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A good way to do this is to take an object - any object - and then think about what it's for, using only a a verb and a noun usually.


So a cafetiere "Brews coffee". Make this first one the absolute most important thing about the object. Then think about its secondary use, which might be "transports coffee". They're usually glass so a third use is "displays coffee".


Then you've got things that aren't really the core functions of the object, but are part of its use or behaviour, like "compresses coffee grounds", "releases odour of coffee", and so on and so forth until you get down to the level of "promotes ritual", since every coffee machine has a certain process and method to it that's as much a reason for its user's preference as the taste of the coffee it makes.


The point is to try and pick apart all of the experiences and uses and interactions that make up the gestalt of the object. They're subconscious for sure, but all the more important for that. Be methodical, it's easier. Donald Norman's Emotional Design will probably help you.

• The Form of the Book by Jan Tschichold
  
• The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
  
  These are mostly directed at classical book design, so they probably tend more conservative than you should do for a magazine, but these books actual spell out rules for what you should do (I'm a big believer in handcuffing yourself to rules for the purpose of understanding them, and then breaking them later), which is I think what you're asking for.
  
  My sorta summary/advice based heavily on what I read in the above books:
  
  Don't decorate; be confident. There's definitely an urge to add little horizontal rules above things or boxes around page elements. Tischichold especially points out how young designers can't help but put a thin box around the inside title page of books. He says it shows a lack of confidence. The solution is to have a justification for where you put things.
  
  Basically, if you have a baseline grid for the page, then you can place page elements on it and know that they will be harmonic with the overall page.
  
  Page numbers can honestly go anywhere as long as it's not the inside edge. Putting them there means the publication has to be completely open in order to use the page numbers, which is annoying.
  
  Don't put repeating information on pages. It's annoying to have the author's name or the book title at the top of every single page. Again, this is a demonstration of a lack of confidence. I believe the thinking is that if the pages are photocopied and distributed, then people will know where it came from. DRM annoys.
  
  Usually the font size for notes will be smaller than the main text, so keep aware of the leading difference between the two, especially if you put notes along the side. The leading shouldn't necessarily be equal, but it should be a multiple of the main content, so that every three or four lines the text aligns again.
  
  I hope none of that was totally irrelevant to your project :) Good luck!

I bought this about a year and a half ago:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Pro9000-Inkjet-Printer-3295B002/dp/B001R4BTIA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1331927834&sr=8-12

I know it's a little over budget but I've seen it at local brick & mortar stores with generous mail-in rebates. Maybe with some savvy shopping you can get it under $400.

I went with this because it had excellent reviews, it can print on some huge sizes (and custom sizes), it's printed on almost every weight of paper I can throw at it (I buy a lot of different weights/types from French Paper), and compared to other brand equivalents (especially Epson) ink refills are a little cheaper.

As far as laser vs. ink jet, I believe the only real downside to an ink jet is is the cost/hassle of new ink and it prints slower, plus lasers seem much more expensive and if you are looking at a competitive price point you will be sacrificing features. Otherwise the flexibility and value of this printer has been amazing. Also, I'd avoid any Kodak printers at the moment, as the company is going through some hard times.

Here is a pretty good book in English about niwaki specifically. I think you're right that there is an aspect that is meant to seem effortless but the amount of work that goes into just the pruning is incredible. And everything is placed, the rocks weren't just found there. There are all sorts of symbolic arrangements to those too, like they bury them halfway, again to give the impression that it's very old. Now a lot of those gardens actually are very old but really not left up to chance that much. It's like a whole art form that we barely have in the west but there are some Japanese style gardens here.

Something you can take a look at that may help you bridge the gap between your discrete math/CS knowledge and design is Logic and Design by Krome Barratt.

It's a beautifully illustrated book that looks at the mathematical underpinnings of design basics like weight, rhythm, balance etc.

I own this and it's pretty good.

Along these lines, Umberto Eco's On Ugliness is fantastic.

There is also the companion History of Beauty

Get The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst. After you've read it you can check out webtypography.net a site which is going through chapter by chapter and adapting the lessons of The Elements of Typographic Style to the web providing helpful css snippets and explanations of how print and web typography differ by convention and necessity. In my opinion design without typography is nothing. A thoughtfully typeset page with no adornment caries far more weight than a poorly typeset page filled with the fluff techniques demonstrated on the multitude of tutorial websites out there. Understand typography and you are well on your way to understanding design.

(This is off-topic, but) have you read The Psychology of Everyday Things? Since it's by the same author and covers what seems to be a similar topic, I'm wondering how they compare and if it would be worth it to get Emotional Design or not. (other than it being newer, I guess?)