Category Archives: Reviews

aAdesign reviews

Graphic Design: A User’s Manual

Written by Corey. Posted on January 21, 2010. Filed under Reviews. Tagged adrian shaughnessy, book, Design, graphic design a users manual, laurence king publishing, review. 3 Comments.

Graphic Design: A User’s Manual written and designed by Adrian Shaughnessy is an absolute must read for a graphic designer. Actually, I should rephrase that, this book is an absolute must-reference for any designer. Structured as a very concise reference tool with each chapter, titled simply with a letter of the alphabet, addressing common and not so common topics in [...]

Art Direction Explained, At Last!

Written by Corey. Posted on October 28, 2009. Filed under Design, Reviews. Tagged art direction explained at last, book, Design, review, steven heller, veronique vienne. 5 Comments.

Art Direction Explained, At Last! by Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne does a phenominal job of answering the question I know I’ve asked so many times, what is it that art directors do? This book does an amazing job of walking you through the technical aspects of being an art director. You also get a glimpse into the [...]

Designers Don’t Read

Written by Corey. Posted on October 18, 2009. Filed under Design, Reviews. Tagged austin howe, book, designers don't read, review. 6 Comments.

Whether you’re a freelance designer fresh out of college or a 10 year veteran, Designers Don’t Read by Austin Howe is a real treat. From topics like “HOW MANY IDEAS SHOULD YOU PRESENT?” and “CAREER LAUNCHERS” to “NOCTURNAL GENIUS” and “THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESENTATION SKILLS”. Each chapter is as entertaining as it is informative and doubly inspirational.

Make Awesome eBook Covers

Written by Corey. Posted on September 17, 2009. Filed under Design, Reviews. Tagged Design, Photoshop. No comments.

Have you ever wondered how those fancy looking eBooks get their fancy looking (albeit obviously fake) covers made? I was recently working on a postcard for a book series and I was in dire need of this ability. I may be a whiz when it comes to photo manipulation (one day I’ll prove it) but the type of trickery needed to [...]

Great Color Combinations Book

Written by Corey. Posted on September 9, 2009. Filed under Design, Reviews. Tagged Design, Reviews. No comments.

By no means would I consider myself an expert in anything and I will gladly acknowledge that fact. I would like to point out however that there are many different ways to fake it! When it comes to understanding what color combinations naturally work together I have this great book that helps me “fake it” every time.

Using Windows Live Writer

Written by Corey. Posted on September 6, 2009. Filed under Musings, Reviews. Tagged Musings. No comments.

I just downloaded Windows Live Writer to give me more freedom when blogging and I have to say that so far I’m pretty impressed. Writer automatically links to my blog and allows me to write in a WYSIWYG environment that is more comfortable than the online editor built into WordPress.