Mark Boulton on Design
Mark Boulton recently spoke via Skype to my User-Centered Interface Design class at The Art Institute of Atlanta on the principles of design as they apply to the web, and his experience in the industry. Mark has made a name for himself in the web industry as a typographer, designer, and a skilled writer on these topics. He’s perhaps best known for his insightful, self-published series of articles entitled 5 Simple Steps, which explores core design topics such as the grid, and typography, and will soon be spun into a PDF book of the same name. Perhaps you have seen some of his other articles on A List Part and Vitamin. Mark brings together two traits in his work that rarely mingle, brilliant design talent, and humility that seems to keep him learning and sharing his wealth of knowledge.
Mark recently spoke at South by Southwest in two panels, one with Khoi Vinh about grid systems, and the other with Richard Rutter about web typography. I recommend keeping an eye on the SXSW podcast page for the release of these lectures, as they were some of the best of the year, in my humble opinion.
Mark mentioned two important books when he spoke to my class that have guided him in his design work. For understanding grid systems, he recommends Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Muller - Brockmann, and for understanding typography he recommends the appropriately named Typography by Emil Ruder. Here’s Mark’s lecture podcast presented February 28, 2007.