Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated

Book excerpt: Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopedia covering 125 laws, guidelines, human biases, and general considerations important to successful design. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, it pairs clear explanations of every design concept with visual examples of the ideas applied in practice. From the 80/20 Rule to the Weakest Link, every major design concept is defined and illustrated. Whether a marketing campaign or a museum exhibit, a video game or a complex control system, the design we see is the culmination of many concepts and practices brought together from a variety of disciplines. Because no one can be an expert on everything, designers have always had to scramble to find the information and know-how required to make a design work—until now. Just a few of the principles that will broaden your design knowledge, promote brainstorming, and help you check the quality of your work: Baby-Face Bias Expectation Effect Golden Ration Ockham's Razor Proximity Scaling Fallacy The book is organized alphabetically so that principles can be easily and quickly referenced by name. For those interested in addressing a specific problem of design, the principles havealso been indexed by questions commonly confronting designers (How can I help people learn from my design? How can I enhance the usability of a design? How can I make better design decisions? ...). Each principle is presented in a two-page format. The first page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, examples of its use, and guidelines for use. Side notes are included, and provide elaborations and references. The second page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle. This landmark reference is the standard for designers, engineers, architects, and students who seek to broaden and improve their design expertise.