One-Color Graphics: The Power of Contrast - Hardcover

Chen Design Associates; Joshua C. Chen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1564969231 ISBN 13: 9781564969231

Publisher: Rockport Pub, 2002

Synopsis

Not only is one-color design timeless, classic and visually powerful, it is also far less expensive to print than four-color design. Yet its simplicity is deceiving -- it takes real artistry and skill to effectively leverage the power of contrast.

One-Color Graphics provides a stunning gallery of inspirational one-color and black-and-white designs created by professional artists around the world. From somber and elegant to edgy and bold, these masterpieces of contrast showcase the full range of moods the artist can create by working imaginatively with a basic yet potent color scheme.

Including projects such as posters, invitations, promotional materials, logos, letterheads, and more, this beautiful book will help graphic designers of all levels harness the magic and simplicity of one color -- without breaking a client's budget.

One-Color Graphics is the first book published on this topic in over five years and distinctive in its focus of all one-color work.

The book demonstrates through its selected works, as well as the book’s presentation itself, that one-color design can be ambitious, provocative, edgy and beautiful. The Chen Design staff judged over 1,000 international submissions and included work from Brazil to Croatia, Germany to Singapore. The work of Bløk Design, Cahan & Associates, Elixir Design, Jennifer Sterling Design, and Sagmeister, Inc. is showcased, among others.

Each selected piece was chosen because of its ingenuity, professionalism, and ability to demonstrate the power of design—with the central criterion of having used only one color on press. Non-ink processes such as emboss, foil, die-cuts, and varnishes were acceptable, as were off-press ink techniques such as rubber stamping and laser printing.

The end of the book includes a brief collection of one-color works by Chen Design Associates.

About this title

About the Author

Chen Design Associates, San Francisco, was established in 1991 by principal and creative director Joshua Chen. From a one-man basement bedroom operation, CDA has grown into a multi-disciplinary group that provides strategic vision and creative content for clients in arts and entertainment, education, health care, non-profit, publishing, retail, and technology sectors.

The firm creates work that is conceptually driven, solidly written, passionately designed, and uniquely photographed and illustrated. CDA's body of work includes branding and identity, annual reports, packaging, print collateral, and web sites.

The studio at CDA is a place for collaboration, education, and invention. Longevity is a key value that extends to CDA's relationship with clients and vendors alike. Practicing a philosophy of responsiveness and relevancy, CDA fosters a creative process that engenders mutual respect and understanding while exceeding business objectives and pushing creative standards.

CDA is regularly recognized with national and regional awards for design excellence. This is the first book they've authored and designed for Rockport Publishers.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Limits. Everyone Hates the Word.

Do you drive the speed limit? Are we encouraged as children to settle for less? "More is better," "The sky's the limit," and "You can have it all!" -- these are just a few of the cultural values we blindly inherit from the dreamers who preceded us. As creatives, why settle for just one color when we can have four, or six, for that matter? We're out there to create award-winning, stand-out work -- why close ourselves to the options available in this age of limitless technology? We're armed with a stackful of Pantone swatchbooks and an infinite array of CMYK color combinations, waiting to be employed by our imaginations. Isn't more color the better way to captivate and impress our audiences? After all, don't our clients come to us for more than the unimaginative, quick and dirty, one-color results a quick copy shop can churn out "while-u-wait"?

But this, of course, is not the kind of one-color design this book is about. Our responsibility as visual communicators is to strive for higher standards in the face of the ubiquitous forces that would have us settle for the lowest common denominator. It is not our job to please everyone on the committee. We expect you will be inspired in the following pages by the ability of designers from all walks of life to push beyond preestablished views of what one-color design should be. As designing authors, we have sought to embody this in both the design of the book itself and the respectful presentation of the work we have selected to feature.

Let's Be Clear. One-Color Is Not:

Easier, instant, weak, restrictive, amateur, boring, simplistic, lukewarm, low-end.

One-Color Is:

Harder, striking, distinct, simple, memorable, rarely good, resourceful, intelligent--and oftentimes, ambitious, provocative, beautiful, edgy, jarring, witty, convicted, passionate.

So run to it. Don't be scared of taking on that limited budget. Read on and be inspired. Let this book be a rejuvenating oasis for your mind and eye's imagination. And the next time that non-profit or small business you feel utterly passionate about has work to be done, attack the challenge of one-color with confidence. The creative possibilities (or limitations) are what you make them. You may well discover that the best way to get your corporate client's message across is to reduce their vision of four-color, overproduced gloss to one-color, elegant uniqueness.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rockport Pub
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1564969231
• ISBN 13: 9781564969231
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192