Robin Williams Design Workshop
If you just stumbled into design, maybe via a hobby that grew into a  career, and you want to improve your work without having to enroll in a degree  program, this book can bridge some of the gaps in your acumen. Not really a  primer on basic facts,Design Workshopis more like a guide to style.The first chapter quizzes readers on mostly technical, basic details of design  (like dpi), all of which can be found in Williams's previous publications (for  example,The Non-Designer's  Design Book). Readers will be dismayed, possibly annoyed, that the quiz  answers are not provided. Even if not knowing the answers means that you need  remedial help, it feels like a bit of a tease.The next chapters show how to use stock images, or your own images, to increase  the visual impact of your piece (basically through an increase in contrast). The  best part of this section, and the book as a whole, is the "before-and-after"  approach in the examples; they're like a series of makeovers. The captions  effectively describe what was changed in the image, and how it improved the  design.The book applies a similar set of makeovers to various types of design projects:  logos, forms, newsletters, tables of contents, etc. In the final section, seven  designers, including coauthor Tollett, break down the process that they went  through on a job of their own.Self-taught graphic designers probably would make the best audience for this  book, but designers who are of their own "school of thought" might find fault  with some of the tenets that are put forth. Graphic design by nature is a  subjective enterprise--at the mercy of "styles." What you get in this book is  more of a "desktop-publisher style" (many of the drawings are clip art, for  example). There's a lack of sophistication in the design of the book, as well as  in the illustrations of posters, letterheads, advertisements, and other  applications that are used as examples. On the other hand, this same open, naive  look gives the book an inviting appeal, and makes it perhaps a bit less daunting  than style guides, such as Robert Bringhurst'sThe Elements of Typographic  Style, that are intended for die-hard professionals.--Angelynn  GrantTopics covered:Style advice for design projects, including:LogosBusiness cards and letterheadInvoices and formsAdvertisingBillboardsWeb sitesTables of contents and indicesNewsletters and brochuresFlyers