Comments on The Elements of Style for Designers

Livia Labate — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:18 GMT

“Clarity can only be a virtue”... Thought I often assume it goes without saying, it does not. This little assumption seems to be fading further and further away from our collective designer minds. With the shared awe of game design across our industry as a source of inspiration (for design in various domains), clarity can often come second to the “interestingly obscure” and “excitingly complex”. For a fresh dose of the virtue of clarity, read Scott McCloud’s latest ‘Making Comics’. It’s a great segway from reading Christina’s parallel between writing and design, because it talks about comics as a communication tool combining words AND images (with the purpose of being clear), not that different from most of our design endeavours.

Austen Austen — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:08 GMT

Another book that gives great advice on writing well is Patricia T. O’Conner’s “Woe is I.” In addition to great grammar and punctuation advice, she has chapter called “Saying is Believing: Write What You Mean.” It includes a lot of helpful advice that could easily translate to writing for the web, and even design:

“Say what you have to say.”
“Stop when you’ve said it.”
“Don’t belabor the obvious.”
“Be direct.”
“Don’t make yourself the center of the universe.” [Something I think many designers are guilty of.]
“Put descriptions close to what they describe.”
“Make sure there’s a time and place for everything.”
“Put your ideas in order.”
“Read [your own writing] with a felonious mind.”

I have this book by my side every day. I highly recommend it.

Luke Kowalski — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:08 GMT

So many of these are universal. They apply to visual presentation quality, too (Interface, industrial, or architectural design). All of the design sciences rely on a base vocabulary and style that people seem afraid to deconstruct…Good to see this enumarated on boxesandarrows.

One book that deals with the perception of art, nature, and style (written word) comes from Herman Miller. Normally known for his smutty trilogy / Tropic of Cancer he actually wrote a very different work titled “Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch”. It taught more about perception than any art history or cognitive psych texts…
:)
I wander if there is a list of “Related Fiction and Non-Fiction Books for Designers”? I would put that on it in addition to all the Alexanders, Normans, Karwowskis, Coopers, Derridas, Kierkegaards, etc.

Christina Wodtke — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 23:48:30 GMT

Nothing is faultless; Strunk and White are useful in this context because of their reach. I would love to see more books listed (or even reviewed! get cranking, Joseph) on writing well. In the web, writing seems to be the forgotten child—how many web companies have writers? How many have enough writers to actually cover the writing needs? Even worse than design, writing is viewed as someting anyone can do.

Endearing lapses indeed! But also possibly illustrations that poetry should sometimes override policy.

Joseph Tate — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:39:01 GMT

First, without doubt: a useful article that should be required reading. But this isn’t the first time I’ve seen Strunk and White quoted lately and it isn’t the first time I’ve wondered if web writers realize much more (and dare I say) much better has been written about writing since. Amid the all the applause, I just want to interject: Strunk and White can be useful reading, but it’s not faultless. Consider the injunction to not overstate (no. 7). Then read no. 14: “Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute. Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready and able.” If that’s not overstating, what is? The first sentence uses four words where one would work and the second sentence, well, restates the first. The book is rife with these sorts of inconsistencies, some of which are tongue-in-cheek, some of which are endearing lapses of the “do as I say, not as I do” variety.

I think the article closes on the best advice: “No one has all the answers,” and Strunk and White have only the barest handful.

Joe Sokohl — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:37:45 GMT

Great use of Strunk & White. Too, your article supports the thesis that technical writers make great user experience designers, primarily because of their long-time attention to knowing their audience.

Madonnalisa G. Chan — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:03 GMT

Useful in any environment. I’m wondering though if text messaging/IM have changed the way we have communicated…of course under a certain age. I will definitely commit them to memory and use often.

Rebekah Sedaca — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:03 GMT

Thanks for this thoughtful and thorough comparison and for following up up on some of the questions raised in the interview with Eric Reiss posted on b&a in May.
(http://boxesandarrows.com/S/2947).

Thanks for the reminders! Now, back to evaluating their worth in context…

Masood Nasser — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:03 GMT

Christina, very well put. I would make it mandatory to my collageaus to read this article before quoting so and so “rules” or “guidelines”. “Reminder” is a nice word. Loved the Quote “exuberantly ignore them’

Now lets see if I can come up with my own “reminder” sets on yet another boring flight tomorrow:-)

David Malouf — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:02 GMT

Christina, I think this is one of the best and most useful articles I have seen on B&A for a long time. No disrespect to the other authors, but I love the way you put this together. It is really so clear, concise and really follows the example of the point you are trying to make.

I think there is a book in there, if you are interested in going that route again. A UX Design Guidebook. I don’t think anyone has outlined it quite as well as this in the past and it would be such a great resource for the UX design community, indeed.

Basically, I’m hungry for more of this thinking and elaborations and collections of examples (good and bad) in each case. Maybe it would fit in a book in Rosenfeld Media size? Or could be done in a series.