Read the Prose. Study the illustrations. And apply what you have learned to design your own pages. It's easy with Basics of Design; Typography and Layout for Beginners! This heavily illustrated, compact guide is ideal for readers with no graphic design or art education background who need to create first-rate visual page designs. Entrepreneurs challenged with designing their own business cards, and administrative assistants suddenly put in charge of producing newsletters and fax cover pages, are just two examples of readers who benefit from the information in this primer. Its uniquely conversational tone - combined with numerous "before" and "after" illustrations- provides everything needed to design pages as effective as those of professional designers. Part One introduces readers to important design principles, as well as 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 of the variety frequently assigned to non-designers (.., company business cards, fax cover letters, graphical and statistical reports, and more). To further aid readers, each project is accompanied by a brief listing of some of the special considerations involved in that type of visual page design. The final chapter of the book lists useful design books and resources for readers interested in advancing their typography and layout skills.

Graham (graphic communication, U. of Texas-Arlington) writes for anyone who needs to create effectively designed and visually well organized pages, particularly those who know that their designs are not very good but do not know why or what to do about it. She includes quizzes (with answers) and exercises for classroom or self-study.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This classic introduction to high-impact page design is now fully updated for a new generation of designers. Basics of Design: Layout and Typography for Beginners demystifies the design process with straightforward and complete explanations of the fundamental principles that create first-rate visual design. Readers learn essential design terminology and develop their knowledge and skills through visual examples and hands-on activities that reinforce page layout and typography concepts. Side-by-side critiques of before-and-after page layouts help readers understand how to apply design principles to their own efforts and point the way to excellence in design.

Lisa M. Graham, Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Web Design, University of Texas at Arlington.

Part 1: Design and Layout Basics Chapter 1: Before You Begin to Design Chapter 2: Emphasis Chapter 3: Contrast Chapter 4: Balance Chapter 5: Alignment Chapter 6: Repetition Chapter 7: Flow Chapter 8: Images Chapter 9: Color Part 2: Typography Basics Chapter 10: Overview of Technical Terms Chapter 11: A Few Simple Type Rules Part 3: Projects and Resources Chapter 12: Focus On . . . Chapter 13: Tools and Resources Glossary Index