Instructive and enlightening. Fun, too. D30 is a workout book. In addition to dozens of readily applicable tips, tricks and informational tidbits, D30 contains thirty exercises designed to develop and strengthen the creative powers of graphic designers, artists and photographers in a variety of intriguing and fun ways. What will you need to begin? Not much. Most of the book's step-by-step projects call for setting aside an hour or two, rolling up your sleeves and grabbing art supplies that are probably already stashed somewhere in your home or studio--things like pens, drawing and watercolor paper, India ink, paint, scissors and glue. Digital cameras and computers are also employed for several of the exercises but--and this should be welcome news to those readers who spend their days looking at computer monitors--the majority of the book's activities make use of traditional media to illuminate creative techniques and visual strategies that can be applied to media of all sorts. Thumb through the book (or look at the samples posted on JimKrauseDesign.com) and see for yourself!

Idea Index kick-started a revolution in graphic design books, unique in size, feel—and most important—wealth of ideas. Layout Index is the next step, a compendium of layout idea-generators that will help designers explore multiple possibilities for visual treatments each time they turn the page. The visual and textual suggestions are divided into eight major areas, including newsletters, flyers, posters, brochures, advertising, stationery, page layout, and Web pages.

A guide to strategic communication for stronger brands! Powerful brands succeed because of the quality of the long-term relationships they establish with customers and stakeholders. At their foundation, these relationships are built upon consistent and meaningful strategic communications. These communications are developed around a framework that defines business goals, considers the audience's needs, surveys the competitive environment, identifies a unique value proposition and establishes a metric for success. Strategic communications are also integrated, bringing together marketing, public relations and internal communications. They are accountable through measurement, and they are accountable to their stakeholders, the various publics and their customers. In this book, author David Holston takes the daunting task of smart communication and makes it manageable in just four steps. Holston has worked in the areas of marketing, advertising, communication planning, design management and public affairs for leading organizations for the past 25 years. He is also a national speaker and the author of two additional books, The Strategic Designer: Tools and Techniques for Managing the Design Process and Design for Online Engagement: SEO, Content and Design Optimization for Editors and Designers. This indispensable guide provides you with a process for developing visual strategic communications that are sure to help your brands succeed.

Harness your creative potential! Make no mistake; creative thinking is a skill. As with any skill, it can be strengthened, honed and mastered. And just like any endeavor, mastery of creativity requires thoughtful study and practice. This book gives you the tools you need to make creative thinking a part of your approach to every aspect of your life. Breakthrough Thinking is a holistic approach to creativity complete with industry examples from successful creative professionals and some of the top creative organizations in business today. Within the pages of this timely and comprehensive guide to idea generation and problem solving you'll find techniques and exercises to help you: Develop critical understanding of concepts, theories and trends in creativity Learn how to develop and apply creative concepts and strategies within today's competitive business environment Brainstorm, analyze and evaluate innovative ideas and solutions Empower your team's creative process And much more Let Breakthrough Thinking be your guide and tap into your creative potential today! "This book represents an important contribution to our growing understanding of creativity in professional practice. Vogel's take on it from a variety of perspectives and contexts is rich and rewarding." --W. Glenn Griffin, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Advertising, The University of Alabama and co-author of The Creative Process Illustrated "A resource not only for industry innovators, but also for academic mentors who aim to provide rich learning environments for creative leaders of the future." --Joann M. Montepare, Professor of Psychology, Lasell College

Don't Wait for Inspiration to Strike Whether you're facing a new logo project or you've reached a block in your current work, The Logo Brainstorm Book will inspire you to consider fresh creative approaches that will spark appealing, functional and enduring design solutions. Award-winning designer Jim Krause (author of the popular Index series) offers a smart, systemic exploration of different kinds of logos and logo elements, including: Symbols Monograms Typographic Logos Type and Symbol Combinations Emblems Color Palettes Through a combination of original, visual idea-starters and boundary-pushing exercises, The Logo Brainstorm Book will help you develop raw logo concepts into presentation-ready material.

Based on Laurie Rosenwald's popular workshop, How to Make Mistakes On Purpose reveals an intuitive, entertaining way to come up with truly original ideas. Three generations of humans have now been molded into results-oriented workers who cannot mess up, and therefore may never innovate either. Shared software, skills, and experiences equal no surprises. Surrounded by the unwavering, reliable results made possible by a machine, we all marinate in this ubiquitous cybersauce. Behold! Thousands of shiny new apps, sites, products, and services that look, feel, and are essentially the same. Because computers don’t make mistakes. Chance is the natural foil to the digital. We combine both for originality. This makes for the kind of exciting, hopeful future we want. We embrace technology but need to slap it around a bit to get someplace new. Human error sparks connections. In a relaxed situation where one’s hypercritical demons are AWOL, the snap, crackle, pop of brainstorms happen all around us. A fresh, colorful guide to discovery, with clearly marked directions and witty prompts, this is a book about living a productive, individualistic life. Whatever your job, it gives you a way to zig while everyone around you can only zag. It will also make you laugh along the way.

This book is a highly informative, highly entertaining introduction to what art direction is and what art directors do. Written by two of the world's leading experts on the subject, it covers the role of art director in numerous environments, including magazines and newspapers, advertising, corporate identity, museums, and publishing. It also provides an insight into what makes a successful art director, what an art director actually does all day, what makes things go right, and what makes things go wrong. Alongside perspectives on typography, illustration, and photography, there are case studies of successful art direction in different spheres, from McSweeney's to Vier5's web design. The authors have also invited pre-eminent international art directors to interpret their roles in special sections of the book that they have art directed themselves. The result is an impressive, enlightening, and often very funny diversity of perspectives and approaches. Clearly written, including a glossary of handy art director sayings, an "art director test," and more, Art Direction Explained, At Last! will provide students with insights into the world of art direction and professionals with a perceptive overview of their profession.

This graduate-level text gives a thorough overview of the analysis of Boolean functions, beginning with the most basic definitions and proceeding to advanced topics.

Sit! Stay! Be Creative! It's tough to be creative on command. And with deadlines looming, you can't wait for inspiration to strike. That's where Idea Index comes in. Don't let the small size fool you. Inside you'll discover thousands of big ideas for graphic effects and type treatmnts — via hundreds of prompts designed to stimulate, quicken and expand your creative thinking. Use Idea Index to brainstorm ideas, to unclog your mind, and to explore different looks and approaches. The Idea Index — instant creative genius when you need it most!

Architectural Logos' contains a wonderful selection of logos, trademarks, and symbols from around the world formed of architectural elements such as houses, buildings, windows, stairs, and doors. The book is a collection of work from some of the most talented designers around the world including Anagrama, Bond Creative Agency, Civilization, Fuzzco, Garbett, Grand Deluxe, Stefan Kanchev, Lundgren+Lindqvist, Richard Robinson Design, and many more.