Customer Reviews

Robin Williams Design Workshop

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The tone of the book "Robin Williams Design Workshop" makes the reader feel as if they are having a conversation about graphic design with old friends or a favorite design instructor from the past. With the authors having also written "The Non-Designer's Design Book," "The Non-Designer's Web Book" and others, that sense of familiarity is well founded. In the introduction it is written that this is a book for "mere-mortal" designers - meaning "aspiring designers who are in the process of developing their skills and getting experience; designers who are not famous (yet); and designers who are looking for design books to add to their collection, books that will give them some insight into the design process." Williams and Tollett do not disappoint those readers. Through colorful and detailed examples, designers are taken through the thought and creation process of a variety of projects including logos, ads, web sites, newsletters, brochures and more. In the section "Designers & the Design Process" the reader is shown the processes and work styles of six different designers as they create a book cover, logo and identity packages, promotional materials, an office space, web sites, student project assignments, typography and collateral materials. This latest offering from "old friends" is a fun and valuable design resource. - Jeff Fisher, writer of bLog-oMotives and "Logo Notions" on CreativeLatitude.com

I found this book very informative and interesting. It had a lot of useful information, and the info was presented in a very "reader-friendly" format. There were a lot of examples in the book used to prove a point, instead of a 'just take it for granted' procedure. The book was simple and straightforward but not boring. The book was written 'to' the audience, with words like 'you' and 'your' instead of 'one' or 'some designers'. It really made the book have a personal impact.

On the other hand, the book wasn't 'all encompassing', like it seemed to be. Many references to previous books by the author showed that this was a book for most people. I would have added more to the book instead of constantly referring to previous books, if I was the author. Also, in the book, questions are asked to the reader, but there aren't answers printed anywhere in the book, which can be confusing.

Personally, I would rate this book as an 8 on a scale of 1-10. It was a great book to read and it taught me a lot. It could have had more 'guts', but it was very well written. I would definitely suggest this book to others, if they were interested in design. It was well worth my time and a good book to 'keep on file!'

By M.L.Conklin

I had to buy this book for a design class in college and now that I am out of college, I still use it for ideas on projects and inspiration. Robin writes in a very easy to understand language and gives you lots and lots of pictures to illustrate what she is saying... the WHOLE book is full of colored photos! I liked this book so much, I decided to purchase Robin Williams Web Design Workshop.

I have really enjoyed this book. Being a designer, I sometimes need ideas to help get me going, and this book provides it in spades. I really like the way that the author took some ideas from concept, through to completion. It really provides a great insight into the designer's mind. I wholeheartly recommend this book!

If your going to Fairleigh Dickinson University you will need this book if your taking Digital Design and Graphics Price is GOOD

This is an easy read, cover to cover. Large colorful image examples and lots of space around text make the read easy and enjoyable. I love color examples especially when the subject is design. This is a great design reference and all around great book.

This was a definite idea generator. Working with web design, I find it difficult to find books that focus more on design aspects, and this book touches on many design aspects including web design, brochures, and all kinds of things! The Web design workshop book is more focused on web design, but this is an excellent companion to generate ideas and get great design concepts and ideas to keep in mind for any medium!

I love this book and the Web design workshop and can't wait to read more from the authors! I appreciate the layout of the book and the way it was made easy to follow. I hate reading books that are too technical and full of text from top to bottom, and this book was so refreshing because it's just the opposite! The authors also kept in mind that some readers would be experienced designers and some beginners and accommodate us all with style and grace. Thanks Robin and John!

After purchasing Web Design Workshop (and loving it), I desired more books from this wonderful author. I have my own web design business and was asked to build a newsletter. The Design Workshop book came in handy. Every page is worth reading and filled with great color. She gives clear examples of good print work and how to capture the reader. The most important quote in the book, "We may talk about creating a design, buy what we really want to do is communicate-communicate an idea, a feeling, or a message." This is so important in print and web design. My personal breakthrough from this book was the awareness of the many different image fonts I could use in my design.

Robin Williams forces a designer (or reader) to look outside the box and try new design techniques. A fabulous book!

This book is *full* of ideas about design and layout. I am a software engineer, looking for ways to improve my website layout and design of button icons and logos. This book covers many areas, and I would recommend it to anyone with basic experience with graphic design tools (photoshop, paintshop pro, gimp, etc.)

This book has been on my To-Buy list for sometime now and i was really glad to start using it. Robin explains everything that is important about web design. The Quizzes are really neat and the examples are real-world as can be. This is a must-buy for beginners and an excellent reference for experienced desktop publishers.

I love this book. Real problems, real solutions. He takes you through the steps of recognizing a design issue, allowing you to see the variations and experiments that he tried before he got what he wanted. There are is a great variety of different types of projects here, and you will not get bored with it. No fluff, just straightforward ideas and teaching. I am going to buy his other books now. I highly recommend it.