Before and After: How to Design Cool Stuff at Dominant Systems Book Store

Before and After magazine's focus on clarity, simplicity, and elegance has won it legions of fans--fans who will welcome this second volume of the definitive Before and After Page Design by John McWade. Truly an icon of the graphic design community, his insistence on approaching design not as mere decoration but as an essential form of communication is vividly apparent in this cohesive primer on page design and layout. And you could not hope for a better, more qualified teacher. McWade shows readers how to arrange and present information using today's powerful graphics tools. Readers will learn how to design single-page and multi-page documents, brochures, and ads; why one typeface works better than another; and much more. Best of all, they'll discover how to think visually transforming the images in their heads into something that communicates effectively on the page.

Customer Reviews & Comments
"Before and After How to Design Cool Stuff" explains good design with many illustrations and just enough words. At first you are impressed by the many illustrations and pictures. Then you appreciate the short paragraphs of insightful text. I like this book because it involves you in the decisions. The first part of the book explains the knowledge you need to be able to really see and use graphic elements. It begins with designing without rulers and the empty page. It explains how to use color. It makes sense out of understanding typographic characters and fitting type styles to your design. An example of how the book involves you is "How to find the perfect color." It begins with finding the colors in a photograph. It ends with a discussion of five different color choice designs with good reasons why the customer might chose any one of them I like this book because it shows creative methods you can use. The second part of "Before & After How to Design Cool Stuff" is about techniques such as getting several images out of one photo, putting the reader's eye where you want it, and combining photos and captions to tell your story. It includes techniques you can use to create unique covers and pages, business cards and a post card, or even a web site or a welcome page. I also like the projects that make up the third part. These projects show the evolution from the idea or product that existed before to the designs that result after. These projects can help you to design a theme, a story-style brochure, a pocket size brochure, a panoramic booklet, a web site, or a presentation. Read "Before & After How to Design Cool Stuff" for an overview of, and an appreciation for, the ideas and techniques that are in it. Then, when you are about to begin your next project, refer to this book.

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