This book serves as an introduction to the key elements of good design.

Broken into sections covering the fundamental elements of design, key works by acclaimed designers serve to illustrate technical points and encourage readers to try out new ideas. Themes covered include form, narrative, color, type and image, ornament, simplicity, and wit and humour.

The result is an instantly accessible and easy to understand guide to graphic design using professional techniques.

Steven Heller is the co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program and co-founder of the MFA in Design Criticism program at SVA, New York. For 33 years he was an art director at the New York Times. He is editor of AIGA VOICE and contributing editor to Print, Eye, Baseline and I.D. magazines. He is the author of more than 120 books on design and popular culture, including Design Literacy, Paul Rand, and Stylepedia. He is the recipient of the 1999 AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement.

Gail Anderson is a designer, writer, and educator. Anderson is the recipient of the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Medal from the AIGA, the 2009 Richard Gangel art direction award from the Society of Illustrators, and has lectured about design at organizations and conferences around the world.