Graphic Design Books - Page 6

The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company

David A. Price

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Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Product Description

The roller-coaster rags-to-riches story behind the phenomenal success of Pixar Animation Studios: the first in-depth look at the company that forever changed the film industry and the "fraternity of geeks" who shaped it.

The Pixar Touch is a story of technical innovation that revolutionized animation, transforming hand-drawn cel animation to computer-generated 3-D graphics. It's a triumphant business story of a company that began with a dream, remained true to the ideals of its founders—antibureaucratic and artist driven—and ended up a multibillion-dollar success.

We meet Pixar's technical genius and founding CEO, Ed Catmull, who dreamed of becoming an animator, inspired by Disney's Peter Pan and Pinocchio, realized he would never be good enough, and instead enrolled in the then new field of computer science at the University of Utah. It was Catmull who founded the computer graphics lab at the New York Institute of Technology and who wound up at Lucasfilm during the first Star Wars trilogy, running the computer graphics department, and found a patron in Steve Jobs, just ousted from Apple Computer, who bought Pixar for five million dollars. Catmull went on to win four Academy Awards for his technical feats and helped to create some of the key computer-generated imagery software that animators rely on today.

Price also writes about John Lasseter, who catapulted himself from unemployed animator to one of the most powerful figures in American filmmaking; animation was the only thing he ever wanted to do (he was inspired by Disney's The Sword in the Stone), and Price's book shows how Lasseter transformed computer animation from a novelty into an art form. The author writes as well about Steve Jobs, as volatile a figure as a Shakespearean monarch . . .

Based on interviews with dozens of insiders, The Pixar Touch examines the early wildcat years when computer animation was thought of as the lunatic fringe of the medium.

We see the studio at work today; how its writers, directors, and animators make their astonishing, and astonishingly popular, films.

The book also delves into Pixar's corporate feuds: between Lasseter and his former champion, Jeffrey Katzenberg (A Bug's Life vs. Antz), and between Jobs and Michael Eisner. And finally it explores Pixar's complex relationship with the Walt Disney Company as it transformed itself from a Disney satellite into the $7.4 billion jewel in the Disney crown.

Little-Known Facts from The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company by David Price

• Pixar, not Apple, made Steve Jobs a billionaire. Jobs bought Pixar in 1986 from Lucasfilm for $5 million. In 1995, the week after the release of Toy Story, Pixar went public and Jobs's stock was worth $1.1 billion.

• Ed Catmull, Pixar's co-founder, dreamed as a youth of becoming an animator, but decided in high school that he couldn't draw well enough. Instead, he became an early visionary of computer animation as a graduate student in the 1970's. "Computer animation was sort of on the lunatic fringe at that time," remembered Fred Parke, a fellow Ph.D. student in Catmull's class at the University of Utah.

• When John Lasseter joined Pixar—which was then the computer graphics department of George Lucas's Lucasfilm—he had just been fired from his dream job as an animator at Disney. He became the first person to apply classic Disney character animation principles to computer animation.

• Before it became an animation studio, Pixar went through years of struggle and multi-million-dollar losses. It started as a computer company and John Lasseter's short films, such as Luxo Jr. and Tin Toy, were promotional films to help sell the company's computers.

• Pixar was almost bought by…Microsoft? Yep: Jobs remained worried about the company's finances even after Pixar made a deal with the Walt Disney Co. in 1991 to produce Toy Story, Pixar's first feature film. The Pixar Touch details the effort to sell Pixar to Bill Gates's company while Toy Story was in production.

• When writing Toy Story, to find inspiration for the relationship between Buzz and Woody, Lasseter and his story department screened classic "buddy" movies, including 48 Hrs., The Defiant Ones, Midnight Run, and Thelma & Louise.

• John Lasseter has instilled an intense commitment to research in the studio's creative staff. To prepare for the scene in Finding Nemo in which the fish characters Marlin and Dory become trapped in a whale, two members of the art department climbed inside a dead gray whale that had been stranded north of Marin, California.

• To learn how to make a realistic French kitchen, the producer and first director of Ratatouille worked as apprentices at an elite French restaurant in the Napa Valley.

• Pixar deliberately avoided making the humans in The Incredibles look too realistic. They knew that as animated human characters became too close to lifelike, audiences would actually perceive them as repulsive. The phenomenon, known as the "uncanny valley," had been predicted by a Japanese robotics researcher as early as 1970. Thus, the details of human skin, such as pores and hair follicles, were left out of The Incredibles' characters in favor of a more cartoonlike appearance.

• The signature of most Pixar feature films is characters who appeal to children (toys, fish, monsters…), but who have adult-like personalities and are dealing with adult-like problems.

• Prior to the acquisition of Pixar by Disney in 2006, Lasseter loathed the idea of Disney making sequels to Pixar films without Pixar's involvement—as Disney's contract with Pixar allowed it to do. "These were the people that put out Cinderella II," Lasseter remarked.

• Pixar is more than an animation studio. Pixar's innovations in computer graphics technology pervade movies today. Special-effects houses like Industrial Light & Magic (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) use Pixar's software to create out-of-this-world places and characters.

(Photo © Simon Bruty)

The Art of Kung Fu Panda

Tracey Miller-Zarneke

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

SWEET! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I'm pretty picky when it comes to art books, especially when the art style isn't what I'm looking for. This book, however, has various styles that I actually enjoyed, and it isn't even in a style I'm particularly fond of either! What makes it so interesting, you ask? Well, for one, you get to see and understand why the producers chose the particular art style for the movie, and it makes a lot of sense.

If you've seen the movie already, you know how the intro movie goes (all in 2D at first), the author explains why they chose to go with that style and how they came up with the idea.

From 2D sketches from various character designers to the final 3D output of the characaters and environments, you won't be disappointed at how they all turned out. Most of them didn't make in the movie, but you eventually find out why. Some of the art is so good, you won't even be able to tell if it's 2D or 3D. Vibrant colors fill up the pages in this book, and the overall design for the cover inside and out will make you want to come back to this book, even if it's just for fun or for your personal reference to character/environment design. PICK THIS ONE UP!

Picture This: How Pictures Work

Molly Bang

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Photos tell more than thousand words-here is the answer why! 5 out of 5 stars.
22 of 22 people found this review helpful.

Using the story of Little Red Riding Hood this book is focusing on the basic principles of composing images.

Reduced to the maximum and using simple colors and arrangements of basic elements like circles or triangles, the drawings as well as the short, precise text within this book are pointing out, how simple and complex arrangements within pictures work, transfer obvious (and hidden) messages, how philosophy and psychology witin pictures works. Therefor its a book telling the story why pictures may lie, may influence, may manipulate an observer even though obviously just showing "reality".

Whether you are taking photographs, drawing or designing - this book is a absolute must! A photo/image tells more than thousand words - here you will find the answer how and why. Great to read and watch, easy and fast to understand - even though dealing with a most complex matter.

Finally a personal statement and hint for an esthetes: if you like to possess a book with an outer shape and appearance that promises, what the contents keeps, than you have to buy the nice hard cover version instead of the cheaper soft cover version - it will pay off for sure.

Editorial Review:

Everyone knows that a picture tells a thousand words. But what about the elements that make up a picture? Using the tale of Little Red Riding Hood as an example, Molly Bang uses boldly graphic artwork to explain how images--and their individual components--work to tell a story that engages the emotions: Why are diagonals dramatic? Why are curves calming? Why does red feel hot and blue feel cold??First published in 1991, Picture This fans will welcome the new edition's striking redesign and introduce its insights to many other artists and art appreciators alike.?

Interior Design and Decoration

Stanley Abercrombie, Sherrill Whiton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 12 people found this review helpful.

As an instructor of Interior Design, I cannot praise this book enough....My students as well as fellow instructors find it an invaluable tool, not only in teaching beginning level courses, but also as a great reference manual after the student graduates....Several of us still have well-worn copies in our offices...Buy this book, you won't be dissapointed!

Editorial Review:

Addressing interior design and decoration from the ancients to the moderns, this text describes the dominant influences of fashion design and focuses on the close relationship between interior design and the architecture of our times.

With the Sixth Edition of Interior Design and Decoration, Stanley Abercrombie continues the revival of this time-tested and well-respected text—first published in 1937—to make it meet the needs of today’s teachers and students. In his second revision of Sherrill Whiton’s classic text, Abercrombie presents the full history of interior design—during all periods and throughout all regions—in a manner that facilitates easy comparisons among different times, places, and styles.

Typography Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Type in Graphic Design

Timothy Samara

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

qualified rare type book 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

There is tons of type book around but this is one of the most useful type book on my shelf, recommend it.

Editorial Review:

New in paperback, The Typography Workbook provides an at-a-glance reference book for designers on all aspects of type.

The book is part of Rockport's popular Workbook series of practical and inspirational workbooks that cover all the fundamental areas of the graphic design business. This book presents an abundance of information on type - the cornerstone of graphic design - succinctly and to the point, so that designers can get the information they need quickly and easily.

Whereas many other books on type are either very technical or showcase oriented, this book offers ideas and inspiration through hundreds of real-life projects showing successful, well-crafted usage of type. The book also offers a variety of other content, including choosing fonts, sizes, and colors; incorporating text and illustrations; avoiding common mistakes in text usage; and teaching rules by which to live (and work) by.

Juxtapoz Illustration (Juxtapoz) (Juxtapoz)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Buy this book immediately! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Even if you're not a subscriber to the legendary Juxtapoz magazine, this is a must-purchase for anyone even mildly interested in the modern 'pop surrealism' or 'low brow' art movements. Some of my very favorite artists appear in here.

All in all, this is chock-full of absolutely stunning works of art. Buy it now if you have any unusual artistic aesthetic tastes whatsoever. This is dirt-cheap for a nicely hardbound book with great printing and sturdy paper.

Disclaimer: One of my main goals is to have my work appear in the magazine or the Great 'FSM' willing, an esteemed publication such as this, so if I sound like a fan-boy, I must admit the shoe fits... ;)

PS: I plan to pick up the other books in the series too, they have a tattoo one out now as well but others are on the way. Check 'em out.

WOW 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I am a big fan of the magazine and this book is just mind blowing, Page to page full of artworks and different artist, some featured in the magazine and some new comers never seen before. If you love juxtapoz get the book you wont be disapointed. The makers of Juxtapoz really have out done themself's this time. Even if you have never heard of the magazine or don't like the magazine you will love this book.

Graphic Design: A New History

Stephen J. Eskilson

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This exciting new history of graphic design explores its evolution from the late 19th century to the present day. Organized chronologically, the book illuminates the dynamic relationship between design and manufacturing as well as the roles of technology, social change, and commercial forces on the course of design history. The layout of each chapter reflects the unique style of the period it describes, and some 450 illustrations throughout the volume provide a visual record of more than one hundred years of creative achievement in the field.
Under the influence of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19th century, a new era began for design arts. Fueled by popular Art Nouveau advertising, the work of graphic designers became central in the growing consumer goods economy. This book traces the emergence of varied modernist design styles in the early 20th century and then examines the wartime politicization of regional styles through American government patronage and revolutionary Soviet ideas. Richly contextualized chapters chronicle the history of the Bauhaus and the rise of the International Style, followed by the postmodern movement of the 1970s and '80s. After highlighting recent developments in graphic design around the globe, the author discusses the impact of inexpensive, powerful design software and the challenges facing designers now.

Forms, Folds, and Sizes: All the Details Graphic Designers Need to Know but Can Never Find

Poppy Evans

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Finally! A replacement for the "Pocket Pal" 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A great resource for all the little details you don't find in your design school text books. I've tossed my Pocket Pal and this is next to my copy of Bringhurst now.

Great Reference for any Graphic Designer 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book has some great resources for any graphic designer, whether you're needing to figure out the right CMYK mixture for a color, or the average envelope size.

Forms, Folds and Sizes 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a must have for the designer. Although the layout is pretty mundane, the information is necessary. It is a package deal- from correct information about packaging, Pantone colors to envelope and paper sizes- it is everything you NEED to know in the design field.

Editorial Review:

Forms, Folds & Sizes is the book that is always next to a designerÆs computer. Completely practical with only the most needed information, this book will provide designers with all the little details that can make or break a design such as how much space to leave in the gutter when designing barrel folds, how to layout a template for a box and the ratios of each part, metric conversion charts, standard envelope sizes in the USA, Europe, Canada and Asia, etc. This hardworking handbook is 2-color with a durable soft vinyl cover.

Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works (2nd Edition)

Erik Spiekermann, E.M Ginger

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Stop Stealing Sheep, Second Edition is a unique, entertaining, and educational tour through the most basic unit of written communication: type. World-renowned type experts Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger explain in everyday laymen's terms what type is and how you can use it to enhance the legibility, meaning, and aesthetic level of your work. They elegantly touch on all aspects of typography, including the history and mechanics of type, how to train your eye to recognize and choose typefaces, and how to use space and layout to improve overall communication. Because type reaches across all boundaries and continually evolves, this edition is revised and updated to include new chapters on Web typography and other forms of online text display. You need no previous knowledge of typography to enjoy this book and apply its tenets to your daily work. A perennial bestseller since the first edition was published in 1993, Stop Stealing Sheep will draw you in with its beautiful design and layout, which makes liberal use of more than 200 illustrations and photographs.

Exploring InDesign CS3 (Design Exploration Series)

Terry Rydberg

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Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent resource! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I had never used Adobe InDesign before I purchased this book. I found the book to be extremely helpful in my learning process for this program. It's an excellent learning resource! I plan on keeping this book as a reference for all of the InDesign functions that I've learned.

Editorial Review:

In the world of design, projects don't come with directions. The "recipe book" approach used by most software books does little to prepare designers for the demands of a highly competitive industry. Exploring InDesign CS3 takes a different approach. With an emphasis on typography and critical thinking, Exploring InDesign CS3 transforms the novice into a professional who is able to use the software while applying industry-standard design principles. In addition to using the new features of Adobe InDesign CS3, users learn to identify each project's challenges and to strategize the best production sequence. Chapters and projects are carefully organized to move learners from basic operations to creating complex documents. Each chapter builds upon the skills presented in the previous chapter. As in industry, the emphasis throughout is on technical accuracy and productivity.