Book excerpt: AVA's Basics Interactive Design titles are designed to provide visual arts student with a theoretical and practical exploration of each of the fundamental topics within the discipline of Interactive Design. Packed with examples from students and professionals and fully illutrated with clear diagrams and inspiring imagery, they offer an essential exploration of the subject. Basics Interactive Design: Interface Design is the first book in the new Basics series. From a visual communication direction, it focuses on the design of effective, user-focused front-end designs for a range of digital media interfaces. Using case studies and interviews to delve deeper, the design of effective visual communication for user interfaces is clearly explained, giving the reader the knowledge needed to design better websites, apps for smartphones and tablts and DVD interfaces.