A blizzard of books (1)

I don’t know whether to be delighted or dismayed. Peachpit Press has published new titles by Robin Williams.

Dismayed, because I’m in the middle of a clear-out and decluttering exercise that involves tens if not hundreds of books that I’ve accumulated over many years. And I’ve just splashed out on cut-price books at Borders, so I really don’t need to be spending money on, or filling up shelf-space with, yet more books.

But of course I’m delighted, because Robin is my favourite non-fiction writer, not least because her books are so attractive to read. I can’t get enough of them.

Robin’s new titles are: “The Non-Designer’s Presentation Book”, in which she explains:

four fundamental principles of good design as applied to digital presentations, and adds four more principles specific to clear communication with slides.

An exhaustive list of timeless presentation rules…that you should totally ignore.

I don’t use PowerPoint (or the Mac’s Keynote) for presentations. But if anyone can persuade me to use slides, and hopefully teach me how to use them well, it’s Robin.

Her other new title, with Carmen Sheldon, is “Creative Handmade Elements for Digital Design”. I’m not a designer and I’m certainly not good at “hand-made” or crafts. But I’m sure that Robin’s book will provide loads of fascinating insights to what good design – whether computer-generated or hand-made – is all about. Even for non-designers like me.

And then of course are Robin’s Mac guides: with John Tollett, the “Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: Peachpit Learning Series” and, for Mac newcomers, the “Little Mac Book, Snow Leopard Edition”. Here’s Robin’s Peachpit page.

I can’t praise Robin’s books highly enough – if you’re a new or seasoned Mac user, or are interested in typography, design and layout, they’re well worth a look.

By Marian Dougan

Published by Marian Dougan

Marian is a translator and editor (specialising in web content) currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. Marian previously lived in Italy for over 20 years, working as a language teacher, translator and policy analyst with the British Embassy in Rome. A qualified member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and its Italian-language and ITI Scotnet networks, she is currently Scotnet's Convenor and Deputy Webmaster. From 2003 to 2006 Marian taught translation skills at the Italian Department of Glasgow University and now gives Master Classes as part of the new Masters in Translation Studies course. She also conducts web-writing and usability workshops to help people improve their websites and communicate more effectively with their readers, users and customers. In September 2014 Marian obtained User Experience Certification, with specialisation in Web Design, from the Nielsen Norman Group. She loves language, especially English, and is convinced that learning languages opens up people’s minds and horizons (and increases their brainpower!). To share her enthusiasm, she advises schools and educational authorities on language skills and enterprise. She gives talks to pupils on how to combine language studies with other subjects and so enhance their potential and increase their career options. Marian is an active member of organisations such as: Scottish Council Development and Industry (SCDI); Association of Scottish Businesswomen; Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Scotland. She also loves architecture, design, fashion (British Vogue!), cities and chocolate. She’s a great fan of Twitter and you can also find her on Linkedin.

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