Design School: Layout is an instructive guide for students, recent graduates, and self-taught designers. It provides a comprehensive introduction to creating and changing layouts: a crucially important skill that underpins practically every aspect of graphic design.
You'll get in-depth analysis of all the major areas of theory and practice used by experienced professional designers. Each section provides explanation and visual examples of grid systems and in-depth discussion of compositional principles and strategies. The text is interspersed with tests designed to help you retain key points you've covered in the preceding spreads, and includes illustrations sections with real world scenarios.
This in-depth guide avoids the temptation to stray into other areas of design technique, preferring to cover the essential, detailed skills of the professional graphic designer to arm you with the knowledge needed for a successful start to your chosen career.
As Co-founder, Design Director, and Principal of Poulin + Morris Inc., Richard Poulin has directed visual communications programs for clients including Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Hall, William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Cornell University, Empire State Building, Gibney Dance, Hines, Lycée Français de New York, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Morgan Stanley, National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum of Utah, S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, New-York Historical Society, New York Law School, The New York Public Library, Novo Nordisk, NPR, Portman Holdings, The Ramaz School, Renaissance Hotels and Resorts, The Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge, School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, Smithsonian Institution, Syracuse University, Vassar College, W Hotels and Resorts, and Yale University.
His work has been published in periodicals and books worldwide, is in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress, and has received awards from American Association of Museums; American Institute of Architects (AIA); The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA); Applied Arts; Art Directors Clubs of New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco; Communication Arts; Creative Quarterly; Graphis; ID; Print Casebooks; Print Creativity + Commerce; Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD); Society of Publication Designers; and Type Directors Club.
Richard is a Fellow of the Society for Experiential Graphic Design, the organization’s highest honor, and a recipient of a research grant in design history from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. He is also the author of several award-winning books including The Language of Graphic Design: An Illustrated Handbook for Understanding Fundamental Design Principles; Typography Referenced (coauthor); and Graphic Design + Architecture: A 20th-Century History, all published by Rockport Publishers. His forthcoming book, Archigraphia Redux, will be released in Fall 2016 by Graphis.
Richard is past President and board member of The American Institute of Graphic Arts/New York Chapter, as well as a member of American Institute of Architects and Society for Experiential Graphic Design. Since 1992, he has been an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City where he teaches visual communications, typography, and senior thesis portfolio, and was formerly an adjunct professor at The Cooper Union. He has been a frequent lecturer and visiting professor at Carnegie-Mellon University, Herron School of Art, Indiana University, The Maryland Institute College of Art, Massachusetts College of Art, North Carolina State University, Simmons College, Syracuse University, University of the Arts, University of Cincinnati, and University of Washington.
Richard graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where he received a Bachelor of Industrial Design degree.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Let me start by saying that I think I will buy a physical copy for my own bookshelf one day. This book is full of theory and a lot of technical stuff and it is a gem for anyone interested in graphic design. It talks about everything, including the golden section, rule of thirds, paper sizes and all elements of a poster.
This book is useful for students, but it's also great for anyone who is really interested in graphic design - plus every chapter ends with a few questions to test your knowledge. I think my only complaint is that this book could have used more images as examples - actual posters and compositions. It does have a section at the end full of examples, and that is really useful, but personally I prefer the examples on the same page with the theory explaining the elements and concepts.
Самое главное, что нужно знать об этой книге — она абсолютно бесполезна для веб-дизайнеров! Автор пару раз скромно упоминает веб-сайты, но обманываться не стоит — целиком и полностью она посвящена вопросам вёрстки макетов для печати (в той области, что касается сеток).
В принципе, книга даёт базовые понятия и определения, малая часть из которых применяется и в веб-дизайне, но открыв, Википедию можно получить ту же информацию, но гораздо быстрее.
Однозначно сказать, для кого написана эта книга довольно сложно. Если для совсем неподготовленного, или слегка подготовленного читателя — то автор начинает сразу засыпать узкоспециальными терминами, которые, на мой взгляд, можно было бы и опустить (например, подробнейшая информация об единицах измерения шрифтового кегля). Если для уже матёрого читателя — то очень всеобъемлюще, а, стало быть, поверхностно. Скорее всего, она подошла бы как дополнительное пособие для студентов, которые всё же погружены в тему вёрстки макетов для печати. Для общего ознакомления или входа в тему вёрстки я бы точно не стал её рекомендовать, материал изложен хотя и по порядку, но как-то путанно.
В книге очень много иллюстраций, схем, сеток, и примеров, и это, вне всякого сомнения, её плюс. Типографика неплохая, но, к сожалению, матовая бумага сильно бликует при искусственном освещении, а мелкий жирный шрифт читается с ощутимым трудом. Кстати, попалось пара опечаток.
Couldn't finish this read. As in Design School: Type, a lot of words were being used to say nothing at all. I would've been able to live with that if it hadn't been for the entire paragraph about dynamic rectangles taken straight from Wikipedia (I couldn't find proper citation). I consulted Wikipedia whilst reading because the explanations given by the book were worded in a confusing manner. Maybe the rest of the book has some helpful information, but it's a no from me.
Useful little primer on various design concepts. Nothing here, necessarily, that you can't / won't find in other textbooks. Skipped through a lot because I need to return this to the library.