Where do design principles come from? Are they abstract "rules" established by professionals or do they have roots in human experience? And if we encounter these visual phenomena in our everyday lives, how do designers use them to attract our attention, orient our behavior, and create compelling and memorable communication that stands out among the thousands of messages we confront each day? Today's work in visual communication design shifts emphasis from simply designing objects to designing experiences; to crafting form that acknowledges cognitive and cultural influences on interpretation.

In response, Meredith Davis and Jamer Hunt provide a new slant on design basics from the perspective of audiences and users. Chapters break down our interactions with communication as a sequence of meaningful episodes, each with related visual concepts that shape the interpretive experience. Explanatory illustrations and professional design examples support definitions of visual concepts and discussions of context. Work spans print, screen, and environmental applications from around the world.

This introduction to visual communication design demystifies the foundational concepts that underpin professional design decisions and shape our experiences in a complex visual world.

Meredith Davis is an award winning educator and designer. She teaches at North Carolina State University and is the author of Graphic Design in Context: Graphic Design Theory as well as of numerous articles. She is the former president of the American Center for Design and the Graphic Design Education Association and is part of the accreditation commission for NASAD (National Assn of Schools of Art & Design).

Jamer Hunt teaches is Associate Professor of Transdisciplinary Design at Parsons New School of Design in NYC. He has served on the Board of Design and Culture and is on the Icograda Design Education Manifesto Steering Committee. He is the author of numerous articles.