Most of what I write has to do with words. But I’m also a designer of websites, software, and printed materials, and these functions have never come naturally to me. Recently my wife turned me on to Robin Williams’ The Non-Designer’s Design Book, and I wanted to let you know about it if you don’t know it already.

Williams bases her advice on four major principles: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. Yes, an unfortunately acronym, but one you won’t forget!

I applied these principles recently to a page I was designing around a new piece of flash fiction I’ve written. I’d started out with the usual timid, ho-hum design: boring Times New Roman heading centered at the top, a few lookalike columns of text, and a tiny graphic smack in the middle. Then I methodically applied Williams’ guidelines. The heading became big and quirky. The graphic became huge. Centered alignment turned into right-hand alignment. Related material got grouped. Check out page one of the result above.

This book’s C-R-A-P guidelines are certainly memorable, but the piece of advice foremost in my mind as I design now is “Don’t be a wimp!”

Highly recommended.