Designage: The Art of the Decorative Sign - Softcover

Schwartzman, Arnold

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0811819620 ISBN 13: 9780811819626

Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc, 1998

Synopsis

Storefront signs have long been a charming and respected commercial art form. The first book to look at sign design in a popular format, Designage presents over 300 examples of vintage and contemporary signs from around the world. Graphically ingenious and imaginative, they proclaim a variety of services and products, often using a visual pun or wordplay. Designage covers a wide range of styles -- Roman, Victorian, Gothic, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, to name a few -- and an even wider range of materials, including tile, wood, iron-work, neon, brass, and enamel. This is a valuable reference for graphic designers and architects, as well as a delightful visual trip down international lanes.

About this title

About the Author:

Arnold Schwartzman is an award-winning graphic designer and filmmaker, is the author of the highly praised Phono-Graphics . He claims that it was his fascination with shop signs that encouraged him to read when he was a child. Born in England, today he lives in Los Angeles.

Review:

The traditional craft of making signs is an early form of commercial art and 'Designage: The Art of the Decorative Sign' is a compendium of some of the most eccentric examples of this often undervalued graphic art form. While the book's quaint title suggests a catalog of contemporary examples ('signage' being a modern generic architectural term), the book focuses predominantly on the late 19th and early 20th century decorative storefront, wall bulletin and public signs in the United Kingdom, Europe and with a sprinkling from the United States. 'Designage' is divided into sections categorized by materials used, each with a brief introduction, including Mosaic, Metal, Tile & Brick, Glass & Neon, Paint & Wood and Stone & Brick encompassing a wide range of lettering styles and forms from the Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras. -- Communication Arts

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0811819620
• ISBN 13: 9780811819626
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 130