You know you don't want to reinvent the wheel (or worse, a flat tire), so you look to design patterns the lessons learned by those who've faced the same software design problems. With design patterns, you get to taken advantage of the best practices and experience of others, so that you can spend your time on... something else. Something more challenging. Something more complex. Something more fun. You want to learn:

The patterns that matter
When to use them, and why
How to apply them to your own designs, right now
When not to use them (how to avoid pattern fever)
OO design principles on which patterns are based


Most importantly, you want to learn design patterns in a way that won't put you to sleep. If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First Design Patterns will load patterns into your brain in a way that sticks. In a way that makes you better at solving software design problems, and better at speaking the language of patterns with others on your team.

About The Author
Eric Freeman and Elisabeth Freeman are authors, educators, and technology innovators. After four years leading digital media and Internet efforts at the Walt Disney Company, they're applying some of that pixie dust to their own media, including this book. Eric and Elisabeth both hold computer science degree from Yale University: Elisabeth holds an M.S. Degree and Eric a Ph.D.

Kathy Sierra (founder of javaranch.com) and Bert Bates are the creators of the best-selling Head First series and developers of sum Microsystems Java developer certification exams.