Design!: A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists & Craftspeople

By Steven Aimone

Book Overview

Effective design inspiration for everyone, from crafters and artists to Sunday museum-goers. Professional artists, photographers, gardeners, and even chefs and hosts trying to set a pretty table will welcome this user-friendly, handsome exploration of design principles and processes. Through hundreds of photographs, plus an accessible text, even the most abstract design concepts, such as rhythm and balance, become easy to visualize and understand. Find out how to manipulate visual elements, work within the design space, create attractive symmetrical arrangements, establish a focal point, and much more. The sheer number and variety of images that illustrate each concept make it possible for even the most design-challenged beginner to visualize the principles and put them into practice. Examples of good design range from ceramics, jewelry, architecture, and painting to clothing design, hair styling, gardening, sushi, and vintage movie posters. Plenty of easy yet imaginative guided exercises allow you to experiment with each new principle on the spot. Every page offers delight, inspiration, and instruction.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579903495
• ISBN13: 9781579903497
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Lark Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 2.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3" x 0.8" x 10.5"

Customer Reviews

A Great Resource

This book is a great resource. It is packed with exciting, richly varied visuals and clear, informative exercises that will enrich daily appreciation and application of principles of good design all around us. As a professional artist and teacher, I enjoy this book for myself as well as share it with my students. Design! is a great resource for the student or professional.

A pleasant reading

True! Design is everywhere you look but if you don't understand what you are staring at then design is useless. Fortunately, Steven Aimone's Design! will open up your mind and guide you to see the purpose of design. What are descriptive, narrative, emotive, utilitarian, and decorative of designs? What are the elements of design (lines, shapes, textures, colors, etc.)? Why are a certain elements arranged they way they are? Why is design space important? If you're unclear about the answers to these questions, this book will help you straightened out. As someone who gets involved with web design as a passion, I had no prior training on design. While my classes at La Salle were too busy shoving down Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and other software programs, the fundamentals of design were not part of the curriculum. One of our art professors realized the important of the missing part and tried to cover it but the class was not as successful as it should be. The hands on assignments she gave us (the black squares exercises) were definitely on the right track but most of my classmates thought they were kindergarten because the theories were missing. If she had this book to accommodate her assignments, the class would have been a huge success; therefore, Design! should be a required textbook for any Art 101 or Introduction to Visual Design classes at colleges and universities. Design! is not only an invaluable design inspiration but an enjoyable reading as well because of its easy to read approach and clear visual examples. I recommend this book enthusiastically to anyone who designs for a living or pleasure and to anyone who simply enjoys and appreciates the aesthetic qualities from the work of art.

Praise for DESIGN!

What I noticed first in DESIGN! were the many beautiful color photos of art on virtually every page. As a fiber artist (with works in the book), I especially appreciate how comprehensive the book is in representing all arts and crafts media. The text is thorough, readable, and complete with design exercises. I recommend DESIGN! wholeheartedly to artists, teachers, and any readers who enjoy the visual arts.

a well-rounded design book

This book was so inspiring. It got me thinking of how design plays a part in so many aspects of my life. Now when I set a table or plant additional flowers in my garden or paint an abstract painting, I have lots of helpful ideas about what would make these projects successful. I think this book is for everyone, not just artists or designers.

excellent resource and great looking book!

this book not only looks great, it is beautifully written, full of real information and amazing examples all types of design. I would recomend it highly and have learned much more that I would have imagined. The visuals really cover the gamet, from architecture to haircuts and tons of art and fine craft.