Berkeley, CA. November 30, 2006-Design philosophies can be useful, but inspiration, creative strategies, and efficient work habits are what really get the job done. Designer, instructor, and author Curt Cloninger provides a multitude of strategies, tools, and practices that readers can use to inject a big dose of creativity into just about any design project. With illustrations drawn from 20th-century French philosophy, medieval manuscripts, punkrock posters, and more, Curt's innovative text introduces readers to his personal toolkit for hot-wiring the creative process. You’ll learn strategies to:

• Recognize and believe in your creative powers

• Develop effective methods for evaluating your own work

• Draw inspiration from the past

• Use standard software in experimental ways, and find nonstandard applications to create new effects

• Maintain a personal design playground

• Mine your subconscious with the Oblique Strategies Cards, developed by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt

• Un-stick your imagination by "blitz-designing" mock-ups

About the Author

Curt Cloninger is an artist, designer, author, and instructor in Multimedia Arts & Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. His book Fresh Styles for Web Designers: Eye Candy from the Underground (New Riders, 2002) is an industry standard on creative Web design solutions. Curt's art and design work has been featured in I.D. Magazine, HOW Magazine, The New York Times, Desktop Magazine, and at digital arts festivals from Korea to Brazil. He regularly speaks at international events such as HOW Design, South by Southwest, Web Design World, and FILE. His pirate signal broadcasts from lab404.com to facilitate lively dialog.

About Peachpit

Educating 100 million people worldwide, Pearson Education (www.pearsoned.com)Berkeley-based Peachpit has been publishing the industry's best-selling books on the latest in graphic design, desktop publishing, multimedia, Web publishing, digital video and general Macintosh computing since 1986. Its award-winning books feature step-by-step explanations, time-saving techniques, savvy insider tips, and expert advice for computer users of all sorts. It is the home of the internationally recognized Visual QuickStart Guide series, the design imprint New Riders and its highly popular Voices That Matter series, and is the publishing partner for Adobe Press, lynda.com, NAPP, Apple Certified, AIGA Design Press and others. Peachpit is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. Pearson's primary operations also include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. Learn more at www.peachpit.com and www.pearson.com.

Contact:

Sara Jane Todd
Publicist
Peachpit
1249 8th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-558-4114
press@peachpit.com