Design for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty

"If you want to learn to create great design yourself...there simply is no way to do so with lists of rules. Instead, I want to provide you with a new set of eyes through which you can see the world anew."---DAVID KADAVY

WHY DID MONET NEVER USE THE COLOR BLACK IN HIS PAINTINGS?

WHY IS THE GOLDEN RATIO NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE?

WHY IS COMIC SANS SUCH A HATED FONT?

It's amazing what you can learn about great web design by asking questions like these. Award-winning designer David Kadavy uses this "reverse-engineering" process in Design for Hackers to deconstruct classical design principles and techniques from web designers. Using an eclectic array of reverse-engineered examples, ranging from Twitter's latest redesign, to Target's red shopping carts, and ancient graffiti from the walls of Pompeii, he explains:

• COLOR THEORY: How can you enliven your designs by understanding how colors interact?
• PROPORTION AND GEOMETRY: How can you establish a grid that is suitable for the device on which your design will be displayed?
• SIZE AND SCALE: How can you create clean design just by choosing the right type sizes?
• WHITE SPACE: How can you use it elegantly to communicate clearly?
• COMPOSITION AND DESIGN PRINCIPLES: How can you use them to make your designs more compelling?
• TYPOGRAPHIC ETIQUETTE: What tiny typographic details can make a huge difference in what you're communicating?