How to Understand and Use Design and Layout

David Dabner completed an apprenticeship as a compositor at Odhams Press, UK, then studied typography full time. After working for several years as a typographer, he returned to education as a lecturer. David teaches design courses at the London College of Printing and is course director of the Higher National Diploma in Typographic Design.

The book is broken down into three sections: - Basic design principles: covering the ground rules of balance and harmony with the introduction of the concept of passive, symmetrical designs, and dynamic asymmetrical designs, especially in relatin to typeface and colour. - Design decisions: following and making your own brief; how to reach decisions on hierarchies of text; the balance of text and illustration; and the suitability of various types of illustration. Examples and exercises feature throughout. - Design projects and categories: looking at various kinds of design - magazine design, publicity design, stationery and logos, home page links, packaging products and poster work; commenting on good practice, and showing how the principles have been applied. Case studies from professional designers are shown in each section.