With all the fuss about digital camera tricks, photoshop tutorials, and the latest gadgets, it's easy to get caught up in a lot of technical details, piggyback on 'how to' concepts and lose sight of your most valuable tool of all - creativity.

$1000's worth of tools and gadgets don't equate to posessing creativity in design - technology is merely a vehicle for creativity and so if nobody is behind the wheel, you aren't going very far.

'Design Through Discovery' by Marjorie Elliott Bevlin is an excellent book for those who want to develop their creative potential and insight into design. It is not a how-to book, nor is it littered with 'tips and tricks', and you certainly won't have to meditate and twist yourself into a pretzel to connect with some universal creative awareness.

It simply makes you think about design by discussing all the relevant topics - concepts and process, space, shape and mass, colors, textures and patterns, balance, materials, media, and much more. It is also filled with wonderful photographs and illustrations to emphasize every morsel of insight.

Whether you are an artist, photographer, illustrator or simply purchase images on a regular basis for your projects - you will gain wisdom in design and be inspired.

The version I have is the 3rd edition from 1977, and may even have been a textbook - I'm not sure because I picked it up at a yardsale. What? It's that old? Yes indeed, but don't let that fool you. This is what makes the content in the book so valuable. It's not overwhelmed by the technical babble of modern times, where technology can so easily be confused with creativity. Perhaps there is a newer version for those who want a more modern read, something you would want to check out if that interests you.

To sum it up: Think, perceive, create.

Design Through Discovery

by: Marjorie Elliott Bevlin

ISBN: 0-03-089701-7