Design: A Beginner's Handbook

Design: A Beginner's Handbook examines the elements and principles of visual design as they appear in the world around us. Topics are explained using text, animations and diagrams. Each page is generously illustrated, showing the elements and principles of design at work. Written in a direct, easy-to-read style the book is a wonderful asset for both students and the general public. 


The book has 15 chapters, each devoted to an individual element or principle of design. The chapter titles are:


Dot/Point

Line

Shape

Space

Texture

Value

Color

Unity/Variety

Balance

The Grid

Emphasis/Focal Point

Scale/Proportion

Pattern/Repetition

Rhythm

Motion/Time


Each chapter of the book contains hands-on exercises that anyone with an iPad or digital camera can complete. In addition, there are exercises in each chapter that introduce the reader to the work of professional artists, designers and architects. The exercises and explorations are linked to Facebook where readers are able to share the work they have completed.


Design: A Beginner’s Handbook incorporates Multi-Touch navigation, interactive animations and browsable photo galleries. Readers can highlight passages, take digital notes, create study cards and find word definitions...without leaving the page they are reading.


– Teachers and students will find the book to be a clear, concise and attractively priced text or supplement for a beginning course in visual design.


– Hobbyists, crafters, and home decorators working on their own, will find guidance and practical information about topics such as color, composition and the creative possibilities of the design elements and principles. 


– The general reader who wants to become more visually aware will find this book to be a straightforward, easy-to-follow discussion about visual design in the everyday world. 


– Anyone who wants insight into work seen in museums, galleries and architectural spaces can benefit from an understanding of the design elements and principles presented in this book.


Design: A Beginner’s Handbook is a publication of Infinite Dictionary, a collaboration of visual artists/designers/teachers who have decades of experience in the studio and the university classroom.