Design Fundamentals

An impassioned look at games and game design that offers the most ambitious framework for understanding them to date. As pop culture, games are as important as film or television—but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games. Building an aesthetics of interactive systems, Salen and Zimmerman define core concepts like "play," "design," and "interactivity." They look at games through a series of eighteen "game design schemas," or conceptual frameworks, including games as systems of emergence and information, as contexts for social play, as a storytelling medium, and as sites of cultural resistance. Written for game scholars, game developers, and interactive designers, Rules of Play is a textbook, reference book, and theoretical guide. It is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a solid theoretical framework for the emerging discipline of game design.

Design Fundamentals: Notes on Type looks like a design student's sketchbook with handwritten notes and full-color, hand-drawn illustrations. But it's more than that. This gorgeously illustrated "notebook" is a full-blown typography course in disguise. Young designers are lured in by the lush graphics and quirky layout only to discover by the end of the book that they've learned all of the key concepts taught in a foundational course on type. They'll learn about the history of letterforms, the anatomy and physiology of type, the basics of measurements and spacing, how to recognize and choose type for design projects, and more. Fun and fast-paced, this creative notebook isn't required reading, it's desired reading; and it's the third in a series of Design Fundamentals books that students will want to keep and enjoy long after they've mastered these basic building blocks of design. This book includes: - Core instruction on the history, anatomy, and structure of type - Direction on the basics of measurement and spacing: leading, kerning, indents, and line lengths both in text and display sizes, and optical measurement considerations. - Examination of the use, mood, and "voice" of type as seen in creative work and professional examples - Exercises and projects for practice and concept development - Strange and delightful illustrations created specifically for this book (to inspire action) - A companion website stocked with additional projects, a bibliography, glossary, and links to additional visual examples.

This book democratizes web development for everyone. It's a fun, clever guide that covers all of the key design principles, best practices, useful shortcuts, pro tips, real-world examples, and basic coding tutorials needed to produce a beautiful website that you'll feel confident sharing with the world. Because you, too, can design for the web! Hello Web Design contains everything you need to feel comfortable doing your own web development, including an abundance of real-life website examples that will inspire and motivate you. No need to spend time and money hiring an expensive graphic designer; this book will walk you through the fundamentals - and shortcuts - you need to do it all yourself, right now.

Introduces students to the various aspects of the graphic design. This title provides a fresh introduction to the key elements of the discipline and looks at the following topics: design thinking, format, layout, grids, typography, colour, image and print and finish.

Transform your ideas into powerful visuals--to connect with your audience, define your brand, and take your project to the next level. This highly practical design book takes you through the building blocks of design--type, photography, illustration, color--and shows you how to combine these tools to create visuals that inform, influence, and enthral. Grasp the key principles through in-depth how-to articles, hands-on workshops, and inspirational galleries of great design. Find out how to create a brand plan, discover how a typeface sets the mood, and learn how to organize different elements of a layout to boost the impact and meaning of your message. Then apply your skills to do it yourself, with ten step-by-step projects to help you create your own stunning designs--including business stationery, invitations, sales brochure, website, online newsletter and e-shop. There's also plenty of practical advice on publishing online, dealing with printers, commissioning professionals, finding free design tools, and much more. If you're ready to use powerful design to take your pet project or burgeoning business to the next level, Graphic Design for Everyone is your one-stop resource to help you become an effective, inspirational visual communicator.

As visual design technology and tools become more accessible and widely used, it is important for digital artists to learn and apply fundamental design techniques to their work. Visual Design Fundamentals: A Digital Approach, Third Edition provides a basic understanding of design and how it should be integrated into digitally-produced 2D images. Whatever the medium or techniques, good visuals are the result of planning, and this book shows you how to apply organization and the classic elements of design, including line, shape, form, value, color, and texture, to the latest technology. The techniques and theories presented can be applied to both traditional 2D art forms, such as drawing, painting, and printmaking, as well as 3D art, such as interior and industrial design and architecture. Each chapter outlines and examines both content and form, and a variety of hands-on projects reinforces new skills and provides a digital representation of each concept being taught. The book has been updated with revised content and all new projects, and everything you need to complete the projects is provided in the book or on the accompanying CD-ROM.