Working with color
* Storyboarding for video, Web, and presentions
* Information graphics
* Mini Art School--all the basics in one chapter
* Outputting your work
600 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2010
75 people are currently reading
441 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 21, 2011
Rated 2.5 stars, if that were possible. White Space is Not Your Enemy provides a decent summary of some basic design principles but seems aimed at an audience with virtually zero background (and even intuition) regarding design. For a beginner, the book is not a waste of time, but there are certainly better books on design out there.
The book started out seemingly with a lot of potential, but then quickly petered out. The latter chapters of the book covered fairly basic principles with very little out of the ordinary to say and not much notably insightful material intermixed. If the target audience is in fact the subset of people who really do think flashing text in a web page is a reasonable design option, then perhaps this is a good book for that audience; otherwise, for the more general "beginner" audience the content is, as a whole, a bit underwhelming.
Also, being familiar with the technical side of things, I noted the book has at least a couple small inaccuracies (e.g. GIF and PNG are not vector graphics formats as the book states). Inaccuracies like this should not slip through in a well-edited book authored by design professionals - the details do count. Mistakes such as these cast a shadow on my perception of the quality of the book as a whole.
White Space is Not Your Enemy is a good book to pick up from the library and skim the chapters you're not familiar with (for example, I finally learned the relevance of PANTONE), but it's of questionable value as a book to buy and read cover-to-cover.
The book started out seemingly with a lot of potential, but then quickly petered out. The latter chapters of the book covered fairly basic principles with very little out of the ordinary to say and not much notably insightful material intermixed. If the target audience is in fact the subset of people who really do think flashing text in a web page is a reasonable design option, then perhaps this is a good book for that audience; otherwise, for the more general "beginner" audience the content is, as a whole, a bit underwhelming.
Also, being familiar with the technical side of things, I noted the book has at least a couple small inaccuracies (e.g. GIF and PNG are not vector graphics formats as the book states). Inaccuracies like this should not slip through in a well-edited book authored by design professionals - the details do count. Mistakes such as these cast a shadow on my perception of the quality of the book as a whole.
White Space is Not Your Enemy is a good book to pick up from the library and skim the chapters you're not familiar with (for example, I finally learned the relevance of PANTONE), but it's of questionable value as a book to buy and read cover-to-cover.
May 4, 2016
To be fair, I'm not the intended audience for this book, but I didn't really enjoy it. The examples are ugly and amateurish. Maybe that part is intentional so they're more achievable, but at least give people something inspiring to aim for.
The text is condescending at times, which is inappropriate for a book designed for beginners. It also says things like "people who centre type probably need therapy" (or maybe they're just inexperienced, i.e. your book's target audience...) and that some backgrounds can be "busy enough to induce psychosis" -- why not just say they can tire the eyes and distract from the message? Why use lazy, potentially offensive analogies? That sort of lazy writing persists throughout the book. It's possible to write in a simple, friendly style without being patronising and clichéd, but this book didn't quite get the balance right.
The text is condescending at times, which is inappropriate for a book designed for beginners. It also says things like "people who centre type probably need therapy" (or maybe they're just inexperienced, i.e. your book's target audience...) and that some backgrounds can be "busy enough to induce psychosis" -- why not just say they can tire the eyes and distract from the message? Why use lazy, potentially offensive analogies? That sort of lazy writing persists throughout the book. It's possible to write in a simple, friendly style without being patronising and clichéd, but this book didn't quite get the balance right.
January 2, 2013
I'll mostly echo the sentiments of other reviewers, and agree with the review that pegs this at "2.5 stars".
On the upside, it covers a very wide/comprehensive range of design topics at a very rudimentary level. As a beginners' reference and first exposure, not bad.
On the downside, the design of the book itself is, IMHO, pretty awful - and this undermines both its credibility or usefulness.
A couple of specific examples:
- Since the book doesn't dive deeply into any topics, but covers many broadly, it could at least be useful as an overall reference. Unfortunately, the layout doesn't lend itself to this at all - no pageside chapter thumbs, chapter titles are tiny and hard to spot, nothing distinctive or orderly in the chapter layout, etc.
- The page layouts themselves are just not pleasant to read. After a while I realized this was in part due to use of poorly matching and garish fonts (a problem which bleeds over into the many examples cluttering the pages). If this weren't a book about design, I might have overlooked this.
- The design examples themselves are just "meh". Obviously a lot of quick DIY mockups with oodles of lorem ipsum text. The book could have benefitted much more if the author had, for example, used about a quarter as many examples, and spent time finding and getting copyright to some really outstanding designs, then deconstructing those. Instead there's a flood of mediocrity, which I guess at least helps with variety for instructional purposes.
Overall, this book will probably help beginners avoid some of the most truly atrocious errors in design (really? do we still need admonitions about blinking web text?), but it adds little in terms of developing good aesthetic sensibilities. Disappointed.
On the upside, it covers a very wide/comprehensive range of design topics at a very rudimentary level. As a beginners' reference and first exposure, not bad.
On the downside, the design of the book itself is, IMHO, pretty awful - and this undermines both its credibility or usefulness.
A couple of specific examples:
- Since the book doesn't dive deeply into any topics, but covers many broadly, it could at least be useful as an overall reference. Unfortunately, the layout doesn't lend itself to this at all - no pageside chapter thumbs, chapter titles are tiny and hard to spot, nothing distinctive or orderly in the chapter layout, etc.
- The page layouts themselves are just not pleasant to read. After a while I realized this was in part due to use of poorly matching and garish fonts (a problem which bleeds over into the many examples cluttering the pages). If this weren't a book about design, I might have overlooked this.
- The design examples themselves are just "meh". Obviously a lot of quick DIY mockups with oodles of lorem ipsum text. The book could have benefitted much more if the author had, for example, used about a quarter as many examples, and spent time finding and getting copyright to some really outstanding designs, then deconstructing those. Instead there's a flood of mediocrity, which I guess at least helps with variety for instructional purposes.
Overall, this book will probably help beginners avoid some of the most truly atrocious errors in design (really? do we still need admonitions about blinking web text?), but it adds little in terms of developing good aesthetic sensibilities. Disappointed.
April 11, 2013
Students who have had a Basic Design, Graphic Design (I) or Web Design will find some of this redundant.
The book doesn't go into much detail regarding any one area. If you're looking for a book that deals exclusively with typography, color, print, layout et al? This isn't the book for you. If you want a book that gives you a general idea of what to expect in design? This is a great start.
The book doesn't go into much detail regarding any one area. If you're looking for a book that deals exclusively with typography, color, print, layout et al? This isn't the book for you. If you want a book that gives you a general idea of what to expect in design? This is a great start.
April 27, 2021
A solid introduction to design that is often good, but never truly shines.
I read this for a course, and I found that it contained a lot of good information on building and setting up designs. The less you know when you start this book, the more useful it is. In areas that I knew nothing I found it giving me lots of helpful suggestions to improve my designs. However it never goes beyond the absolute basics, so if you already understand basic photo composition you'll learn nothing from that section.
I'm fairly experienced with film and video editing, and storyboarding, and I found the chapters on these to be shockingly amateurish. There is still some ok information there, but you should NEVER consider using this book to learn basics of video. It made me wonder how the material from the rest of the book would come across to a professional designer. Reading the reviews it seems the reactions would be similar.
Who would benefit from this book:
- Absolute beginners who want to learn a lot of design elements in one place
- Business professionals who need basic design skills for making PowerPoints at work
Who should not read this book:
- Anyone with a moderate amount of design experience will find this too basic
- People interested in multimedia and video should avoid this entirely
It was a useful enough read, and often fun, but I won't hold onto it.
I read this for a course, and I found that it contained a lot of good information on building and setting up designs. The less you know when you start this book, the more useful it is. In areas that I knew nothing I found it giving me lots of helpful suggestions to improve my designs. However it never goes beyond the absolute basics, so if you already understand basic photo composition you'll learn nothing from that section.
I'm fairly experienced with film and video editing, and storyboarding, and I found the chapters on these to be shockingly amateurish. There is still some ok information there, but you should NEVER consider using this book to learn basics of video. It made me wonder how the material from the rest of the book would come across to a professional designer. Reading the reviews it seems the reactions would be similar.
Who would benefit from this book:
- Absolute beginners who want to learn a lot of design elements in one place
- Business professionals who need basic design skills for making PowerPoints at work
Who should not read this book:
- Anyone with a moderate amount of design experience will find this too basic
- People interested in multimedia and video should avoid this entirely
It was a useful enough read, and often fun, but I won't hold onto it.
October 15, 2024
Everyone should read this book. It should be a required class in high school. I will teach it. This book can rid our world of poor design. I own more than one copy. I cannot recommend this book enough. Buy it right now. It is essential for any bookshelf or library. And buy another one to donate to your library.
Let's make our world even more beautiful.
Let's make our world even more beautiful.
July 14, 2019
Outdated when it was released, this has aged horribly. Examples of "good" design break fundamentals, and the "bad" design died with the last millennium. Worse, there are a couple of cases of straight misinformation. Hoped to pick something up by going back to basics. Didn't.
Read
July 3, 2023
December 24, 2018
Clear and precise in describing and illustrating the basic principles of graphic design.
July 18, 2019
This book had some great content, and was designed with excellent visual appeal! I enjoyed the multimedia substance I came away with!
December 30, 2021
I learned so much from this book! Worth every penny.
Read
December 2, 2025Read for class. Pretty informative
July 15, 2013
White space within a design is a bit like a pause in a conversation - it need not be a bad thing, yet it is just one element in a larger being that is often overlooked or misunderstood.
This book takes a professional look at design, whether for traditional media such as brochures or for more modern media such as the web. The aim is for the beginner (or more experienced person who doesn't mind refreshing their knowledge) to learn about the concepts and practices necessary for producing effective visual communications. It might challenge your perceptions or be viewed as formulaic, fairly obvious stuff. Only you might really know…
Unfortunately this reviewer was put on the back foot straight away when opening the book and noticing the table of contents was presented in that oh-so-trendy-but-overused manner of using solely lower case characters. it is unclear whether this was deliberate as the issue was compounded by using different font styles and weights, making it look very strange in the process (sic). It only needed comic sans and a few smiley faces to add the metaphorical icing to the cake.
Fortunately the sheer wealth of detailed, considered and thought-provoking material on offer drew this reviewer in. This book carefully, or should that be cleverly, works on many levels meaning that the professional who (allegedly) knows it all need not feel talked down to and neither does the relative beginner need to feel that everything is swooshing over their head. It is unfortunate that the title of this book might restrict its possible audience as it is not really something that conveys just how thorough this book is!
From the start you get a great introduction to the principles and development of design before looking at many of the common errors that the author believes so many of us are guilty of. Be wary of stones in the vicinity of greenhouses? After that it is off to art school to briefly learn about elements, principles and theories of design before looking at matters weighty such as layout, type, colour and adding visual oomph. Content has to also play a role, whether it is an infographic, a visual story, a more involved multimedia presentation or a traditional multi-format offering. Each chapter is like a small, bite-sized cocktail snack that you might think of as being too small and insignificant but yet after a plate full of them you will know you've eaten rather a bit too much and consumed rather a lot of varied, different goodies in the process. If you treat it as a thought-enabler, a guide to future developments and a bit of an everything for everyone sort of book you won't be far off the mark.
The price might be a bit of a concern for some at first glance, but if you have any role within visual communications as part of your work you really will find the investment very modest indeed. Even if you walk away with "only" a couple of good ideas or corrections to your present modus operandi then you will have got your money's worth. This is a book that is capable of so much giving if you let it.
Now, if you will excuse this reviewer, there is a web site that needs some (discreet) work doing to it. You might never look at the "printed" page again in the same light, thanks to this book.
White Space is Not Your Enemy, written by Rebecca Hagen & Kim Golombisky and published by Taylor & Francis Group/Focal Press. ISBN 9780240824147, 312 pages. Typical price: USD39.95. YYYYY.
This book takes a professional look at design, whether for traditional media such as brochures or for more modern media such as the web. The aim is for the beginner (or more experienced person who doesn't mind refreshing their knowledge) to learn about the concepts and practices necessary for producing effective visual communications. It might challenge your perceptions or be viewed as formulaic, fairly obvious stuff. Only you might really know…
Unfortunately this reviewer was put on the back foot straight away when opening the book and noticing the table of contents was presented in that oh-so-trendy-but-overused manner of using solely lower case characters. it is unclear whether this was deliberate as the issue was compounded by using different font styles and weights, making it look very strange in the process (sic). It only needed comic sans and a few smiley faces to add the metaphorical icing to the cake.
Fortunately the sheer wealth of detailed, considered and thought-provoking material on offer drew this reviewer in. This book carefully, or should that be cleverly, works on many levels meaning that the professional who (allegedly) knows it all need not feel talked down to and neither does the relative beginner need to feel that everything is swooshing over their head. It is unfortunate that the title of this book might restrict its possible audience as it is not really something that conveys just how thorough this book is!
From the start you get a great introduction to the principles and development of design before looking at many of the common errors that the author believes so many of us are guilty of. Be wary of stones in the vicinity of greenhouses? After that it is off to art school to briefly learn about elements, principles and theories of design before looking at matters weighty such as layout, type, colour and adding visual oomph. Content has to also play a role, whether it is an infographic, a visual story, a more involved multimedia presentation or a traditional multi-format offering. Each chapter is like a small, bite-sized cocktail snack that you might think of as being too small and insignificant but yet after a plate full of them you will know you've eaten rather a bit too much and consumed rather a lot of varied, different goodies in the process. If you treat it as a thought-enabler, a guide to future developments and a bit of an everything for everyone sort of book you won't be far off the mark.
The price might be a bit of a concern for some at first glance, but if you have any role within visual communications as part of your work you really will find the investment very modest indeed. Even if you walk away with "only" a couple of good ideas or corrections to your present modus operandi then you will have got your money's worth. This is a book that is capable of so much giving if you let it.
Now, if you will excuse this reviewer, there is a web site that needs some (discreet) work doing to it. You might never look at the "printed" page again in the same light, thanks to this book.
White Space is Not Your Enemy, written by Rebecca Hagen & Kim Golombisky and published by Taylor & Francis Group/Focal Press. ISBN 9780240824147, 312 pages. Typical price: USD39.95. YYYYY.
July 24, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
WSINYE (White Space Is Not Your Enemy) is a great reference for those with no design background but who have to produce their own marketing vehicles such as brochures, websites, ads, etc. It is not intended for those with a marketing/design background, as is obvious by the byline of "A Beginner's Guide....". I think some criticism has been leveled at it by designers - but they aren't the ones for whom this book was intended.
What I found useful is that the authors give examples of how design is done wrong and then show how to put it into better order. They take the most common mistakes they see out there, the ones that people with no design background would naturally make, and show how to take the same elements and create a more effective and cohesive piece with greater appeal.
Another great chapter in the book provides layout examples for when time is a constraint. Those simple templates will give great results every time - they don't need to be groundbreaking, the just need to work and help communicate an idea effectively.
Important to good design, principles are given easy to digest segments. Readers don't want to have to take art school just to make an ad. So everything from space to focal point to balance are quickly covered with excellent examples.
Honestly, I was highly impressed with this and feel it would make a great reference when design skills are needed. It is easy to read but also meaty enough to be useful. Highly recommended.
Received from the publisher as an ARC.
April 9, 2011
This book has pretty much all of the nuts and bolts you will need if you are a beginner and want to try your hand at creating your own designs. I have a marketing background and part of my responsibilities at my job include creating print materials. A lot of times companies will assume that if you have a marketing background you automatically have graphic design ability. While I do have an eye for aesthetics, I have never been to art school and all my skills have been self taught.
Texts like this have helped me immensely. It's beautifully illustrated and organized, and by the end of the book you should feel pretty confident in creating your own pieces. It helps you with figuring out where to start in creating your designs. I do think it would have been nicer to explain areas like typography a bit deeper because font can make or break how effective your message is, but it's still got invaluable information that you can refer to over and over again.
The best part about it after finishing this book is that you look at print and digital media in a new way. You become more attuned to pointing out design flaws in everyday life along with design brilliance.
Is this the only graphic design text you will ever need? Not at all, but it should always remain part of your collection of reference texts, if only because it's very nice eye candy. Thankfully this book's got beauty and brains!
Texts like this have helped me immensely. It's beautifully illustrated and organized, and by the end of the book you should feel pretty confident in creating your own pieces. It helps you with figuring out where to start in creating your designs. I do think it would have been nicer to explain areas like typography a bit deeper because font can make or break how effective your message is, but it's still got invaluable information that you can refer to over and over again.
The best part about it after finishing this book is that you look at print and digital media in a new way. You become more attuned to pointing out design flaws in everyday life along with design brilliance.
Is this the only graphic design text you will ever need? Not at all, but it should always remain part of your collection of reference texts, if only because it's very nice eye candy. Thankfully this book's got beauty and brains!
November 11, 2021
I have no previous education in design. I picked up this book when I was looking for an introduction and/or overview of the basics of design. I needed something that covers the field of print and web, and preferably short. This book is short and hands-on and light in tone.
I know there's much more to know, but for a busy working mom a shorter book is better. I can always go more in-depth with specific aspects of design with other sources if necessary. From this book I get the terminology of the field so I know what words to google when looking for more material.
I have read parts of both the 2010 and 2013 edition. The 2010 edition has a condescending tone towards "amateurs" which I don't like. The 2013 edition is much better in that regard.
I know there's much more to know, but for a busy working mom a shorter book is better. I can always go more in-depth with specific aspects of design with other sources if necessary. From this book I get the terminology of the field so I know what words to google when looking for more material.
I have read parts of both the 2010 and 2013 edition. The 2010 edition has a condescending tone towards "amateurs" which I don't like. The 2013 edition is much better in that regard.
March 12, 2014
"sugar" as the boys and I say...wish I had read reviews here first before ordering this (as part of a birthday Amazon gift card). Reviews heard on Paperclipping (or was it the Digi Show)and the title...oh how I love that title, swayed me. Not it looks like its coverage of design principals are rather light/surface. I'm sure I'll still learn from reading it, but I thought I would LOVE it.
As predicted, I liked it but it is rather basic and I expected at least more inspiration from great visuals inside---but did find that. All told, I still love the title:)
As predicted, I liked it but it is rather basic and I expected at least more inspiration from great visuals inside---but did find that. All told, I still love the title:)
July 17, 2016
This is an awesome book. Read it. I don't care what you do, this book will make you a better graphic designer/presentation builder/photographer/videographer/web designer. It is written in a VERY accessible manner, has a beautiful presentation, and TONS of examples. The first four chapters are phenomenal. They call it their "mini-art school" where you see designs and they talk about how to fix them and other errors people make in their fixes and why those are sub-optimal. Do yourself the favor. Read this book. It's quick and useful. You won't regret it.
June 24, 2011
I'd consider this a pretty good book for the folks you know who do a horrendous job with their family newsletter or maybe they're now in charge of the company website and have no clue what to do.
Given that, the best points this book had to offer is something that's come up over and over again: start on paper long before you work on the computer. If that's news to you, this book might be worth reading, otherwise: get to work.
Given that, the best points this book had to offer is something that's come up over and over again: start on paper long before you work on the computer. If that's news to you, this book might be worth reading, otherwise: get to work.
September 28, 2014
I think this is one of the better books on design for beginners that I’ve seen. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and its many facets as it teaches the reader the proper way for design on a multitude of medium. It gives practical examples and also shows what not to do. This is one of those books that I will return to as a reference.
Read
June 3, 2016Wonderful book! For me as a developer this one was an eye opener in some aspects of design and web typographics.
I would recommend any non-design IT person to read chapters about Color theory, typographics, basic elements & principles of design and amateur mistakes.
This book will definitely help you build better web!
I would recommend any non-design IT person to read chapters about Color theory, typographics, basic elements & principles of design and amateur mistakes.
This book will definitely help you build better web!
November 6, 2012
There are many better books for learning about design. See John McWade and Timothy Samara's books, which are more complex and prettier. Prettiness isn't a terribly important criteria for some things, but for a book that teaches design, it is.
June 5, 2017
This book was great coming from an IT point of view. I have no design knowledge so this helped in getting idea of how best to set up a website. Feels a bit dated though
August 13, 2011
This book is very informative. An easy read; very conversational. I would love to own it, but it's a library copy!
September 26, 2012
I am revisiting this book. With so much clutter out there on the Internet it is sometimes hard to forget that White Space is truly not your enemy and you need to know how to use it wisely.
February 13, 2013
For all those who design presentations or do instructional design but would like a better understanding of graphic design principles, this is a great book.
August 20, 2014
Excellent and fun to read!
This WSINYE is great book for beginning designers and anyone interested in refining the design of their blog, ads, posters and other visual genres
This WSINYE is great book for beginning designers and anyone interested in refining the design of their blog, ads, posters and other visual genres
December 1, 2014
Excellent crash course for someone who wants to go to design school but doesn't have the time. Covers all the basics very well.
January 25, 2015
This book is great for beginners that want to get a detailed overview of graphic design and a small overview of web design.
August 17, 2015
for an non designer. just amazing!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews