Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition: 200 Ways to Increase Appeal, Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, and Make ... Decisions (Volume 1) (Rockport Universal, 1)

I do not recall to progressively purchase ALL 3 editions of ANY book but this one. In the past, I have even purchased copies for colleagues who always appreciated the quick education. Benefitting from a supremely curated catalog of 125 "universal principles", I was thus eagerly waiting for the 3rd edition that now has 200 of these entries. This is even more of a masterpiece than the past editions. The "universal" part is the whole book. This book is far more than design as we understand it. It ventures into decision making, problem solving, innovation, human psychology, science of color and many more things. First, some of the new entries are immediately accretive. "Don't eat the Daisies", for example, underlines the futility of "checklists" for randomly variable workspace with chaotic actors. e.g., trying to discipline kids with a checklists of "don't". 'Don't leave bike unlocked'. They would. But then you might see them eating Daisies on the dining table! It also says, in the preface - "best designers disregard these principles but only after knowing what they are". Checklists, on the other hand, are very useful in highly repetitive environments acted on by well-trained operators who, if wrong, could cause irreparable damage. Checklists rule in aviation and medicine where they are so universal it is almost "meta principle". Second, even a surface level understanding of this catalog will tool one with BOTH a very useful vocabulary ("horror vacui") and a set of frameworks (MAYA, Causal Reductionism) to think about complex problems. Think of this book as a high-end Stanley toolbox for intellectual analysis - you can and likely will go back even to the content to categorize, frame-set and capture the essential heuristics of a large-scope decision time and again. Third, a very handful - fewer than 10 - principles do not pass my own "universality" filter. They appear force fed. e.g., Test Pyramid. Not only is this a concept in a narrow field - software engineering, but even there it is not nearly as universal as, say, "Swiss Cheese Model" is to analyze catastrophic incidents. Test Pyramid is a mere pattern, not a principle, and one can use contextual alternatives like Canary Release, Rapid Anomaly Detection and Hotfix, Test Driven Development (where the pyramid is inverted - tests are written BEFORE code), or just simply MVP (Minimum Viable Product - essentially be OK without tests where rapid real-life feedback trumps internal quality feedback) etc. A few other entries perhaps lost its significant as they have become ubiquitous since the first edition of the book. Examples - Alignment, Storytelling, Prototyping etc. All inclusive, this hits the jackpot with higher than 90%+ entries - one of the 100 books I will NEVER part with. Or, at least till the 4th edition is out!

Excellent book… a must have for anyone engaged in any form of design. Get the physical version for it’s, design.

This book should be immediately purchased by beginning and intermediate designers (I was a beginner when I found it) and it has shaped my design philosophies more than any other book. I also had the original, but there is still so much to glean here, more than worth the price of both books. Seriously, just buy it and study it carefully and you will have a great design framework to start from. I studied the 1st edition inside and out, and applying them, have created an award winning design in the photography accessory space. I cannot recommend it higher! A+++

I thought this book would be about the visual arts aspects of design, but I was actually pleasantly surprised that it encompasses so much more! To me, this book is about the study of human behaviour and how we can use the knowledge to make decisions and choose methods to achieve the best results. I liked that each principle is described on one side of each spread and then a real life example is given on the other side, always with relevant photographs. So interesting! I found some of the principles a bit harder to understand and will probably need to read up more about it from other sources. Still a 5-star from me because it is so interesting and so well presented.

Crisp, concise, and engaging. This is a fascinating tour of the matter of design that touches on numerous and varied related and parallel topics. There is something of interest on every page, with relevance well beyond what you might think the topic of just "design" encompasses. Our authors are witty and engaging guides who never condescend and are always clear and direct with their descriptions and explanations. A real treat.

My professor recommended this book the other day. I’ll say the proximity, hierarchy, and overall readability of the text and layout of the pages are perfect to use as both a guide book for learning and reference. Will be giving it a thorough read soon. However, mine came in with a dirty cover so it’s hard to recommend buying it here on Amazon unless you want affordability.

My one quibble is the tiny font. It is ironic that "accessibility" is a prominent principle in which "perception" is a characteristic that should be maximized, and yet I need a magnifying lens to read it. The page is large, the print does not begin to fill the page, but the font is tiny.

Universal Principles of Design is not what I expected. And that may be totally my fault. I expected a textbook on design. However, it reads like a dictionary with no connection between different ideas. Universal Principles of Design may find a place in library reference sections but is really not easy, or useful, to read cover-to-cover. The text is dry, but it may help a designer with a project outside their comfort zone. 3 stars. Thanks to Rockport Publishing and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Comme dans la description.

Well-designed book that gives you just enough information to get you thinking about your mindset and practices, whether it’s a business, a system, or an interface that you’re designing. Although it’s a collection of theoretical ideas, I found myself keen to apply many of them. Would highly recommend!

Bought it from MM munshi and sons, very sturdy packaging and quality also appears to be decent. I have enjoyed reading parts of edition #1 of the book (ebook). Buying this one for a friend who has no association with field of design/ux. :)

Everything is ok 👍

This review is NOT about the book itself - it is amazing in all ways! But for a product with an above average price tag I expect the cover not to be visibly scratched and torn. I don't want to return the book because I care about the content much more than the cover - but this clearly was NOT a new book. And no, I did not purchase it from Amazon Marketplace. Won't buy books again here... Buy it someplace else but - do buy it :) ...