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Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design Flexibound – 1 Feb. 2010

by William Lidwell (Author), Kritina Holden (Author), Jill Butler (Author)
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Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopedia covering 125 laws, guidelines, human biases, and general considerations important to successful design. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, it pairs clear explanations of every design concept with visual examples of the ideas applied in practice. From the 80/20 Rule to the Weakest Link, every major design concept is defined and illustrated.

Whether a marketing campaign or a museum exhibit, a video game or a complex control system, the design we see is the culmination of many concepts and practices brought together from a variety of disciplines. Because no one can be an expert on everything, designers have always had to scramble to find the information and know-how required to make a design work—until now.

Just a few of the principles that will broaden your design knowledge, promote brainstorming, and help you check the quality of your work:

  • Baby-Face Bias
  • Expectation Effect
  • Golden Ration
  • Ockham's Razor
  • Proximity
  • Scaling Fallacy

The book is organized alphabetically so that principles can be easily and quickly referenced by name. For those interested in addressing a specific problem of design, the principles havealso been indexed by questions commonly confronting designers (How can I help people learn from my design? How can I enhance the usability of a design? How can I make better design decisions? ...).

Each principle is presented in a two-page format. The left-hand page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, examples of its use, and guidelines for use. Side notes appear to the right of the text, and provide elaborations and references. The right-hand page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle.

This landmark reference is the standard for designers, engineers, architects, and students who seek to broaden and improve their design expertise.

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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Rockport Publishers
  4. Publication date
    1 Feb. 2010
  5. Dimensions
    22.35 x 1.27 x 26.04 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1592535879
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1592535873
  8. See all details
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Product description

About the Author

William Lidwell is the Director of Design at Stuff Creators Design in Houston, Texas. He is author of the best-selling design book, Universal Principles of Design, which has been translated into 12+ languages; Deconstructing Product Design, a social deconstruction of 100 classic products; and lecturer of two video series on design: "How Colors Affect You: What Science Reveals" available from The Great Courses, and "The Science of Logo Design" available from Lynda.com.

William Lidwell writes, speaks, and consults on topics of design and engineering. He is the author of multiple books including the best-selling design book Universal Principles of Design, which has been translated into 16 languages. He lives in Houston, TX.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rockport Publishers; 2nd edition (1 Feb. 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Flexibound ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1592535879
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1592535873
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 22.35 x 1.27 x 26.04 cm
  • Customer reviews:

About the author

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William Lidwell

William Lidwell

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Will writes, speaks, and consults on matters of design and engineering psychology. He is particularly interested in cross-disciplinary design and the means by which organizations achieve and institutionalize innovation. He is a Stuff Creator in residence at Stuff Creators Design Studio and a Lecturer of Industrial Design at the University of Houston. Follow Will on Twitter at www.twitter.com/williamlidwell.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,025 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book a good read with informative content and a great primer on design principles. They also say the imagery is outdated.

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ContentReading experience
10 customers mention ‘Content’10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book incredibly informative and useful, covering a wide range of principles. They say it's a fantastic reference book for any designer, explaining just about every principle. They also appreciate the simplicity in describing each principle with details examples and illustrations. Customers also like the cover, pages, and overall presentation.

"...Also contains some pretty good real world examples...." Read more

"...Nice typography/layout. Dated imagery.Incredibly informative and useful resource, covering a wide range of design disciplines...." Read more

"...on a Product Design Engineering course and it is a fantastic reference book for any designer explaining just about every principle of design and..." Read more

"...I really like the simplicity in describing each principle with details examples and illustrations." Read more

7 customers mention ‘Reading experience’7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good read with fun facts.

"A pretty good read and it's simple and easy to follow and understand...." Read more

"This book is great because it’s one principle per page. Condensed, no waffling on like other design books...." Read more

"Not quite what i was looking for. Nevertheless it is a good read." Read more

"...It has some pretty fun facts, worth buying" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

David Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good read and it's simple and easy to follow and understand
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 February 2016
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A pretty good read and it's simple and easy to follow and understand. Each principle is written over 1-2 pages so far which makes it easy to digest and nip in and out of. Also contains some pretty good real world examples.

The only negative point is it does repeat some points within each chapter, it almost feels like there wasn't enough content to bulk out the 1-2 pages. This doesn't put me off though. My underlying reason for buying the ebook was to get a grasp of the principles of design and it does that.
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CJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Straight and to the point
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 February 2024
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This book is great because it’s one principle per page. Condensed, no waffling on like other design books. Imagery is quite dated but the principles still stand so it does not matter since we are looking to apply them to our own designs right?!

Some principles seemed excessive but there’s 125 to choose from to fit your style, depending on what you are designing for.

I personally loved the condensed delivery. Much better than the “design of everyday things” in my opinion since that book waffles on and this has the same points but on a single page.
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Robert A. England
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully organized approach to design principles
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 October 2019
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Beautiful book for all non designers to understand principles. Great for scientists and engineers. I will refer to it for years.
One person found this helpful
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Benny
4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible book, LAZY LAZY LAZY republication
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2013
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Essential content. Nice typography/layout. Dated imagery.

Incredibly informative and useful resource, covering a wide range of design disciplines. I'm sure a must for anyone in any design related industry. I found some sections that delve into the psychology of design particularly interesting.

However, I cannot believe that they have rereleased the book adding 25 additional design principles from the original publication, and seemingly failed to update some of the original examples or imagery, which can be very tired/ugly/dated. I was expecting beautiful imagery for a design book!! Pull your finger out for the next publication please!
14 people found this helpful
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pn
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book! Not just for designers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2013
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This book is something one reads over and over and over again, pick it up read one or to principles let it soak, rince and repeat!

I bought it because it was recomended in a video about designing APIs, but the principles in this book apply to a whole range of professions and even on a personal level. Just buying this book to keep in your cofee table makes your living room a more interesting place to be in :-)

As a programmer and engineer, reading this book as made me a better professional, no doubt!
3 people found this helpful
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ERB
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reference Book for anyone involved in 'design'
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2015
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Bought this to help our son who is on a Product Design Engineering course and it is a fantastic reference book for any designer explaining just about every principle of design and design appraisal. Great reference book.
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N. Milatos
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 February 2012
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As a person intested in design in general (hobbyist), I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning some of the basic principles of design. I really like the simplicity in describing each principle with details examples and illustrations.
One person found this helpful
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Hugo
3.0 out of 5 stars Nevertheless it is a good read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2014
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Not quite what i was looking for. Nevertheless it is a good read.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon-Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Öffnet die Augen!
Reviewed in Germany on 3 January 2024
Verified Purchase
Dies ist kein Buch, das man von vorne nach hinten liest, aber es eignet sich hervorragend, um darin herumzublättern und reinzuschmökern. Viele Prinzipien werden so eingehend erklärt, dass man sie sich unweigerlich merkt.
Ich weiß zwar nicht, ob es wirklich was gebracht hat, aber ich bilde mir gerne ein, dass ich seitdem intuitivere Benutzeroberflächen designe^^
One person found this helpful
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Grete
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for designers
Reviewed in Italy on 26 July 2023
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It's a must for any designer. I unfortunately didn't have all that range of learning about design in different industries at my design school. There were some principles I did learn, but some I definitely didn't and it's a book to reach out to sometimes :)
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Aby
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro de diseño de interacción
Reviewed in Mexico on 15 December 2020
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Muy interesante, ejemplos en varias áreas de aplicación. Formato amigable, ilustraciones claras y con buen tamaño. Muy recomendable lectura si estás en diseño de experiencia de usuario o usabilidad.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book for product designers
Reviewed in India on 11 September 2022
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Very well packaged, received in good condition.
One person found this helpful
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Alex
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente!
Reviewed in Brazil on 9 November 2020
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Um livro extremamente informativo. Cada princípio do design é explicado a cada duas páginas, ou seja, você pode ir lendo aos poucos tranquilamente. Torna-se fácil para consultas posteriores também.
One person found this helpful
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