Welcome to the new layout! And with the new layout comes new types of posts - Graphic Diction will be about the language of design and development. So not only will you receive your usual blend of book reviews, but now they will be mixed in with general postings as well. I did this for […]

“The Design of Everyday Things”, by Donald A. Norman, is an entertaining and easy-to-read overview of product design that comes highly recommended from me. You will receive 217 pages full of humorous explorations into the world of product design. Donald A. Norman is co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, “an executive consulting firm that helps […]

“10 Years of Photoshop”, by Jeff Schewe, was an article written for PEI magazine(web site longer up) back in February of 2000. It’s a lovely history lesson full of fun facts about the Adobe Systems company and it’s comprising software and engineering feats. Definitely worth a read if you use Adobe software or have heard […]

“Graphis New Talent Design Awards” is … an eye candy book for Designers that showcases work from graduating college students. I got the 2001 annual because it was listed cheaper than retail which is around $70. I don’t recommend this book and I have never seen a newer annual, but also have no interest in […]

“Thinking with Type”, by Ellen Lupton, is a “critical guide for designers, writers, editors & students” about typography. You receive 172 pages full of inspiring page layout and discussion about typography.

What this book teaches you is the anatomy of type, a brief history of typography, page layout, legibility and creative uses in type. The page […]

The “Design Basics Index”, by Jim Krause, is an inspiring 360 pages of informative design education and eye candy. Unlike most design books which only show examples and provide no real explanation to decisions that had been made, the Design Basics Index really provides an in-depth look at how to learn to make informed design […]

“Something to Be Desired: Essays on Design”, by Veronique Vienne, is an interesting collection of random topics spanning 198 pages in design, architecture, branding, commercial industry and cultural differences. I’d recommend the book to designers of all sorts as a good distraction from instructional or reference literature, but not as an essential read.

Vienne is a […]

Bulletproof Ajax, by Jeremy Keith, is a wonderful guide to using Ajax on the Internet. (I will define Ajax later on in this article.) You receive 200 pages full of demonstration, theory, tutorials, pictures and suggestions. I recommend this book only to persons who are new to Ajax, especially JavaScript.

To begin, I’d like to say […]

Interaction Design - Beyond Human-Computer Interaction (1st Ed), by Yvonne Rogers, Helen Sharp and Jenny Preece, is an interaction design textbook usually aimed at graduate level or professional study. The book is titled after the profession of interaction design itself, defined in text as “designing interactive products to support people in their everyday working lives”. […]

Selling Graphic & Web Design, by Donald Sparkman, is a book and guide to a design business and ethical business practices. You’re getting 218 pages full of content without pictures and filler. Donald Sparkman is the president of Sparkman + Associates, Inc., founded in 1973.

My summary of the book is pretty broad, “a guide to […]