[ebooks] Monograms Ciphers by Albert Angus Turbayne in Arts-Photography

Review

80 of 85 people found the following review helpful. Mostly a pitch for consulting services; but some useful informationBy JackalThis is a book I wanted to like; but it is so superficially written that I can only give it two stars. On a generous day; I might have given it three stars; but not any more.101 design methods turns out to be 101 tools for the innovation process (from initial stage all the way through to commercialization). The whole process is covered but it is fair to say that the focus in around the prototype stage. If you have read a book about design consultancy IDEO you know pretty much the type of work described in this book (anthropological methods; Post-it notes; etc.)Each method gets two pages; which are identically structured:* 10% description of method. Unfortunately this section is far too short. Sadly the author provides absolutely no references. Instead he takes credit as if these methods were novel. You might think that in a book for practitioners; references are not so important. Fair response; but at the very least there should have been some references for further readings.* 35% picture. This is generally an illustrative picture. Good.* 20% case study. It is nice with case studies even though they are written up in a too sanitized way. In fact; the section is often a repetition of the description of the method. The most typical case study is a not-for-profit service.* 25% practical steps. The steps are always almost identical: identity; analyze; report. This section is extremely tedious and repetitive. Totally useless material.* 10% filler material. Also not useful.I seriously question the authors judgement when describing the methods in this manner. Personally; I dont like the very mechanical approach of presenting the tools. Still; there will definitely be some methods that you would like to look further into. For this reason the book could have been a three star book; if the author would have given the reader some advice for further readings. If the case studies would have been more illustrative the book would probably be worth four stars.The book is printed in full color on pretty good paper. The layout of the book feels modern and professional.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Repetitive Content Printed on the Cheapest Paper Youve Ever Seen.By Edward R. ONeillThis is kind of weird; but I think its worth saying.This book about design is printed on the crappiest paper.Its shiny. It looks like a magazine. But its practically disposable. I mean: its no thicker than tissue paper.The author may have thought his ideas would stand the test of time: but the publisher clearly thought the book neednt last more than a few weeks.My copy of 101 DESIGN METHODS got slightly wet. Like less than 5% wet.All the pages stuck together. Every one.And they stick like glue: many wont separate.I had to go through page by page and peel the pages apart. Some of them just fell apart: one page stuck to the next.I mean: the amount of water that in a normal; well-made book on decent paper would dry and leave some wrinkling.This thing is ruined.John Wiley Sons! Can you not make money selling the book for twenty bucks and printing it on paper thats better quality?As for content; the book has three or four kinds of charts; and then theyre used to represent a few different parts of the design process. It shouldnt be called "101 Design Methods": it should be called "101 Uses for Four Kinds of Charts."0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Ive read over 50 books on UX design; and this one is among the very bestBy Billy HollisI moved into UX design from software development about ten years ago; and have read about 50 books on user experience design. My top four are:1. Universal Principles of Design; by Lidwell; et. al.2. The Design of Everyday Things; by Don Norman3. Sketching User Experiences; the Workbook; by Bill Buxton; et. al.4. This book; 101 Design MethodsThe first two on my list are about design principles. They help you understand how to recognize and diagnose poor design.The second two are about the design process. What steps do you go through to get a good design?I dont believe in highly prescriptive processes; and the author of this book doesnt either. Since projects and teams vary so much; you need a menu of options to construct a good design process for your circumstances. This book gives you many; many options; and discusses the pros and cons of each. I found myself knowing right away if I thought a particular method would work for me and the teams I lead.If you are looking for step-by-step recipes to do design; this isnt the book for you. If you want to consider lots of ways to do design; and choose the ones you think apply to your case; then I dont think you can find a better book for that than this one.