This one helped me build my concepts of what visual art was all about and what design was in an even larger sense. ( )

Lending

In the course of a very slim book, de Sausmarez, who at the time of writing was Principal of the Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting in London, outlines - exactly as the title indicates - the elements of basic design. Starting with primary elements and forces - dot, straight line, curve, then proceeding to the two-dimensional field, spatial forces, analytical drawing (a very helpful chapter), visual kinetics, and the basics of color. The book is generously illustrated. While it won't substitute for attending a design course, it is a good accompaniment for one, and can also serve as a refresher of basic principles. ( )