Book Review

Roger C. Parker's One-Minute Designer
by Roger C. Parker

Publisher:  IDG Books Worldwide
ISBN:  1558285938

There are many good books about Desktop Publishing available. Some of the best have Roger C. Parker's name on the cover. The latest revised edition of Roger C. Parker's One-Minute Designer is no exception. What sets this book apart from other books on design is the format and the abundance of examples. The format helps to reinforce each design principle or technique and every point has an illustration (seeing is believing and understanding).

• Each of 204 points appear on their own single page.
• The specific principle or technique appears as a headline.
• The opening sentence restates the principle or technique.
• A few concise paragraphs further explain the principle.
• A graphic example at the bottom of the page illustrates the point.
• Captions for each illustration further explain what the image shows.

Arranged into 8 logical sections, you could design a document by reading straight through from planning through type choices through the use of visuals to graphic accents and color. However, the one point per page format also makes it ideal as a quick reference when you need to refresh yourself on working with photos or want to find a few quick ways to spiff up a presentation.

New desktop publishers feeling overwhelmed will find this book to be a concise, non-threatening way to learn how to design better-looking brochures, newsletters, ads, and presentations without having to immediately become experts in layout and typography. Don't know where to start? The first 8 points help you focus your thoughts and create a rough draft of what you need to do. From there, you jump to any section of the book to find an idea that will turn your rough idea into a polished document.

Experienced designers can use it to get a quick refresher on basic techniques or to generate ideas to get them out of a design rut--without having to pour through textbooks and piles of magazines. Want to fine-tune a well-designed brochure? Go to Section 4 on "Body Copy" to focus on a few of the 62 points covering everything from line spacing to initial caps to punctuation and hyphenation. Or punch it up with a little color using some of the 10 tips in Section 7.

The specific principles and techniques in One-Minute Designer are not necessarily anything new or earth shattering. These are time-proven techniques that Parker has espoused in other books and magazine articles. The presentation and organization make this book more useful than others of the same type.

One feature of the book I found interesting was the attention to elements that other general design books skim over quickly. Parker devotes 5 points to using pull-quotes, with a variety of examples. There are 13 points under "Lists, Symbols, and Special Characters" with illustrations that show some of the finer points of making better looking lists, and using Old Style Figures and fraction characters.

What's revised? If you already have the original version of One-MinuteDesigner then you don't necessarily need this one. The main differences thatI was able to find are a change in publisher and some minor differences in layout and the use of color. The 204 points are essentially the same between editions.

If you don't have it already, buy it, read it through at least once, keep it handy. Use it for a quick reference any time you find yourself having trouble getting started on a project, needing to fine-tune or refresh a document, and as part of any dedicated desktop publishers on-going education program. The book is non-platform specific. It is ideal for anyone involved in any type of design--for themselves or for customers. Got a minute? Design a great looking ad, brochure, newsletter, or resume.

Jacci Howard Bear, your Guide for Desktop Publishing