The Graphic Design Reader - Softcover

Heller, Steven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1581152140 ISBN 13: 9781581152142

Publisher: Allworth Press, 2002

Synopsis

The Graphic Design Reader features over 50 captivating essays covering an interesting panorama of design issues, as well as dozens of fascinating interviews and candid observations with the master designers who played a key role in shaping the identity, image, and formation of contemporary design.

From the lost art of show-card writing and the tumultuous days of guerrilla magazine publishing to the latest in electronic leaflet design and hot magazine covers, acclaimed graphic designer and author Steven Heller provides dozens of stunning examples of how graphic design has transformed from a subset of pop culture to a cultural driving force on its own.

About this title

About the Author

Steven Helleris co-chair of the MFA Design: Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts, New York. His many previous books includeTypographic Universe, New Modernist Type, and Scripts.

Reviews

Those familiar with the writing of noted graphic design chronicler Heller may have already encountered several of the essays found here in various design periodicals such as Print, Critique, and Eye. Others may be aware of his work as the art director of the New York Times Book Review or of the innumerable design books he has authored and/or edited. For these readers, it will be gratifying to review a compendium that allows one to form a composite picture of Heller. He has an active mind and a balanced perspective and excels at placing graphic design in historical context, a much-needed boost for a profession that is coming into its own. If there is a complaint to be leveled, it would be that a book of this scope (which holds the design profession in such high regard) is itself so poorly designed. While visual communication may be the subject, there is little visual enjoyment to be had. A flat and uninspired layout is compounded by an overall shortage of illustrations, often leaving the reader to wonder in vain about the references being made. Despite the wide perspective that Heller brings to the graphic design field, the book is squarely rooted in the 20th century, and it certainly belongs in the graphic design section, as it would provide little gratification for the non-design reader. Recommended for larger public libraries or libraries with extensive liberal arts, fine arts, or art history sections. Phil Hamlett, San Francisco
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Allworth Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1581152140
• ISBN 13: 9781581152142
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288