Usability design is one of the most important though often least attractive tasks for a Web developer. In Don't Make Me Think, author Steve Krug lightens up the subject with good humour and excellent to-the-point examples.

The title of the book is its chief personal design premise. All of the tips, techniques and examples presented within it revolve around users being able to surf merrily through a well-designed site with minimal cognitive strain. Readers will quickly come to agree with many of the book's assumptions. For example, "We don't read pages--we scan them" and, "We don't figure out how things work--we muddle through". Getting to grips with such hard facts sets the stage for Web design that then produces top-notch sites.

Using an attractive mix of full-colour screen shots, cute cartoons and diagrams, and informative sidebars, the book keeps your attention and drives home some crucial points. Much of the content is devoted to proper use of conventions and content layout, and the "before and after" examples are superb. Topics such as the wise use of rollovers and usability testing are covered using a consistently practical approach.

This is the type of book you can blow through in a couple evenings. But despite its conciseness, it will give you an expert's ability to judge Web design. You'll never form a first impression of a site in the same way again. --Stephen W Plain

It's not just for Web Design - apply to everything, 08 Oct 2008
One of the best book I have read this year. Gives you all the basics on usability, how to understand people and how they use websites. It's a must buy as it will be useful for almost everything in business. Don't make people think, due to internet we switch attention so quickly!

All of the basics - and more!, 14 Sep 2008
Just like the method of web design he advocates, Steve Krug explains his craft in a simple, logical manner.

A common sense approach to web design? Yes it certainly is, and as someone who is used to ploughing through text heavy web design and online marketing textbooks, this book is a welcome relief. It is well laid out, logically progressive, while still being easy to dip in and out of as necessary.

The chapters dealing with the guiding principles of web design give simple and, sometimes obvious, basic advice, but somehow the way in which they are delivered still manages to stimulate your creative processes. The later chapters dealing with the internal politics of designing a corporate website with multiple stakeholders shows excellent insight, and gives good practical advice about how to manage this process.

This book is for beginners and experts alike and, despite being relatively short, still delivers comprehensive coverage of the subject.


A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..., 28 Aug 2008
First things first.. this is not a book for web designers, graphic artists, developers or anyone who actually has to do these sorts of tasks for a living (or even for a hobby, for that matter). You will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know and, in fact, there is some stuff in here that I think it would be better off NOT knowing, particularly some of the garishly coloured and clustered monstrosities that are heralded as examples of good design.

The only people who would find this book useful are management-types and marketing people... the kind of people who really should stick to pushing pens and emailing rather than getting involved in the dirty work of designing and developing a succesful website. This book could do a lot of damage in terms of giving delusions of grandeur to these sorts of people!

Much of the advice given in the book is out of date, and many of the example websites are now either not there or have been altered to the extreme. On a posative note, this book does state the obvious to quite a phenominal level and I suppose there may be some people to whom this may be of benefit.

Personally, i'd reccomend any web proffesionals who are thinking of buying this book to stay the heck away!! If you're a manager/marketing person or someone who needs to create the illusion that you know what you're talking about when asked to comment on a website, then this book may be of benefit.

Common sense. Why dont more web developers read it?, 13 Aug 2008
Everything this book says is just common sense. When designing websites, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that people will actually be using your published work! How many times have you been to a site only to think "where's the search box" or when entering some details into your online bank account and then press the "enter key" it doesn't login, it goes off to a "apply for a new savings account". Very confusing. In these circumstances, your brain has to think about what has happened, leaving a negative impression in your mind. Not good if you're trying to sell something!

When it comes to the web, first impressions count. Take Amazons new redesign for 2008. Amazon gets quite a lot of coverage in the book as an example of good design, so it's interesting that they have gone away from their old design, that's been around for about a decade. I don't like the new look, because every time I use it I have to think whereas before it was intuitive. That's the whole point of "dont make me think". You should never have to think about how to use a web site. If you need to use your brain to do something simple, the designer has FAILED.

"Dont make me think" is a quick and easy read. It's quite small at 200 pages. It's often reduced on Amazon so keep an eye out for a bargain.

Highly recommended for all developers, even if you don't often do user interfaces. The advice can be applied to all interfaces and not just the web.


Quality comes in small packages!!!, 30 Jun 2008
A wonderful little book that really opens your eyes to usability issues that are so obvious but are still overlooked. Time and again a light bulb lights up in your brain as you read this and you think god it is so obvious why didn't I notice that before?

The great thing is you can read this book in one sitting and finish an enlightened usability expert ready to impress your colleagues with your new found knowledge.

Alan Fletcher's The Art of Looking Sideways is an absolutely extraordinary and inexhaustible "guide to visual awareness", a virtually indescribable concoction of anecdotes, quotes, images and bizarre facts that offers a wonderfully twisted vision of the chaos of modern life. Fletcher is a renowned designer and art director and the joy of The Art of Looking Sideways lies in its beautiful design. Loosely arranged in 72 chapters with titles like "Colour", "Noise", "Chance", "Camouflage" and "Handedness", Fletcher's book, which he describes as "a journey without a destination", is "a collection of shards" that captures the sensory overload of a world that simply contains too much information. In one typical section, entitled "Civilization", the reader encounters six Polish flags designed to represent the world, a photograph of an anthropomorphic hand bag, Buzz Aldrin's bootprint on the moon, drawings of Stone Age pebbles, a painting of "Ireland--as seen from Wales" and a dizzying array of quotations and snippets of information, including the wise words of Marcus Aurelius, Stephen Jay and Gandhi's comment, "Western civilization? I think it would be a good idea". Fletcher's mastery of design mixes type, space, fonts, alphabets, colour and layout combined with a "jackdaw" eye for the strange and profound to produce a stunning book that cannot be read, but only experienced. --Jerry Brotton

It's not just for Web Design - apply to everything, 08 Oct 2008
One of the best book I have read this year. Gives you all the basics on usability, how to understand people and how they use websites. It's a must buy as it will be useful for almost everything in business. Don't make people think, due to internet we switch attention so quickly!

All of the basics - and more!, 14 Sep 2008
Just like the method of web design he advocates, Steve Krug explains his craft in a simple, logical manner.

A common sense approach to web design? Yes it certainly is, and as someone who is used to ploughing through text heavy web design and online marketing textbooks, this book is a welcome relief. It is well laid out, logically progressive, while still being easy to dip in and out of as necessary.

The chapters dealing with the guiding principles of web design give simple and, sometimes obvious, basic advice, but somehow the way in which they are delivered still manages to stimulate your creative processes. The later chapters dealing with the internal politics of designing a corporate website with multiple stakeholders shows excellent insight, and gives good practical advice about how to manage this process.

This book is for beginners and experts alike and, despite being relatively short, still delivers comprehensive coverage of the subject.


A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..., 28 Aug 2008
First things first.. this is not a book for web designers, graphic artists, developers or anyone who actually has to do these sorts of tasks for a living (or even for a hobby, for that matter). You will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know and, in fact, there is some stuff in here that I think it would be better off NOT knowing, particularly some of the garishly coloured and clustered monstrosities that are heralded as examples of good design.

The only people who would find this book useful are management-types and marketing people... the kind of people who really should stick to pushing pens and emailing rather than getting involved in the dirty work of designing and developing a succesful website. This book could do a lot of damage in terms of giving delusions of grandeur to these sorts of people!

Much of the advice given in the book is out of date, and many of the example websites are now either not there or have been altered to the extreme. On a posative note, this book does state the obvious to quite a phenominal level and I suppose there may be some people to whom this may be of benefit.

Personally, i'd reccomend any web proffesionals who are thinking of buying this book to stay the heck away!! If you're a manager/marketing person or someone who needs to create the illusion that you know what you're talking about when asked to comment on a website, then this book may be of benefit.

Common sense. Why dont more web developers read it?, 13 Aug 2008
Everything this book says is just common sense. When designing websites, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that people will actually be using your published work! How many times have you been to a site only to think "where's the search box" or when entering some details into your online bank account and then press the "enter key" it doesn't login, it goes off to a "apply for a new savings account". Very confusing. In these circumstances, your brain has to think about what has happened, leaving a negative impression in your mind. Not good if you're trying to sell something!

When it comes to the web, first impressions count. Take Amazons new redesign for 2008. Amazon gets quite a lot of coverage in the book as an example of good design, so it's interesting that they have gone away from their old design, that's been around for about a decade. I don't like the new look, because every time I use it I have to think whereas before it was intuitive. That's the whole point of "dont make me think". You should never have to think about how to use a web site. If you need to use your brain to do something simple, the designer has FAILED.

"Dont make me think" is a quick and easy read. It's quite small at 200 pages. It's often reduced on Amazon so keep an eye out for a bargain.

Highly recommended for all developers, even if you don't often do user interfaces. The advice can be applied to all interfaces and not just the web.


Quality comes in small packages!!!, 30 Jun 2008
A wonderful little book that really opens your eyes to usability issues that are so obvious but are still overlooked. Time and again a light bulb lights up in your brain as you read this and you think god it is so obvious why didn't I notice that before?

The great thing is you can read this book in one sitting and finish an enlightened usability expert ready to impress your colleagues with your new found knowledge.

"Your phd for living", 23 Sep 2008
If you search on youtube for "the art of looking sideways" you'll come across a 10 minute interview with the late Alan Fletcher. The man was clearly a visionary and apparently loved his Mac ;-)

If you're not into graphic design that much (like me) yet you're into philosophy or psychology, marketing or coaching, leadership or teaching or any other field where the human condition is front & center you'll still find lots of wonderful things in this book, if only by reading the quotes and the stories.

This book has been created by a discovering man, a collecting man and especially a listening and thinking man. He supposedly worked 18! years on this book. No wonder it's such a source of inspiration and insight.

I adore the 'chapters' on creativity and meanings. There are 72 'chapters' in total in this book, each covering a certain 'topic'. I prefer to call them 'mentalities'. Fletcher calls them '72 slices of life' and '72 slices of your brain'.

The two most genius properties of this book are:

- no two pages have similar layout
- you don't know what to expect when turning any page

Only buy this book if you want to discover. Fletcher was a designer but before one can design one has to discover. This book is a discovery by itself and it's filled with thousands of discoveries.

Stuck for an idea? Dive in here..., 24 Mar 2008
Alan Fletcher was one of the creative powerhouses of design from the 1960s on, and this book puts together some of his musings on life, the Universe and everything. The book is designed to spark ideas and thought, so even the paper used changes from page to page.

In typically quirky fashion, only the left hand pages are given a number so if you buy this book you actually get over a thousand pages of inspiring graphics, calligraphy, typography and photographs collected over the course of a long and illustrious career: he founded Pentagram; he designed logos for Reuters and the Victoria and Albert museum. The book gives a glimpse of the thought processes that went in to that work. For the money it's an astonishing bargain.

A homage to concept-driven design and thinking, 27 May 2007
This book provides so many examples of both the mechanics of a good concept and the power of lateral thinking. A great feat to have documented and communicated such an eclectic range of thoughts and ideas.

Inspirational, 27 Jan 2007
This is the book to have next to your desk: dip into it, when you need escape or inspiration. Or start from the beginning and work your way through it: whichever way you do it: I defy you not to find something interesting on virtually every page!!

Rowland Jones

A fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and a good dose of self-indulgence by the author, 31 Dec 2006
What a wonderful title for this book of more than 530 pages. The target is visual awareness and it has 72 chapters devoted to themes such as "ideas", "thinking", "seeing", "camouflage" and "handedness". The author claims it is "a journey without a destination", and he is probably right, the implication being that it is the voyage that counts in life. It is truly a massive collection of bits and pieces collected by the author, thrown on to a basic structure, and presented "shaken not stirred" (to misuse a common quote from James Bond). Her lies the books major asset and its major defect. It is full of interesting images and text bites, yet at the same time it is full of bits of useless or uninteresting trivia. There are times when you get the impression that the author has been overly self-indulgent, but it is certainly a lesson to us all - collect every little bit of dross since it could become a book one day. Yet it also a fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and for the price it is certainly worth having on your shelves. I suspect it is also a book that I will go back to occasionally just to skim through the odd 100 pages. I was planning to give this extravagantly over-indulgent book only 3-stars, but in writing this review I've convinced myself to give it a solid 4-stars for its fun content and the gall of the author in thinking his lifetime collection of "odds and bods" would interest others. It did.

It's not just for Web Design - apply to everything, 08 Oct 2008
One of the best book I have read this year. Gives you all the basics on usability, how to understand people and how they use websites. It's a must buy as it will be useful for almost everything in business. Don't make people think, due to internet we switch attention so quickly!

All of the basics - and more!, 14 Sep 2008
Just like the method of web design he advocates, Steve Krug explains his craft in a simple, logical manner.

A common sense approach to web design? Yes it certainly is, and as someone who is used to ploughing through text heavy web design and online marketing textbooks, this book is a welcome relief. It is well laid out, logically progressive, while still being easy to dip in and out of as necessary.

The chapters dealing with the guiding principles of web design give simple and, sometimes obvious, basic advice, but somehow the way in which they are delivered still manages to stimulate your creative processes. The later chapters dealing with the internal politics of designing a corporate website with multiple stakeholders shows excellent insight, and gives good practical advice about how to manage this process.

This book is for beginners and experts alike and, despite being relatively short, still delivers comprehensive coverage of the subject.


A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..., 28 Aug 2008
First things first.. this is not a book for web designers, graphic artists, developers or anyone who actually has to do these sorts of tasks for a living (or even for a hobby, for that matter). You will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know and, in fact, there is some stuff in here that I think it would be better off NOT knowing, particularly some of the garishly coloured and clustered monstrosities that are heralded as examples of good design.

The only people who would find this book useful are management-types and marketing people... the kind of people who really should stick to pushing pens and emailing rather than getting involved in the dirty work of designing and developing a succesful website. This book could do a lot of damage in terms of giving delusions of grandeur to these sorts of people!

Much of the advice given in the book is out of date, and many of the example websites are now either not there or have been altered to the extreme. On a posative note, this book does state the obvious to quite a phenominal level and I suppose there may be some people to whom this may be of benefit.

Personally, i'd reccomend any web proffesionals who are thinking of buying this book to stay the heck away!! If you're a manager/marketing person or someone who needs to create the illusion that you know what you're talking about when asked to comment on a website, then this book may be of benefit.

Common sense. Why dont more web developers read it?, 13 Aug 2008
Everything this book says is just common sense. When designing websites, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that people will actually be using your published work! How many times have you been to a site only to think "where's the search box" or when entering some details into your online bank account and then press the "enter key" it doesn't login, it goes off to a "apply for a new savings account". Very confusing. In these circumstances, your brain has to think about what has happened, leaving a negative impression in your mind. Not good if you're trying to sell something!

When it comes to the web, first impressions count. Take Amazons new redesign for 2008. Amazon gets quite a lot of coverage in the book as an example of good design, so it's interesting that they have gone away from their old design, that's been around for about a decade. I don't like the new look, because every time I use it I have to think whereas before it was intuitive. That's the whole point of "dont make me think". You should never have to think about how to use a web site. If you need to use your brain to do something simple, the designer has FAILED.

"Dont make me think" is a quick and easy read. It's quite small at 200 pages. It's often reduced on Amazon so keep an eye out for a bargain.

Highly recommended for all developers, even if you don't often do user interfaces. The advice can be applied to all interfaces and not just the web.


Quality comes in small packages!!!, 30 Jun 2008
A wonderful little book that really opens your eyes to usability issues that are so obvious but are still overlooked. Time and again a light bulb lights up in your brain as you read this and you think god it is so obvious why didn't I notice that before?

The great thing is you can read this book in one sitting and finish an enlightened usability expert ready to impress your colleagues with your new found knowledge.

"Your phd for living", 23 Sep 2008
If you search on youtube for "the art of looking sideways" you'll come across a 10 minute interview with the late Alan Fletcher. The man was clearly a visionary and apparently loved his Mac ;-)

If you're not into graphic design that much (like me) yet you're into philosophy or psychology, marketing or coaching, leadership or teaching or any other field where the human condition is front & center you'll still find lots of wonderful things in this book, if only by reading the quotes and the stories.

This book has been created by a discovering man, a collecting man and especially a listening and thinking man. He supposedly worked 18! years on this book. No wonder it's such a source of inspiration and insight.

I adore the 'chapters' on creativity and meanings. There are 72 'chapters' in total in this book, each covering a certain 'topic'. I prefer to call them 'mentalities'. Fletcher calls them '72 slices of life' and '72 slices of your brain'.

The two most genius properties of this book are:

- no two pages have similar layout
- you don't know what to expect when turning any page

Only buy this book if you want to discover. Fletcher was a designer but before one can design one has to discover. This book is a discovery by itself and it's filled with thousands of discoveries.

Stuck for an idea? Dive in here..., 24 Mar 2008
Alan Fletcher was one of the creative powerhouses of design from the 1960s on, and this book puts together some of his musings on life, the Universe and everything. The book is designed to spark ideas and thought, so even the paper used changes from page to page.

In typically quirky fashion, only the left hand pages are given a number so if you buy this book you actually get over a thousand pages of inspiring graphics, calligraphy, typography and photographs collected over the course of a long and illustrious career: he founded Pentagram; he designed logos for Reuters and the Victoria and Albert museum. The book gives a glimpse of the thought processes that went in to that work. For the money it's an astonishing bargain.

A homage to concept-driven design and thinking, 27 May 2007
This book provides so many examples of both the mechanics of a good concept and the power of lateral thinking. A great feat to have documented and communicated such an eclectic range of thoughts and ideas.

Inspirational, 27 Jan 2007
This is the book to have next to your desk: dip into it, when you need escape or inspiration. Or start from the beginning and work your way through it: whichever way you do it: I defy you not to find something interesting on virtually every page!!

Rowland Jones

A fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and a good dose of self-indulgence by the author, 31 Dec 2006
What a wonderful title for this book of more than 530 pages. The target is visual awareness and it has 72 chapters devoted to themes such as "ideas", "thinking", "seeing", "camouflage" and "handedness". The author claims it is "a journey without a destination", and he is probably right, the implication being that it is the voyage that counts in life. It is truly a massive collection of bits and pieces collected by the author, thrown on to a basic structure, and presented "shaken not stirred" (to misuse a common quote from James Bond). Her lies the books major asset and its major defect. It is full of interesting images and text bites, yet at the same time it is full of bits of useless or uninteresting trivia. There are times when you get the impression that the author has been overly self-indulgent, but it is certainly a lesson to us all - collect every little bit of dross since it could become a book one day. Yet it also a fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and for the price it is certainly worth having on your shelves. I suspect it is also a book that I will go back to occasionally just to skim through the odd 100 pages. I was planning to give this extravagantly over-indulgent book only 3-stars, but in writing this review I've convinced myself to give it a solid 4-stars for its fun content and the gall of the author in thinking his lifetime collection of "odds and bods" would interest others. It did.

Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)

Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.

I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.

If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!

Less is More, 08 Aug 2008
This is a beautiful book which has the best of both worlds, style and substance. Each idea is followed up with clear and precise examples, full of colour and creativity. It will challenge your old mindset .The writing is melodic and flows carrying you through the book with effortless style.

However, this is not a book for lazy mind , although its packed full of inspirational ideas ,it won't do the work for you.Its not a step by step guide to making presentations .The writer clearly explains his approach is not the fastest way , but in the long term it's the most rewarding. I've tried out plenty of his ideas and he's right.

It also teaches you to work within time constraints, so its anchored in the real world. It has an elegant quality, beautifully presented. It's a visual feast for the eyes.

Interesting you find this book will bring you beyond image and design , It's unclutters your mind allowing you to simplify your thought process.The book is very accessable so its not just graphic artists and web designers who will benefit. Reynolds also uses technology sparingly, choosing pen and paper to map out his initial presentation ideas.

Overall, this is a fantastic book which should kept within arms reach. I keep dipping in and out of it, sometimes to get presentation ideas or simplify my thought process.


A book that should inspire if you approach it correctly, 16 Jul 2008
I like this book but it needs the right attitude to get the best from it. Having just finished a masters degree where my thesis revolved around adults and especially children develop there cognitive and creative skills. The research really basically looked at the physiological and philosophical nuts and bolts of cognitive/creative development when we are young and then moved on to how we can use it these skills today. If there has been one thing I have learnt from 2 years pf research is the creativity is one important and can't be taught. Comments like the Luigi Clemente above which dismisses a book or an idea as being generic because there are no practical help is missing the barn door by such a margin as to be to not even to have seen the barn door in the first place. Creativity and cognitive skills can't be taught by supplying practical advice. It is something that is unique to all of us. It is our creativity that makes us who we are. Creativity here is not be defined as just drawing a picture but rather the unique connection we all make between all the various areas of our brain and how those linkages create new of different aspects, concepts and ideas. You can not achieve this through someone giving you practical advice or suggestions that luigi Clemente is complaining is an oxymoron of a complaint. This book is great but to get the best out of it has to come from you. it is meant to inspire. If we are always looking for practical advice from someone else we will never truly becreative or develop better cognitive skills

A good introduction to improving your presentations., 14 May 2008
For those that are unfamiliar with Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen blog, and even for those that do, but want to know what sets presenters like Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin apart from the rest, it serves as a great starting point. Presentation Zen is neither about possesing high technical or creative skills, but just about conveying ideas in a simple and easy to digest format. By moving away from information filled slides to ones that support your underlying message, you can lead your viewers to a higher state of understanding.

I didn't give this book a full 5-stars as I personally felt a lot of the imagery used was a bit cliched and didn't really "stimulate" me in the way I thought was intended but there are a lot of example slides which are great and show you exactly in which direction you need to be going. It is very focused on the actual "slideshow" part of presenting and doesn't really go into the art of actually communicating your ideas regardless of your slides and visuals. For the actually communication of ideas and information I highly recommend Dan Roam's "Back of the Napkin" as a companion book to this.

EDIT: I messed up and accidently gave it the full 5 star review. The editing process on Amazon does not seem to allow me to change this :(

It's not just for Web Design - apply to everything, 08 Oct 2008
One of the best book I have read this year. Gives you all the basics on usability, how to understand people and how they use websites. It's a must buy as it will be useful for almost everything in business. Don't make people think, due to internet we switch attention so quickly!

All of the basics - and more!, 14 Sep 2008
Just like the method of web design he advocates, Steve Krug explains his craft in a simple, logical manner.

A common sense approach to web design? Yes it certainly is, and as someone who is used to ploughing through text heavy web design and online marketing textbooks, this book is a welcome relief. It is well laid out, logically progressive, while still being easy to dip in and out of as necessary.

The chapters dealing with the guiding principles of web design give simple and, sometimes obvious, basic advice, but somehow the way in which they are delivered still manages to stimulate your creative processes. The later chapters dealing with the internal politics of designing a corporate website with multiple stakeholders shows excellent insight, and gives good practical advice about how to manage this process.

This book is for beginners and experts alike and, despite being relatively short, still delivers comprehensive coverage of the subject.


A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..., 28 Aug 2008
First things first.. this is not a book for web designers, graphic artists, developers or anyone who actually has to do these sorts of tasks for a living (or even for a hobby, for that matter). You will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know and, in fact, there is some stuff in here that I think it would be better off NOT knowing, particularly some of the garishly coloured and clustered monstrosities that are heralded as examples of good design.

The only people who would find this book useful are management-types and marketing people... the kind of people who really should stick to pushing pens and emailing rather than getting involved in the dirty work of designing and developing a succesful website. This book could do a lot of damage in terms of giving delusions of grandeur to these sorts of people!

Much of the advice given in the book is out of date, and many of the example websites are now either not there or have been altered to the extreme. On a posative note, this book does state the obvious to quite a phenominal level and I suppose there may be some people to whom this may be of benefit.

Personally, i'd reccomend any web proffesionals who are thinking of buying this book to stay the heck away!! If you're a manager/marketing person or someone who needs to create the illusion that you know what you're talking about when asked to comment on a website, then this book may be of benefit.

Common sense. Why dont more web developers read it?, 13 Aug 2008
Everything this book says is just common sense. When designing websites, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that people will actually be using your published work! How many times have you been to a site only to think "where's the search box" or when entering some details into your online bank account and then press the "enter key" it doesn't login, it goes off to a "apply for a new savings account". Very confusing. In these circumstances, your brain has to think about what has happened, leaving a negative impression in your mind. Not good if you're trying to sell something!

When it comes to the web, first impressions count. Take Amazons new redesign for 2008. Amazon gets quite a lot of coverage in the book as an example of good design, so it's interesting that they have gone away from their old design, that's been around for about a decade. I don't like the new look, because every time I use it I have to think whereas before it was intuitive. That's the whole point of "dont make me think". You should never have to think about how to use a web site. If you need to use your brain to do something simple, the designer has FAILED.

"Dont make me think" is a quick and easy read. It's quite small at 200 pages. It's often reduced on Amazon so keep an eye out for a bargain.

Highly recommended for all developers, even if you don't often do user interfaces. The advice can be applied to all interfaces and not just the web.


Quality comes in small packages!!!, 30 Jun 2008
A wonderful little book that really opens your eyes to usability issues that are so obvious but are still overlooked. Time and again a light bulb lights up in your brain as you read this and you think god it is so obvious why didn't I notice that before?

The great thing is you can read this book in one sitting and finish an enlightened usability expert ready to impress your colleagues with your new found knowledge.

"Your phd for living", 23 Sep 2008
If you search on youtube for "the art of looking sideways" you'll come across a 10 minute interview with the late Alan Fletcher. The man was clearly a visionary and apparently loved his Mac ;-)

If you're not into graphic design that much (like me) yet you're into philosophy or psychology, marketing or coaching, leadership or teaching or any other field where the human condition is front & center you'll still find lots of wonderful things in this book, if only by reading the quotes and the stories.

This book has been created by a discovering man, a collecting man and especially a listening and thinking man. He supposedly worked 18! years on this book. No wonder it's such a source of inspiration and insight.

I adore the 'chapters' on creativity and meanings. There are 72 'chapters' in total in this book, each covering a certain 'topic'. I prefer to call them 'mentalities'. Fletcher calls them '72 slices of life' and '72 slices of your brain'.

The two most genius properties of this book are:

- no two pages have similar layout
- you don't know what to expect when turning any page

Only buy this book if you want to discover. Fletcher was a designer but before one can design one has to discover. This book is a discovery by itself and it's filled with thousands of discoveries.

Stuck for an idea? Dive in here..., 24 Mar 2008
Alan Fletcher was one of the creative powerhouses of design from the 1960s on, and this book puts together some of his musings on life, the Universe and everything. The book is designed to spark ideas and thought, so even the paper used changes from page to page.

In typically quirky fashion, only the left hand pages are given a number so if you buy this book you actually get over a thousand pages of inspiring graphics, calligraphy, typography and photographs collected over the course of a long and illustrious career: he founded Pentagram; he designed logos for Reuters and the Victoria and Albert museum. The book gives a glimpse of the thought processes that went in to that work. For the money it's an astonishing bargain.

A homage to concept-driven design and thinking, 27 May 2007
This book provides so many examples of both the mechanics of a good concept and the power of lateral thinking. A great feat to have documented and communicated such an eclectic range of thoughts and ideas.

Inspirational, 27 Jan 2007
This is the book to have next to your desk: dip into it, when you need escape or inspiration. Or start from the beginning and work your way through it: whichever way you do it: I defy you not to find something interesting on virtually every page!!

Rowland Jones

A fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and a good dose of self-indulgence by the author, 31 Dec 2006
What a wonderful title for this book of more than 530 pages. The target is visual awareness and it has 72 chapters devoted to themes such as "ideas", "thinking", "seeing", "camouflage" and "handedness". The author claims it is "a journey without a destination", and he is probably right, the implication being that it is the voyage that counts in life. It is truly a massive collection of bits and pieces collected by the author, thrown on to a basic structure, and presented "shaken not stirred" (to misuse a common quote from James Bond). Her lies the books major asset and its major defect. It is full of interesting images and text bites, yet at the same time it is full of bits of useless or uninteresting trivia. There are times when you get the impression that the author has been overly self-indulgent, but it is certainly a lesson to us all - collect every little bit of dross since it could become a book one day. Yet it also a fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and for the price it is certainly worth having on your shelves. I suspect it is also a book that I will go back to occasionally just to skim through the odd 100 pages. I was planning to give this extravagantly over-indulgent book only 3-stars, but in writing this review I've convinced myself to give it a solid 4-stars for its fun content and the gall of the author in thinking his lifetime collection of "odds and bods" would interest others. It did.

Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)

Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.

I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.

If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!

Less is More, 08 Aug 2008
This is a beautiful book which has the best of both worlds, style and substance. Each idea is followed up with clear and precise examples, full of colour and creativity. It will challenge your old mindset .The writing is melodic and flows carrying you through the book with effortless style.

However, this is not a book for lazy mind , although its packed full of inspirational ideas ,it won't do the work for you.Its not a step by step guide to making presentations .The writer clearly explains his approach is not the fastest way , but in the long term it's the most rewarding. I've tried out plenty of his ideas and he's right.

It also teaches you to work within time constraints, so its anchored in the real world. It has an elegant quality, beautifully presented. It's a visual feast for the eyes.

Interesting you find this book will bring you beyond image and design , It's unclutters your mind allowing you to simplify your thought process.The book is very accessable so its not just graphic artists and web designers who will benefit. Reynolds also uses technology sparingly, choosing pen and paper to map out his initial presentation ideas.

Overall, this is a fantastic book which should kept within arms reach. I keep dipping in and out of it, sometimes to get presentation ideas or simplify my thought process.


A book that should inspire if you approach it correctly, 16 Jul 2008
I like this book but it needs the right attitude to get the best from it. Having just finished a masters degree where my thesis revolved around adults and especially children develop there cognitive and creative skills. The research really basically looked at the physiological and philosophical nuts and bolts of cognitive/creative development when we are young and then moved on to how we can use it these skills today. If there has been one thing I have learnt from 2 years pf research is the creativity is one important and can't be taught. Comments like the Luigi Clemente above which dismisses a book or an idea as being generic because there are no practical help is missing the barn door by such a margin as to be to not even to have seen the barn door in the first place. Creativity and cognitive skills can't be taught by supplying practical advice. It is something that is unique to all of us. It is our creativity that makes us who we are. Creativity here is not be defined as just drawing a picture but rather the unique connection we all make between all the various areas of our brain and how those linkages create new of different aspects, concepts and ideas. You can not achieve this through someone giving you practical advice or suggestions that luigi Clemente is complaining is an oxymoron of a complaint. This book is great but to get the best out of it has to come from you. it is meant to inspire. If we are always looking for practical advice from someone else we will never truly becreative or develop better cognitive skills

A good introduction to improving your presentations., 14 May 2008
For those that are unfamiliar with Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen blog, and even for those that do, but want to know what sets presenters like Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin apart from the rest, it serves as a great starting point. Presentation Zen is neither about possesing high technical or creative skills, but just about conveying ideas in a simple and easy to digest format. By moving away from information filled slides to ones that support your underlying message, you can lead your viewers to a higher state of understanding.

I didn't give this book a full 5-stars as I personally felt a lot of the imagery used was a bit cliched and didn't really "stimulate" me in the way I thought was intended but there are a lot of example slides which are great and show you exactly in which direction you need to be going. It is very focused on the actual "slideshow" part of presenting and doesn't really go into the art of actually communicating your ideas regardless of your slides and visuals. For the actually communication of ideas and information I highly recommend Dan Roam's "Back of the Napkin" as a companion book to this.

EDIT: I messed up and accidently gave it the full 5 star review. The editing process on Amazon does not seem to allow me to change this :(

A good starter, 10 Jun 2006
This book is a good starter but there are many printing errors (wrong instructions, missing instructions) so beware. It also assumes that you are familiar with some pattern cutting techniques. If you are an absolute beginner it would be useful to have someone in the know to ask as at times it is possible to become absolutely stuck. If you are studying pattern cutting this would be a really useful book to have. If you are learning by yourself, you may find this book to be a little frustrating.

Worth the learning curve, 28 Nov 2002
I found this book difficult to use at first, being used to commercial pre-printed patterns, but with a bit of perseverance I was able to produce some well-fitted pieces that I was quite pleased with. I particularly liked the section on dealing with bodies of different shapes (sloping shoulders, long backs etc). I would recommend this book to anyone wanting the flexibility to design their own clothes.

pure guava, 19 Mar 2000
i am currently in the process of gaining my diploma in fashion and textiles at the nelson polytechnic NEW ZEALAND this tome will aid you in designing fashion garments while realising that pattern cutting is an artform.

This book simplyfies and demystifies patterncutting., 06 Jul 1999
.... This book is easy to understand and is recommended for professionals and lay people alike. Even if you have never patterncut before, this book provides you with all you need to go and do it for your own wardrobe or professionally. It has helped me many a times as a reference tool. I know many patterncutters would recommend this book ,as my teacher did to me. Drawings are clear and explanatory in themselves. And a great efford is made to keep language,jargon and mathmatics at a bearable minimum. It comes in a nice hardcover so that it survives the rough handling of many a designroom. CUT CUT AWAY

It's not just for Web Design - apply to everything, 08 Oct 2008
One of the best book I have read this year. Gives you all the basics on usability, how to understand people and how they use websites. It's a must buy as it will be useful for almost everything in business. Don't make people think, due to internet we switch attention so quickly!

All of the basics - and more!, 14 Sep 2008
Just like the method of web design he advocates, Steve Krug explains his craft in a simple, logical manner.

A common sense approach to web design? Yes it certainly is, and as someone who is used to ploughing through text heavy web design and online marketing textbooks, this book is a welcome relief. It is well laid out, logically progressive, while still being easy to dip in and out of as necessary.

The chapters dealing with the guiding principles of web design give simple and, sometimes obvious, basic advice, but somehow the way in which they are delivered still manages to stimulate your creative processes. The later chapters dealing with the internal politics of designing a corporate website with multiple stakeholders shows excellent insight, and gives good practical advice about how to manage this process.

This book is for beginners and experts alike and, despite being relatively short, still delivers comprehensive coverage of the subject.


A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..., 28 Aug 2008
First things first.. this is not a book for web designers, graphic artists, developers or anyone who actually has to do these sorts of tasks for a living (or even for a hobby, for that matter). You will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know and, in fact, there is some stuff in here that I think it would be better off NOT knowing, particularly some of the garishly coloured and clustered monstrosities that are heralded as examples of good design.

The only people who would find this book useful are management-types and marketing people... the kind of people who really should stick to pushing pens and emailing rather than getting involved in the dirty work of designing and developing a succesful website. This book could do a lot of damage in terms of giving delusions of grandeur to these sorts of people!

Much of the advice given in the book is out of date, and many of the example websites are now either not there or have been altered to the extreme. On a posative note, this book does state the obvious to quite a phenominal level and I suppose there may be some people to whom this may be of benefit.

Personally, i'd reccomend any web proffesionals who are thinking of buying this book to stay the heck away!! If you're a manager/marketing person or someone who needs to create the illusion that you know what you're talking about when asked to comment on a website, then this book may be of benefit.

Common sense. Why dont more web developers read it?, 13 Aug 2008
Everything this book says is just common sense. When designing websites, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that people will actually be using your published work! How many times have you been to a site only to think "where's the search box" or when entering some details into your online bank account and then press the "enter key" it doesn't login, it goes off to a "apply for a new savings account". Very confusing. In these circumstances, your brain has to think about what has happened, leaving a negative impression in your mind. Not good if you're trying to sell something!

When it comes to the web, first impressions count. Take Amazons new redesign for 2008. Amazon gets quite a lot of coverage in the book as an example of good design, so it's interesting that they have gone away from their old design, that's been around for about a decade. I don't like the new look, because every time I use it I have to think whereas before it was intuitive. That's the whole point of "dont make me think". You should never have to think about how to use a web site. If you need to use your brain to do something simple, the designer has FAILED.

"Dont make me think" is a quick and easy read. It's quite small at 200 pages. It's often reduced on Amazon so keep an eye out for a bargain.

Highly recommended for all developers, even if you don't often do user interfaces. The advice can be applied to all interfaces and not just the web.


Quality comes in small packages!!!, 30 Jun 2008
A wonderful little book that really opens your eyes to usability issues that are so obvious but are still overlooked. Time and again a light bulb lights up in your brain as you read this and you think god it is so obvious why didn't I notice that before?

The great thing is you can read this book in one sitting and finish an enlightened usability expert ready to impress your colleagues with your new found knowledge.

"Your phd for living", 23 Sep 2008
If you search on youtube for "the art of looking sideways" you'll come across a 10 minute interview with the late Alan Fletcher. The man was clearly a visionary and apparently loved his Mac ;-)

If you're not into graphic design that much (like me) yet you're into philosophy or psychology, marketing or coaching, leadership or teaching or any other field where the human condition is front & center you'll still find lots of wonderful things in this book, if only by reading the quotes and the stories.

This book has been created by a discovering man, a collecting man and especially a listening and thinking man. He supposedly worked 18! years on this book. No wonder it's such a source of inspiration and insight.

I adore the 'chapters' on creativity and meanings. There are 72 'chapters' in total in this book, each covering a certain 'topic'. I prefer to call them 'mentalities'. Fletcher calls them '72 slices of life' and '72 slices of your brain'.

The two most genius properties of this book are:

- no two pages have similar layout
- you don't know what to expect when turning any page

Only buy this book if you want to discover. Fletcher was a designer but before one can design one has to discover. This book is a discovery by itself and it's filled with thousands of discoveries.

Stuck for an idea? Dive in here..., 24 Mar 2008
Alan Fletcher was one of the creative powerhouses of design from the 1960s on, and this book puts together some of his musings on life, the Universe and everything. The book is designed to spark ideas and thought, so even the paper used changes from page to page.

In typically quirky fashion, only the left hand pages are given a number so if you buy this book you actually get over a thousand pages of inspiring graphics, calligraphy, typography and photographs collected over the course of a long and illustrious career: he founded Pentagram; he designed logos for Reuters and the Victoria and Albert museum. The book gives a glimpse of the thought processes that went in to that work. For the money it's an astonishing bargain.

A homage to concept-driven design and thinking, 27 May 2007
This book provides so many examples of both the mechanics of a good concept and the power of lateral thinking. A great feat to have documented and communicated such an eclectic range of thoughts and ideas.

Inspirational, 27 Jan 2007
This is the book to have next to your desk: dip into it, when you need escape or inspiration. Or start from the beginning and work your way through it: whichever way you do it: I defy you not to find something interesting on virtually every page!!

Rowland Jones

A fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and a good dose of self-indulgence by the author, 31 Dec 2006
What a wonderful title for this book of more than 530 pages. The target is visual awareness and it has 72 chapters devoted to themes such as "ideas", "thinking", "seeing", "camouflage" and "handedness". The author claims it is "a journey without a destination", and he is probably right, the implication being that it is the voyage that counts in life. It is truly a massive collection of bits and pieces collected by the author, thrown on to a basic structure, and presented "shaken not stirred" (to misuse a common quote from James Bond). Her lies the books major asset and its major defect. It is full of interesting images and text bites, yet at the same time it is full of bits of useless or uninteresting trivia. There are times when you get the impression that the author has been overly self-indulgent, but it is certainly a lesson to us all - collect every little bit of dross since it could become a book one day. Yet it also a fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and for the price it is certainly worth having on your shelves. I suspect it is also a book that I will go back to occasionally just to skim through the odd 100 pages. I was planning to give this extravagantly over-indulgent book only 3-stars, but in writing this review I've convinced myself to give it a solid 4-stars for its fun content and the gall of the author in thinking his lifetime collection of "odds and bods" would interest others. It did.

Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)

Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.

I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.

If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!

Less is More, 08 Aug 2008
This is a beautiful book which has the best of both worlds, style and substance. Each idea is followed up with clear and precise examples, full of colour and creativity. It will challenge your old mindset .The writing is melodic and flows carrying you through the book with effortless style.

However, this is not a book for lazy mind , although its packed full of inspirational ideas ,it won't do the work for you.Its not a step by step guide to making presentations .The writer clearly explains his approach is not the fastest way , but in the long term it's the most rewarding. I've tried out plenty of his ideas and he's right.

It also teaches you to work within time constraints, so its anchored in the real world. It has an elegant quality, beautifully presented. It's a visual feast for the eyes.

Interesting you find this book will bring you beyond image and design , It's unclutters your mind allowing you to simplify your thought process.The book is very accessable so its not just graphic artists and web designers who will benefit. Reynolds also uses technology sparingly, choosing pen and paper to map out his initial presentation ideas.

Overall, this is a fantastic book which should kept within arms reach. I keep dipping in and out of it, sometimes to get presentation ideas or simplify my thought process.


A book that should inspire if you approach it correctly, 16 Jul 2008
I like this book but it needs the right attitude to get the best from it. Having just finished a masters degree where my thesis revolved around adults and especially children develop there cognitive and creative skills. The research really basically looked at the physiological and philosophical nuts and bolts of cognitive/creative development when we are young and then moved on to how we can use it these skills today. If there has been one thing I have learnt from 2 years pf research is the creativity is one important and can't be taught. Comments like the Luigi Clemente above which dismisses a book or an idea as being generic because there are no practical help is missing the barn door by such a margin as to be to not even to have seen the barn door in the first place. Creativity and cognitive skills can't be taught by supplying practical advice. It is something that is unique to all of us. It is our creativity that makes us who we are. Creativity here is not be defined as just drawing a picture but rather the unique connection we all make between all the various areas of our brain and how those linkages create new of different aspects, concepts and ideas. You can not achieve this through someone giving you practical advice or suggestions that luigi Clemente is complaining is an oxymoron of a complaint. This book is great but to get the best out of it has to come from you. it is meant to inspire. If we are always looking for practical advice from someone else we will never truly becreative or develop better cognitive skills

A good introduction to improving your presentations., 14 May 2008
For those that are unfamiliar with Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen blog, and even for those that do, but want to know what sets presenters like Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin apart from the rest, it serves as a great starting point. Presentation Zen is neither about possesing high technical or creative skills, but just about conveying ideas in a simple and easy to digest format. By moving away from information filled slides to ones that support your underlying message, you can lead your viewers to a higher state of understanding.

I didn't give this book a full 5-stars as I personally felt a lot of the imagery used was a bit cliched and didn't really "stimulate" me in the way I thought was intended but there are a lot of example slides which are great and show you exactly in which direction you need to be going. It is very focused on the actual "slideshow" part of presenting and doesn't really go into the art of actually communicating your ideas regardless of your slides and visuals. For the actually communication of ideas and information I highly recommend Dan Roam's "Back of the Napkin" as a companion book to this.

EDIT: I messed up and accidently gave it the full 5 star review. The editing process on Amazon does not seem to allow me to change this :(

A good starter, 10 Jun 2006
This book is a good starter but there are many printing errors (wrong instructions, missing instructions) so beware. It also assumes that you are familiar with some pattern cutting techniques. If you are an absolute beginner it would be useful to have someone in the know to ask as at times it is possible to become absolutely stuck. If you are studying pattern cutting this would be a really useful book to have. If you are learning by yourself, you may find this book to be a little frustrating.

Worth the learning curve, 28 Nov 2002
I found this book difficult to use at first, being used to commercial pre-printed patterns, but with a bit of perseverance I was able to produce some well-fitted pieces that I was quite pleased with. I particularly liked the section on dealing with bodies of different shapes (sloping shoulders, long backs etc). I would recommend this book to anyone wanting the flexibility to design their own clothes.

pure guava, 19 Mar 2000
i am currently in the process of gaining my diploma in fashion and textiles at the nelson polytechnic NEW ZEALAND this tome will aid you in designing fashion garments while realising that pattern cutting is an artform.

This book simplyfies and demystifies patterncutting., 06 Jul 1999
.... This book is easy to understand and is recommended for professionals and lay people alike. Even if you have never patterncut before, this book provides you with all you need to go and do it for your own wardrobe or professionally. It has helped me many a times as a reference tool. I know many patterncutters would recommend this book ,as my teacher did to me. Drawings are clear and explanatory in themselves. And a great efford is made to keep language,jargon and mathmatics at a bearable minimum. It comes in a nice hardcover so that it survives the rough handling of many a designroom. CUT CUT AWAY

one of the best introductions to visual culture, 24 Feb 2004
This book is a splendid introduction to theories about visual culture. It opens up the sociological / psychodynamic / anthropological theories that exist about the visual media to laymen. Another good thing is that they do not focus on high culture visual media, but also on film, television, advertising, etc. This is what makes the book valuable to people who are specialized in neighbouring fields and who wish to know more about visual media (for instance, marketeers, perception psychologists, therapists, people studying politics, etc.). On every topic the background literature is made accessible by good references and a short introduction to these references. This is really helpful! For instance, i always wanted to know more about Barthes theorizing about myths, and how that applies to advertising, with this book i have a good introduction, but also a good guide that tells me how to find the relevant and more up to date literature on this topic.

the lighter fun book on the subject, 20 Nov 2003
This book is easy going introductory reading for undergraduate courses on the subject. It's relatively short, has lots of pictures and photos and is mostly about advertising, tv, and popular culture. It makes a nice change from weighty pompous academic essays and it's engaging and intelligent.

It's not just for Web Design - apply to everything, 08 Oct 2008
One of the best book I have read this year. Gives you all the basics on usability, how to understand people and how they use websites. It's a must buy as it will be useful for almost everything in business. Don't make people think, due to internet we switch attention so quickly!

All of the basics - and more!, 14 Sep 2008
Just like the method of web design he advocates, Steve Krug explains his craft in a simple, logical manner.

A common sense approach to web design? Yes it certainly is, and as someone who is used to ploughing through text heavy web design and online marketing textbooks, this book is a welcome relief. It is well laid out, logically progressive, while still being easy to dip in and out of as necessary.

The chapters dealing with the guiding principles of web design give simple and, sometimes obvious, basic advice, but somehow the way in which they are delivered still manages to stimulate your creative processes. The later chapters dealing with the internal politics of designing a corporate website with multiple stakeholders shows excellent insight, and gives good practical advice about how to manage this process.

This book is for beginners and experts alike and, despite being relatively short, still delivers comprehensive coverage of the subject.


A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..., 28 Aug 2008
First things first.. this is not a book for web designers, graphic artists, developers or anyone who actually has to do these sorts of tasks for a living (or even for a hobby, for that matter). You will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know and, in fact, there is some stuff in here that I think it would be better off NOT knowing, particularly some of the garishly coloured and clustered monstrosities that are heralded as examples of good design.

The only people who would find this book useful are management-types and marketing people... the kind of people who really should stick to pushing pens and emailing rather than getting involved in the dirty work of designing and developing a succesful website. This book could do a lot of damage in terms of giving delusions of grandeur to these sorts of people!

Much of the advice given in the book is out of date, and many of the example websites are now either not there or have been altered to the extreme. On a posative note, this book does state the obvious to quite a phenominal level and I suppose there may be some people to whom this may be of benefit.

Personally, i'd reccomend any web proffesionals who are thinking of buying this book to stay the heck away!! If you're a manager/marketing person or someone who needs to create the illusion that you know what you're talking about when asked to comment on a website, then this book may be of benefit.

Common sense. Why dont more web developers read it?, 13 Aug 2008
Everything this book says is just common sense. When designing websites, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that people will actually be using your published work! How many times have you been to a site only to think "where's the search box" or when entering some details into your online bank account and then press the "enter key" it doesn't login, it goes off to a "apply for a new savings account". Very confusing. In these circumstances, your brain has to think about what has happened, leaving a negative impression in your mind. Not good if you're trying to sell something!

When it comes to the web, first impressions count. Take Amazons new redesign for 2008. Amazon gets quite a lot of coverage in the book as an example of good design, so it's interesting that they have gone away from their old design, that's been around for about a decade. I don't like the new look, because every time I use it I have to think whereas before it was intuitive. That's the whole point of "dont make me think". You should never have to think about how to use a web site. If you need to use your brain to do something simple, the designer has FAILED.

"Dont make me think" is a quick and easy read. It's quite small at 200 pages. It's often reduced on Amazon so keep an eye out for a bargain.

Highly recommended for all developers, even if you don't often do user interfaces. The advice can be applied to all interfaces and not just the web.


Quality comes in small packages!!!, 30 Jun 2008
A wonderful little book that really opens your eyes to usability issues that are so obvious but are still overlooked. Time and again a light bulb lights up in your brain as you read this and you think god it is so obvious why didn't I notice that before?

The great thing is you can read this book in one sitting and finish an enlightened usability expert ready to impress your colleagues with your new found knowledge.

"Your phd for living", 23 Sep 2008
If you search on youtube for "the art of looking sideways" you'll come across a 10 minute interview with the late Alan Fletcher. The man was clearly a visionary and apparently loved his Mac ;-)

If you're not into graphic design that much (like me) yet you're into philosophy or psychology, marketing or coaching, leadership or teaching or any other field where the human condition is front & center you'll still find lots of wonderful things in this book, if only by reading the quotes and the stories.

This book has been created by a discovering man, a collecting man and especially a listening and thinking man. He supposedly worked 18! years on this book. No wonder it's such a source of inspiration and insight.

I adore the 'chapters' on creativity and meanings. There are 72 'chapters' in total in this book, each covering a certain 'topic'. I prefer to call them 'mentalities'. Fletcher calls them '72 slices of life' and '72 slices of your brain'.

The two most genius properties of this book are:

- no two pages have similar layout
- you don't know what to expect when turning any page

Only buy this book if you want to discover. Fletcher was a designer but before one can design one has to discover. This book is a discovery by itself and it's filled with thousands of discoveries.

Stuck for an idea? Dive in here..., 24 Mar 2008
Alan Fletcher was one of the creative powerhouses of design from the 1960s on, and this book puts together some of his musings on life, the Universe and everything. The book is designed to spark ideas and thought, so even the paper used changes from page to page.

In typically quirky fashion, only the left hand pages are given a number so if you buy this book you actually get over a thousand pages of inspiring graphics, calligraphy, typography and photographs collected over the course of a long and illustrious career: he founded Pentagram; he designed logos for Reuters and the Victoria and Albert museum. The book gives a glimpse of the thought processes that went in to that work. For the money it's an astonishing bargain.

A homage to concept-driven design and thinking, 27 May 2007
This book provides so many examples of both the mechanics of a good concept and the power of lateral thinking. A great feat to have documented and communicated such an eclectic range of thoughts and ideas.

Inspirational, 27 Jan 2007
This is the book to have next to your desk: dip into it, when you need escape or inspiration. Or start from the beginning and work your way through it: whichever way you do it: I defy you not to find something interesting on virtually every page!!

Rowland Jones

A fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and a good dose of self-indulgence by the author, 31 Dec 2006
What a wonderful title for this book of more than 530 pages. The target is visual awareness and it has 72 chapters devoted to themes such as "ideas", "thinking", "seeing", "camouflage" and "handedness". The author claims it is "a journey without a destination", and he is probably right, the implication being that it is the voyage that counts in life. It is truly a massive collection of bits and pieces collected by the author, thrown on to a basic structure, and presented "shaken not stirred" (to misuse a common quote from James Bond). Her lies the books major asset and its major defect. It is full of interesting images and text bites, yet at the same time it is full of bits of useless or uninteresting trivia. There are times when you get the impression that the author has been overly self-indulgent, but it is certainly a lesson to us all - collect every little bit of dross since it could become a book one day. Yet it also a fantastic collection of interesting "factlets" and for the price it is certainly worth having on your shelves. I suspect it is also a book that I will go back to occasionally just to skim through the odd 100 pages. I was planning to give this extravagantly over-indulgent book only 3-stars, but in writing this review I've convinced myself to give it a solid 4-stars for its fun content and the gall of the author in thinking his lifetime collection of "odds and bods" would interest others. It did.

Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)

Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.

I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.

If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!

Less is More, 08 Aug 2008
This is a beautiful book which has the best of both worlds, style and substance. Each idea is followed up with clear and precise examples, full of colour and creativity. It will challenge your old mindset .The writing is melodic and flows carrying you through the book with effortless style.

However, this is not a book for lazy mind , although its packed full of inspirational ideas ,it won't do the work for you.Its not a step by step guide to making presentations .The writer clearly explains his approach is not the fastest way , but in the long term it's the most rewarding. I've tried out plenty of his ideas and he's right.

It also teaches you to work within time constraints, so its anchored in the real world. It has an elegant quality, beautifully presented. It's a visual feast for the eyes.

Interesting you find this book will bring you beyond image and design , It's unclutters your mind allowing you to simplify your thought process.The book is very accessable so its not just graphic artists and web designers who will benefit. Reynolds also uses technology sparingly, choosing pen and paper to map out his initial presentation ideas.

Overall, this is a fantastic book which should kept within arms reach. I keep dipping in and out of it, sometimes to get presentation ideas or simplify my thought process.


A book that should inspire if you approach it correctly, 16 Jul 2008
I like this book but it needs the right attitude to get the best from it. Having just finished a masters degree where my thesis revolved around adults and especially children develop there cognitive and creative skills. The research really basically looked at the physiological and philosophical nuts and bolts of cognitive/creative development when we are young and then moved on to how we can use it these skills today. If there has been one thing I have learnt from 2 years pf research is the creativity is one important and can't be taught. Comments like the Luigi Clemente above which dismisses a book or an idea as being generic because there are no practical help is missing the barn door by such a margin as to be to not even to have seen the barn door in the first place. Creativity and cognitive skills can't be taught by supplying practical advice. It is something that is unique to all of us. It is our creativity that makes us who we are. Creativity here is not be defined as just drawing a picture but rather the unique connection we all make between all the various areas of our brain and how those linkages create new of different aspects, concepts and ideas. You can not achieve this through someone giving you practical advice or suggestions that luigi Clemente is complaining is an oxymoron of a complaint. This book is great but to get the best out of it has to come from you. it is meant to inspire. If we are always looking for practical advice from someone else we will never truly becreative or develop better cognitive skills

A good introduction to improving your presentations., 14 May 2008
For those that are unfamiliar with Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen blog, and even for those that do, but want to know what sets presenters like Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin apart from the rest, it serves as a great starting point. Presentation Zen is neither about possesing high technical or creative skills, but just about conveying ideas in a simple and easy to digest format. By moving away from information filled slides to ones that support your underlying message, you can lead your viewers to a higher state of understanding.

I didn't give this book a full 5-stars as I personally felt a lot of the imagery used was a bit cliched and didn't really "stimulate" me in the way I thought was intended but there are a lot of example slides which are great and show you exactly in which direction you need to be going. It is very focused on the actual "slideshow" part of presenting and doesn't really go into the art of actually communicating your ideas regardless of your slides and visuals. For the actually communication of ideas and information I highly recommend Dan Roam's "Back of the Napkin" as a companion book to this.

EDIT: I messed up and accidently gave it the full 5 star review. The editing process on Amazon does not seem to allow me to change this :(

A good starter, 10 Jun 2006
This book is a good starter but there are many printing errors (wrong instructions, missing instructions) so beware. It also assumes that you are familiar with some pattern cutting techniques. If you are an absolute beginner it would be useful to have someone in the know to ask as at times it is possible to become absolutely stuck. If you are studying pattern cutting this would be a really useful book to have. If you are learning by yourself, you may find this book to be a little frustrating.

Worth the learning curve, 28 Nov 2002
I found this book difficult to use at first, being used to commercial pre-printed patterns, but with a bit of perseverance I was able to produce some well-fitted pieces that I was quite pleased with. I particularly liked the section on dealing with bodies of different shapes (sloping shoulders, long backs etc). I would recommend this book to anyone wanting the flexibility to design their own clothes.

pure guava, 19 Mar 2000
i am currently in the process of gaining my diploma in fashion and textiles at the nelson polytechnic NEW ZEALAND this tome will aid you in designing fashion garments while realising that pattern cutting is an artform.

This book simplyfies and demystifies patterncutting., 06 Jul 1999
.... This book is easy to understand and is recommended for professionals and lay people alike. Even if you have never patterncut before, this book provides you with all you need to go and do it for your own wardrobe or professionally. It has helped me many a times as a reference tool. I know many patterncutters would recommend this book ,as my teacher did to me. Drawings are clear and explanatory in themselves. And a great efford is made to keep language,jargon and mathmatics at a bearable minimum. It comes in a nice hardcover so that it survives the rough handling of many a designroom. CUT CUT AWAY

one of the best introductions to visual culture, 24 Feb 2004
This book is a splendid introduction to theories about visual culture. It opens up the sociological / psychodynamic / anthropological theories that exist about the visual media to laymen. Another good thing is that they do not focus on high culture visual media, but also on film, television, advertising, etc. This is what makes the book valuable to people who are specialized in neighbouring fields and who wish to know more about visual media (for instance, marketeers, perception psychologists, therapists, people studying politics, etc.). On every topic the background literature is made accessible by good references and a short introduction to these references. This is really helpful! For instance, i always wanted to know more about Barthes theorizing about myths, and how that applies to advertising, with this book i have a good introduction, but also a good guide that tells me how to find the relevant and more up to date literature on this topic.

the lighter fun book on the subject, 20 Nov 2003
This book is easy going introductory reading for undergraduate courses on the subject. It's relatively short, has lots of pictures and photos and is mostly about advertising, tv, and popular culture. It makes a nice change from weighty pompous academic essays and it's engaging and intelligent.

One of the best, 13 Sep 2008
I have been using flash for years and there are still some great tricks that I have learnt from this book. I lecture flash at university to complete beginners and I intend to point them in the direction of this book. The exercises look great and are FUN to complete. Flash is not the easiest program to learn. The beauty of this book is that the content is so engaging, the exercises rewarding, you might not even notice you are learning along the way.

Top book even for beginners!, 22 Feb 2008
You don't really need an advanced knowledge of Flash to use this book. How to cheat in flash is very, very good. It is targetted mostly at cartoon animators rather than users that will want to do Action Scripting, presentation or web development. This book will guide you through from start to finish for a lot of basic animation techniques and provides a good insight into how to implement your own ideas. it also gives instruction on how to perform commands etc on both the Windows and Mac. Again, I would only recommend this book if you are into cartoon animation mainly, otherwise there are probably better books out there.

Too technical, 19 Feb 2008
Its a good book, but no good for begginers.
It assumes you already know where things are and how to do some things.
If your just learning how to use flash (as I am) this is not the book for you.


Flashtastic, 10 Dec 2007
Firstly I would like to say that when I reviewed this book a few weeks ago there was a post which thankfully has been removed.
Basically it dismissed this book because it suggested that it helps you 'cheat'
I for one am glad I wasn't put off because this book is fantastic!! It covers everything that you will need to know.
From design styles and basic drawing to using video and audio.
It even tackles action scripting very cool! this book is going to save me so much time only wish I had stumbled across it sooner
there's even a cd with the different graphics so you can play around when your reading this book.

Brilliant pot-pourri of flash, 04 Nov 2007
A great little book that is a pleasure to open and read. Well illustrated and presented - a book with high production values. The title (forget the cheating bit) describes the contents perfectly - The art of design and Animation - the knowledgeable author teaches great Flash techniques.

A great addition to your flash library.

It's not just for Web Design - apply to everything, 08 Oct 2008
One of the best book I have read this year. Gives you all the basics on usability, how to understand people and how they use websites. It's a must buy as it will be useful for almost everything in business. Don't make people think, due to internet we switch attention so quickly!

All of the basics - and more!, 14 Sep 2008
Just like the method of web design he advocates, Steve Krug explains his craft in a simple, logical manner.

A common sense approach to web design? Yes it certainly is, and as someone who is used to ploughing through text heavy web design and online marketing textbooks, this book is a welcome relief. It is well laid out, logically progressive, while still being easy to dip in and out of as necessary.

The chapters dealing with the guiding principles of web design give simple and, sometimes obvious, basic advice, but somehow the way in which they are delivered still manages to stimulate your creative processes. The later chapters dealing with the internal politics of designing a corporate website with multiple stakeholders shows excellent insight, and gives good practical advice about how to manage this process.

This book is for beginners and experts alike and, despite being relatively short, still delivers comprehensive coverage of the subject.


A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..., 28 Aug 2008
First things first.. this is not a book for web designers, graphic artists, developers or anyone who actually has to do these sorts of tasks for a living (or even for a hobby, for that matter). You will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know and, in fact, there is some stuff in here that I think it would be better off NOT knowing, particularly some of the garishly coloured and clustered monstrosities that are heralded as examples of good design.

The only people who would find this book useful are management-types and marketing people... the kind of people who really should stick to pushing pens and emailing rather than getting involved in the dirty work of designing and developing a succesful website. This book could do a lot of damage in terms of giving delusions of grandeur to these sorts of people!

Much of the advice given in the book is out of date, and many of the example websites are now either not there or have been altered to the extreme. On a posative note, this book does state the obvious to quite a phenominal level and I suppose there may be some people to whom this may be of benefit.

Personally, i'd reccomend any web proffesionals who are thinking of buying this book to stay the heck away!! If you're a manager/marketing person or someone who needs to create the illusion that you know what you're talking about when asked to comment on a website, then this book may be of benefit.

Common sense. Why dont more web developers read it?, 13 Aug 2008
Everything this book says is just common sense. When designing websites, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that people will actually be using your published work! How many times have you been to a site only to think "where's the search box" or when entering some details into your online bank account and then press the "enter key" it doesn't login, it goes off to a "apply for a new savings account". Very confusing. In these circumstances, your brain has to think about what has happened, leaving a negative impression in your mind. Not good if you're trying to sell something!

When it comes to the web, first impressions count. Take Amazons new redesign for 2008. Amazon gets quite a lot of coverage in the book as an example of good design, so it's interesting that they have gone away from their old design, that's been around for about a decade. I don't like the new look, because every time I use it I have to think whereas before it was intuitive. That's the whole point of "dont make me think". You should never have to think about how to use a web site. If you need to use your brain to do something simple, the designer has FAILED.

"Dont make me think" is a quick and easy read. It's quite small at 200 pages. It's often reduced on Amazon so keep an eye out for a bargain.

Highly recommended for all developers, even if you don't often do user interfaces. The advice can be applied to all interfaces and not just the web.


Quality comes in small packages!!!, 30 Jun 2008
A wonderful little book that really opens your eyes to usability issues that are so obvious but are still overlooked. Time and again a light bulb lights up in your brain as you read this and you think god it is so obvious why didn't I notice that before?

The great thing is you can read this book in one sitting and finish an enlightened usability expert ready to impress your colleagues with your new found knowledge.

"Your phd for living", 23 Sep 2008
If you search on youtube for "the art of looking sideways" you'll come across a 10 minute interview with the late Alan Fletcher. The man was clearly a visionary and apparently loved his Mac ;-)

If you're not into graphic design that much (like me) yet you're into philosophy or psychology, marketing or coaching