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Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design

William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler · 4 HN comments
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Amazon Summary
Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopedia covering 125 laws, guidelines, human biases, and general considerations important to successful design. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, it pairs clear explanations of every design concept with visual examples of the ideas applied in practice. From the 80/20 Rule to the Weakest Link, every major design concept is defined and illustrated. Whether a marketing campaign or a museum exhibit, a video game or a complex control system, the design we see is the culmination of many concepts and practices brought together from a variety of disciplines. Because no one can be an expert on everything, designers have always had to scramble to find the information and know-how required to make a design work—until now. Just a few of the principles that will broaden your design knowledge, promote brainstorming, and help you check the quality of your work : Baby-Face Bias Expectation Effect Golden Ration Ockham's Razor Proximity Scaling Fallacy The book is organized alphabetically so that principles can be easily and quickly referenced by name. For those interested in addressing a specific problem of design, the principles have also been indexed by questions commonly confronting designers (How can I help people learn from my design? How can I enhance the usability of a design? How can I make better design decisions? ...). Each principle is presented in a two-page format. The left-hand page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, examples of its use, and guidelines for use. Side notes appear to the right of the text, and provide elaborations and references. The right-hand page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle. This landmark reference is the standard for designers, engineers, architects, and students who seek to broaden and improve their design expertise.
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Universal Principles Of Design [1] mentions this, as well. Rather counterintuitively, the solution for reducing brain injuries in football may be to remove helmets altogether.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592535879/amsi-20

jpindar
There was a time when American football players didn't wear helmets, or wore only soft leather ones. Men DIED on the field from head injuries. In 1905 there were 19 fatalities.
Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:

Branded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital...)

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati...

Universal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U...

The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19...

Multiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors...

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization...

Thoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754...

Notes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac...

..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:

Unflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta...

The Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Product Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Developers looking to increase their design vocabulary and skillset outside of top five lists may find this introductory book beneficial:

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Up...

These were some of the books which taught me a lot about Design were:

Don't make me Think by Steve Krug http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

Non-Designer's Design Book http://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Typographic-...

Universal Principles of Design http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Up...

Also make sure you go through design's everyday on Behance.net, they have some really amazing designers and design.

neves
Non-designer's book is really a great introduction.
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