by ryanb on April 1, 2010
I recently dropped by Barnes & Noble to check out the latest design and tech magazines, whah inevitably led to my wandering over to design books and eyeballing them to see if anything caught my attention. Naturally, one did: Creative Photoshop CS4: Digital Illustration & Art Techniques by Derek Lea.
As I flipped through the pages, my attention kept getting drawn to the vivid illustrations and sample works that appeared throughout. You can see for yourself by checking out the page samples on the Creative Photoshop CS4 web site. I decided to take a look at the table of contents and realized that this was definitely something that I was interested in.
The book is divided into four sections:
- Drawing & Painting
- Unconventional Methods
- Real World Photoshop
- Illustrative Photography
Each of these sections breaks down into multiple chapters covering specific applications and techniques. Every chapter includes shortcuts, tips and corresponding project files that can be downloaded from the book’s web site. Technically, you don’t even need to purchase the book to download the project files, as Lea has posted them publicly for anyone who happens to come across the book’s website.
What I found to be most useful about this book is how detailed each lesson is. Lea takes the reader through every step of the process, provides screen captures of each work as it progresses through the lesson being taught and even provides the project files for you to take a look at. Every lesson is given a difficulty rating from 1-5 and includes the fundamentals that are needed to complete each lesson.
I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record or that people may be beginning to think I’m on the take, but the fact of the matter is that I only read good books! No, I’ve read some stinkers, but I generally only buy books that I think will be of interest to me and most of the time they are. Anyway, I digress. This book is a great addition to any Photoshop enthusiast’s library but most appropriate for users beyond the novice stage. Anyone with a grasp of the basics can learn a lot from this book and take their skills to the next level. I have a number of Photoshop books that I have accumulated over the years and I already deem this to be one of my favorites.
Check out the book’s website and sample pages or go ahead and purchase your own copy of the book!
by ryanb on March 30, 2010
I got through this book in one sitting. Once I began reading I didn’t want to put it down. Simply put, this book is a straight-forward, no-fluff, easy to read guide on creating brand identities, weighing in at just under 200 pages. It’s another must-have for anyone with an interest in pursuing logo design and even experienced designers looking for some inspiration or another perspective.
Why is a brand identity important? What are some examples of great brand identities? How do you begin the process of creating a brand identity? What are the potential pitfalls that you might encounter during the design process and how do you avoid them? What do I need to know about pricing my designs? How do I take a logo from conception production? What are some good approaches to working with clients? How do you stay motivated? All of these questions are addressed in detail in the eleven chapters that make up this great book.
Logo Design Love is a blueprint for success. Airey takes you through his process and includes examples and real-world anecdotes that further illustrate best practices for designing brand identity systems. Finally, the book closes with Airey answering some of the most frequently asked questions that he receives and a list of 25 practical logo design tips.
If you are curious or have an interest, you can get a chapter for free here or purchase the book in its entirety here.
by ryanb on March 29, 2010
A book for designers by designers.
Many of you are probably already familiar with the popular design and web development blog, Smashing Magazine. In December, they announced the release of their first book, The Smashing Book.
The book is organized into ten different chapters authored by various designers in the field:
- User Interface Design in Modern Web Applications
- The Art and Sciences of CSS-Layouts
- Typography: Rules, Guidelines and Common Mistakes
- Usability Principles for Modern Websites
- The Ultimate Guide to Fantastic Color Usage
- Optimization For Websites
- Design to Sell – Increasing Conversion Rates
- How to turn a Site into a Remarkable Brand
- Learning from Experts – Interviews and Insights
- Behind the Curtains: The Smashing Magazine Story
Despite being written by an array of authors, I think that the book flows pretty well and covers a wide spectrum of essential best practices and techniques in web design. It’s a great book for aspiring designers and a solid reference for even the most experienced designers to keep on their bookshelves. Hopefully this only the first of many books to be released by the Smashing Magazine crew!
You can check out preview of the book and purchase it directly through Smashing Magazine.
by ryanb on December 15, 2009
Digging into WordPress is a must-own for anyone with an interest in using WordPress. Whether a novice, a more seasoned user, or a developer-in-the-making, this book serves as a great reference on all-things WordPress. It isn’t a “read once and put away” kind of book, but instead a comprehensive guide that serves as a great reference as you familiarize yourself with using, administering, and/or developing for WordPress. Weighing in at 400 pages, Digging into WordPress is presented in an organized and logical manner, with great anecdotes and code examples weaved throughout. The book lives beyond its pages via the accompanying blog, conveniently titled Digging into WordPress. There you will find additional tutorials, tips, and downloadable code.
It’s very apparent that a lot of work and time went into writing this book and the duo continues to improve on the book as they receive feedback and discover any mistakes. The initial release is only available in PDF format but will eventually be available in print form. The great thing about purchasing the PDF is that you get a “lifetime subscription” which allows you to download updated copies of the book as they are released. All of this is available for the reasonable price of $27.
Download a book sample here (Table of Contents and part of Chapter 3)
Update (1/5/10): The book is now available in print and can be purchased along with a copy in PDF format for $67.
by ryanb on December 11, 2009
Vaynerchuk begins Crush It! by asking the question, “Are you living your passion?” He asserts that if you aren’t waking up each and every morning excited in anticipation of working with and/or doing the thing that interests you most, you aren’t. The question that seems to frame this book is “Are you living, or just earning a living?”.
By weaving his own story and anecdotes in with the lessons on how to go about replicating that success for yourself, Vaynerchuk shows his innate ability to motivate and inspire. Ultimately, the biggest asset of this book is Vaynerchuk’s “cheerleading”. While the book also touches on how to use the Internet and its social media tools to your advantage, it’s done so in more of a broad manner. That doesn’t take anything away from the book, however.
I found the book to be an easy, quick read and hard to put down. I recommend giving this a read even if for no other reason than for inspiration. Whether you are relatively content with your work-situation or stuck in a job that simply pays the bills, there’s no harm in trying to stoke the embers of passion that remain inside you. The book may very well get you on your way to establishing your brand, giving you the key to get out there and make millions, or may only serve to as inspiration, improving your sense of self. Either way, you come out ahead!
