Before and After Page Design at Dominant Systems Book Store

Before and After magazine's focus on clarity and simplicity and its insistence on approaching design not as mere decoration but as an essential form of communication have won it legions of fans. If you're among them, you'll welcome the first book from B and A's founder and publisher. John McWade walks his own talk, bringing you a beautifully clear, cohesive, and elegant primer on page design. You'll learn by example how to design single-page and multi-page publications, brochures, and advertisements, applying the principles design professionals live by. You'll also learn how to choose the right font for your project, why one typeface works better than another, and lots more. Best of all, you'll discover how to think visually--transforming the images in your head into documents that communicate effectively on the page.

Customer Reviews & Comments
I have read this book thoroughly and I love it. It's better than any book of it's kind, and I would recommend it absolutely. I do, in fact, whenever I get the chance. I own a bunch of books like this (including a couple by Robin Williams), but no other book is written (and presented!) so clearly. McWade is both a designer, making things look good, and a communicator, making things clear. He knows his stuff, but also knows how to make it accessible. And it's worked for me. I'm no professional graphic designer, but I was able to improve the look, and more importantly the usability, of all our corporate paper documents because of what I learned from this book. My partner is amazed (and very pleased). A very good $20 investment. Though I've been interested in design and typography for years, it wasn't until I read Before & After that I really felt I had the specific tools to make it work. He gives very specific advice and recommendations (point and pica sizes), but still gives you the confidence and know-how to deviate from his recommendations. Two nits: while everything is explained, not everything is explained in order. For instance, on page 11 he's telling me to use Century Light Condensed 16/18, but it's not until page 37 that I discover that the 16 is the font size and 18 is the leading. That only happens a couple of places, but it something he should have fixed. Secondly, a few of the examples were clearly written a decade ago and not updated. The principles are still completely valid (and very, very good). But the color scheme on page 160 was so 1980s it was distracting. Sad, since that was hands down the best (and most comprehensive) chapter in the book: "Create a do-it-all business portfolio." Buy it for that section alone. Seriously, no small business should exist without this book.

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