Before & After: How to Design Cool Stuff

There are jobs for which you want to hire a *real* artist or graphic designer, and then there are those barely artistic jobs that most people -- educated with the proper fundamentals -- could probably perform for themselves. You know, things like report covers, business cards and the like. Unfortunately lots of great ideas and content never make it into the world because the originators can't afford or can't personally create compelling design. Like it or not, good design sells. It signals value, credibility, and fitness to a purpose, activating a viewer's trigger to either engage further or move on.Sure there are examples of ideas and products succeeding despite poor design, but they are the outliers. Why take a gamble on bad design, when the door is wide open to learn what works best? Before & After, How to Design Cool Stuff, gives you the tools and confidence to create all sorts of printed "stuff," for lack of a more descriptive term, that looks darn good. Furthermore, you know exactly why it looks good and can clearly articulate the reasons for your design decisions.This, in turn, allows you to publish many more creative projects on your own if you don't happen to be a formally schooled artist (or can't justify hiring one). If you are fortunate enough to have other artists in your employ, this book makes you conversant in their language. When you can communicate your ideas to artistic staff without misunderstanding, you're much more likely to get what you want earlier in the design/development process. Hence, you save money, time, hurt feelings, and lots of the sturm and drang that can accompany collaborative creation.In addition to the logos, CD cases and labels, business cards, brochures, report covers and interiors, and other example projects, the book provides solid explanation of how to use form, color, proportion, typography, and volume. No more "my gut tells me it looks right."I felt like a whole new world opened up for me after reading this book, and I don't say that lightly. I've read a good number of the popular books on presentation and design, and this one is near the top. I recently got a message from Amazon offering to buy the book back from me. I smiled and thought, "They'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands."In other words, whether you're a jack-of-many trades with occasional design needs like myself, or a dedicated full-time designer, Before & After's How to Design Cool Stuff will become a prized (and well-used) addition to your bookcase.

Follow his tips and guidelines and you will create stuff that will stand out from its rivals. If you have read or leafed through a copy of his Before & After magazine, much of the material in this book will seem familiar to you, but it's convenient to have McWade's most representative work in one place. Many people, myself included, have thought, "well, my project is different. I can't fit it into any formula." McWade shows you that you can, but that your finished design won't look formulaic. His genius lies in his ability to create models and templates that enable you to pick and choose the one that best suits your project, that will provide information--which, after all, is the function of any design project--in an engaging, attractive format. McWade can take the same subject, and by emphasizing different elements, create several pieces that convey the same message but are used in different ways, for example, as a flyer, brochure, poster or booklet.Last summer, I wanted to create a booklet about a local environmental issue, to raise awareness and secure funding for trash removal at the site. It had been so many years since I worked in an art department, I'd forgotten everything I knew. What I'd created was awful. I had great photos and good copy, but it was a mess. So, I ordered "How To Design Cool Stuff," found the right template for the job, and BAM--in three days I had a booklet that was not only informative but truly elegant. I was so pleased. And what he had taught me was so simple! I just didn't see it.I love the way John McWade thinks. Although the scope of all the projects in this book is relatively small, the same principles apply to any design. You've got to crawl before you walk. An excellent beginner's guide, and a good refresher even for senior art department folks who have gotten lost in the weeds.

Even designers with a lot of experience need a dose of inspiration now and then, particularly when the project at hand is less than exciting. This book provides a ton of it. It's a particularly good book to flip through if you are over-thinking a project and need to get back to reality. At the same time, you can often find that much-needed kick-start when your deadline is approaching at a faster speed than any of your ideas. Some of the designs and layouts may seem simple and obvious, but I have found that it can be very helpful to be reminded that 'simpler is better' more often than not.At the same time, novice designers and do-it-yourselfers will get a lot out of this book. As the first chapter says, this book is about designing by seeing, rather than by following any perceived hard and fast rules. The chapters on picking the perfect color and finding the right typeface follow along this line and are excellent. Letter-spacing (kerning) and other aspects of typography are given quite a bit of due in a few chapters, so beginners get a bit of guidance in an area that is becoming increasingly more neglected. Although this book presupposes a working knowledge of layout and design programs, it offers clear examples of why certain things work, along with simple ways to improve any layout.