Good software starts with a good design, and the subtitle of Applying UML and Patterns, "An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOA/D) and the Unified Process" reinforces that that's what this book is about.
The first edition of Applying UML and Patterns became a standard. The second edition uses the unified process (UP) as the iterative process within which OOA/D is... (read more)