I don’t know whether to be delighted or dismayed. Peachpit Press has published new titles by Robin Williams.
Dismayed, because I’m in the middle of a clear-out and decluttering exercise that involves tens if not hundreds of books that I’ve accumulated over many years. And I’ve just splashed out on cut-price books at Borders, so I really don’t need to be spending money on, or filling up shelf-space with, yet more books.
But of course I’m delighted, because Robin is my favourite non-fiction writer, not least because her books are so attractive to read. I can’t get enough of them.
Robin’s new titles are: “The Non-Designer’s Presentation Book”, in which she explains:
four fundamental principles of good design as applied to digital presentations, and adds four more principles specific to clear communication with slides.
An exhaustive list of timeless presentation rules…that you should totally ignore.
I don’t use PowerPoint (or the Mac’s Keynote) for presentations. But if anyone can persuade me to use slides, and hopefully teach me how to use them well, it’s Robin.
Her other new title, with Carmen Sheldon, is “Creative Handmade Elements for Digital Design”. I’m not a designer and I’m certainly not good at “hand-made” or crafts. But I’m sure that Robin’s book will provide loads of fascinating insights to what good design – whether computer-generated or hand-made – is all about. Even for non-designers like me.
And then of course are Robin’s Mac guides: with John Tollett, the “Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: Peachpit Learning Series” and, for Mac newcomers, the “Little Mac Book, Snow Leopard Edition”. Here’s Robin’s Peachpit page.
I can’t praise Robin’s books highly enough – if you’re a new or seasoned Mac user, or are interested in typography, design and layout, they’re well worth a look.
By Marian Dougan