Design for Hackers – Reverse Engineering Beauty Reverse-engineering beauty

Discover the techniques behind beautiful design?by deconstructing designs to understand them

The term 'hacker' has been redefined to consist of anyone who has an insatiable curiosity as to how things work--and how they can try to make them better. This book is aimed at hackers of all skill levels and explains the classical principles and techniques behind beautiful designs by deconstructing those designs in order to understand what makes them so remarkable. Author and designer David Kadavy provides you with the framework for understanding good design and places a special emphasis on interactive mediums. You'll explore color theory, the role of proportion and geometry in design, and the relationship between medium and form. Packed with unique reverse engineering design examples, this book inspires and encourages you to discover and create new beauty in a variety of formats.
* Breaks down and studies the classical principles and techniques behind the creation of beautiful design
* Illustrates cultural and contextual considerations in communicating to a specific audience
* Discusses why design is important, the purpose of design, the various constraints of design, and how today's fonts are designed with the screen in mind
* Dissects the elements of color, size, scale, proportion, medium, and form
* Features a unique range of examples, including the graffiti in the ancient city of Pompeii, the lack of the color black in Monet's art, the style and sleekness of the iPhone, and more

By the end of this book, you'll be able to apply the featured design principles to your own web designs, mobile apps, or other digital work.

"Why did Monet never use the color black in his paintings?" "Why are Web 2.0' graphics rounded?" "What can modern web designers learn from graffiti left on the walls of ancient Pompeii more than 1900 years ago?" Design for Hackers explains the classical principles and techniques behind creating beautiful design. Inside, designer David Kadavy provides you with a framework for understanding good design, with a special emphasis on interactive mediums. Design for Hackers breaks down the classical principles and techniques for creating beautiful design by explaining color theory, the role of proportion and geometry in design, and the relationship between medium and form - all while illustrating important cultural and contextual considerations in communicating clearly to a particular audience. By reverse engineering design samples as varied as the paintings of Monet, the graffiti of Pompeii, Apple's iPhone and the New York Times, the design principles at work can then be used in your own web designs, mobile apps, or other digital work. Topics include: Understanding Design: What Makes a Design "Good?"Why Design is importantDesign has Purpose Why a lost dog poster is beautifulDesign has constraints Medium and Form Why You Don't Use Garamond on the Web How today's web fonts are designed with the screen in mindHow some fonts have embraced the limitations of the pixelWhy Web 2.0 Graphics are Gradated and Rounded SEO is Design, Too Proportion: What You Can't See May be Beautiful Leading the Eye Why on its own, the golden ratio is not the most attractiveSize Color: The Sculpture of Light Color Science How to avoid using black on the WebColor Theory Split Color Schemes on the Web

Discover the techniques behind beautiful design?by deconstructing designs to understand them The term ?hacker' has been redefined to consist of anyone who has an insatiable curiosity as to how things work?and how they can try to make them better. This book is aimed at hackers of all skill levels and explains the classical principles and techniques behind beautiful designs by deconstructing those designs in order to understand what makes them so remarkable. Author and designer David Kadavy provides you with the framework for understanding good design and places a special emphasis on interactive mediums. You'll explore color theory, the role of proportion and geometry in design, and the relationship between medium and form. Packed with unique reverse engineering design examples, this book inspires and encourages you to discover and create new beauty in a variety of formats. Breaks down and studies the classical principles and techniques behind the creation of beautiful design Illustrates cultural and contextual considerations in communicating to a specific audience Discusses why design is important, the purpose of design, the various constraints of design, and how today's fonts are designed with the screen in mind Dissects the elements of color, size, scale, proportion, medium, and form Features a unique range of examples, including the graffiti in the ancient city of Pompeii, the lack of the color black in Monet's art, the style and sleekness of the iPhone, and more By the end of this book, you'll be able to apply the featured design principles to your own web designs, mobile apps, or other digital work.