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Graphic Design: A User's Manual
This book offers students, novice designers, and battle-toughened professionals alike an insider's guide to the complexities of current graphic design practice and thinking.
It contains all you need to know to survive and prosper in the complex, ever-shifting world of graphic design. Set out in A-Z style and written in a realistic, conversational, and insightful way, the book provides advice on the fundamental topics and issues that face designers in their daily lives. It looks at everything from kerning to presenting, from budgeting to dealing with rejection, from annual reports to interface design.
Adrian Shaughnessy, author of the best-selling How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul, is himself a successful designer, and brings a wealth of experience to this very useful and entertaining book.
It contains all you need to know to survive and prosper in the complex, ever-shifting world of graphic design. Set out in A-Z style and written in a realistic, conversational, and insightful way, the book provides advice on the fundamental topics and issues that face designers in their daily lives. It looks at everything from kerning to presenting, from budgeting to dealing with rejection, from annual reports to interface design.
Adrian Shaughnessy, author of the best-selling How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul, is himself a successful designer, and brings a wealth of experience to this very useful and entertaining book.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 14, 2011
A good thorough overview of all aspects of modern design, it is fairly up to date as it is only a couple of years old, which can sometimes be an issue with design books focusing on the workings of the industry. I read the book cover to cover and it was readable in such a way, you get the authors personality and honest views, but in a balanced and thought provoking way. It often bought ‘the designer’ back down to earth, and would be a good reality check for any flighty professional who had got lost in his or her own ‘designery-ness’ from someone who had been there, done that and really knows what they’re on about. It would also be a very useful reference book to flick back to now and again.
As a practising, working designer, there were not as many things that were revelatory for me, but as a student or recent graduate it would be a great insight into more of the realities of the day to day work. There were still plenty of things I’ve never come across, especially the work featured and real life examples of situations that arise in the life of a designer.
It’s a great way to remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing if you’re not in your dream design job currently, and it reinforced my passion for the job and my hunger to learn more and achieve my ambitions. Basically, it made me want to be a better designer and gave me advice on how to do that.
All the further reading recommendations at the end of each section, and references throughout have caused my own ‘to-read’ list to grow dramatically, looks like I’m going to be busy for a while!
As a practising, working designer, there were not as many things that were revelatory for me, but as a student or recent graduate it would be a great insight into more of the realities of the day to day work. There were still plenty of things I’ve never come across, especially the work featured and real life examples of situations that arise in the life of a designer.
It’s a great way to remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing if you’re not in your dream design job currently, and it reinforced my passion for the job and my hunger to learn more and achieve my ambitions. Basically, it made me want to be a better designer and gave me advice on how to do that.
All the further reading recommendations at the end of each section, and references throughout have caused my own ‘to-read’ list to grow dramatically, looks like I’m going to be busy for a while!
May 24, 2020
A textbook-like dictionary of graphic design related subjects. Each essay speaks to elevating the profession and entices the reader to discover more. The author has a way of describing aspects of design in compelling style.
October 21, 2017
I’d only recommend this book for newbie designer
April 7, 2019
Reading this book felt like having a conversation with a knowledgeable person and had helpful information and prompts to follow
January 9, 2021
Goodboook
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2021
i realy want to read this book
February 24, 2023
Good book
January 15, 2015
In all fairness, I had never before heard the name Adrian Shaughnessy, but as it appears, he is the author of eight books on the subject of graphic design. Moreover, he has learned the magnificent craft of design all by himself. Without any sort of formal education or valued qualifications, he has in fact, not only made a name for himself but also, he has been the head of a few graphic design studios. Undoubtedly, it is quite the achievement and I daresay he is more than capable of imparting vast amounts of knowledge to anyone willing to gain it.
‘Graphic Design: A User’s Manual’ was published in 2009, which makes it contemporary and still relevant to the ever-changing and perpetually evolving world of graphic design. Furthermore, it has a distinctive, eye-catching design, which comes to show Shaughnessy’s abilities as a creative mind. The book is structured as an encyclopedia on the subject of design, with a section devoted on each letter of the alphabet. All this makes it extremely easy to find whatever it is you might be looking for. It is practical, it is useful. The Manual provides you with all the dirty details that are not necessarily mentioned in design school. The author leaves nothing hidden, his writing style is accessible, easy to follow and rather gripping. Everything is accompanied by appropriate pictorial material and captions, which are more than informative. What’s more, at the end of every section more written material on the subject is suggested. Consequently, if one is interested, he could expand his horizons of knowledge in a particular area of graphic design even further.
I was supposed to take notes whilst reading the book and it appears that I have been very meticulous… as my notes are about 14 pages in length. Ergo, calling this book useful is merely an understatement. I found myself incredibly fascinated with a lot of the topics that were presented. Hence, I filled my notebook with information. I found myself wanting to learn more and more as the book progressed, I added books that were mentioned in my reading list. I found myself learning about things I had no idea existed in the field of typography. Moreover, I am now well aware of some little but yet unforgivable mistakes I have been making when it comes to type. My mind is currently imbued with differences between typefaces, numerals, primes and quotation marks. My mind is saturated with useful advice from the author pertaining to presentation skills and the makings of a good, impressive, unique portfolio. Some sections I found so important that I copied them in their entirety so that I can have the information within at arm’s length at all times (paper stock, writing proposals, etc.).
What’s really interesting about ‘Graphic Design: A User’s Manual’ is that it touches upon subjects that you might not converse about in the academic world. It teaches you the importance of empathy, it gives you the scoop on the money situation in the field of your choosing, it gives you advice on debt chasing and banking. Adrian Shaughnessy apprises you of when you should consider sacking a client, how you should deal with rejection or envy and supplies you with the five golden rules for graduates. I cannot stress enough on the supreme quality of the book. Every design student should get his or her fingers on it and should devour it to its core. Simply put, it is beyond helpful and equally rewarding if one wants to be well-versed in the wonderful, colourful realm of graphic design.
‘Graphic Design: A User’s Manual’ was published in 2009, which makes it contemporary and still relevant to the ever-changing and perpetually evolving world of graphic design. Furthermore, it has a distinctive, eye-catching design, which comes to show Shaughnessy’s abilities as a creative mind. The book is structured as an encyclopedia on the subject of design, with a section devoted on each letter of the alphabet. All this makes it extremely easy to find whatever it is you might be looking for. It is practical, it is useful. The Manual provides you with all the dirty details that are not necessarily mentioned in design school. The author leaves nothing hidden, his writing style is accessible, easy to follow and rather gripping. Everything is accompanied by appropriate pictorial material and captions, which are more than informative. What’s more, at the end of every section more written material on the subject is suggested. Consequently, if one is interested, he could expand his horizons of knowledge in a particular area of graphic design even further.
I was supposed to take notes whilst reading the book and it appears that I have been very meticulous… as my notes are about 14 pages in length. Ergo, calling this book useful is merely an understatement. I found myself incredibly fascinated with a lot of the topics that were presented. Hence, I filled my notebook with information. I found myself wanting to learn more and more as the book progressed, I added books that were mentioned in my reading list. I found myself learning about things I had no idea existed in the field of typography. Moreover, I am now well aware of some little but yet unforgivable mistakes I have been making when it comes to type. My mind is currently imbued with differences between typefaces, numerals, primes and quotation marks. My mind is saturated with useful advice from the author pertaining to presentation skills and the makings of a good, impressive, unique portfolio. Some sections I found so important that I copied them in their entirety so that I can have the information within at arm’s length at all times (paper stock, writing proposals, etc.).
What’s really interesting about ‘Graphic Design: A User’s Manual’ is that it touches upon subjects that you might not converse about in the academic world. It teaches you the importance of empathy, it gives you the scoop on the money situation in the field of your choosing, it gives you advice on debt chasing and banking. Adrian Shaughnessy apprises you of when you should consider sacking a client, how you should deal with rejection or envy and supplies you with the five golden rules for graduates. I cannot stress enough on the supreme quality of the book. Every design student should get his or her fingers on it and should devour it to its core. Simply put, it is beyond helpful and equally rewarding if one wants to be well-versed in the wonderful, colourful realm of graphic design.
January 16, 2012
Review originally written for Little Design Book in August, 2010. Click on link for original post.
~
The thing I love the most about my college is the library. I’d like nothing better than to roam down aisles without an agenda and pull out (sometimes random) books that catch my fancy. My first few days back on campus, I did just that.
The one book that I have been constantly going back to since I first spotted it a couple of weeks ago is Adrian Shaughnessy’s Graphic Design: A User’s Manual. One would assume that a book with such a title would be a compilation of definitions and descriptions of graphic design basics. Thankfully I didn’t let my momentary apprehension stop myself from grabbing the book and settling into a corner. I have sat with the book almost everyday for the past two weeks now.
Graphic Design: A User’s Manual says it is a survival guide for graphic designers. True to that, it does not limit itself to looking at only strictly design-related topics like book design, ligatures and motion design. Shaughnessy goes on to address issues that are emotional and practical. Drawing on personal experiences he talks about working for charities, envy, negotiating fees, dealing with rejection and studio management amongst many other things.
The alphabetical structuring of the book allows for a good mix of all the varied topics- emotional, practial and instructional. The issues dealt with are familiar to most designers (not just graphic) and the book’s tone of voice ensures that reading the book is like having a conversation. I found this bright red book reassuring and inspiring. A must have, for sure.
~
The thing I love the most about my college is the library. I’d like nothing better than to roam down aisles without an agenda and pull out (sometimes random) books that catch my fancy. My first few days back on campus, I did just that.
The one book that I have been constantly going back to since I first spotted it a couple of weeks ago is Adrian Shaughnessy’s Graphic Design: A User’s Manual. One would assume that a book with such a title would be a compilation of definitions and descriptions of graphic design basics. Thankfully I didn’t let my momentary apprehension stop myself from grabbing the book and settling into a corner. I have sat with the book almost everyday for the past two weeks now.
Graphic Design: A User’s Manual says it is a survival guide for graphic designers. True to that, it does not limit itself to looking at only strictly design-related topics like book design, ligatures and motion design. Shaughnessy goes on to address issues that are emotional and practical. Drawing on personal experiences he talks about working for charities, envy, negotiating fees, dealing with rejection and studio management amongst many other things.
The alphabetical structuring of the book allows for a good mix of all the varied topics- emotional, practial and instructional. The issues dealt with are familiar to most designers (not just graphic) and the book’s tone of voice ensures that reading the book is like having a conversation. I found this bright red book reassuring and inspiring. A must have, for sure.
December 17, 2013
I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. It's sharp and clear without jargon or stuffy, condescending phrases. The author touches down on almost all aspects of design with smart writing infused with examples and personal experiences. I'd recommend it to students and anybody interested in graphic design. I wish I had this book when I was in college.
April 4, 2010
So far, looks like an incredibly helpful guide from A-Z on the life and practice of a graphic designer.
March 3, 2012
Excellent book for a designer...
January 23, 2010
Fantastic book full of insights to anyone who's serious about being a graphic designer
October 25, 2011
Well written series of anecdotes and insights.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews