When everyone has the same Mac and the same internet, the difference between hackneyed graphic design and extraordinary graphic design is just one thing—the ability to see. — Seth Godin
what does a book designer do, anyway?
April 12, 2011 – 10:13 pm
Of all the jobs I’ve done over the years, I thought telling people I was a book designer was pretty straightforward, like saying I was a cab driver or a hair stylist. Everybody would know what that was. Turns out that’s not the case. Some people say: Oh, you design the book cover. Sometimes, I […]
seven housekeeping tips for a smoother workflow
March 8, 2011 – 8:57 pm
In a previous post I wrote about stumbling blocks to watch out for in your workflow. Today I want to write from the positive side: what you can do to make your workflow go more smoothly with less wasted effort and, most importantly, less chance of making silly errors. 1. Use styles. Styles have been […]
9 – charles eames
February 25, 2011 – 11:51 am
Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose. — charles eames
reading a book like a designer – part 2
February 22, 2011 – 3:14 pm
This is an update of a post from 08 October 2009. In part 1 of this post, I used Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit as a model for looking at a book through designer eyes, identifying and articulating the various graphic elements that combine to create the reader’s experience of the content. Despite identifying […]
8-keith smith
February 16, 2011 – 12:19 pm
Pacing of the book is the synchronization or syncopation of the content with turning pages. The format can reinforce and even speak aside from the text. Writing specifically in the book format, as opposed to a running manuscript, brings to the reader a book experience. back cover copy from text in the book format by […]
reading a book like a designer – part 1
February 16, 2011 – 12:15 pm
This is an update of a post from 01 October 2009. Of course, we book designers read books like regular people. But, when we are in “design mode”, we look at a book in a different way. We’re not so much interested in specific content as we are in identifying how many different elements of […]
