Probably Random

On Writing Well

On Writing Well (30th Anniversary Ed.)  William Zinsseer

It’s a daunting task to write a review of a book about writing, and I’m not exactly sure where to begin.  I have to say first of all that it is obviously very well written, so just the process of reading the book gives you a good understanding of writing.  The book four main section; Principles, Methods, Forms and Attitudes.  When I first started reading I couldn’t put the book down, the first section on Principles, really pulled me in a raced me along with real examples of what we should be doing and how.  It was at the third section however, where I started to slow and I think that was down to me trying to read the entire thing in linear form.  I didn’t feel that all the chapters were relevant to me yet I still tried to drag myself through them and this started to drag a bit, so I skipped a couple of chapters I knew weren’t for me (sports writing… okay not my thing) and on to Section 4 where my interest was instantly reignited.   The chapters; Enjoyment, Fear & Confidence and The Tyranny of the Final Product really feeling that they were helping not only with my writing but with attitude to business too.

I found this guide really useful, and I’ll certainly be rereading (parts of) it, and as I reread and practice I hope you’ll notice the improvement.

The Art of Looking Sideways

The Art of Looking Sideways Alan Fletcher

Wow. What a book!
I can’t say that I have ‘read’ this and to be honest I don’t think I ever will.  I don’t even think it’s meant to be read, in fact in a way I’m tempted not to read it just so I can flick through to a new page to be excited and surprised. It is an awesome and inspiring book, full of quotes, photos, pictures and passages to make you think as well as give you a design prod.  If you’re ever stuck for inspiration just flick through to a random page or two.

Graphic Design: The New Basics

Graphic Design: The New Basics Ellen Lupton & Jennifer Cole Phillips

As it says this is the New Basics.

Firstly, it really is the basics, but those basics are the starting points for all designers; point, line, colour etc.

The Basics – I have read about, practiced all these topics before (in various art and design courses) but I’ve never had them all together in a design text book, which is good for reference before.  I found reviewing them again useful, and they were well presented with nice and varied examples which helps provide inspiration.

The New – The New bit refers to some additions which have been made to the ‘usual’ basics which includes looking at; transparency, animation and computer generated images.  This was nice to see as they are the new basics.

What I liked the most was that it was teaching the underlying concepts not the software (except a bit of Processing in places), it is the basics and some of the exercises seemed to be implied rather than stated, it’s not just a reading book, if you want to become a designer you have to read, look at the examples and then go off and design your own, I didn’t think that was stated explicitly enoug8h.

Indie Publishing

Indie Publishing: How to Design and Produce Your Own Book  Ellen Lupton

Well again another well titled book, it really does tell you how to design and produce your own book!  Not only that but it does it in an inspiring and motivating way, by the time you’ve finished reading it you’ll be wanting to create a book, whether it’s a couple of pages which you bind yourself or a full on novel.

What I really liked was how the book explained how to do things in an enthusiastic ‘go try it’ way without sounding pushy, whilst still explaining how difficult some steps may be.  It was nice that they gave other people examples and their own examples showed that they really have done it themselves and you feel like you’re really learning from their experience.

This is a great read for, whether you’re an artist wanting to make a portfolio or a wanna be author (or just interested, or maybe because one day you might want to!).

Graphic Design for Non-Designers

Graphic Design for Non-Designers: The Ultimate Primer for the Design Rookie, Tony Seddon, Jane Waterhouse

Does exactly what it says in the title.  It is a great primer and will get you started on the right path, but you will have to look elsewhere to fill in the detail.  It is a useful book to get you started and it does help bring together ideas which you may have thought about in isolation (if you’ve ever done any art or design before).