These books all share something in common – they hardly mention computers. Find out what you should do before worrying about how to do it on a computer.
The list is not in any order of preference.
How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff (1999, Penguin)
A quick, short, entertaining paperback that talks in lay terms about the tricks people play with numbers.
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (2001, Graphics Press)
Envisioning Information (1990, Graphics Press)
The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint (2003, Graphics Press)
all by Edward Tufte
Two of Edward Tufte’s books helped get me into the topic about 14 years ago, so I have a soft spot for them. Neither book is specifically about business information – but this makes the analyses, observations and principles seem even more all-embracing and important. Amazon describes The Visual Display of Quantitative Information as one of the top 100 books of the twentieth century. Envisioning Information was his follow-up book. The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint is a thought-provoking article on the humble bullet point and why both it and PowerPoint should be banned. For all these, visit www.edwardtufte.com. And while there, click on ‘Ask ET’ and have a browse, it’s fascinating.
The Non-Designer’s Design Book (2003, PeachPit Press)
The PC is not a Typewriter (1992, PeachPit Press)
both by Robin Williams
Of all the books I’ve read on design, two really worked for me, both by Robin Williams, the female American designer. In the mid 1990s she published The Non-Designer’s Design Book which outlined her four design principles. Doubtless there are other ‘principles’ dreamt up by other designers, but Robin’s are easy to understand and quickly make a big difference to documents – and are easy to remember. Also, her book is accessible with a great range of ‘before’ and ‘after’ versions, both social and business: party invites, business flyers, report covers, business cards, newsletters, and so on. It’s all in black and white too, so you don’t feel it’s only for fancy designers with Apple Macs.
She also wrote The PC is not a Typewriter, a slightly different book. It is less visual with few of the ‘before’ and ‘after’s that peppered her other book, but instead has lots on fonts, capitals, quote marks, and so on. The book’s quick and easy style again made it a winner for me. This one is more for the real enthusiast, though, not just the casually interested.
Mr Beck’s Underground Map by Ken Garland (1994, Capital Transport Publishing)
A fascinating story of love and devotion to one of the world’s most iconic images. Warning: it borders on the obsessive – but it’s that attention to detail that’s made the tube map so brilliant.
www.plainenglish.co.uk
This is the website for the Plain English Campaign. It’s good fun and educational too. It has the annual Golden Bull Award for the worst gobbledegook. It has some great downloadable free guides on plain English, simple alternative words, and so on. It has also recently developed free downloadable software that will check your work for plain English – ‘drivel defence’. I haven’t tried it so can’t vouch for it. But I highly recommend a visit to the website and a look at the guides.
Books I referenced in the book
The Economist Numbers Guide (1998, John Wiley & Sons)
Dynamics of Document Design by Karen Schriver (1997, John Wiley & Sons)
A Primer in Data Reduction by Andrew Ehrenberg (1982, John Wiley & Sons)
Managing the Multibusiness Company by Michael Goold and Katheen Sommers Luchs (1996, Routledge)