Thinking Like a Designer: A Peek Inside

Full cover view (click image for larger view)

Table of Contents (click image for larger view)

"The Football Game" (click image for larger view)

Best practices (click image for larger view)

Thinking Like a Designer is addressed to the author who will be working with a designer to produce a book or other printed document. It also has advice and suggestions that will be helpful for authors of electronic documents, too.

TLAD is a short book that covers the main issues that come up when you're working with a designer to get your book printed. What's the best time to get reviews? What can I do to speed things up? What are the best and worst kind of images files to use? Is there a recommended way to proofread?
Topics include:

• Interests (goals) and positions (methods)
• Description of the publication process
• Making a schedule and keeping on it
• Charts and graphs
• Talking to the designer about "aesthetic" things
• Costs
• Printing—on line or with a traditional printer

A Christmas card

Here's a Christmas card I designed for a client this year.

© 2009 St. Joseph of the Pines. All rights reserved.

"Thinking Like a Designer"

My book, Thinking Like a Designer, is about ready to go to press.

What is it about? As I write in the Introduction:

"If you have a publication you want printed, but you’re a non-designer, this book is for you. But it’s not about making you into a designer. It’s about making you into a good client for your designer . . . and for your pocketbook. Thinking Like a Designer will prepare you to work with the designer, which will help reduce the amount of time and effort the designer will spend on your publication. Being a prepared client will make the designer quite happy and probably a bit surprised, it will increase the designer’s opinion of you, and it will raise his or her confidence in you as a reliable partner in your project."

The 75-page book includes information for clients about preparing files, working with the designer on schedules, reading proofs, understanding basic differences in picture formats, avoiding redundant and wasteful practices, and keeping expenses down.

Pricing and ordering information will be posted soon.

Here's the Table of Contents: