Reviews (3)

Pure design
This is one of the best graphic design book that I ever see, is a compilation of some of the greatest designers, emigree, designer republic, etc. Is the best book to take ideas, you alway could find waht are you looking for, buy it!

Inspiring beyond any other book I've read.
When I need great ideas and inspiration, I pick up this book! What a wonderful collection of thought provoking artwork. If you are an artist, this book is a must have...it is well worth the price and you'll find yourself pcking it up all the time. I see something new in it I didn't see before every time I open it.

EXCELLENT
/ / /

really inspiring, you will find any different styles of design and typography, the second book isnt as good, but i would definitely reccomend this one.. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Book
While the Real World QuarkXPress book is very large and thourough, it only contains ONE tutorial (albiet a very helpful one) Using QuarkXPress really helped me by teaching through lessons and having all the resource files on the cd-rom (Warning: I have a PC and many of the eps files I had to open in Illustrator then resave).

I will use Real World QuarkXpress as a refrence book, but the Using Quark is the best book (that i've seen) on the market. I wish all program books were this fun and helpful. Buy both the books I mentioned if you want to learn this program. Or don't, I don't care. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Discovery
We used this book in college web design classes. Very useful for color design choices as to what color schemes work, and what dosn't work on a web page. You cant help but learn something from this book. You will be susprised as to what color combinations work well together. Two thumbs up!

OK....BUT....
One reviewer said it, aimed to graphic designers but can help web developers.
It is OK, the book is mostly examples of colors and text. Can be used as a reference book but I wouldn't say I learned anything new or gained anything from this book.

Really enjoyed the indepth resources within this volume
I have enjoyed reading this book and applying the different techniques on various Motion Graphic Video Productions. I highly recommend buying this book!

Greg Reyes / Producer / DVCreations.tv

Aimed at graphic designers, but still useful for web dev
This book starts off with a brief introduction to type, colour theory and factors which influence legibility. Then there is a rather large section with examples of different combinations of background and foreground hue, value and saturation, with comments about what works, and why. There are sections on both obeying and breaking basic typographical rules. Lots of well commented examples in the last section of the book. I liked this book. It has a nice layout, and insightful comments. The examples are good, but print-based. Still, as an introductory book to colour, type and legibility, it could prove useful to web developers as well. ... Read more

Book Description

This easy<45>to<45>use quick reference guide to typography covers the history of type as well as typeface usage and selection, and includes comparisons and variations of typeface.Five Families. Breakdown. Spacing, Layout, and Usage. How We Read Copy. Comparisons of Sarif and Sans Serif. Words and Terms. For beginning graphic designers or anyone who needs a quick reference to typography. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not the stuff type is made of
Forget the ending preposition. There are too many mistakes in this book to use it. From illegible type, bad printing, and examples that do not illustrate the points being made, this is not a book to buy.

Save your $$$ and get the book, "The Complete Typographer" by Christopher Perfect.After years of teaching typography, this is a book that covers the basics and more.

Interesting is that both of these books are from the same publishers.

For a more advanced look at type get "The Elements of Typographic Style. ... Read more

Book Description

This incredible book houses a collection of 100 swipeable layouts that readers can use to create their own pieces--everything from newsletters and ads to letterheads and brochures.An invaluable introductory section reviews the core techniques for creating layouts. Next, designers are introduced to the layouts themselves.Each layout includes a full background on the piece, the reasoning behind each solution and details on how special constraints were handled. In many instances, several solutions are given to the same problem, illustrating that there is always more than one way to solve a layout and design problem. This book also includes: * Quick access to dozens of layout solutions including specs * Special techniques that can be used to enhance any layout * Insights into the factors that helped to make each layout an effective piece * Tips and advice for dealing with common problems such as working within client restrictions and handling ads with lots of visuals ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Organised and easy to follow
The book caters to a fairly broad audience, i.e. from those who might be quite new to the desktop publishing field right up to those who have been in the profession for years and are simply after a few fresh ideas. The book has been divided up into easy-to-walk-though chapters, each one discussing a different form of popularly used printed material, giving examples of very basic layout concepts to the more complex.

I found the book quite useful, but not necessarily new and exciting in its approach. Nevertheless it's a good one to have in your library.

Will Help Refine Your Design And Layout Skills!
     The World Wide Web is a visually-oriented broadcast medium dependent upon masterful graphic image and textual design and layout. The placement of every image and text character must be carefully considered to bring about optimum results. Alan Swan has written How to Understand and Use Design and Layout to provide a visual guide to essential layout and design concepts.

     The author states at the very outset that he desires to develop creative vision and judgment to enable his readers to distinguish between the strong and weak methods of presenting design ideas. Thoughtfully thumbing through this book will definitely help refine design and layout skills that can last a lifetime. The arrangement of items within each and every illustration will go a long way to provide inspiration for further design work.

     Although this book was not intended at all to address online publishing, the concepts beautifully illustrated throughout the book are directly applicable. It contains a number of book, magazine, and newsletter ideas that can be used to create professional grade online publications. The author incorporates a number of color graphic images, photographs, and text to illustrate a variety of layout options. Readers are free to decide for themselves which layout design suits their own particular needs. They are free to create their own as well!

     This book is ideally suited for businesses and organizations that specialize in producing online publications or for those persons who desire to go it alone. The quality of the entire publication is top-notch! So will your own work be if you follow its valuable instruction!

An Educational Experience in Layout Design!
     The Internet is becoming the most influential broadcast medium in existence today. It is a powerful tool. With the right computer equipment and software anyone can become an online publisher. Want to create online publications such as newsletters and advertisements? Graham Davis has written Quick Solutions to Great Layouts to provide examples of newsletter, brochure, stationary, and advertisement layout patterns.

     Although this book was not intended to deal with online publishing, the concepts are directly applicable. This hardback book measures 8 3/4" by 11" and contains a number of newsletter samples that can be used to create effective online publications. This style is ideally suited for businesses, non-profit organizations, and schools that already publish newsletters for distribution to their clients and subscribers. This could mean big business if someone is up to it!

     The author provides a variety of newsletter samples, progressing fro! m simpler layouts to more advanced ones. Along the way the reader should pick up more insight into what it takes to put a newsletter together. I was most impressed with those descriptive comments at the edges of each page that offered explanations why certain type faces, justification, and other design elements were selected. This book emphasizes theory rather than merely providing sample layouts. A lot of detail has been provided, making this book an educational experience.

     This is a great idea book that will serve a variety of company needs. For instance, Website designers and other online businesses can use this book to produce printed newsletters, brochures, and stationary that can be used to promote themselves. Website designers could produce an impressive marketing package consisting of a Website and coordinated printed promotional literature for their clients as well!

     There is a sample in this book for every need. Take them as they are or build upon them. ! Either way you'll win! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Vademecum of typefaces
Paracelsus said that every substance in the world can cure and every substance can kill, and that the only difference was made by dose and timing. So, the art of using substances to cure involves the wisdom of chosing among thousands of them which one, how much, how combined, and when, is adequate for an individual case.
That is why pharmacysts and physicians get thick books where they read about the origins, composition, benefits, mechanisms of action and risks of every substance, so they can decide and suggest the appropriate procedure under their professional knowledge and responsibility.
Well, Haley does that with typography.
Reviewing just a few, a well picked, an even obvious, few typefaces among the dozen thousand available to designers, Haley shows us the origins, composition, benefits, mechanisms of action and risks of each one of them as if he was talking about medicine or fine wines.
ABC's stands for Attributes, Background and Considerations for use, reviewed methodically for each typeface quoted.
No restraining and arbitrary design rules, no false aesthetic freedom. Just knowledge, experience, sensible common sense.
Just this is how this typeface works, this is how it does not work, its advantages, inconveniences, risks, for you to choose and combine after you have read this book under your own professional knowledge and responsibility. ... Read more

Book Description

PageMaker gets better all the time. With Version 6, this leading desktop publishing application not only offers enhanced features that print designers should love but also features tools that World Wide Web designers should welcome. Now, best-selling authors and PageMaker gurus Deke McClelland and Galen Gruman bring you an indispensable, practical guide to get you quickly up to speed with PageMaker 6 for Windows and to provide you with ready solutions for whatever design or layout challenges crop up. With PageMaker 6 For Windows For Dummies, 2nd Edition, you can master PageMaker and layout fundamentals and discover new features for creating multiple master pages and polygons (as well as time-saving zooming and grouping functions). You can even figure out how to automate common tasks and work with documents across multiple platforms. Whether you want to create a 1-page flyer or a 300-page computer manual, you can create it better and quicker with PageMaker 6 For Windows For Dummies, 2nd Edition. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The best book for learning the Pagemaker program.
This book is easy to follow, easy to find answers and takes you from beginning to end in a painless fashion. It allows you to learn as much or as little as you want without wasting your time. ... Read more

Book Description

With this much-needed new book, designers learn precisely what they must do to prepare their brochures, posters, books, magazines, and other materials for trouble-free, high-quality printing. Addressing the single greatest challenge facing the professional designer today-calibrating images and layouts to match press specifications-the shows how to use common digital-layout and image-management programs to their best advantage. Delays and additional costs previously incurred to fix disappointing proofs can now be eliminated, saving designers both time and money.

Supplanting other books on the subject, which focused on predigital practice and are now out of date, Getting It Right in Print explains prepress processes in easily understandable terms that will give designers a firm grounding in the fundamentals of this complex subject. Whether they are learning to adjust trapping to appropriate levels, mix colors successfully, or master techniques to make images (even ones downloaded from the Internet) look good in print, designers gain the know-how they need to get the results they want. AUTHOR BIO: Mark Gatter worked in commercial printing before becoming a freelance designer 12 years ago. He is the founder of Whole Page Graphics, a graphic website design company based in Dorset, U.K., with clients that include IBM, Lotus, and LYW Archive, Boston. ... Read more

Book Description

GH avisualagency(tm) is a collective of five individuals who work in the area where art and design overlap. Starting out as Graphic Havoc ten years ago, the agency has consistently explored the collaborative process and brought an artistic slant to their projects and designs for such clients as Adidas, the Cartoon Network, Nike, and the HEFTY and WARP record labels. Images and descriptions of the work in all media and styles are included, along with a statement of the agency's philosophy and a look at its past and future. ... Read more

Book Description

The standard typography desktop reference—now in its 5th revision, with new resources sure to please today’s graphic artists, desktop publishers and website designers. Nearly 2,000 fonts cover every need. Each typeface is arranged alphabetically, with Roman, Lineale, and Script versions, usually in upper and lower case alphabets and numerals. Along with new fonts, illustrations show many classic typefaces that are only found here. Bonus: a glossary of technical terms and tips on classifying types.
... Read more

Reviews (5)

Re: "Don't buy this book"
A great reference!

The reason some typefaces in this book are incomplete is that . . . they are incomplete! A complete alphabet does not exist (read the text, dummy).

Believe it or not (and setting aside the ambiguous ethical question of appropriation), the purpose of a book like this is not to provide ready-made cut-n-paste-able typefaces for you to rip off, but to serve as a reference.

DON'T BUY If you're looking for a type specimen book
This book may have many samples of typefaces but it does not have all alphabet. Some typefaces only have four letters. And all of them have no punctuations.

If you're looking for a type specimen book, try Adobe Type Library Reference Book (ISBN: 0321136462) instead! Though it shows only one size (about 20pt,) and Adobe's only, it has everything in that set.

A Great Book!
This is a valuable reference work with the type faces very well organized. If you are interested in type face design and the history of type, this book is a must!

A Classic!
I have the 1958 edition of this book as was hesitant to order this newer edition for fear that it wouldn't have many newer fonts. I was surprised to find a new spacious format and a better classification system. Anyone interested in type faces should have a copy of this book.

The name says it all
This encyclopaedia is thorough in the range of established and classic typestyles. Most contain some information as to its origin, unique qualities, and applications, making this more than just a specimen book. ... Read more

Book Description

Here is a selection of today's most beautiful and exciting typefaces, introduced by the designers and publishers themselves. From electro-type pioneers Emigre to renegades [T-26] in the USA, from the experimentation of Holland's LettError to Typomatic in London, there is a new-media world of typographic possibilities in Emotional Digital. A wide range of fonts devised by international graphic design companies is stylishly presented in full-color spreads. Each short profile includes information on where and when the company originated, awards won, and particular themes and characteristics of their work. Some of the designers themselves, including Erik Spiekermann, Suzanna Licko, and Michael Horsham of Tomato, have contributed essays that examine how they have influenced the world of graphic design and advertising, and demonstrate the diverse opportunities for digital type design. Contemporary type designs are illustrated in the context of their first use, showing their importance to the message itself. Emotional Digital is an essential book for students and practitioners of typography and graphics and a great resource for anyone working in the field of design. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

excellent
This book displays great usage of typography, and typographic styles. An excellent book for graphic designers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Inspiring
The book features around 160 different sets of letterheads. Each set is usually completed by callingcards and envelopes, which can result in mind-boggling design-solutions. Quite often the callingcards are the realstars. In one example, metallic fibres are woven into the card, in another,the card is printed and cut as luggage check cards. The only disappointmentis the quality of the printed photographs, as they are sometimes quiteblurred (that keeps it from the fifth star). Otherwise a must! ... Read more

Book Description

Here's all you need to write and design effective, powerful advertising for all forms of media. Fundamentals of Copy & Layout tells you "why to do it" and "how to do it."' It's practical, it's current; and it's comprehensive.CREATIVE PHILOSOPHIESFairfax Cone; William Bernbach; Leo Burnett; Don Schultz; Rosser Reeves; David Ogilvy; Jack Trout; Susan GilletteCOPY Researching the Ad; Preparing the Ad; Writing the Ad; The Headline; Copyediting; CopyfittingLAYOUT Elements; Materials; Illustration; Organization; Typography; The Finished ProductPRINT MEDIA Newspapers; Classified; Consumer Magazines; Business Publications; Direct Response; Direct Mail; Outdoor; Transit; Specialty; Yellow PagesBROADCAST MEDIA Radio; TelevisionINTERACTIVE MEDIALet the authors' 40 years' experience in copywriting, teaching, consulting, and account management show you how to create better ads. Fundamentals of Copy & Layout is must reading for students and practitioners alike. ... Read more

Book Description

Part manifesto, part instruction manual, this volume's cutting-edge essays, interviews, and course syllabi provide the first-ever blueprint for teaching and practicing the dynamic art and craft of illustration. This revolutionary book fills a practical and an intellectual void for educators, students, and professionals in the field of illustration. Based on interviews with top illustrators and teachers, the book discusses how professionals acquired their illustration know-how and went on to apply it in their careers. Also explored are model illustration education curricula-for both undergraduate and graduate levels-created by leading illustration educators and practitioners. Offering a diverse range of attitudes, philosophies, and visions, this book is the first to address pressing issues confronting education in the illustration arts, including such concerns as authorship, new media, and the marriage of illustration and design. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Useless
I am an illustrator and when I got this book I was hoping to learn from it. In my opinion this book is about a few has-beens giving their opinion on their own jobs. Boring!

There is a lot of artsy fartsy talk that only someone who doesnt live in the real world could understand. The kind of talk im talking about is like "The plastic bag flying in the wind is beautiful". pfft.

Mixed feelings
Heller and Arisman are two School of Visual Arts (NY) professors who have achieved much in their careers. The conversation/interview between them is the strongest, most educational and most inspiring part of the book.

Brad Holland writes a detailed (but dry) description of the history of stock houses, the direction they are moving in now and how that relates to working artists.
Educational.

A very large portion of the book is a collection of art excercises useful to teachers creating curriculum or artists without the ability to direct themselves in the production of work. I found this area to be mildly interesting, but quite useless to me as an illustrator.

Teachers often tend to create excercises they would do very well themselves, but don't necessarily draw out the uniqueness of the individuals they are teaching. Success as an artist is following your own values of what a successful peice of art or illustration is.

I would have liked to read the perspectives of a more varied cross section of artists in addition to the New York city old guard. There is so much innovation happening in this field. To bemoan the fact that things aren't what they were, shows a lack of awareness of what the younger generation of artists do. Jump fences.

"I design my students to destroy me."
John Maeda of MIT Media Lab

"You are the next Picassos."
Sheridan College Faculty addressing the class in my foundation year 5 years ago.

Essential for any illustration major
My first thought when I really got into this book was "finally. An outlook on the career of an illustrator neither negative nor overly optimistic, but realistic and helpful." Being an illustration major I have several misconceptions about the field of illustration that were cleared up pretty quickly. I found the interview with Thomas Woodruff particularly insightful in the case of the illustration as low art issue, and I laughed my head off at Brad Holland's satirical lesson on art terminology. My advice is to buy this book not to decide whether or not illustration is the path for you, but to make sure you have a grasp on what you're getting into.

very informative
This book is great. It provides several different perspectives on the teaching of illustration today. Since alot of Illustration is taught by working illustrators it provides their first hand experience with illustration and the industry today. It ranges from lists of supplies one might need for a particular course taught, which i found trivial, but other pages are full of inspirational discussions on illustration by leaders in the field. I am a working illustrator, and love the art of illustration and reading this book has proven very worthwhile.

Interesting and thought provoking
The entire book is made up of articles written by various established illustrators. I found the sections on art direction and education extremely interesting. Included are sample course syllabii which is helpful if you are teaching illustration courses.

The part that I had a problem (maybe that's too strong a word) with was the section on the state of the illustration market today. To me, it came off as old time illustrators whining and pining for the good old days, you know before the computer when one could make a decent living as an illustrator. It wasn't terribly encouraging to new comers which I think is too bad. I rather felt like they were telling me not to waste my time, that there was no room in the industry for me. In the end, it just made me more determined to succeed despite (or in spite) of their views. All in all, it is a thought provoking book, whether you agree with their view point or not, and it's guaranteed to start some interesting dialog with your illustrator friends. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Helps engineering professionals use the latest Pro/ENGINEER 2001 release to graphically communicate virtually any design idea. The book's start-to-finish coverage, high-resolution screen captures, practical tutorials work together to help readers master Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire rapidly and use it effectively in real-world environments. Coverage includes: getting acquainted with Pro/E's interface and capabilities; basic model construction; using the Sketcher; building models with multiple features; adding holes; adding and removing material; using fillets, rounds, and chamfers; patterns, reordering, references, and more. Building on these basics, readers will learn how to add tolerances, dimensions, and text; create sections; use Pro/E's Resolve and Blend options; and add surfaces, drafts, lips, or ears. The book's extensive new coverage includes a detailed introduction to using datum planes to integrate engineering graphics with model construction. The author concludes with detailed discussions of creating assembly files, working drawings, and bills of materials; transferring files, and analyzing models. For every engineering professional or student who wants to master Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, one of the world's leading solutions for visual product design and engineering. Pro/ENGINEER is utilized by thousands of manufacturing firms and teams worldwide. ... Read more

Book Description

A virtually inexhaustible supply of copyright-free graphics of timeless appeal, reproduced from a turn-of-the-century French type foundry catalog, ideal for a wide range of arts and crafts projects. Subjects range from food and drink to vehicles and machines to sports and music. The style ranges from realism to Art Nouveau.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

So much to look at, so little time
This book had literaly every kind of object that you would want to look at. Everything from flowers to fruit, to cars and planes, to houses and buildings, to people and their tools. ... Read more

Book Description

"Edward Fella, a former commercial artist, creates posters that break every known rule of typographic convention and designer good taste," says Rick Poynor. Ellen Lupton has written, "In Fella's work, the unfettered mind of a Dada/Fluxus hippie confronts the dextrous hand of a traditional commercial artist." Bruce Mau calls him "brilliant." Peter Hall says Ed Fella is "an agitator, an experimentalist, an educator, and an inspiration to a new generation of type designers" and says his "anti-slick, rule-breaking designs" are "eccentric to the point of being impossible to imitate." Clearly everyone agrees that Ed Fella is one of the most daring and extreme graphic designers in America today. Famous for his obsessive hand-drawn alphabets and glyphs, Fella creates work with the power and spontaneity of raw art that nonetheless is born from a great knowledge of the theory and technique of typography and graphics. As Rick Poynor says, "Fella doesn't so much take his line for a walk as force-feed it hallucinogens and release it babbling on to the page."This first book on Fella, designed by Lorraine Wild, contains numerous examples of the designer's work, including his radical typeface designs, which have been described as "spun, tilted, stretched, sliced, fractured, drawn as if with a broken nib, and set loose among fields of ink-blotter doodles and networks of rules." This title also features Fella's collection of Polaroid snapshots of the signs and symbols he sees on the streets. These photos, taken over a period of many years, serve as a record of vernacular architecture around the world as well as inspiration for Fella's own designs. The result is a book which will appeal to all designers and art directors, whether their love is photography or fonts, art direction or art. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not Enough Letters, Too Many Pictures
This book is mainly a photography book. There are pages after pages of lettering of "vernacular" typography. Interspersed are a few pages of hand-drawn lettering by the author. We're talking about 8-10 pages total of typography by Ed Fella himself. I would have preferred to see more of the author's own work with fewer photographic references.

One man's primer of public publishing
Edward Fella's book of 1134 Polaroid shots of vernacular signs gives a flavor of what can be seen in most US public places, these are the roadside typographic shouts of local commerce. Because the business of America is business signs are everywhere, usually colorful and just asking to be captured by any passing photographer. To avoid looking like other photo books of public lettering and signage the author deliberately goes for a tight shot and most of the photos only show letter parts but as Lewis Blackwell says in his introduction, Fella is not interested in what the letters say.

With the tight photo cropping and a dull layout (all the photo pages are the same: nine, three by three inch Polaroid's, including their white border, butted up to each other, no captions or page numbers) I think this ends up as a very boring looking but nevertheless intensely personal book of public typography. The best images are the ones that have been produced by sign makers, or are obviously commercially printed. Vernacular signs, where someone has painted or scrawled some letters, are mostly produced by amateurs, who given the choice (and money) would much prefer to have something that looked professional, where any repeat letters look identical, have even spacing and all sit on the same base line. Vernacular neon signs do not exist because they can only be made by professionals.

Between the photos there are twelve sections showing the author's own creative typography, loosely based on the vernacular letters he has photographed and consequently showing the same amateurish feel and more critically in my view, a high degree of un-readability. This individuality to type is also reflected in the books production. The few text pages with two columns per page appear to have been pasted up so that paragraphs do not line up, the imprint page and the cover flaps have type that is deliberately unaligned This silly messing about with the text stops short of doing anything to the back cover barcode though, commerce wins in the end!

¿The Book I wish I'd Done¿
If I hadn't been so lazy, or thought this had been done already, or thought maybe no one would care to publish this, then I might have done this book myself a few years ago. I wanted to do something similiar but didnt.
However, I don't think I would have done as good a job as Ed did here. This is NOT a bunch of random snaps. The continuity of the medium and the cropping are what makes this a discplined, artful and well-done study. Nice work , Ed!
(So-follow your dreams like Ed did)

Americal
I love books like this. I bought it after seeing some of his Polaroids in a recent issue of Dazed and Confused Magazine. He photographs and collects letters the way some do rare birds. This beautifully designed and edited book reproduces over a thousand of his snapshots as well as examples of his own uniquely personal approach to typography. It's an amazing testament to all the unseen hands that have left a mark on the American landscape. ... Read more

Book Description

The papers presented in this book were given at the RIDT 91 conference in Boston.State of the art techniques in digital typography and raster imaging, including curve-fitting, shape manipulation, font design, and page-description languages are discussed by some of the most highly regarded international figures. ... Read more