Desktop Publishing Books

The Elements of Typographic Style

Robert Bringhurst

List Price: $29.95 By: Hartley & Marks Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $23.00

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Graphic Design -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 87 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best book on Type ever! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This was my first book on typography - nothing I've read since has come even close! Very much recommended.

Everything you've ever wanted to know about type 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book includes basically everything an aspiring graphic designer/typographer may want to know: history of type and many specific typefaces, anatomy of type, and practical information about choosing typefaces. If you are completely obsessed with type this is an excellent book, if not, don't bother.

Excellent book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a book that goes beyond the boundaries of typography. It is a must have in any designer's library.

you've to learn your type rules somewhere 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Robert Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographic Style is a must have if you are interested in learning about type and type standards.

Editorial Review:

Renowned typographer and poet Robert Bringhurst brings clarity to the art of typography with this masterful style guide. Combining the practical, theoretical, and historical, this edition is completely updated, with a thorough exploration of the newest innovations in intelligent font technology, and is a must-have for graphic artists, editors, or anyone working with the printed page using digital or traditional methods.

Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop (Graphic Design)

Timothy Samara

List Price: $50.00 By: Rockport Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $49.00

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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.
18 of 21 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 (go to the book's site to see some spreads I've uploaded) published in Switzerland and full of good solid, practical, hands-on information. This book's only purpose is creative clarity.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

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 to effectively break the rules of grid-based design one must first understand those rules and see them applied to real-world projects. Text reveals top designers' 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 summarise the development of layout concepts, both grid-based and non-grid based, in modern design practice.

A History of Graphic Design

Philip B. Meggs

List Price: $59.95 By: Van Nostrand Reinhold Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $1.05

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

AWESOME 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book was in amazing condition. It arrived 2 days prior to the expected delivery date. I am absolutely satisfied with the seller and product. THANK YOU!

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

interesting stuff to read.
as the author suggests, it's difficult to be a history w/o being encyclopedic.
but there's lots of information in this edition.
if you have to get it, for class or whatever, it's worth the money.
..maybe

Don't buy from this seller! 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I did't receive this book! I payed and she didn't send to me!!! Don't buy anything from her!

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

Great book! Teaches you so much about Graphic Design! It's so packed with information.

Megg's History of Graphic Design 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is the most interesting and easy to read art history book I have yet to encounter as a student. Very good quality and wonderful pictures.

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.

Hand Bookbinding: A Manual of Instruction

Aldren A. Watson

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $7.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Probably the Best Hand Bookbinding Book Out There 4 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

After reading this book I was able to complete my first ever sewn multiple signature hardbound book with little to no problems. Watson's numbered and illustrated instructions were simple and easy to follow and his techniques - especially on proper folding, measuring, squaring, mitering the corners and attaching bookcloth - proved very helpful. He even provides a section in the end of the book on how to make your own bindery tools, which is great because equipment such as sewing frames and press tubs can be quite expensive these days.

Watson assumes that you have already collated the signatures for your text block. This is important because there are some things you'll have to consider when assembling the text block in the first place (such as squaring off the fore edge for a finished look) But overall, this is a useful reference for serious home bookbinders.

I highly recommend it!

Editorial Review:

Expert guide to creating fine books by hand. Thorough, detailed instructions, with over 270 helpful illustrations, cover materials, tools and equipment, making a slipcase, rebinding an old book, more. Also, 8 specific projects: dust jacket; blank book, single signature; folio; manuscript binding; music binding, 3 more. Introduction.

Non-adhesive binding

Keith A Smith

By: Distributed by K.A. Smith Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $25.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Non-Adhesive Binding Vol. 1 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Very thorough guide to aspects of constructing books of simplicity and beauty. Very elaborate bindings are also presented. Books are discussed as a means of presentation to suit the needs of the subject matter. In this age of scrapbooking and bookmaking as a vehicle for show and personal function, this seems a very useful book. Copies of this book held in libraries are often checked out for extended periods and unavailable. The book is well written, smyth sewn, and laid out in a logical fashion. Contains a glossary of terms.

Excellent resource for book artists 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I enjoy journaling on blank pages and subsequently binding them into journals. Keith Smith's book on non-adhesive binding is an excellent resource for learning non-conventional binding and book structures.

I enjoyed the book so much, I eventually made mock-ups of nearly every project in this book AND went on to worth through several other of Smith's books.

Smith provides many basic/general techniques in the front of the book followed by specific "recipes." He provides both creative suggestions for content and technical information on structure and assembly. Smith also provides sample photographs of each binding.

One minor criticism: many of the projects suggest using very heavyweight paper--almost watercolor paper--instead of textweight or lightweight. I had to tweak the instructions for binding the lightweight paper I use for journaling.

The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type

Alexander W. White

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Allworth Press Amazon Marketplace: 66 new & used starting at $9.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good book for learning graphic design principles and where the process came from. 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book was the course material for a beginning graphic design class I took. It was very fitting for a beginning class. The book goes over where graphic design came from in history regarding movements and art. It also covered design principles.

A Great Start for the Budding Graphic Designer 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I found this book very useful as both an introductory into the field of Graphic Design as well as a reference source for future projects. This book will remain in my permanent collection!

Editorial Review:

Approach page design in a revolutionary new way! Unlike other graphic design books, The Elements of Graphic Design reveals the secrets of successful graphic design from the unique perspective of the page’s "white space." With the help of carefully selected examples from art, design, and architecture, the role of white space as a connection between page elements is thoroughly explored. Clear, insightful comments are presented in a dynamic page design, and interactive design elements, thought-provoking captions, and scores of illustrations challenge designers to "think out of the box." This unique resource is guaranteed to inspire more creative and thorough thinking.

Designing with Type

James Craig

List Price: $15.95 By: Watson-Guptill Publications Inc.,U.S. Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $1.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Better Than My Text Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for a class, but later found out the book was changed. I found this edition much more helpful than the later edition that I had to buy and use for class.

Classic must have 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

An absolute must have for any beginning typography student or instructor. User friendly, it covers the fundamentals of typography comprehensively and with great clarity. I have used it as a text book, when I taught beginning typography and continue to recommend it for my Intermediate and Advanced type classes. No teacher or student of typography should be without this one. Truly a classic from a real pro.

Designing with Type 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book for learning how to use typography in design. Anyone who is in any design field should look into this book, it will increase you abilities as a designer.

Editorial Review:

New information and new images make this perennial best-seller an even more valuable tool for anyone interested in learning about typography. First published in 1971, this title is used universally ever since. It provides access to lessons from distinguished typographers around the world through Web site. More than 250,000 are sold.

The Craft of Bookbinding

Manly Banister

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $4.42

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

Best of show 4 out of 5 stars.
120 of 120 people found this review helpful.

This is by far one of the better books on the subject of bookbinding. It treats things such as leather covering, multiple sewing methods, cording, split covers, and finishing with great detail. However, an easier to read book is Hand Bookbinding A Manual of Instruction by Aldren A. Watson, which also happens to provide instructions on how to make your own tools, something the reader will find quite useful since tools are very difficult to find. Anyone wishing to get into bookbinding seriously should obtain both books to have a complete treatment of the subject, from tools to final product. I couldn't do without the two of them.

Editorial Review:

Profusely illustrated step-by-step guide enables you to rebind books, paperbacks, periodicals, more. Book sewing of all types (antique, flexible, lockstitch, whipstitch), plus how to make endpapers, attach headbands, case in, cover with cloth and other materials, add titling and decoration, much else. Updated list of suppliers. 254 illustrations and photographs.

Layout Index: Brochure, Web Design, Poster, Flyer, Advertising, Page Layout, Newsletter, Stationery Index

Jim Krause

Amazon Price: $15.63 List Price: $22.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: North Light Books Amazon Marketplace: 53 new & used starting at $7.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Idea Index kick-started a revolution in graphic design books, unique in size, feel--and most important--wealth of ideas. Layout Index is the next step, a compendium of layout idea-generators that will help designers explore multiple possibilities for visual treatments each time they turn the page. The visual and textual suggestions are divided into eight major areas, including newsletters, flyers, posters, brochures, advertising, stationery, page layout, and Web pages.

Each of these examples are designed to inspire effective solutions in the viewer's mind, rather than simply give specific answers to design problems. The tone and temperament of the design problems, as well as their solutions, vary from traditional to cutting-edge, from corporate to crazy. Designers will learn to solve their design problems, produce fantastic work and become better, more creative thinkers.

* Both creativity books and layout books are extremely popular
* As proven by Idea Index, the format of this book is a proven winner with designers

Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works

Erik Spiekermann, E.M. Ginger

List Price: $19.95 By: Adobe Pr Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $0.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Good Introduction to Typography 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I read this book for my first typography class at design school. It does a good job of giving the reader a feeling for different styles and personalities of letterforms. It is also written in a fun style that makes the book entertaining and easy to read for those just entering the design field.

Overly basic and poorly organized 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am a relative newbie to the study of typography, but still this book is far too basic. I learned a single fact which I had always been curious about - that the letterforms of smaller-point type are different from (not just smaller than) larger-point type in the same face - and that is a pretty elemental thing that most people interested in type are already aware of.
More suprisingly, there are some serious issues with the layout and typography of this book. Some sidebars, which are in small type, are set in yellow. Small yellow print on white paper? Surely a legibility no-no. Also, each page serves as its own mini-essay (and I do mean MINI; on most spreads, only the right-hand page has any text, and even then sometimes only half a page) but lacks a headline, so the reader has no idea what the page is about.
The only useful element in this book is the various type examples, which could easily be found elsewhere.

Editorial Review:

An entertaining, informative and educational tour through the most basic unit of communication--type. Explains in every-day laymen's terms what type is, how to select it, and how to use it to improve the reader's communication. Includes over 200 illustrations and photographs.