Presenting the fundamentals of hardware design, this work integrates state-of-the-art techniques and technologies in an easy-to-understand style. Examples are used to build understanding and problem-solving skills. The text provides preparation for courses in contemporary computer architecture and organization that emphasize system-level concepts but which present only a cursory treatment of actual hardware design. To strengthen motivation for study, an ongoing example of a simple computer system is used to illustrate the principal impact of each topic in digital systems design.