Designers Books

With the exception of a few well made projects , most projects in this book are not fit for the local craft sale. Not imaginative or well felted. This book was a real disappointment!

i began needle felting by borrowing every felting book from our library system... and they have many, many... but never found a book that was worth purchasing for a keeper that i wish i had had to start and am glad i have now that i want to learn some new things... I would love more picture by picture steps, but still it is full of wonderful ideas and instruction and techniques. You will not get bored and will not get lost! I was so happy that i chose to purchase this book :-)and it will keep me busy for some time to come.

I think I have nearly all felting books and this ranks as one of the highest...not a 5-star, but none of them qualify for that...most are 3, 2, or 1s! Creative thought is stressed with the designs in this book and provided with the few projects described. A great starting point for the beginning and intermediate felt artist...AND better than the rest - so far!

Thanks to the author!!! amazing, amazing, amazing! This book has helped me finally grasp the principles of Adobe Indesign. I have been slowly teaching myself the program and have more than a few instructional books. Concepts that I have previously thought diffictult to understand are now clear! This book is so clear and concise that it makes learning a breeze. It covers information about photoshop, illustrator, web design, Quark, and dreamweaver. It is very well written and the directions for applications are easily understood. I love this book! I give it a 10! If I would have had this book to begin with, I would have learned how to manipulate the program a long time ago...

I'm fairly new to many of the topics discussed in the book, including color, photoshop tips, etc. It was quite helpful. It is also helpful for designers going between windows and os x- it gives basic differences and how to deal with that.

I'm not a designer myself, but I own a web design company. This book had some great advice, and really did a good job of targeting some specifics to the design industry. Despite having read plenty of marketing books already, I picked up a few new things from here. The info that's common in business books was presented as well, but in a way that it directly pertained to the design industry.

Great job!

If your a freelancer of any sort, not just a designer, and you need help with your marketing then this is a book you should read. The information supplied could readily apply to almost any entrepreneur regardless of the profession.

One thing about this book, it really forces you to think about what your doing and what you want to become. There are many many fill in the blanks throughout the book causing some deep introspection for the reader.

The pricing section has some good points as well that you should read. But, I think the heart and soul of this book and the one that will have the biggest impact will be the marketing section.

When I first picked up this book it was because it was recommended to me by another designer that I respect and trust. I have to whole hearty admit that in the beginning I was very skeptically of what this book could offer to me. Over the past few months since I started my design business I have read tons and tons of marketing books only to find out that the basic marketing principle seems to be the more you do the better the results. In the end marketing is one thing I have seen most designers struggle with on many of the forums I visit and websites I look over. The fact is most people are not natural marketers or good at pricing themselves. But in the end is this book going to change that?

I am proud to announce that this book should change many of the things you do. If your a firm believer in hating marketing books that try to sell you other pieces of marketing junk from the authors website then you will love this book. Both of the author's are very clear in their goals and it's obvious that they have the experience and know how of running a business and making it successful without you having to buy anything else they sell. Some people judge books by nuggets of real solid information and I have to say this book is one of the few that I dared not to skip any pages for fear of not getting another good tip or piece of advice to make my business better.

For those who are looking for the guts of the book, the book is separated by two portions: Marketing and Pricing. Two huge issues on a designers plate when they are trying to start a business. The marketing chapters are really well thought out, anyone who has run a design business is going to shake their head through this chapter as they cover many of the things that most of us DON'T DO but should. They even provide worksheets to be filled out at the end of most areas so that you can keep track and build. The pricing chapters are also solid and help you to think about pricing in a new light through the eyes of seasoned designer which I honestly thought was going to be a waste of the book but wasn't.

PROS: Decent amounts of information, good worksheets that help you to build your prefect business, NO in book marketing like Guerrilla marketing or any of those other marketing guys who write books and not really understand what they sell and it feels good to buy from a REAL designer.

CONS: NO printable worksheet on the website (I hate marking up my books), no real talk about what happens if you don't have trade organizations in your market, no real talk about expanding your marketing across the country or internationally.

OVERALL: The book is very well worth the money you pay. While a few glitches in my mind kept it from being a 5 star I feel that it is still the best on the marketing for designers. It has become my recommended book of choice and I really enjoyed reading it and I'll enjoy going back to fill out the worksheets when I read it again.

Patrick
[...]

Though she was born Edith Claire Posener (in 1897), the tiny powerhouse of a woman we have come to know and admire as Edith Head was no poser. No, not at all. She was the real thing. And now she has written a book. All about her life as a costume designer in Tinsel Town (AKA Hollywood). Check it out. She herself had a odd haircut and didn't dress all that well. But she made excellent movie clothes for all of the best female actors in Hollywoodland. With her peculiar dutch boy haircut and her thick impenetrable glasses, it is rumored that the cartoon character Marcie from "Peanuts" was based on our dear Edith - as Peppermint Patty was based on her long time friend, actress Anne Baxter. But that is neither here nor there. Enjoy her book.

"Edith Head's Hollywood" goes where "The Dress Doctor" failed to by giving readers a more in depth look into the woman behind the enigmatic designer. This book also dispells various rumors about Edith and gets behind the truth to several false claims and accusations (some by Edith herself). Very well researched and put together with an extensive listing of the films Edith worked on over her successful 50 year career as Hollywoods most proclaimed costume designer.

I find this book to be very helpful thus far. As an older Graphic Design student I've noticed many software books are written for a younger crowd. A lot of steps are left out because the author assumes I've learned them in high school. We didn't have computers when I was in high school! This book doesn't appear to leave anything out and I've been able to complete each project easily and enjoyably.
So far I've learned how to restore damaged photographs and to combine and transform other images. Very Fun!!!

This book is a little different than it's competitors; Classroom in a Book, WOW! Series and the Revealed Series of design texts.

Anessa not only shows you how to use Photoshop efficiently, she tells you what tools to use for the right job. I thoroughly enjoyed going through and using this book. It's a great book for beginner's and intermediate-level Photoshop user's.

Kudo's.

Regards,

Elias

If you are a fashion professional who wants to learn how to use Illustrator this is the book to get! What I enjoyed the most is that this book teaches real world skills that you would need to know in the workplace not fluff that you wouldn't use.

this is a great book for some one who has a basic understanding of what illustrator and photoshop does and helps them how to apply to fashion

A good form-based code depends on sophisticated design insights. But the book's reason for being is to explain the job to people without sophisticated design insights. (How else to change an entire built environment in a hurry?) Hence its incredible level of detail, right down to the best typography to use in presenting the proposed code. The book sets a floor: followed faithfully, it can enable diligent but uncreative professionals to produce a better form-based code than they might otherwise. That form-based code in turn will enable diligent but uncreative professionals to produce a better town or neighborhood than they might otherwise. But will that floor over time become a ceiling? Predictable outcomes are what residents want; but creativity isn't predictable.

Full review at http://buildingcommunities.nd.edu/reviews-publications/

Form Based Codes provides an excellent ways to understand how design codes works in various stages in urban design field. I think this book guides very clear description in terms of preparing design codes and the management process. The material in this book illustrates excellently relationship between design and planning principles towards high quality environment. As an Urban Designer and Landscape Architect, I would like to express a great appreciation and many thanks to all authors.

Great for beginners or, as the name implies, as a visual dictionary for clients. If you want to do a good job for your client, discovering *what* your client want is one of the major problems, and this book surely helps.

Nice to educate clients and staff about Design styles, and as a reference book, nice works, tremendous simplicity in the copy to easy understand the essence of the diferent graphic design styles.

a very comprehensive overview. Great examples of forms.

Having a grasp of design is essential in the interior designer's profession, but it is only one element of a successful practice. Grasping the principles of operating a business is equally important. Here, in a newly revised edition of his fourteen-year best-seller, Harry Siegel together with Alan M. Siegel show how to run a design shop smoothly and effectively. The book, the first and most' respected in the field, continues to be a must for all interior designers, architects, space planners, and certainly students.

Thoroughly updated to reflect current practices and procedures, the book is divided into four parts. In Part 1 the Siegels discuss how to establish an interior design practice. In Part 2 they describe how to carry through a job and charge for it. Included are a new checklist to help the designer handle initial contacts with the client, new descriptions of the use of combinations of fees and allocation of budget amounts, as well as three completely new chapters, Analysis of Scope of Services, Approach to the Flat Fee, and Sales Taxes. Alan M. Siegel, a partner in the law firm of Levy & Sonet, which is legal counsel to the American Society of Interior Designers, Inc., has completely revised the chapter on residential letters of agreement.

The special requirements of nonresidential work are covered in Part 3. Here too the chapter on letters of agreement has been completely revised by Alan M. Siegel, and the discussion of the designer's responsibilities for purchases has been expanded. In Part 4 the Siegels examine forms, techniques, and special factors including actual examples of the specialized procedural forms used in the design office. The chapter on insurance has been expanded and completely revised, including a discussion of errors and omissions coverage. Also included is a new chapter, The Interior Designer as a Product Designer.

This book should be required reading for all designers or students, who want reasonable remuneration for their knowledge, flair, and hard work. You can't afford to pass up this valuable professional resource.

I found that this book is a GOOD Reference book for college and also for work

I bought this book after meeting Rosemary Alexander at The English Gardening School. Explains each stage of design process, clearly written and even as an amateur I picked up some good tips. Now studying by distance learning!