Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design

Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design
by Kristin Cullen

Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design
List Price: $25.00
Our Price: $12.04
You Save: $12.96 (52%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $11.20 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Kristin Cullen
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-01
ISBN: 1592533523
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Rockport Publishers

Book Reviews of Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design

Book Review: Not a Workbook, and Not Much Layout
Summary: 3 Stars

It's too bad that this book is not a workbook and that it does not provide very much information about layout. Primarily, it's a look at what the authors consider good design in print media.

The book discusses the function of design, the design process, the role of inspiration and intuition in design, the function of grids, the factors that effect composition, typography and the importance of design analysis. The book concludes with a look at several examples of design with some comments on each. There are no exercises or tutorials.

Most designers would agree that the layout of printed materials should enhance the ability of the printed media to communicate its message without calling attention to the layout. I presume that there are some principles to laying out a piece of media to achieve that goal. The authors recognize that there are such principles and even offer some of those in general terms. Thus the authors suggest that using more then one typeface or font in a piece may enhance communication, but also point out that some fonts are unattractive when combined. The logical development of this point would have provided readers with some examples of combinations both compatible and in conflict, and perhaps even a discussion of why fonts fit together or conflict.

The authors offer profuse illustrations that they believe show good design. Unfortunately most of illustrations are so small that they provide little help in understanding the teaching points. The examples in the final chapter are larger. For the latter, the accompanying text often illustrates the design considerations but just as often the text is merely descriptive. I found that most of the examples throughout the book called attention to their design, without showing how the design contributed to the communication.

For me, the chapter on compositional factors seemed like it would be the real meat of layout. The authors listed fifteen factors ranging from space to tension. Several of the factors are then discussed in a few paragraphs. For the space factor, the authors point out that grouping several items together, with space around them, leads the eye to them, and that centering a visual element renders it ineffective. I accepted these principles, but wanted the illustrations to show how and why these principles worked, which they did not. Moreover, only 12 of the fifteen factors were explained.

I was driven by an interest in the layout of images in photographic books. The compositional factors were useful in a general way but I wanted just a little bit of spoon-feeding. I went away hungry.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe layout is such an intuitive and inspirational process that it is impossible to deal in specifics, but I don't believe it. In almost every art and craft field there are principles of general application that good practitioners then press against to create unusual products. Unfortunately this book only shows us the outliers. This book may provide inspiration to experienced designers, but won't be of much help to those with less experience.

Summary of Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design

An inspired resource for creating meaningful design, Layout Workbook is one of five volumes in Rockport's series of practical and inspirational books that cover the fundamental areas of graphic design. In this edition, author Kristin Cullen tackles the often perplexing job of nailing down a layout that works. More than a collection of great examples, this book is a valuable resource for students, designers, and creative professionals who seek design understanding and inspiration. The book illuminates the broad category of layout, communicating specifically what it takes to design with excellence. It also addresses the how and why of the creative process. Cullen approaches layout with a series of step-by-step fundamental chapters addressing topics such as design function, inspiration, process, intuition, structure, organization, the interaction of visual elements, typography, and design analysis.

Graphic Design Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Graphic Design Books
Rendering Fashion, Fabric and Prints with Adobe Illustrator ImageRendering Fashion, Fabric and Prints with Adobe Illustrator
by M. Kathleen Colussy, Steve Greenberg
Prentice Hall; Published: 2006-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $59.98
Price in other shops: $72.00
Inside Fashion Design, 5th Edition ImageInside Fashion Design, 5th Edition
by Sharon Lee Tate, Mona S. Edwards
Prentice Hall; Published: 2003-08-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $59.95
Price in other shops: $132.80
Graphic Design: Vision, Process  Product ImageGraphic Design: Vision, Process Product
by Louis Ocepek
Prentice Hall; Published: 2002-12-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.75
Price in other shops: $66.00
Designer's Guide to Print Production ImageDesigner's Guide to Print Production
by Kayanna Pace
Prentice Hall; Published: 2001-09-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.42
Price in other shops: $70.00
Instructor's Manual Set for All Wordperfect 5.1 Texts: Text and 5 1/4" IBM Data Disk ImageInstructor's Manual Set for All Wordperfect 5.1 Texts: Text and 5 1/ 4" IBM Data Disk
by Gonzalez
McGraw Hill Higher Education; Published: 1991-05-01; Paperback; Book
Talking with Artists ImageTalking with Artists
by Pat Cummings
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1992-03-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.35
Price in other shops: $22.95
American Picturebooks from Noah's Ark to the Beast Within ImageAmerican Picturebooks from Noah's Ark to the Beast Within
by Barbara Bader
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1976-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $112.12
Art of the Hobbit ImageArt of the Hobbit
by J R R Tolkien
Harpercollins; Published: 2011-10-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $30.09
Comics (Learn to Draw) ImageComics (Learn to Draw)
by John Byrne
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-03; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $14.99
Printmaking: History and Process ImagePrintmaking: History and Process
by Donald Saff, Deli Sacilotto
Wadsworth Publishing; Published: 1978-01-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $99.77
Price in other shops: $176.95
Similar Books and other products
Color Design Workbook: A Real World Guide to Using Color in Graphic Design ImageColor Design Workbook: A Real World Guide to Using Color in Graphic Design
Rockport Publishers; Published: 2008-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.58
Price in other shops: $25.00
Design Language ImageDesign Language
by Tim McCreight
Brynmorgen Pr; Published: 1997-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.17
Price in other shops: $10.95
Typographic Systems of Design ImageTypographic Systems of Design
by Kimberly Elam
Princeton Architectural Press; Published: 2007-05-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.36
Price in other shops: $24.95
Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual ImageDesign Elements: A Graphic Style Manual
by Timothy Samara
Rockport Publishers; Published: 2007-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.37
Price in other shops: $30.00
Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities ImageLogo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities
by David Airey
New Riders Press; Published: 2009-12-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops: $39.99
Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design ImageGraphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design
by Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin Vit
Rockport Publishers; Published: 2011-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.02
Price in other shops: $35.00
Typography Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Type in Graphic Design ImageTypography Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Type in Graphic Design
by Timothy Samara
Rockport Publishers; Published: 2006-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops: $25.00
Thinking with Type, 2nd revised and expanded edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students ImageThinking with Type, 2nd revised and expanded edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students
by Ellen Lupton
Princeton Architectural Press; Published: 2010-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.16
Price in other shops: $24.95
Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop ImageMaking and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop
by Timothy Samara
Rockport Publishers; Published: 2005-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.29
Price in other shops: $25.00
Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills ImageCreative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills
by David Sherwin
How; Published: 2010-11-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.94
Price in other shops: $25.00