Graphic Arts Books

Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Edit & Students (Design Briefs)

Ellen Lupton

Amazon Price: $14.93 List Price: $21.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Princeton Architectural Press Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $12.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Strange, superficial overview of type-related topics 2 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I love type, but I lack an educated background on its use. I was so looking forward to learning about such details as when to prefer a sans-serif versus a serif in certain situations, how people react to various different families of faces, prescriptions for when to apply different types of layouts, and so forth.

When I got was a partially complete history lesson on how different types of faces and families evolved, an introduction to grid layouts with very little prescriptive advice, and weirdly, a brief editorial primer teaching how to mark up the printed page with pen.

To its credit, the book is full of examples of layouts. As I read, I expected any minute I'd penetrate the entry level "Here we see an example of a layout" to the real meat, but it never ever happened.

To the author's credit, the book was meticulously assembled and was clearly the product of a great deal of effort. And, this is not the first design-related book I've discovered that lacked meaningful depth.

But to any practicing designer looking for some guidance for taking their use of type to the next level, or understanding beyond his own innate instincts when to apply certain techniques, this is not the book for you. In fact, I'm not sure who this book is for.

Editorial Review:

The organization of letters on a blank sheet -- or screen -- is the most basic challenge facing anyone who practices design. What type of font to use? How big? How should those letters, words, and paragraphs be aligned, spaced, ordered, shaped, and otherwise manipulated? In this groundbreaking new primer, leading design educator and historian Ellen Lupton provides clear and concise guidance for anyone learning or brushing up on their typographic skills.
Thinking with Type is divided into three sections: letter, text, and grid. Each section begins with an easy-to-grasp essay that reviews historical, technological, and theoretical concepts, and is then followed by a set of practical exercises that bring the material covered to life. Sections conclude with examples of work by leading practitioners that demonstrate creative possibilities (along with some classic no-no's to avoid).

David Busch's Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

David D. Busch

Amazon Price: $19.79 List Price: $29.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Course Technology PTR Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $18.20

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Have you unpacked your new Nikon D300 digital SLR camera and want to get started right away taking professional quality pictures? David Busch’s Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography will show you how, when, and why to use all the cool features, controls, and functions of your camera to take great photographs of anything. After a brief introduction to the camera to help you get your bearings, you’ll dive right into all the exciting, innovative capabilities of the D300 including the focus controls, flash synchronization options, how to choose lenses, and which exposure modes are best. Beautiful, full-color images illustrate where the essential buttons and dials are, and you’ll find tips and techniques that can be applied to any type of photography to help you take better pictures with your new digital SLR. Whether you are new to digital SLR photography or an experienced pro, David Busch’s Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography will help you maximize your camera’s capabilities.

The Non-Designer's Design Book: Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice

Robin Williams

List Price: $14.95 By: Pearson Education Amazon Marketplace: 84 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 214 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent Show and Tell 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

One of the things that is so great about Robin William's books including this one is that she gives you the graphic supporting the text on the same page. You do not have to search for the graphic a few pages before or behind the text. Everything she says makes sense when you see the graphic.

Great for the non-designer 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I read some of the other reviews in preparing to write this. I am definitely a non-designer but have found a need to learn some design principles. I thought the book was great for its intended audience and probably for more experienced people as well. I have already applied the design principles in my work, web site development, and I re-did my letterhead based on what I learned here. Is it the best that could be done by an experienced designer? No. Is it a lot better than it was before? YES! I tested some of my small web page improvements on a few people and got confirmation that I have learned some very useful tools to improve my work.

I got a chuckle from some of the negative reviews, things like "I am a designer and it didn't help me." Duh! It is not aimed at them, and I thank the author for that as it might have gone over my head if it were.

I am excited enough about what I learned that I plan to take a few college courses to go even further. Thanks for the inspiration!

Editorial Review:

Outlines the essentials of page layout, emphasizing the four concrete principles of design--proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast--in an illustrated volume that features before and after examples of page design. Original. (All Users).

Envisioning Information

Edward R. Tufte

Amazon Price: $34.56 List Price: $48.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Graphics Press Amazon Marketplace: 75 new & used starting at $22.38

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

It's a good book 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is my 3rd favorite of Tufte's books after Visual Display and Visual Explanations, but it would be a good addition for any Tufte collection and still contains useful info.

A Continually Rewarding Gem 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Every time I go back to this book I get something more out of it. Over the past 10 years I've been through my copy a couple of dozen times. If communicating information is important to you, you should take a look at this classic.

A very good resource 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Nutshell review - This is a beautiful resource on presenting information in a myriad of ways with many examples of good and bad design. Beautifully illustrated.

Portable affordable art 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Tufte follows up his debut classic with an even more beautiful piece of graphic art disguised as a guide to ways to display three (and more) dimensions on a flat surface.

While even more beautifully crafted than The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2nd edition, it has less in the way of practical guidance. Tufte's principle here can be reduced to this far-reaching but not so simply-implemented statement: increase the resolution of "flatland" (paper or computer screen) to show more data to increase clarity.

As usual, the principle is lavishly illustrated with beautifully-reproduced examples of good and bad ways of envisioning information. In fact, I have found Tufte's principle and illustrations are useful ways of thinking about how to improve my own graphics, but I find my ability to implement them frustrated by the limitations of the design tools I use most: Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Word, wikis. That is a negative reflection on the tools, not on Tufte.

In any case, enjoy Tufte's books now for the portable affordable art that they are, and hope for the tools to catch up soon.

Editorial Review:

A remarkable range of examples for the idea of visual thinking, with beautifully printed pages. A real treat for all who reason and learn by means of images. -- Rudolf Arnheim

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines)

Graphic Artists Guild

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Graphic Artists Guild Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $21.83

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Just a lot of the best information available... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

So much information that it will take a lot of time to read it all, but it is so well written and with the right and necessary information that it is a must for everyone in this field. Very informative, clear and to the point. Covers almost every aspect of the Graphic Artist business. Will help a lot, specially with themes regarding your rights and obligation, what is to be expected from an artist and what should an artist expect from others.

The price tables are not accurate for everyone since I believe that there are different markets for different reasons, geographical, economical targets and so on... so you should not expect them to apply exactly to you, but those are really good points of reference you should consider and seriously evaluate.

I don't like the cover at all since it is very confusing and non practical, specially if you are looking for this book in a bookstore by reference and not knowing how it looks like, since it is hard to read it's title at first glance, which I think is a huge violation to the basic rules of commercial design. I think it should have some practical and useful design for that matters. Thats's a no, no, for something coming from an "Artist" Guild. Actually it is an ugly cover (sorry for the artist who created it). The size of it does not help to make it a carry on book say to read everywhere, but for the amount of information it carries, I don't see any more practical shape.

Buy it!

Editorial Review:

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical guidelines, 12th Edition is the industry bible, containing information all graphic artists and their clients need to buy and sell work in a totally professional manner. This edition has been revised and updated to provide all the information you need to compete in an industry moving at lightning speed.

A History of Graphic Design

Philip B. Meggs

List Price: $59.95 By: Van Nostrand Reinhold Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $1.36

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not as good as former editions 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

After using all the editions, the latest isn't up to the late Phil Meggs' standards. In its attempt to
be concise and concept oriented, it omits much cultural and marginal information that was
interesting and flavorful. This edition is not as delicious as the others. I'm thinking of switching
textbooks for my students.

overall very good 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

i bought this product as new. i could tell the book had not been or had hardly been opened b/c of the sound it makes when you open a new book. the pages are clean and crisp. it was only the book jacket that protects the hard cover that had a few marks on it, but overall i'm very happy with it. =)

Very informative 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book for my Graphic Design history class. The book is well written and it is very informative.

Editorial Review:

An incredible, definitive history of graphic communication, this new edition is redesigned and updated to cover the evolution of graphic design over the past decade. Among its nearly 1,500 illustrations are 100 new full-color illustrations in a 16-page timeline that covers the history of graphic design from prehistory to today.

J.C. Leyendecker

Laurence S. Cutler, Judy Goffman Cutler

Amazon Price: $31.50 List Price: $50.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Abrams Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $31.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One of the most prolific and successful artists of the Golden Age of American Illustration, J. C. Leyendecker captivated audiences throughout the first half of the 20th century. Leyendecker is best known for his creation of the archetype of the fashionable American male with his advertisements for Arrow Collar. These images sold to an eager public the idea of a glamorous lifestyle, the bedrock upon which modern advertising was built. He also was the creator instantly recognizable icons, such as the New Year’s baby and Santa Claus, that are to this day an integral part of the lexicon of Americana and was commissioned to paint more Saturday Evening Post covers than any other artist.

 

Leyendecker lived for most of his adult life with Charles Beach, the Arrow Collar Man, on whom the stylish men in his artwork were modeled.

 

The first book about the artist in more than 30 years, J. C. Leyendecker features his masterworks, rare paintings, studies, and other artwork, including the 322 covers he did for the Post. With a revealing text that delves into both his artistic evolution and personal life, J. C. Leyendecker restores this iconic image maker’s rightful position in the pantheon of great American artists.

Designing Brand Identity: A Complete Guide to Creating, Building, and Maintaining Strong Brands

Alina Wheeler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 43 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This innovative approach -- blending practicality and creativity -- is now in full-color!

From translating the vision of a CEO and conducting research, through designing a sustainable identity program and building online branding tools, Designing Brand Identity helps companies create stronger brands by offering real substance. With an easy-to-follow style, step-by-step considerations, and a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand identity, the book offers the tools you need, whether a brand manager, marketer, or designer, when creating or managing a brand. This edition includes a wealth of full-color examples and updated case studies for world-class brands such as BP, Unilever, Citi, Tazo Tea, and Mini Cooper.

Alina Wheeler (Philadelphia, PA) applies her strategic imagination to help build brands, create new identities, and design brand-identity programs for Fortune 100 companies, entrepreneurial ventures, foundations, and cities.

The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life)

John Maeda

Amazon Price: $14.28 List Price: $21.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The MIT Press Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $10.29

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 43 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Received an Honorable Mention in the Communication and Cultural Studies category of the 2005 Professional/Scholarly Publishing Annual Awards Competition presented by the Association of American Publishers, Inc.

Finally, we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We're rebelling against technology that's too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte "read me" manuals. The iPod's clean gadgetry has made simplicity hip. But sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the simplicity paradox: we want something that's simple and easy to use, but also does all the complex things we might ever want it to do. In The Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda offers ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design—guidelines for needing less and actually getting more.

Maeda—a professor in MIT's Media Lab and a world-renowned graphic designer—explores the question of how we can redefine the notion of "improved" so that it doesn't always mean something more, something added on.

Maeda's first law of simplicity is "Reduce." It's not necessarily beneficial to add technology features just because we can. And the features that we do have must be organized (Law 2) in a sensible hierarchy so users aren't distracted by features and functions they don't need. But simplicity is not less just for the sake of less. Skip ahead to Law 9: "Failure: Accept the fact that some things can never be made simple." Maeda's concise guide to simplicity in the digital age shows us how this idea can be a cornerstone of organizations and their products—how it can drive both business and technology. We can learn to simplify without sacrificing comfort and meaning, and we can achieve the balance described in Law 10. This law, which Maeda calls "The One," tells us: "Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful."

Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop

Timothy Samara

Amazon Price: $16.50 List Price: $25.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Rockport Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $15.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The big book of clarity and chaos 3 out of 5 stars.
23 of 26 people found this review helpful.

What a strange publication. Divided into two sections the first explaining grid formatting with actual printed material and the second revealing how to design print without a grid.

There seems a contradiction here because the grid, used intelligently, will allow a whole range of graphic options to be presented with clarity. Some of the print examples reproduced in the first section do show this with perhaps the most useful item a grid thumbnail for each piece, unfortunately I thought it was rather too small on each spread despite being the key to explaining each format. From past experience, designing magazines, I would start work on a grid by concentrating on the text type size because it is the least flexible of all the elements on the page. This point really wasn't made enough of in the book's chapter: Grid Basics.

The reproductions show a reasonable range of design solutions, essentially print though there is an example of corporate signage. Missing are magazines (consumer or trade) timetables and the like. Without a grid this type of printed matter really wouldn't exist.

The book's contradiction, to my mind, start with the second section: 'Grid Deconstructions and Non-Grid-Based Design Projects'. The forty items shown seem to have a couple of common threads: their design is essentially arbitrary which makes them look very messy and frequently their typography (display and text) is used as a design element which makes the words unreadable. Their design is the opposite of grid stimulated creativity, in other words visual chaos.

Some of the examples are quite amazing. On page 180-181 twelve pages of a calendar are shown, totally useless as its impossible to see the days and dates. Pages 188-189 show eight spreads from a design school journal showing irregular shaped blocks of text creating a sort of collage. I doubt anyone made the effort to read any of it. What is interesting about this second section material is that so much of it comes from educational establishments. In the real world all this designer whimsy would be rejected by the client on sight of the first dummy

'Making and Breaking the Grid' is well printed with 175dpi and the layout is adequate and for a book about grids you would have thought its own grid would have been included but it is strangely missing. Overall I felt that because the contents present two opposite design ideals the book's editorial concept is rather flawed.

From my experience there is only one book that really explains it all: Muller-Brockmann's Grid Systems in Graphic Design published in Switzerland and full of good solid, practical, hands-on information. This book's only purpose is creative clarity.

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Editorial Review:

For designers working in every medium, layout is arguable the most basic, and most important, element. Effective layout is essential to communication and enables the end user to not only be drawn in with an innovative design but to digest information easily.

Making and Breaking the Grid is a comprehensive layout design workshop that assumes that in order to effectively break the rules of grid-based design, one must first understand those rules and see them applies to real-world projects.

Text reveals top designersÆ work in process and rationale. Projects with similar characteristics are linked through a simple notational system that encourages exploration and comparison of structure ideas. Also included are historical overviews that summarize the development of layout concepts, both grid-based and non-grid based, in modern design practice.