The Form Book: Creating Forms for Printed and Online Use

A unique and practical guide to what good form design can achieve in business and communication.

Order forms, invoices, applications, and questionnaires are all standardized ways of requesting or presenting information, designed to focus on the essentials and so make life faster and simpler. But if a form is too complicated, confusing, or obscure, it can become a barrier to clear communication, wasting time and money and potentially harming the public’s perception of a business or brand. Successful forms do exist―efficient, streamlined, even stylish―but they are a challenge to create.

Filled with practical advice and inspiring ideas, this book covers everything from grids and graphic devices to fonts and formatting, comparing all the options and clearly illustrating the advantages of each approach. An extensive collection of innovative form designs from top designers and studios showcases a range of thoughtful, elegant, or witty solutions to the task of form creation and proves that attention to even the smallest design elements can make a big difference in the way that people and organizations interact. 350 color illustrations

Borries Schwesinger studied communications design in Potsdam and Milan. He now designs books and magazines, branding, and information graphics.