D.I.Y. Design It Yourself

This inspirational book was born and bred at Baltimore's Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), under the direction of its graphic design director. There's no doubt that DIY design has been on the rise over the last twenty years, and this handbook does an excellent job of introducing the concept to the uninitiated. It starts with two sections, "Why DIY?" and "DIY Theory" which serve to set things up nicely without being overly dense. The excellent design and outstanding photography showcases tons of nice examples in 28 categories across a range of media, from blogs to zines. This is definitely not a step-by-step guide that holds one's hand through processes -- but it will help anyone understand how to start seeing the world as a designer. It's not perfect by any means, and experts in particular fields will find small details to quibble with. For example, the embroidery section doesn't provide complete DIY details, instead directing the reader to outsource it to commercial embroidery firms. Another example is in the web site section, which advocates the use of nested tables, a technique long out of favor in the web development community. But these are very minor quibbles about an excellent book that belongs in the hands of anyone (especially kids and teens) with the slightest interest in self-expression.

I bought this for my 16 year-old. It has great ideas and explains them in simple terms. Not just a follow the directions book - it explains concepts and encourages experimentation.

DIY is probably my favorite do-it-yourself book I've ever bought! When I first got it I was like, "oh, great some expensive, useless, technical stuff to read about. What a waste of money." But, once I started reading it, I realized how great this really was. having my own clothing brand was something that I've always dreamed of, but it seemed so far away from me. But, DIY made it look so easy and inexpensive. I've tried lots of the projects and there are so many awesome ideas in this book. I love the ideas for postcards, books and t-shirts. Though most of the projects are for the more technically inclined, I loved this book and I am using some of the ideas for hangtags, business cards, and logos for my own brand, These Days. I ended up finding something I wasn't even really looking for: The greatest design handbook ever!!!

This really is a geat book that gives hundreds of ways to take normal items and make them stylish, and a T to your tastes. Learn how to customize clothing, learn how to make your own journal, or even scrap book and make your own post cards. These are really just a few of the things gone over this book and to truely understand some ingeniousness I really do suggest getting this fabulous buy.