“If the message is bad then the design has no value; if the design is bad, the message suffers. So design must be enhance, and good responsible design makes people think, question, learn, and act.” -Steven Heller, who introduces John Cranmer and Yolanda Zeppaterra’s Conscientious Objectives, a book that aims at responsible design or design that matters. Similar to independent film, responsible design is honest and true to its content. Furthermore, responsible design educates the audience. Where as Hollywood film or commercial design is mostly interested in visual eye candy, exaggerated the message, and created false perceptions.

Obviously, commercial design is where the money is but John Cranmer and Yolanda Zeppaterra will help you find the balance between commercial design and design that matters. They provide tips on how to choose the right clients and employers. They also encourages you to educate your clients and raise their awareness of ethical problems.

At the heart of Conscientious Objectives is the showcase of the 10 real world projects that deal with political, social, ethical, and environmental issues. The book gives you insight look at the process and challenges designers faced when working on these projects. My favorite design is the pullout pen for TrueMajority’s political campaign, which created by Stefan Sagmeister. It’s creative and definitely will stick to your mind. I also find the process shares by S-W-H and Eat is useful. They had to work with limited resources but managed to educate their client (Ecover) to effectively market the products focusing on the environmental friendly direction. Of course, other projects are inspirational as well.

Although design that matters might not win you any graphic design awards, it does make a different. True design is always remembered. So buy it, read it, study it, and apply it to your own work. Conscientious Objectives is an invaluable and inspirational source for graphic designers.

Defensive Design by 37signals provides 40 guidelines to help visitors get back on track incase “shit” happens. The book takes a different approach on usability by showing how to turn a crisis situation into a positive experience. The 40 guidelines will help readers create bulletproof forms to avoid frustration, design the 404 page incase they mistype the URL, handle unavailability products by telling them upfront and provide alternatives, use appropriate language that they can understand, craft relevant information when they perform a search, offer help and get out of their way when “shit” happens.

Defensive Design provides invaluable resources by focusing on simple and straightforward contents. Each guideline is not only clearly explained but also backs up with real world examples. The book points out both good and bad sites with careful explanations to show how they had failed or succeeded so readers can learn from the good and avoid the bad.

Defensive Design is a must read for anyone who works on the web. The last chapter alone deserves the price for this book. It gives readers a checklist to test out their own site by applying the 40 guidelines. This precious little book will help bring in tremendous profits and pleasant web experiences. Thanks to the guys at 37signals for this incredible work.

Ann Longknife and K.D. Sullivan’s The Art of Styling Sentences is an excellent companion for anyone who would like to enrich his/her writing skills. The book delves into 20 patterns on how to write clear and prosperous sentences.

Each pattern is clearly explained with basic examples to help readers understand the concepts and structures. On top of that, the book provides professional examples written by well-known writers to show how the patterns are applied. Practice makes perfect and writing is no exception; therefore, there are exercises throughout the book to get your brain cooking.

Styling sentences is a work of art. Similar to design, you have to choose the right elements to make your writing live and efficient. I like the way the authors start out with the basic subject and verb then build up those basic elements into effective sentences. Your sentences grow as you delve deeper into the book.

Finally, the last chapter provides complete essays to demonstrate how the writing can be improve by using these patterns. The Art of Styling Sentences is a must have book and it deserves a space on my shelf next to William Struck Jr. and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style.

I picked up Montel Williams’s Climbing Higher because I want to learn more about Multiple Sclerosis, an evil disease that took away my lovely Ngoc Lan. The more I learn about MS, the more respect I have for Ngoc Lan. As a delicate woman, she was quietly suffering through the torturing of MS for quite a long time. From what I have learned from this book, MS is very painful. Even Montel Williams, a strong man who lifts weight everyday, wanted to commit suicide a couple of times to end the misery. He describes the pain on his feet as walking on burning coal.

Climbing Higher not only talks about MS but also lets readers get intimate with Montel William, one of the successful talk show in America. This is his personal story and he is sharing it to the public. How he deals with MS, his marriage, his children, his sexuality, etc. How MS controls his brain, his body and even his penis. He tells you every details how MS makes his life a living hell.

The inspiration aspect of the book is how Montel Williams moves from negative to positive. Instead of putting that bullet through his brain to let MS wins, he is fighting the sucker till the end. He sees MS as a blessing instead of a deadly disease. He is encouraging people to fight MS by setting up Montelms.org. Please support the foundation by donate money or buy this book (a portion goes to the foundation) to find a cure for MS.

True to its title, Mario Garcia’s Pure Design is clean, simple, and elegant. Inspired by minimalism, Mario Garcia explains how pure design can provide an enjoyable experience by allowing readers to navigate through a website or a publication effortlessly. The book covers words, types, layout, color, picture, and process in details and advices on what do and not to do. At the end of each chapter, there are real projects case studies to help readers apply the theory presented. The last chapter shares top ten useful myths from Mario Garcia. Pure Design is highly recommended for information and graphic designers. Although, the book focused mainly on newspaper design, some of the theories presented could apply toward the web as well. Here are some notes I find useful for web designers.

Pure Design– create simple and uncomplicated structure.

Design Theories:

Make it easy to read – clear typography, legible, and easy on the eyes
Make it easy to find – employ navigational tools that allow the reader to get to the content in the least amount of time possible.
Make it visually appealing – provide an environment in which good content will find attractive display.

Words

Respect for words shows on every page. Words are the keys to our senses in ways that perhaps visuals, even the power of color, can’t.

Type

Font should be easy to read, allow for contrast, and appropriate to the public.

Layout

To box or not to box? Use very thin borders around boxes. Allow white space between border and contents. Use thicker rule at top or bottom but never on the side.

Color

Use colors to communicate, to energizing the canvas, to attract the eyes and to leave an impression.

White space is important. Like punctuation in a sentence, it allows thoughts to flow without running into each other. White space is the most silent of aids to the designer.

Picture

Photo composites work best for groupings of images that tell a story.

Headshots – use them small, and create a template, so all headshots throughout the entire publication are the exact same size. Headshots should be closely cropped. Always use a caption. Can be use in the text of a story. Can be black and white or color. Can be drawings or photos.

Process

Good briefings – gather a small group with an outline of goals to be accomplished. Deal with philosophical discussions of what lies ahead
Dream a little – consider a different format, new color palette, etc. Bring to the table the organization’s best and most innovative minds.

Myths

– Readers don’t like reversed-out type
– Color must be introduce slowly
– Italics are difficult to read
– Flow of text should not be interrupted

Hopefully my writing will improve now that I have read William Struck Jr. and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style (if I can remember what I’ve read and apply to my writing). Even if I can’t remember everything from the book, one suggestion I will never forget is, “Omit needless words!” This thin little book is the best eight bucks I ever spent on books. It teaches me how to write clear and concise. As a foreigner (English as Second Language), the rules of usage and principles of composition always scare the hell out of me. Fortunately, this book makes them seem much easier and friendlier than they appear to be. I recommend this book undoubtedly to anyone who is learning English as second language. The Element of Style is also a great reference for writing on the web because of its simple and straight to the point approach on writing.

Wow! What can I say? As soon as I start diving into Girls by Nic Kelman, I could not stop. It’s simply raw, rugged and bold. When men become successful and “money ain’t a thang,” what can stop them from fucking young and beautiful girls? Yes! It’s disturbing to read into the minds of these men but that is how most men think. What can be better than fucking your friend’s eighteen years old daughter? How can you not enjoy going on a date with a former Playboy girl although she costs you fifteen thousand dollars? Than again “money ain’t a thang.” What can be more pleasurable than sharing your girlfriend with one of your male friend? Well, maybe not. Some men like it, some men don’t. I hate it.

Kelman’s descriptive writing is what I like best about the novel. The way he describes a young girl, “Her whole body still strives outwards, her lips, her breasts, her thighs, her whole body has not yet decided to stop, to petrify, to crumble. You have never seen anything like so ripe in all your life. This is the word that comes to mind, ‘ripe’.” Better yet, the way he describes sex scenes are way better than watching porno. His words are simple, clear, and straight to fuck.

The least I like about Girls is the passages from Iliad and Odyssey being quoted throughout the book. They serve nothing but getting in the way of the stories. However, I do enjoy reading the histories of words such as: cunt, pussy, cock, etc.

Nic Kelman’s Girls is simply a beautiful work of art. It definitely provides readers an aesthetic experience but you have to read this novel with an open mind. Don’t think this book gears toward men but the contents are very strong and women might find it offensive. This is the first novel I ever finished reading in two days.

Step into the creative mind of the Glitterguru on Photoshop. Suzette Troche-Stapp gives readers a tour of her work from concept creation to finishing up aesthetically beautiful digital photographs. The book is divided into three parts. The first part, she guides readers through basic but useful concepts including: creating storyboard, gathering team members, casting a model, finding props, shooting techniques, marketing your work on the web, and so on. The second part, she shares her three techniques of retouching photos which she called reality, surgery, and fantasy. Although the technical are not detailed, readers would understand the concepts presented. The last part showcases some of her creative works. She also explains how she came up with the ideas and shows the process to get there.

This book is simply an inspiration. Not only the concepts and techniques are well present, the contents are a pleasure to read as well. Her style of writing is clear and entertaining. Suzettet Troche-Stapp is pretty much giving away her secrets as she speaks out her mind and shares her experiences. Highly recommended for digital photographers, especially the beginners who are looking for work in this exciting medium. Consider this book as your “real world” internship. In fact, it is even better than an internship. You can easily say, “I have been trained by the Glitterguru” on your resume.

Wow! An impressive three hundreds plus pages book on Designing a Digital Portfolio. Cynthia Baron delves into great details from planning to presenting a successful digital portfolio. The book features tons of online examples with clear explanations to point out their effectiveness. On top of that, there are numerous quotes from professional designers and creative directors through out the book sharing their experiences on what works, what doesn’t, and what are expected from a digital portfolio.

The book starts off with helping you define what kind of designer you are and what are you interested in doing. So that you won’t create a portfolio that give a wrong impression and ends up with a job you would not like. Cynthia Baron goes on walks you through every step such as: doing research, collect your best work, write efficiently, tips and tricks and so on to help you present a digital portfolio that is right for you.

I highly recommend Designing a Digital Portfolio for students who are pursuing their career as an interactive, graphic, or web design. Now a day, online digital portfolio is a must if you want to get the first impression. I also recommend this book for the DArt program at La Salle. I remember putting together a senior portfolio showcasing works from DArt major students. It was really bad. We had no idea what we were doing and threw in all kinds of junks. Yes! It was the good old days.

A couple months ago, a friend asked me for advice on how to learn web design. She was applying for a job and one of the requirements was to create and maintain the organization’s website. Working on the web for many years, I did not know where to tell her to begin. Should I recommend learning HTML or Dreamweaver? Web design is much more complicated than that. It involves more than just learning the technical skills. What about usability, accessibility, user interface and other challenges? I did not want to freak her out but I did not know what to tell her. Now that I just read The Accidental Webmaster by Julie M. Still, I immediately thought of her. This book is perfect for someone like her who is new to the web game and just want to learn enough to get by as an “Accidental Webmaster.”

If somehow creating and maintaining your company’s website accidentally fall into your lap, this book will save you from loosing sleep at night. Still shares her experience on how she became an “Accidental Webmaster” and offers many useful advices. Even though Still does not show how to code HTML or learn Dreamweaver, she will guide you through the rules of the game to get you started from the basic concepts of setting up policies to design issues to hosting your site. She does a great job at explaining each concept clearly and concisely. She also breaks down each type of site to help you identify the type of work you will deal with.

The Accidental Webmaster is very focused. Julie M. Still knows exactly who her target audience is. If you are a web professional, this is not your cup of tea but for those who are “the Accident Webmaster,” this book is for you and you know who you are. I also recommend this book to graphic designers who would like to learn web design. It’s time to get off Photoshop and learn some basic concepts of website design.