The book's easy to grasp design concepts, combined with numerous "before" and "after" illustrations, provides everything needed to create pages as effective as the work of professional designers.

Basics of Design - Layout & Typography for Beginners is a compact, visually-oriented guide for readers who need to create first-rate page designs for work or pleasure but who lack professional training in graphic design. The book's easy to grasp design concepts, combined with numerous "before" and "after" illustrations, provides everything needed to create pages as effective as the work of professional designers Part One introduces readers to important design principles and provides coverage on how to use color and images to add impact to designs. Part Two concentrates on the basics of typography. Part Three features a number of common design projects often encountered by beginners, including business cards,flyers, posters, newsletters, and more.

Preface
Who Is This Book For?
Special Features in This Book
PART 1 DESIGN AND LAYOUT BASICS
CHAPTER I
Before You Begin to Design
Decide WhatYou Want to Say
Decide Who Your Audience Is
Pick a Design Format
Hints for Effective Cop)writing
Quick Guide to Design Principles
An Overview of the Design Process
Summary
Quiz Philosophy
Mini Quiz #1
CHAPTER 2
Emphasis
Why Use Emphasis?
Decide What Is Most Important
Emphasis Techniques
Emphasis Examples
Too Much of a Good Thing
Summary
Mini Quiz #2
Exercises
CHAPTER 3
Contrast
Why Use Contrast?
Contrast Examples
Summary
Mini Quiz #3
Exercise
CHAPTER 4
Bolonce
Why Use Balance?
SymmetricaIVersus Asymmetrical Balance
A Word About Proportion
Balance Examples
Summary
Mini Quiz #4
Exercise
CHAPTER 5
Alignment
Use Alignment to Improve Your Designs
The Grid
Text Alignment
Group Related Elements
Alignment Examples
Summary
Mini Quiz #5
Exercise
CHAPTER 6
Repetition
Unity and Gestalt
Repetition Examples
Too Much of a Good Thing
Summary
Mini Quiz #6
Exercise
CHAPTER 7
Flow
What Is Flow?
Verbal Flow
Visual Flow
Flow Examples
Summary
Mini Quiz #7
Exercise
CHAPTER 8
Images
Images Add Impact
Photographs
Illustrations
A Word About Clip Art
Type as Image
Dingbats
Visual Rules of Image Use
Summary
CHAPTER 9
Color
Getting Started with Color
The Secret Messages of Color
Color and Computers
Color Examples
Tips for Using Color
Summary
Exercise
PART 2 TYPOGRAPHY BASICS
CHAPTER 10
Overview of Technical Terms
Basic Type Terms
Type Anatomy
Typefaces
Type Styles and Type Families
Type Sizes
Weight
Leccerspacing, Leading, and Word Spacing
Type Alignments
Line Length
Categories of Type
Font Software Formats
Summary
Mini Quiz #8
CHAPTER II
A Few Simple Type Rules
Use Plenty of Contrast
Emphasis Again
Keep Your Typeface Choices Simple
Avoid Conflict
Type Combinations That Work
Type Usage Guidelines
Summary
Mini Quiz #9
Exercises
PART 3 PROJECTS AND RESOURCES
CHAPTER 12
Focus On
Stationery Sets
Jogos and Logotypes
Flyers
Banners
Posters
Newsletters
Rsums
Summary
Exercises
CHAPTER 13
Tools and Resources
Critique Guide
Typical Design Tools and Technology
Desktop Publishing Software
Clip Art and Type Sources
Useful Books
CHAPTER 14
Mini Quiz Answers
Glossary
Index