Book Description

For six decades, Saul Steinberg's covers, cartoons, features, and illustrations were a defining presence at The New Yorker. As the magazine became a standard-bearer of taste and intelligence in American letters, Steinberg's drawings emerged as its visual epitome. This richly illustrated book, featuring Joel Smith's astute text and a captivating introduction by the artist's friend and colleague Ian Frazier, explores the remarkable range and unceasing evolution of a major American modernist-one whose art reached a grateful public not from museum walls but from the pages of the periodical he called "my refuge, patria, and safety net."

All Steinberg's New Yorker covers appear here in full color, along with over 130 examples of inside art, from black-line drawings to elaborate color portfolios. Also included are Steinberg's most beloved, intuitive, and brilliant inspirations, among them a New York populated with stoical cats, precocious children, puzzled couples, and a menagerie of vivid grotesques. A vibrant celebration of one of the most original and engaging artists of the 20th century, Steinberg at The New Yorker brings alive a genius, a magazine, and an era. AUTHOR BIO: Joel Smith has been the Fisher Curator at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College since 1999. He is the author of Edward Steichen: The Early Years. Ian Frazier is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. His previous books include the national bestseller Great Plains. ... Read more

Book Description

From antique shops to such upscale stores as Tiffany and Cartier, from flea markets to the chic design houses of Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel, charms are making a grand reappearance on the fashion scene. Drawn to these tiny treasures for their ability to express elements of the wearer's personality, today's charm lovers are using them to adorn everything from bracelets and necklaces to dog collars and diaper pins.

In The Charm of Charms, photographer Jade Albert and writer Ki Hackney tell the fascinating story of this ever-popular jewelry item. The stunning color photographs provide an up-close and personal view of hundreds of cherished charmed jewels, including pieces belonging to Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, the Duchess of Windsor, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige among other celebrities. The intriguing stories behind these beloved trinkets are told in the lively, informative text, which also covers the history of charms and amulets from prehistory to the present. Combining up-to-the-minute trendiness with nostalgic glamour, this gorgeous volume will appeal to fashion and jewelry enthusiasts both young and old. AUTHOR BIO: Jade Albert's work has appeared in Vogue, Time, and Parents magazines, and in advertising campaigns for Target, Polaroid, Sony, and other companies. She was the photographer of Cindy Crawford's book, About Face (2001). Ki Hackney is the coauthor of People and Pearls: The Magic Endures. ... Read more

Book Description

A master of metamorphosis, Sicilian duke-turned-jewelry-designer Fulco di Verdura (1898-1978) studded seashells with precious gems, transformed sailor's knots into pearl-encrusted necklaces, and wrapped blazing ruby hearts with braided gold rope. Since the mid-20th century, his ultrasophisticated neo-Baroque pieces have been the status symbols of a near-secret society of European blue bloods, Hollywood royalty, and Park Avenue patricians. Verdura's by-appointment-only patrons included Wallis Simpson, Marlene Dietrich, and Diana Vreeland, who considered his Maltese Cross cuffs an essential part of her daily uniform.

In this lavish book, featuring fresh color photographs as well as vintage images, Patricia Corbett presents a deft evaluation of Verdura's work and a glimpse inside his impossibly glamorous world. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I absolutely love this book!
This book got me through architectural school. Hand renderings were never my strong point until I got this book. My rendering skills went up considerably (along with my confidence and grades) and I still reference this book today in my professional career. The book gives great examples and the tips from the professionals are very informative. This is definately one of the best books on how to make profession looking presentations.

Questions Answered Here
The question and answer format of this book is useful and allows a different kind of organization to its contents. It also incorporates the work of a broad cross-section of designers. This allows the editors to expose you to many of the best in different fields in which markers are used to increase the effectiveness of visual communication. While certainly useful for the beginner, it will also stimulate the more experienced designer. ... Read more

Book Description

[Testimonials]
"The ultimate typographic tool: a concise, beautiful book that pulls together everything you need to produce great typography."
--Frank Romano, RIT School of Print Media

"Clear and elegant...There's no better or more useful introduction to the whole craft of typography."
--Roger Black, Danilo Black, Inc.

"All you've always wanted to know about type and typography but never dared to ask. Jim Felici brings together a vast amount of knowledge in this book. Must-have!"
--Erik Spiekermann, author, Stop Stealing Sheep (and Find Out How Type Works)

This book is about how type should look and how to make it look that way; in other words, how to set type like a professional. It releases the craft knowledge that used to reside almost exclusively in the heads of people working in type shops. The shops are gone, the technologies have changed, but the goal remains the same. This book explains in very practical terms how to use today's computerized tools to achieve that secret of good design: well-set type.

Beautifully designed and richly illustrated, The Complete Manual of Typography is an essential reference for anyone who works with type. Designers, print production professionals, and corporate communications managers can go straight to the index to find focused answers to specific questions, while educators and students can read it as a textbook from cover to cover. You'll find:

• History, basic concepts, and anatomy of good typography, concisely presented and indexed for quick reference by busy professionals.
• Straight-ahead instructions for how to manage fonts, handle corrupted or missing fonts, and find the characters you need.
• Clear, useful explanations of what makes good type good (and bad type bad) .
• Detailed guidance on controlling the fundamentals of type, including measure, point size, leading, kerning, and hyphenation and justification.
• Practical advice on how to fix and avoid composition problems such as loose lines, bad rags, widows and orphans.
• Hard-to-find rules for managing indents and alignments, skews, wraps, expert-set characters, and tables.
• Scores of workarounds that show how to wring good type out of uncooperative word-processing and layout programs.

Reviews (7)

It's good, even being in English.
After a lot of researching, I decidded it was the best buy and bought it.
It got down here real fast and no import taxes (books under U$50 don't pay tax).

Started reading, and it was, obviously, in english. That's when I reallized how hard it is to read in english. So much information so hard to get.
It's tiring. After reading 4, 5 pages I feel exausted. But I keep reading. Three days after I get back on reading in English. Great investment.
Oh, of course, my layouts look better since I started reading it.

Great Book
I am writing a computer program on typography, and I have been reading one book after another on typography.
Out of all, I think Felici's 'The Complete Manual of Typography' is one of the best in its correctness and clarity.
It handles often misunderstood topics such as "em" very well. Not only does it define the concept, but it also tells you what the concept is not.

Great book, but a little wordy
This is a really excellent book for learning typography. He tells you everything you need to know. I just finished self-publishing a book (ISBN 0974953652) and Mr. Felici's book was tremendously helpful. I also used Aaron Shepard's ebook on publishing with MS Word ("Books, Typography and Microsoft Word") and saved myself of ton of headaches trying to learn PageMaker or QuarkExpress.

The one downfall of Felici's book is that is so verbose. He tells you the entire history of typography from every aspect. When I finally finished reading the book I realized that there were only three chapters that I really needed. I could have saved myself a lot of time if I could have just been able to read how to do what I needed without reading how the original printing presses were setup. However, this is minor complaint for a book that is so well written that a novice like me was able to understand and implement quality typesetting. I highly recommend this book for all self-publishers.

From word to paragraph to page -- beautifully
When type is set badly enough, it can give you a headache -- and type is often set badly enough to be an ongoing annoyance. When it's set well, it becomes transparent, allowing the content to come through without distractions. And when it is set very well indeed, it enhances the content as good music enhances a movie. This book illuminates the interlocking problems involved in maximizing the ease and enjoyment of the reader. It's directed to writers, editors, proofreaders, designers, typesetters, and buyers/managers of their work -- but general readers who appreciate good design will also enjoy it.

A Treasure Trove of What Goes into Great Looking Type
I always buy books with the idea of reselling on Amazon.com after I'm finished. It's not working in this case: My Felici looks like it's been left out in the rain and attacked by our dog. That's because I've dragged it everywhere while carefully making my way through it, a few enjoyable pages at a time. Very few books get that kind of time and attention. One measure of a technical book, I've found, is the completeness of its index. Felici's runs to fully 35 pages, in addition to a glossary of similar length! What's not there is also telling. Felici doesn't pad his book with type specimen pages or with machine- or software-specific how-to-do-it steps. This one is a winner! ... Read more

Book Description

" The entire story of furniture is presented as it never has been before.Written with great verve and in a highly accessible style, The History of Furniture conveys a vast knowledge of history and design with stunning intellectual clarity.In surveying the development of furniture from antiquity to the present day, John Morley focuses on the Western traditions, but he includes the outside influences of China and Japan, India, Egypt, and Africa.His bravura analysis reveals connections between pieces of furniture, such as the direct line from antiquity to a neoclassical French commode, a Biedermeier dressing table, and a twentieth-century bois clair cocktail cabinet.

The story is shaped by a conflict between "classical" and "anti-classical," order and fantasy, and includes the wild extravagances of exotic styles.We see how the simple challenge of making a chair to sit on could generate a huge variety of forms, depending not only on changing fashion in interiors, as well as motifs, ornaments, and ideas from the worlds of politics, religion, architecture, and the fine arts.Works by famous designers-Boulle, Chippendale, Riesener, Makintosh, Eames-appear clearly in the context of the stylish ideals of their times, and nearly 700 illustrations are closely integrated into the text.

The result is not only an essential reference tool for everyone concerned with collecting, selling, or studying furniture and the decorative arts but also a tour de force of scholarship that will enthrall anyone with the least interest in the traditions of Western culture." ... Read more

Book Description

Digital Character Design and Painting is really two books in one: it teaches the fundamentals of character design, and the skills, tools, and techniques needed to master digital painting. Character design is all about ideas and how to put those ideas together to create a look and feel for a character. It’s about creating a character that elicits a specific emotion from viewers—fear, joy, anger, sadness, etc. Character design does not have a standard creation process, but there are basic principles that can be followed. Digital Character Design and Painting explores these principles and teaches conventional artists how to enhance their skills to bridge the gap between traditional and digital art. All of the fundamentals of character design, from artistic design issues and character development to physical details of the character are explored.

Unlike character design, digital painting is not so much about ideas as it is about the combination of method, technique, and artistic theory. It is about making something that will be viewed in two dimensions imitate three dimensions. Using a variety of practical Painter 7 tutorials, artists learn how to apply traditional painting techniques with digital tools. Details on sketching, color theory, lighting, and texturing are also covered, along with specific techniques for painting trees and foliage, eyes, faces, hair, clothing, and fur.

Using these practical techniques and procedures, artists can learn how to create and beautifully illustrate their own life-like or fantasy characters for games, movies, or other commercial productions.

On the CD!

* Sketches, paper textures, brushes, and texture files to use with the tutorials presented in the book and to customize for your own projects

* QuickTime movies illustrating some of the painting techniques and other clips that support general painting ideas

* Shareware versions of programs available from Mediachance Software and Ransen Software

* Demo version of Painter 7 from Procreate(All of the material in the book Painter 8 compatible.)

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows ME, or Windows XP. IBM Compatible PC, Pentium 200 or higher, 64 MB RAM, 24-bit 800 x 600 Display, 2X CD-ROM Drive, Mouse or Tablet. Mac OS 8.6 or higher, Power Macintosh ® G3 or higher, 64MB RAM, 128MB RAM for Mac OS X, 24-bit (800 x 600) color display (1024 x 768 for Mac OS X), Mouse or tablet. Users also need QuickTime 6 to view the movie clips included, and Painter 7 or equivalent program to perform the steps in the tutorials. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

One of the best books I own
Don Seegmiller is definitely a master in Digital Character Creation and his book is brilliant. He takes you step by step through the art of creating characters, using color and textures to give your characters a superb look. This book provides a practical way to learn how to create digital characters from scratch in a way that I have never seen before. It's good for beginner and advanced users. This book rocks!

FOR DIGITAL AND STUDIO ARTISTS BOTH
Once I bought Don Seegmiller's book, DIGITAL CHARACTER DESIGN AND PAINTING I've spent hours, no, days, with pencil and computer delving into this book. And my education has increased considerably. I've read many how-to art books and few have left any visible mark on both my studio and computer creations. Don's
book is like a ... of art - everything is there. First, the beginning section is priceless in creating a character. Don's suggestions and questions give details to my amorphous mind-picture. A writer could learn from this section as well.

And then there is the section on basic art principles which is simply, yet expansively, written. Now I understand that mystery called value. Throughout this book also is the challenge to respect your art and creativity.

Now comes the tutorials using Corel's Painter. I've had Painter
for years and loved it - but it was a secretive and distant lover. The tutorials demonstrate so many possibilities and, if anyone calls themselves an artist, they must make art, - the making with these tutorials are fun.

Don's art is wonderful - a rare combination of beauty and humor. His art is topnotch!

Buy the book and work it thoroughly, it'll be well worth the time and mental energy!!!

Inspirational, instructional, just dynamite
Not only is this book excellent because of what you will learn from a master, but the physical book itself is of the highest quality, which of course is very important because you will no doubt turn to it repeatedly for guidance and inspiration. A beautifuly crafted book. The cd is most helpful. Enjoy!

Open Letter of Appreciation
Dear Mr. Seegmiller:

I've long been an admirer of your fantastic creations. You kinda became who I wanted to grow up to be ;-), so when I found you had published a book, I ran to get a copy.

Just wanted to let you know that this is the first of hundreds of art books in my library that is everything I'd hoped, and much more. I've had some
art training (mostly with folks who were better artists than teachers) and have learned a lot from books, as well as lots of drawing and painting on my own. I've participated in numerous exhibitions and group shows. Never have I had the pleasure of "sitting" in the company of such a fine, generous, exacting and specific educator, who is also one of my most admired artists.

The quicktime movies, so unselfishly revealing of your methods and creative processes, would have been worth twice the cost of the book. I'm studying them on a frame-by-frame basis, and gaining so much insight into what was heretofore theory alone. A weekend seminar could easily be developed from any one of these.

So thanks mightily from a very enthusiastic student at a distance.

Regards,
Bob Goldberg

www.bobbogoldberg.com

Art Appreciation for Wannabe Professionals
This one reads like a crash course in digital character painting as interpreted by a fine artist of obvious expertise. It uses Corel Painter 7 as the base tool and is aimed at intermediate users (says so on the back). The best things about this book are (a) an effective balance between fantasy and reality, image- and tutorial-wise, (b) all-color (four-color) pages, so you know 'exactly' what color you're supposed to pick and what shade you're required to get, and (c) QuickTime movies on the accompanying CD that show the author deftly turn a b&w sketch into a finished piece. (Neat). This book is more about ideas than trickery, techniques rather than formulae - so don't expect too much hand-holding or quick fix tips. It lays a good foundation early on and builds upon it - though I'd recommend being comfortable at least with some basic sketching as most tutorials begin with a pre-made pencil drawing and proceed thenceforth into painting. In the end, this book stands head-and-shoulders above the rest primarily due to its inspiration and reusability value for artists (both digital and fine). It's natural to feel a little overawed by the author's seemingly effortless mastery of the subject, but if you're in the market for a solid, articulate tome with real-world skills and advice, trust this one to deliver (and deliver quite well), for it does just that. ... Read more

Book Description

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). ... Read more

Book Description

The new, updated edition of the successful book on interior design
Interior Design Visual Presentation, Second Edition is fully revised to include the latest material on CAD, digital portfolios, resume preparation, and Web page design. It remains the only comprehensive guide to address the visual design and presentation needs of the interior designer, with coverage of design graphics, models, and presentation techniques in one complete volume.
Approaches to the planning, layout, and design of interior spaces are presented through highly visual, step-by-step instructions, supplemented with more than forty pages of full-color illustrations, exercises at the end of each chapter, and dozens of new projects. With the serious designer in mind, it includes a diverse range of sample work, from student designers as well as well-known design firms such as Ellerbee and Beckett Architects and MS Architects.
Maureen Mitton is Assistant Professor in the department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Book!
This book has a bit of everything I was looking for. techniques, lots of color renderings to review, shadowing techniques, etc. I am currently an interior design student and am using the book to help me with my color rendering and presentation techniques. In fact, my instructor reviewed the book and has requested the book be the textbook for the presentations class in our department next semester. This is the best book I've located so far.

Excellent Resource!
This book is great for everything visual! It is also the only book I've come across with detailed information about presentation boards. This is excellent for IND students!

Great resource for ID students
I just received this book and I wished I had had it for my first in-class presentation. I gives the reader "fresh" ideas and helpful information on organizing your boards. I would recommend this book to any Interior Design student.

using it in 3D studio class
just the book for beginning intr design students to use thru out their schooling. it covers everything they need to do all the presentations for thier courses. from drawing to models and most useful those sample boards. it tells you what tools to buy (with photos to help) and as basic as how to cut foam core. it has color step by step examples for color rendering. all in the same book is such a good value to the students

FANTASTIC ! Illustrations, Instructions, Explanations, Color
This book has all the needs and requirements on visual presentations and how to resolve fears,concerns, doubts and so on. It's the first book I have seen that covers many if not all aspects of Interior Design. It's a great book and I have been recommending it to all my fellow students. This book is informative, educational, and a good book to have in your reference library. I have been looking and looking for a book like this one for many years. Someone has finally gone and done it properly. You will not regreat buying this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

The best-selling author of Idea Index and Layout Index returns with an all-new title! Color Index provides more than one thousand color combinations and formulas--guaranteed to help graphic artists solve design dilemmas and create effective images for both print and the Web.

From progressive colors to natural tones, Color Index makes choosing hues for any job easier! Designers will start working with color in exciting new ways and create original, eye-catching designs that pop off the page. It's all the inspiration they need to explore and experiment with color as never before!

Just like the other clever little design books in this series, Color Index is portable, packed with inspiration, and neatly packaged in a colorful, sturdy vinyl jacket. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Indeed a great book!
This book has just the right size and cover, it makes a statement that less is more, just by looking at the size...inside you find so many triggers for your imagination and it is very true that you can not help but smile when you read it! However I do not have any other color book to compare with, but I can say allready that this is the only one that I need.

I think his initiative to have cut out masks (1 black, 1 white) at the end, used to separate the colors is really excellent as well!

Except for showing RGB, CMYK and HEX values it has a great little example on how to use colored backgrounds that complement a photo or illustration. At least I find it very useful to be reminded of that every now and then!

For it is well-known that engaging the reader, student in the process of learning is indeed the best way to keep focus on what is going on - shows the authors insight in psychology as well.
In addition to saying the book's size is great I have to say that the prize is great too..

Fantastic reference book for color combinations
While I reserve the 5 stars for only the most amazing of books, 4 is a top notch rating! I would give a 4.5, but there are no half points. This book has a great binding with a vinyl cover and will last years on your desktop next to your dictionary and thesaurus. It's a mini-format which I like for reference manuals.

The author presents the color schemes well and they will help any designer. This would be a 5 star book if not for the fact that you can't lookup combinations by color code. I wanted to "add" to a website based on the primary color(s) and the only way to find this color in use was to sort through the pages to see if I could find it. And it would have been nice to have a mini-CD with this book, but that might be asking a bit much considering the price.

Great color combos for all!
This is a wonderful book to keep as a reference for any type of graphic design project. The small, but extremely useful, book size allows you to keep the book handy on your desk at all times. Whether you use the book for color inspiration or to pull color combinations (up to 4 colors) from, it's a great tool. The color listings are in CMYK and RGB including a small section of Browser Safe colors in the back of the book.

Not a Professional, but Helped a Lot
Although not a professional, this guide helped me with understanding color how to deal with printers in that medium. Thanks!

Look at the pictures, but don't read the copy
This book provides a designer with a fabulous resource for generating color schemes/combinations quickly and easily. In that respect, it inspires.

However, the author provides recipes (CMYK and RGB values) "checked for accuracy", never stating on what media those values may be valid. He then excuses himself by saying that "the potential for error exists". The implication that a set of CMYK values is in any way "accurate" beyond the inks and papers used for this particular publication is so, eh, mid-1990s. A true, but technically more challenging statement of the color values should have been made with device independent Lab values. Then anyone with Adobe Photoshop, for example, could reproduce the samples on his or her own media. This is, in fact, what Pantone does.

And aspiring web designers beware! The author clearly has little but old and second-hand knowledge of the facts of color on the web. He describes the anachronistic "browser safe" colors as if most computer users still had old 8-bit (256 color) monitors, and as if there was ever color consistency across them. In those bad old days we fought dithering (the "speckles") in solid fills by choosing from amongst the 216 colors Macs and PC monitors had in common.

Those days, except for some dusty intranets here and there, are gone. deceased. expired. However, neither then nor now could we count on consistency on our viewers' monitors--unless we can strongarm our audience into calibrating and profiling them.

These particular rants aside (the writer sighs benignly), the color examples are truly wonderful, useful, and inspiring.

In short, fabulous for samples, but not for accuracy of data. ... Read more

Book Description

DESIGN BASICS is a popular introduction to two-dimensional design. Each concept is presented in a full two-page spread, making the text practical and easy for students to refer to while they work. Visual examples from many periods and cultures are provided for all elements and principles of design. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A wonderful book for hs seniors and college freshmen
this book is the foundation for understanding composition, but it is no substitute for continued research in art and art theory...this book is a superb starting point...if you're in high school i suggest starting your reading in art with this...if you are in high school and you have already read this...then GOOD, you're going to need to continue reading, and start by rereading this...if you're a freshman in college, read this and goto the library and check out every book you can by an artist that you enjoy and read what they have written about their art and other peoples art...and in the meantime read this book...another hint, write down the name of every book you hear mentioned in any art text that you think might interest you, hell write all of them down...and then read those books...and keep reading...read read read, and when you're not reading, work on your own art or whatever you want to call it...and do not neglect your other classes, ie english 101, math 101, sciences, history, etc...those classes are just as important as any art class you will ever take...we're all students for the rest of our lives (it's just that some people prefer the term "artist" avoid them if you can...) and we'll keep learning for the rest of our lives...so get used to reading...and get used to taking criticism about your work..

Clearly written, well-illustrated book. Very useful!
Design Basics is well organized, the chapters are clearly written, and the graphics illustrate the text very effectively. This is the best general introduction to graphic design that I've seen.

simple, useful & moneyworth book for all art student
easy to read format, great visual examples, things you ve been taught from school but sometimes forget to think about.

Excellent. Concise, in an easy-to-read format.
The best review of basic design principles I've seen -- especially helpful to artists studying composition.

Required Reading for any Serious Art Student
Basic Design is a must for any art student who is serious about his/her talent. This book was offered as a suggested reading source in my Color Theory class and I have cherished it for years since. Design Basics is very thorough in it's explaination of every kind of art form. You would be greatly benefited to purchase this book! ... Read more

Amazon.com

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

Reviews (34)

A superb, inspiring book!
Envisioning Information is Tufte's best work. It is a catalog of world class information design examples, culled by the author. He has collected examples from sources as diverse as Gallileo's observations of Saturn, a 3D map of a Japanese shrine, a visual "proof" of Pythagoras' theorem, color studies by the artist Joseph Albers, and a New York train schedule.

This is not a "how to" book, but rather a group of inspiring examples showing any would be information designer the concepts behind the execution of these superb examples.The concepts are painstakingly argued and illustrated. Tufte is obsessed with quality - the book is printed on 100% rag paper using old fashioned lead type because he believes this yields the highest quality results. One of the best books I have ever read when it comes to visual design!

A Tour De Fource of Information Design
To me, this is Tufte's best book, although they are all really good. Although its visually gorgeous, its not a coffee table book to just flip through. You have to be willing to spend time with it, and if you do the rewards are tremendous.

Tufte presents a collection of some the best examples of information design ever invented, and some of the worst examples. And then he goes into the underlying principles that make the great ones sing out.

This book will be really helpful to any web page designer, UI designers, statisticians, cartographers, scientists, or anyone concerned with presenting dense information in a clear way.

There is a chapter on presenting multiple dimensional data on a flat, 2D paper that all by itself is worth the price of the book. Then there's the chapter on "Small Multiples" which presents wonderful examples of how to show patterns and changes. But then there's the chapter on layering of information, so the key pieces of data appear first, and the less relevant ones reveal themselves later. And on and on and on. Its just a great book.

To add to it, Tufte is obsessed with quality like nobody else I can think of in the book business. Its printed on 100% rag paper using real lead type because he thinks that all other methods are inferior. Which means the book is costly to make, but its of heirloom quality.

The Second Coming of the Prophet of Presentation
In "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information", Edward Tufte put forth a theory of graphical excellence which taught his disciples how to present complex data crisply, clearly, and concisely while preserving data integrity.

With "Envisioning Information", Tufte tackles a bolder objective: displaying multi-dimensional data effectively within the two-dimensional space of paper or screen.

To do this, Tufte employs his successful formula from "Visual Display"---outlining the general concepts of his theory and illustrating these principles with many and varied examples.

Tufte's approach to "escaping Flatland" (as he calls it) is simple but richly-illustrated:

- Employing the concept of micro/macro readings to add resolution to data displays, conveying more information in a smaller space

- Using layering and separation to foster comprehension of multivariate data

- Utilizing small multiples to convey change over time

- Leveraging color to convey information

- Weaving narratives of space and time

The effect upon the reader is staggering and transformative. Tufte has revised and extended his theory of graphical excellence with a handful of simple yet powerful techniques for improving our presentation graphics.

Anyone involved in graphics design or in the communication of complex information should have this book on his shelf---it is simply too valuable to keep having to borrow it from your public library.

Don't buy it until you see it. You may be disappointed.
I know that I am a contrarian here but... I didn't like the book at all - I was initially so excited to see the book, but when I finally did see it, I was very disappointed. I recommend that you actually see the book before buying it. You may be disappointed too.

Everyone doing UI design or implementation should read this
As in all Tufte books, this is beautifully presented and wonderfully content-filled. In particular, you'll learn:
- All about the tasteful use of color in the design of interfaces
- How to maximize data visibility in interfaces, as opposed to the widgets, frames, and borders around the data

The only bad side is that some of the chapters end just when you feel like they're about to wrap up in a statement of a best practice, leaving you to sit around and solve the puzzle yourself. While I'm all in favor of mental exercise, I would've liked to at least have a solution to double-check against. ... Read more

Book Description

In celebration of Street Fighter's 15th Anniversary, Udon Entertainment is proud to announce the arrival of the long awaited English translation of Street Fighter: Eternal Challenge!Direct from Capcom Japan, Eternal Challenge is the official, definitive resource for art, information, and all things Street Fighter! With unprecedented detail and rare images, Eternal Challenge gives English-reading fans, for the first time, an in-depth retrospective on the legendary Street Fighter franchise from Street Fighter I to Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Eternal Challenge is filled to the brim with development and promo artwork (by legendary Capcom designers including Akiman, Shoei, CRMK, Edayan, and Shinkiro), character histories and bios, screen shots, game endings, merchandizing galleries and behind the scenes interviews with the creators of the games! Included in the English-language release will also be a brand-new, exclusive chapter detailing the Street Fighter franchise in North America! ... Read more

Book Description

This volume is aimed at the advancement of manga and prepared by a group of assistants to popular manga artist Yu Kinutani. It begins with the use of drawing utensils and covers character faces, full bodies, arms, legs, hair and so on. The instructions are presented in easy-to-understand "blocks". A great way to begin a hobby or career in the field of Japanese manga. English Language. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Good general information.
Well, when I bought this book, I wasn't disappointed. It gives you very good information on figure-drawing, how to render expressions, proportioning for different types of characters (i.e. children, men, young women, older women, etc.). There are also sections on how to render character and plot which are useful if you're a beginner, although you would want to find additional material at a later date as they do not go into depth. There was also information that would be quite useful if you wanted to be a professional manga artist, covering tone, the types of brushes and pens you need, etc.

Some of the side drawings (NOT what is used to instruct) are ecchi (a little perverted), but not over the top. Also, the translation is lacking. Some people might find that this book is not in-depth enough for them--there are other books in this series that go more into depth on the desired subject.

Another book to try would be "How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 1". It would be useful for anyone, because it shows commonly made mistakes and how to fix them.

However, do not expect that this book will automatically make you better (this goes for any "How to Draw" book)! There's something important required... it's called PRACTICE. It seems like too many people buy "How to Draw" books and immediately expect to be better. Umm... not if you don't draw until you never want to draw again, and then some. If you draw with technique and practice, you'll improve.

This is a good addition to any collection.

Fantastic! Except....
This book is a wonderful start-to-finish guide for drawing manga. (What this book is *not* is a step-by-step guide for drawing anime/manga characters -- for that, get the related Drawing Anime and Game Characters series.) It goes over the processes of professional mangakas getting published, usings pens and tones, planning a story, designing characters, drawing faces and bodies, creating a manga-type mood, drawing dynamic scenes, all with the aid of a mini-manga of "Mr. Mangaka" and all his assistants acting everything out for your personal enjoyment. I have never, ever encountered any book, online or in print, that covers so professionally such a wide range of topics. (Someone noted correctly that this book requires a little bit of talent and practice on your part -- after all, it's a "how to draw manga" book, not a "how to draw halfway decent" book, so supposedly you already have some interest in drawing and anime to even take a second look at this book.)

The rest of the How to Draw Manga series is specilization; this book was all-encompassing. If you get no others from this series, get this book, if you seriously want to draw pro manga right away.

However, this book has one weakness, and, unfortunately, it's huge: the translation. I happen to have access to the Japanese version and all I can say is... dang, the English version hurts. The diction is off on every page, the grammar has shadows of Japanese syntax, the fonts (Chicago and Arial, everything!) and the spacing are horrendous, and most rules of layout and white space management are thrown out the window -- making that aspect of the book look amateurish. They didn't even doctor the SFX correctly -- in some places they are whited out with no attempt to clone the background, leaving ugly white holes, and the English SFX they replace them with (if any) are bizarre and stilted, and usually in a stupid font like Chicago.... In other places the SFX are left completely untouched -- left in Japanese, so those who can't read katakana can scratch their heads in confusion. (As stated in the book, SFX contribute heavily to the mood. In this case, they fracture it .)

Conclusion: Would have been a 5 star if the translation was done better...even slightly so. However, the content is sooo good that it's still completely worth getting the book -- unless you know Japanese and can easily get the Japanese version, in which case, go for the original by all means.

(Warning: there is some mild H (perverted) content on less than half a dozen pages -- nothing much, PG+ or PG-13 tops, and nothing at all compared to the nudity and more offensive poses that can appear in the other books of this series.... In any case, just a heads up.)

A great addition to "How to Draw Maga: getting startted"
While "Getting Started" deals with the very basic aspects of How to Draw Manga, This book in the series seems to extend beyond the very basics and gets more in depth with the aspects of Drawing, character creation, and the elements of making a Manga comic.

Though as an afterthought, this book, "How to Draw manga: Compiling Characters" could probably replace "Getting Started", as it does cover just about the same topics, in fuller detail. So if you don't feel like spending the $20 some odd dollars on "Getting Started", this one can easily take its place. but it certainly doesn't hurt to get both

You need a little talent first
After searching for this book for SO long I finnaly found it. I was so excited that I could finnaly sharpen my techniques. But... It was kinda disapointing...
I mean they use terms like, "3 point perspective" and "vanishing point" without telling you what they are. I mean I know now, but it was confusing! And really, I just didn't like there models, they weren't my style. But the face section was great!
But sadly, when it comes to drawing, it's not a matter of learning how to do it. To make something look the way you want it to, you have to draw with your heart and mind, and work very hard at it. Unfortunately it's not something that's easy to teach.
All in all, the books give you some ideas. But really it depends on how much skill you have and what technique you like. ...

Great Book
Excellent book, shows how to draw using blocks and lines.
Mostly very easy to understand, with cute little characters showing you what to do ^_^
Also showed some Japanese words and there meanings.
This book had 2 or 3 wrong translations but was overall a really good book ^^ ... Read more

Book Description

Now the best thing to happen to package design since paper is even better!

This new edition of The Packaging Designer's Book of Patterns does what may seem impossible to many devoted users of the first edition-it makes a unique and indispensable resource even better! With more than 100 completely new patterns, as well as significant revisions and improvements to more than 250 existing patterns, this unparalleled practical resource gives you the tools you need to meet virtually any packaging challenge.

Every pattern has been test-constructed to verify dimensional accuracy and is ready to be traced, scanned, or photocopied for immediate use. The patterns can be scaled to suit particular specifi-cations, and many are easily converted to alternate uses. Details-such as tabs, locks, and closures-are often interchangeable and may be adapted to specific requirements or personal preference. Other outstanding features of this new edition include:
* More than 500 ready-to-use patterns and structural designs
* A broad array of patterns for folding cartons, trays, tubes, sleeves, wraps, folders, corrugated cartons, point-of-purchase displays, and more
* All patterns are based on the use of 100% recyclable paper materials and many packaging configurations lend themselves to after-use
* All glue areas are clearly indicated with black dots
* Saves hours-even weeks-of research or trial-and-error design

For packaging and industrial design professionals, packaging manufacturers, graphic designers, and structural designers, the new edition of The Packaging Designer's Book of Patterns does what no other industry resource can: it gives you the power and ingenuity of hundreds of structural designers-all in a single volume. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Must have for Packaging Engineers
This book contains lots of creative, (and basic), packaging patterns which are scaled so mock-ups are easily made. When I am starting a package design project I page through the book to get ideas. The carton section is especially helpful.

Best Packaging in 5 min or less.
This book takes all the stress out of figuring out how to put unique and traditional packages together and lets you focus on what interest you the most instead of fidling with technical details. Its easy to read, and has nice large illustrations. I have found it really easy to trace these illos in adobe illustrator instead of starting from scratch. It is thick and comprehensive. There are so many examples it is hard to find one that isn't in the book. ... Read more