{"product_id":"the-designers-guide-to-the-andrew-marcus-9798994707142","title":"The Designer's Guide to the Buttons: A History of Interfaces from Early Computers to Virtual Reality. In Search of a Universal Design System","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis book is intended for a wide audience interested in interface design, digital technology, and the history of computing. It will be valuable to both newcomers and experienced professionals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeginning designers will find it especially engaging to trace how familiar interface elements-buttons, text fields, checkboxes, and dropdown menus-originated from their physical-world analogs: electric bells, radio dials, paper ballots, and other mechanical devices. It's not merely a historical excursion but aninvitation to see everyday things from a new perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor professionals, the book offers a reason to reflect deeply on the nature of interface decisions. Ithelps answer questions that seem simple yet often prove challenging in practice: Why is a component built the way it is? Should a button brighten or darken on hover? What's the best way to indicate aselected option-by a checkmark or by color? What distinguishes a dropdown list from a dropdown menu? How should fields in a form be aligned for maximum clarity?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book analyzes 180 interfaces from popular applications-both desktop and mobile. Hundreds of illustrations showcase classic and contemporary products alike: Google Docs, Notion, Airbnb, Uber, Yandex Maps, T-Bank, Telegram, and many others. Designers often struggle to find solid, real-world examples of interface components; this book solves that problem by building visual literacy through direct comparison.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Designer's Guide to the Buttons is not just a history of interface design-it is also a practical manual for creating a modern design system. Each chapter focuses on a single component and examines it in depth: from its origins and evolution to its anatomy and a universal matrix of states, styles, and variations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral features make the book unique.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst, it includes 35 QR codes linking to articles, video tutorials, and supplementary materials-turning it into a truly interactive encyclopedia. Readers no longer need to search online to learn a term or watch a live example of the interface in action.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecond, all the design principles described in the book are consolidated into areal, working design system, published on the Figma Community and used in large-scale international projects the author has worked on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThird, the structure of the book allows complex sections-such as component matrices-to be skipped without losing comprehension, letting readers simply enjoy the story and visuals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally, it is the only book in the world with an intermission.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andrew Marcus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798994707142\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Andrew Marcus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/06\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 252\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.36lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 11.00h x 8.25w x 0.81d","brand":"Andrew Marcus","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48743215071487,"sku":"9798994707142","price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-designers-guide-to-the-andrew-marcus-9798994707142","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}