Wait! It's not what you think. This is good crap. This is crap that can help. The crap I'm talking about is an acronym for the four design principles espoused by Robin Williams (crap, not the one you're think of) in her book, The Non-Designer's Design Book.
Crap (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity) is about good design, whether your designing for the web or for print, Williams provides practical advice that is easy to understand. In fact she's so good at explaining things you'll end up kicking yourself for not figuring it out on your own. Trust me, it's not that obvious; she's that good.
But what I really like about the book is how it makes me think about every aspect of design. Now I think about how everything in my design is interconnected and nothing arbitrary. Each element has a purpose and a place and if a component does not connect with at least one other element you need to question it's value to the piece. I learned that it's not the sum of the parts that make the greater whole but, rather, it's the sum of the right parts operating together that make the whole piece greater.
Not to get to philosophical about it but I came away thinking that the ultimate message of the book was "with unity comes harmony." Not just with the design of an artifact but rather with the design of life.
Crap (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity) is about good design, whether your designing for the web or for print, Williams provides practical advice that is easy to understand. In fact she's so good at explaining things you'll end up kicking yourself for not figuring it out on your own. Trust me, it's not that obvious; she's that good.
But what I really like about the book is how it makes me think about every aspect of design. Now I think about how everything in my design is interconnected and nothing arbitrary. Each element has a purpose and a place and if a component does not connect with at least one other element you need to question it's value to the piece. I learned that it's not the sum of the parts that make the greater whole but, rather, it's the sum of the right parts operating together that make the whole piece greater.
Not to get to philosophical about it but I came away thinking that the ultimate message of the book was "with unity comes harmony." Not just with the design of an artifact but rather with the design of life.
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