Book 1

Basics Design, Format

by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris

Published November 2004
Our new series, Basics Design, will incorporate five titles Format, Layout, Typography, Image and Colour, each representing the fundamentals of graphic design. This series will provide design students and anyone with an interest in creativity with an indispensable reference tool and a through knowledge of the building blocks of...Read more

Book 2

Basics Design 02: Layout provides a guide to the effective arrangement of text and image elements within a design.

Good layout in both print and electronic media allows for the most effective communication of complex information to a viewer. This book's objective is to instruct in the management...Read more

Book 3

Typography

by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris

Published 4 July 2005
This further addition to AVA's Basics Design series will follow on from Format and Layout to cover the third fundamental element of graphic design, typography. Typography is the means by which a written idea is given a visual form. The selection of this visual form can dramatically affect the...Read more

Book 4

Image

by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris

Published 10 October 2005
Images are used everywhere, from cinema posters to perfume packaging, they have the power to elicit a response and impart information. Images can, quite literally, 'paint a thousand words', but understanding what they mean, when to use them and how to control them is becoming ever more crucial. The...Read more

Book 5

Colour

by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris

Published November 2005
This fifth book in the "Basics Design series" - "Colour" - examines in detail two distinct areas of colour usage in design. Firstly the book explores in depth what colours mean, their inherent associations and their cultural connotations. Building on this information the book then tackles how to control...Read more

Book 6

Basics Design 06: Print & Finish provides an introduction to a variety of printing and finishing techniques.

Presentation is everything in graphic design, and professionally applied printing and finishing techniques can add value to a design by imbuing it with a range of different visual and tactile qualities....Read more

Book 7

Basics Design 07: Grids

by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris

Published 1 January 2008
Grids 2nd Edition, the seventh book in the Basics Design series, has been updated with new content and visuals, exploring the construction and ordering of the age and screen through the use of grids. The grid features as a strong element in many areas of design, and presents both...Read more

Book 8

Basics Design 08: Design Thinking is an introduction to the process of generating creative ideas and concepts. It teaches the generation of ideas as a practical skill, vital to the creation of successful design. This focus on ideas and methods eschews an abstract, academic approach in favour of a...Read more

Basics Design 04: Image examines the use of images as a fundamental component of graphic design.

Images are everywhere, from cinema posters to perfume packaging.They have the power to elicit a response and impart information. But understanding what they mean, when to use them and how to control...Read more

Print and Finish

by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris

Published 30 January 2014
The Basics Design series is designed to provide graphic arts students with a theoretical and practical exploration of fundamental topics, including layout, format, typography, colour and image. Packed with examples from students and professionals and fully illustrated with clear diagrams and inspiring imagery, they offer an essential exploration of...Read more

Basics Design 03: Typography examines a fundamental area of graphic design.

Typography is the means by which a written idea is given a visual form. Effective use of typography can produce a neutral effect or rouse the passions, symbolise artistic, political or philosophical movements, or express the personality...Read more

Basics Design 05: Colour is a guide to the use of colour in graphic design.

Colour is used to represent thoughts and emotions in a way that no other element of design can. This book explores in depth what colours mean; their inherent associations and cultural connotations. It...Read more

Basics Design 01: Format

by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris

Published 1 January 2004
One of the fundamental topics within graphic design, format represents the physical point of contact with the user. Basics Design 01: Format examines established format standards and demonstrates how a creative approach to format selection and presentation space can produce dramatic results in both print and digital media. New...Read more

Fully updated, the third edition of Grids for Graphic Designers explores this important tool which is part of every designer's practice- whether it involves digital or print-based media. With over 200 illustrations plus six new interviews with design practitioners such as Second Story, Brody Associates and Peter Dawson, the...Read more

Layout for graphic design concerns the arrangement of text and images on a page. How these elements are positioned, both in relation to one another, and within the overall design scheme, will affect how content is viewed and received. Whether in print or online, it is key to powerful...Read more


How do you start a design project? How can you generate ideas and concepts in response to a design brief? How do other designers do it? This book will answer all these questions and more.

Now in its second edition, the highly popular Design Thinking for Visual...Read more