Let me begin this book review with a disclaimer: As somebody teaching and researching in an academic institution, my interest in, and knowledge of, design is that of an amateur. My first-hand experience with designing is restricted to selecting appropriate fonts and pictures for my PowerPoint presentations, and to meticulously proofreading my picture-rich papers—the latter sometimes leading to negotiations with journal editors to ensure optimal results.
Sherin’s handbook has a clear structure. After a one-page introduction of the topic at hand (“key terms and concepts”), each chapter presents practical information on its various aspects, usually contains an exercise, and ends with a summary (“chapter in review: dos and don’ts”). Moreover, chapters provide impressions of the whole process from a client’s brief to production in sections labeled “design in action,” discussing real-life projects. There are hundreds of illustrations in the book, both color photographs of design work (accompanied by credits of...