Rating: 
Summary: into the minds of others
Review: Its like hanging out with an interesting group of people. They speak from experience, some talk too much, some don't talk enough. Great book for getting exposed to ideas rooted in a variety of experiences (much better than a one-author book)
Rating:
Summary: into the minds of others
Review: Its like hanging out with an interesting group of people. They speak from experience, some talk too much, some don't talk enough. Great book for getting exposed to ideas rooted in a variety of experiences (much better than a one-author book)
Rating: 
Summary: not worth the time
Review: many of the other reviewers have captured the problems that this book suffers from. It is a crazy www of poor design and problematic realisation. This is not information design. spend the time you would have wasted reading, thinking quietly. I have read contextual design which thinks through integrating design with users and it is much more provoking
Rating:
Summary: Heavy reading
Review: This book consists of a series of cross-disciplinary articles on information design. In the concluding chapter of the book, Jeff Raskin summarizes the volume by saying "I find that [the articles] accurately represent the diversity of the field - - from fuzzy New Age touchy-feely rantings to thoughtful studies." I'm inclined to agree, but fortunately, the thoughtful studies outnumber the rantings. I was fascinated most by Whitehouse's article on architectural signposting for the blind. However, many of the other articles were also exceptionally thought-provoking. Before I read this book, I thought "information design" had something to do with drawing effective graphs. But after reading these articles, I would say it is making meaning by revealing the relationships between data through planned presentation. Or something to that effect- -the field is much wider than I had ever thought before.
Rating:
Summary: Heavy reading
Review: This book consists of a series of cross-disciplinary articles on information design. In the concluding chapter of the book, Jeff Raskin summarizes the volume by saying "I find that [the articles] accurately represent the diversity of the field - - from fuzzy New Age touchy-feely rantings to thoughtful studies." I'm inclined to agree, but fortunately, the thoughtful studies outnumber the rantings. I was fascinated most by Whitehouse's article on architectural signposting for the blind. However, many of the other articles were also exceptionally thought-provoking. Before I read this book, I thought "information design" had something to do with drawing effective graphs. But after reading these articles, I would say it is making meaning by revealing the relationships between data through planned presentation. Or something to that effect- -the field is much wider than I had ever thought before.
Rating: 
Summary: Theories Not To Go By
Review: This book questions several so-called practicing experts on information design. Although some responses are sensible, most of the book's entries fail to stand by solid and structured ideas. Instead, most of the authors in this book ramble on about some rather horrible theories, while trying to prevent any criticism by including in their answers a lot of ifs and buts (Brenda Dervin: Chaos, Order, and Sense-Making.) While almost the entire book was a waste of time to read, the section by Romedi Passini (Sign-Posting Information Design) was enough to keep me from tossing the book. Read that section if any.
Rating:
Summary: mixed bag
Review: This is a mixed-bag of articles on (of course) information design, in which every author defines the field differently. It would have been nice if the editor had set up a single definition and had authors work within that. But you'll end up skipping whole chapters which discuss left-field topics. I'm also amazed that a bunch of people writing about information design can't produce clearer illustrations. The best of the bunch is by Nathan Shedrof, who comes up with a decent definition and gets into the details of it gracefully and eloquently. Ask a colleague who bought the book to copy chapter 11 for you.
Rating:
Summary: A poor showing with a few bright spots
Review: Too much touchy-feely, and not enough science. There's some interesting stuff in here, but you have to look too hard to find it. It seems odd to me that a book on information design has so few graphics. Further, there is at least one article that could be edited to 1/3 its original length without losing a shred of meaning (what little it has). Sorry -- I just wasn't impressed, and I had hoped to be.
Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing look at the life of the information designer.
Review: Unlike the previous reviewer, I actually read the book and especially its introduction. INFORMATION DESIGN fulfills its promise: it reveals what it means to be an information designer at an ethical, even emotional level. I was especially impressed by the diversity of the contributors and their willingness to express doubts as well as hopes for this emerging profession. INFORMATION DESIGN isn't exclusively a how-to book. More importantly, it helped me to understand what information design is and why it's done in the first place. This is a must-read for those of you who aspire to become or already are information designers. You have your work cut out for you!
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