Art rules the world. But what about the rules of art? In our current day and age, the general consensus seems to be that creativity, divine inspiration and art can never be bound by rules. Artists need to push the envelope, be ahead of the curve, and if there are any rules out there it is the artist's prerogative, if not God-given right, to break them. But up to the early 20th century, artists did not have the complete artistic freedom that they are believed to enjoy today. They were bound by rules of art, of decency and indeed of taste. This books contains 51 art rules. From the age-old 'Rule of Thirds' to modern mantras like 'Design isn't art.' Myths, like the one of the struggling artist, are dispelled, while other rules are merely confirmed with the help of quotes by artists, theorists and art enthusiasts.

Ridiculous' is a relative term, what is nonsense for one can be an important guideline for another. It is not about laying down the law. For each of the 51 rules covered in each book, Van Gaalen refers to quotes by famous fellow creators, who either think there's something to the rule or have made a personal variation on it.

Anneloes van Gaalen never stops researching ridiculous rules in creative sectors and we are thankful for that, because it produces more of these wonderful and bestselling Ridiculous Design Rules books, which make perfect gifts for creative people and those who love creative work. Five books have been published and reprinted (!) so far, and we are now pleased to announce the next three new titles: Never Sleep with the Director and 50 other Ridiculous Film Rules, Never Photograph People Eating and 50 other Ridiculous Photography Rules and Never Paint by Numbers and 50 other Ridiculous Art Rules. These three fields of creativity will attract the interest of the general public, besides of course appealing to the professionals working in these sectors. For each of the 51 rules covered in each book, Van Gaalen refers to quotes by famous fellow creators, who either think there is something to the rule or have made a personal variation on it.

The world of fashion is inundated with an apparently endless list of rules. Some consider these to be valuable words of wisdom, whereas others perceive them to be mere restrictions imposed by the fashion police.

"Never Leave the House Naked" presents a list of inspirational or delusional fashion jargon for the world to judge.

"Never Use More than Two Different Typefaces" presents a humorous overview of the rules governing typography. A joy for graphic designers and everyone who has anything to do with designing texts. Like no other, this is a world that is held together by rules, which designers, of course, often take great delight in breaking.

In this series, "ridiculous" is a relative term, because what is nonsense for one can be an important guideline for another. In these books, it is not about laying down the law. For each of the fifty rules covered in each book, Anneloes Van Gaalen refers to quotes by famous fellow designers who either think there is something to the rule or have made a personal variation of it. Whether you agree with them or not, the Ridiculous Design Rules books sharpen your own thoughts about the assumed truths of design, advertising, fashion, photography, and the Internet.

Each rule is convincingly illustrated, with the illustrations either confirming or disproving the rule in question.

Design has many rules that claim to be big truths and full of wisdom. Designers all go by rules that work for them. However, their rules may not work for someone else, or for a particular piece of design work. When a rule is forced upon you, it stops working and becomes a joke, like "Never use a PC," or "Leave it until the last minute," or the most famous of them all, "Less is more."

The problem is that every rule related to, or governing, design is ultimately ridiculous. In this book we have collected the most talked-about rules and the viewpoints of designers and thought leaders who live by them or hate them.