Design for Hackers

Date: 29 December 2012 | Posted by: yda

"If you want to learn to create great design yourself...there simply is no way to do so with lists of rules. Instead, I want to provide you with a new set of eyes through which you can see the world anew." -David Kadavy

Why did Monet never use the color black on his paintings?
Why is the golden ratio not all it's cracked up to be?
Why is Comic Sans such a hated font?

It's amazing what you can learn about great web design by asking questions like these. Award-winning designer David Kadavy uses this "reverse-engineering" process in Design for Hackers to deconstruct classical design principles and techniques for web designers. Using an eclectic array of reverse-engineered examples, ranging from Twitter's latest redesign, to Target's red shopping carts, and ancient graffiti from the walls of Pompeii, he explains:
Color Theory: How can you enliven your designs by understanding how colors interact?
Proportion and Geometry: How can you establish a grid that is suitable for the device on which your design with be displayed?
Size and Scale: How can you create clean design just by choosing the right type sizes?
White Space: How can you use it elegantly to communicate clearly?
Composition and Design Principles: How can you use them to make your designs more compelling?
Typographic Etiquette: What tiny typographic details can make a huge difference in what you're communicating?

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