Susan L. Fowler, Victor R. Stanwick
The GUI Style Guide
Morgan Kaufmann, 1994
407 pages
ISBN: 0-1226-3590-6

The book suffers from the same kind of problems as The Cross-GUI Handbook. It’s already almost a decade old, it doesn’t even cover Windows 95, and it wasn’t that pretty to being with. However, contrary to the mentioned counterpart, it is focused more on presenting design ideas than simply pictures. For example, there are chapters on charts and graphs, colours, multimedia, and translating sofware.

The following paragraphs are quoted verbatim from the back cover:

The GUI Style Guide, unlike more [undecipherable fragment] to write, draw, and develop sensible user interfaces, but why each guideline works. For example, you may have heard that you shouldn’t use color to differentiate lines on charts. This book tells you why – aside from the fact that most users don’t have color printers, eight percent of males are red-green colorblind and won’t be able to tell red and green lines apart. This guide also tells you what to do about it – use a system of dashed and dotted lines.

The GUI Style Guide helps developers, technical writers, artists, human-factors experts, and students:

	Transform character-based interfaces into graphical user interfaces,
	Accomodate expert users without alienating new users.
	Compare and contrast IBM CUA, Microsoft®, Apple, pen-based, and UNIX interface standards.
	Create interfaces that work well in difficult environments and for users who require adaptive technologies.
	Write warning messages that meet ANSI and ISO standards.
	Develop programs that are easy to translate and market in other countries.

Each chapter ends with a list of resources: magazines and journals, books, on-line forums and lists, conferences, and organizations.