So far I think this is a really good book. It’s not loaded with technical terms that you can’t understand if you’re not a programmer. It’s very simple and easy to read. The principles and elements of design were a little bit of a review for me but it’s always good to go back over the basics of good design and compisition.
The article: http://bokardo.com/archives/five-principles-to-design-by/
was helpful because I think that it is hard for most people to distinguish between art and design. I had a hard time at first when I was getting into graphic design because I wasn’t looking at functionality as a key element in designing. I was going more on asthetic appearences and personal preferences. Sometimes you have to let go of things even if you do really like the way it looks. If it doesn’t “fit” in the design the don’t include it just to include it. That was a good tip that the author mentioned in the other article. (8 Web Design Tactics to Help You When You’re Stuck, by Matthew Inman)
