•For additional depth and color to vector images, use gradients; but don't overuse so as to avoid adding to file size and speeds.

•Don't overdo your media. Your audience will definitely get indigestion from your web site.

•Never make your audience wait. Downloading an image that takes millions of years to finish will definitely make your audience cranky. They'd probably clicked to another site even before your banner finished downloading itself. "If people have to wait, be sure it's really worth their while," says HotWired's resident interface designer.

•Design delays that cover loading process. Flash features full attributes that helps in keeping audience occupied while that giant sound file is loading in background. Flash's Bandwidth Profiler is said to provide a big help on this.

•Use knowledge and wisdom of your friends and colleagues. A good multimedia comes from a diverse source of skills found in people. The adage that two minds are better than one definitely applies here. Talk to other multimedia designers or join groups and mailing lists to share ideas and knowledge. What you think is trash for you might be a goldmine for another artist.

Designers handling all kinds of projects – books to brochures, invitations to menus, CDs to annual reports will have interesting reference from this book. Actually, it even invites them to literally shop for ideas. If you’re a print designer, you would be familiar with many techniques, but this book makes you see interesting variations of what you know and see them used on a myriad of different projects.

Wilson Harvey, a London-based integrated designer in a marketing agency that focuses on producing high-end communication for a wide range of clients, showed refreshing and contemporary work in this book. It goes without saying since Harvey has already designed more than 500 books for a variety of publisher, his experience outshone some other design books which drag out old projects.

Other topics covered include fasteners, graphics, unique materials, embossing, debossing, specialty inks, type treatments, interesting color usage, add-ons, die cuts and more. The index lists stock and materials used for each project are also very good. To sum it up, if you are a designer who loves print/finishes – unusual finishes, at that, then this book is for you.