http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/storyboards-for-elearning/
led to discovery of: Connie Malamed: Visual Language for Designers
0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Basically, this book is the complete package. It could be a great coffee table book or on a shelf in a scientific library.
The collection of hundreds of contemporary graphic and information designs from around the world is stunning, and could have made a coffee table book or inspiration book on their own. The substantive text leads the reader on a journey to better understand the human mind and learn how to create more profound and valuable graphics. Expect this book to become a classic in design circles.
Graphic designers have the power to make sense of information in ways that transcends language, and Malamed shows them how to do it right.
Malamed's approach to the subject is uniquely holistic. She successfully guides readers through fundamental design principles, deep research into cognition, and further research into human emotion. I've never encountered a book that even attempts to juggle all of these important concepts.
What's particularly new and useful is the attention given to emotional design. Many information designers scoff at design flourishes as being distracting or unnecessary "fluff" or "junk." Malamed teaches designers to recognize the power of artistry in making designs more eye-catching, more memorable, and more emotionally resonant. There's no need to eschew beauty when it can be a powerful teaching tool.
As we continue to be inundated by data and information, I can only hope that more designers pick up and read this excellent book. At the very least, it's full of beautiful pictures!
As an educational tool for students and professionals, the information in this book is a wonderful, clear summary of the smartest information in the field. Even for someone who is not a designer, the book is fascinating to browse through, and there's so much to be learned.
Connie Malamed's Visual Language for Designers is a remarkable and well-researched book that not only lays out the principles and techniques of how designers communicate with graphics, but includes hundreds of excellent examples from a wide variety of international designers. And refreshingly, there is not a single negative example: Bucking the current trend of writers pontificating about what NOT to do (and often showing BADLY designed examples), all of the included graphics are successful examples of the specific design principles discussed.
The book functions on many levels--from beautiful coffee table book to scientific study to design textbook. As such, it should appeal to numerous audiences. The only caution I would give is to those looking for a step by step "how to be a graphic designer" reference. This isn't it. Connie does address basic (and advanced) design principles, but does so through scientific and cognitive lenses. Therefore, when discussing "eye gaze," she doesn't stop at simply saying that one should generally have the eyes of a photo subject look inward on a page. She goes further, referencing "neuropsychological" and "neurophysiological" theories, and then through multiple visual examples shows how to employ this principle to very different ends. Though very accessible and readable, it is still a sophisticated book for a sophisticated audience.
Just as with any form of art, it can often be a mystery as to just why a graphic design succeeds or fails. Connie breaks down much of the mystery to show that there is actually a visual language and there are concrete techniques used by designers to communicate effectively--even though I am sure she would agree that designers are not always conscious of their use of this language.
After an introduction of how we process visual information, Connie divides the book into 6 principles:
* Organize for Perception
* Direct the Eyes
* Reduce Realism
* Make the Abstract Concrete
* Clarify Complexity
* Charge it Up
Each section examines the science of the principle, then discusses how to apply it in practice through various techniques. And on every page the reader is given multiple relevant examples--each one getting its own straightforward description.
If you're a graphic designer or the kind of person interested in visual communications or one of those people with the suite of Edward Tufte books on their desk, you need to add Visual Language for Designers to your collection.
I purchased this book for my company and it is required reading for all my designers. Visual Language for Designers is a must read for anyone in visual language or visual language design.
Just as every good writer owns a copy of The Elements of Style, so should every visual designer have a copy of Malamed's book within reach!
Alan Stillman
CEO
Kwikpoint
led to discovery of: Connie Malamed: Visual Language for Designers
0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and excellent for a diverse audience, January 28, 2010
By
I Teach Typing (Stanford, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
This is one of the best books around on applying (perceptual/cognitive/research) psychological principals to graphics and visualizations. This book really stands out for three reasons, it's concise (but not overly brief) discussion of relevant psychology (memory/cognition/perception) plus the incredible examples for graphic designers and the set of references. The closest competitors are books by Few Now You See It: Simple Visualization Techniques for Quantitative Analysis (which covers similar psych issues but is horribly wordy) or Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data (which reads well but focuses more on clean scientific graphs) or the famous books by Tufte . Relative to other books, this one has a great deal more information on how to integrate art with information. After the book you will see graphics and think about how a designer could have done a better job in guiding the reader's eye to the intended information in a poster or how to design a better handout showing a process like how part of the body works or how to put together a complicated device. The graphics in the book REALLY stand out and support the authors writing. As a researcher I hate to see people state "facts" or "hypotheses" about how people think without providing supporting evidence. This book has a very respectable set of references. So, rather than pontificating about the "right" way to do graphics there are references to relevant (experimental psych) articles. Basically, this book is the complete package. It could be a great coffee table book or on a shelf in a scientific library.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A visual feast filled with substance, July 23, 2009
By
Bookworm (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
This book provides a wide-ranging and practical understanding of how humans interpret visual information, then describes principles for applying that knowledge to the creation of compelling, memorable and informative graphics. So often, graphic designers are trained to think in terms of visual elegance, but not in terms of how people perceive graphical information. This book fills in the knowledge gap for graphic designers as well as instructional designers and other professionals wondering how to best transmit complex information in a graphical format. The collection of hundreds of contemporary graphic and information designs from around the world is stunning, and could have made a coffee table book or inspiration book on their own. The substantive text leads the reader on a journey to better understand the human mind and learn how to create more profound and valuable graphics. Expect this book to become a classic in design circles.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars From Newsweek's former graphics editor, May 10, 2010
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This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
This beautifully designed and printed how-to book contains hundreds of images that are organized into chapters that explain a variety of key principles of visualization, from how to manipulate a viewer's eye to simplifying data and images. Most of the graphics in the book are spectacular while others aren't as effective at visualizing their content, but each one teaches a lesson and was chosen for that purpose. As the former director of information graphics at Newsweek and now a university instructor who teaches students how to visualize information, this book is as useful for professionals as it is for people who are new to the field of visualization, even though they may not have the skills to create many of the graphics shown. The fundamental principals of visualization outlined here apply to all ranges of imagery, from the fancy 3D model to an a simple idea scribbled on a napkin. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully written book outlining design principles used to create more understandable and engaging graphics, February 24, 2011
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
This book is very well written and easy to follow. It contains a great introduction to the principles of graphic design. It clearly outlines various principles through the use of examples and then provides practical advice for applying those principles to your work. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in creating more understandable and engaging infographics! 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide for thoughtful designers, October 4, 2010
By
Jed Sundwall "Jed" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
This is the best book on meaningful design that I have ever encountered. It's well-written, clear, and packed with a wide variety of examples of thoughtful and powerful design. Graphic designers have the power to make sense of information in ways that transcends language, and Malamed shows them how to do it right.
Malamed's approach to the subject is uniquely holistic. She successfully guides readers through fundamental design principles, deep research into cognition, and further research into human emotion. I've never encountered a book that even attempts to juggle all of these important concepts.
What's particularly new and useful is the attention given to emotional design. Many information designers scoff at design flourishes as being distracting or unnecessary "fluff" or "junk." Malamed teaches designers to recognize the power of artistry in making designs more eye-catching, more memorable, and more emotionally resonant. There's no need to eschew beauty when it can be a powerful teaching tool.
As we continue to be inundated by data and information, I can only hope that more designers pick up and read this excellent book. At the very least, it's full of beautiful pictures!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a treasure trove of images & information, February 8, 2010
By
Thoughtful Reader (Upstate NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
The most striking thing about this book is the collection of images. HUNDREDS of images, incredible, eye-catching, fascinating examples of effective ways to communicate information visually. Most pages have at least 2-3 large images, with detailed captions, to illustrate the principles in the text. It looks and feels like a beautiful coffee table book (and more fun to flip through!), big and glossy, even though it has way more informative content than a coffee table book. Kudos to the author for finding so many excellent examples of the things she writes about, from both the U.S. and around the world -- if a picture is worth a thousand words, then this book is a treasure trove! As an educational tool for students and professionals, the information in this book is a wonderful, clear summary of the smartest information in the field. Even for someone who is not a designer, the book is fascinating to browse through, and there's so much to be learned.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely stunning book, January 10, 2010
By
Susan Weinschenk (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
This book is amazing. First of all, it's large and beautifully printed, in full color, on great paper -- not very many publishers will spend that kind of money these days. It is full of lush visual design examples with explanations of the principle that each graphic is demonstrating. The author knows visual design as well as psychology and the book has a lot of depth. She explains and then demonstrates principles such as mental models, schema, proximity and grouping and much more. If you design, interpret, analyze or are just fascinated by what makes a visual well designed, this is a must get book. 5.0 out of 5 stars Educational and intertaining, May 11, 2011
This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
Educational and entertaining are the two words that come to mind when considering this book. As an educator, those are two of the highest compliments I can grant a book. The graphics illustrate the author's points beautifully and are informative themselves which adds to the value. Malamed is an exceptional writer with wonderful word choices and phrasing that enhances the reading experience. I feel more competent in my ability to really look at graphic design and now consider the various aspects behind the visual representation. Employing this as a "coffee table" book will provide interest to anyone who browses through it so I suggest not hiding it on a bookshelf. 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent on All Levels, April 20, 2011
By
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This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
I read a lot of books of design and visual communication. Often, they prove either overly academic and textual without enough actual visual examples or they end up being just a yearbook of pretty designs. Connie Malamed's Visual Language for Designers is a remarkable and well-researched book that not only lays out the principles and techniques of how designers communicate with graphics, but includes hundreds of excellent examples from a wide variety of international designers. And refreshingly, there is not a single negative example: Bucking the current trend of writers pontificating about what NOT to do (and often showing BADLY designed examples), all of the included graphics are successful examples of the specific design principles discussed.
The book functions on many levels--from beautiful coffee table book to scientific study to design textbook. As such, it should appeal to numerous audiences. The only caution I would give is to those looking for a step by step "how to be a graphic designer" reference. This isn't it. Connie does address basic (and advanced) design principles, but does so through scientific and cognitive lenses. Therefore, when discussing "eye gaze," she doesn't stop at simply saying that one should generally have the eyes of a photo subject look inward on a page. She goes further, referencing "neuropsychological" and "neurophysiological" theories, and then through multiple visual examples shows how to employ this principle to very different ends. Though very accessible and readable, it is still a sophisticated book for a sophisticated audience.
Just as with any form of art, it can often be a mystery as to just why a graphic design succeeds or fails. Connie breaks down much of the mystery to show that there is actually a visual language and there are concrete techniques used by designers to communicate effectively--even though I am sure she would agree that designers are not always conscious of their use of this language.
After an introduction of how we process visual information, Connie divides the book into 6 principles:
* Organize for Perception
* Direct the Eyes
* Reduce Realism
* Make the Abstract Concrete
* Clarify Complexity
* Charge it Up
Each section examines the science of the principle, then discusses how to apply it in practice through various techniques. And on every page the reader is given multiple relevant examples--each one getting its own straightforward description.
If you're a graphic designer or the kind of person interested in visual communications or one of those people with the suite of Edward Tufte books on their desk, you need to add Visual Language for Designers to your collection.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars CEO Kwikpoint Visual Language Company, October 1, 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand (Hardcover)
Having spent the last twenty years studying visual language and founding a successful visual language company, I've been a consumer of all books on visual language and visual language design and own many of them. With these qualifications, I can say with confidence and enthusiasm that Malamed's book is one of the most important books out there on visual language and visual language design. The book is incredibly clear, and she breaks down the key principles crucial to successful visual language design. I purchased this book for my company and it is required reading for all my designers. Visual Language for Designers is a must read for anyone in visual language or visual language design.
Just as every good writer owns a copy of The Elements of Style, so should every visual designer have a copy of Malamed's book within reach!
Alan Stillman
CEO
Kwikpoint
