Inside/Outside: From the Basics to the Practice of Design

Renowned artist and design legend Malcolm Grear has permanently shaped the design world with his work, lecturing, writing and teaching. Grear approaches design by looking at the inner parts of an object, process, or idea in order to understand the whole. He believes that form and structure are the underpinnings of effective design, which stands contrary to the reductive approach taught in most modern design education.

Deftly and sparingly capturing the essence of his subject matter, Grear offers unique insight into the design process with images and forms drawn from nature, typography, art and design. These examples from both his teaching (inside) and professional practice (outside) begin with design problems and illuminate the processes by which the best solutions are found. Grear skillfully bridges the gap between design theory and real-world practice.

Malcolm Grear has played a vital role as designer and educator in the field of visual communication for 48 years. Malcolm Grear Designers was founded in 1960 and has had more than 28 solo exhibitions in museums and galleries. He taught in Rhode Island School of Design from 1960 to 1998 where he received the Honorary Alumnus Award for "...professional achievements as an internationally acclaimed graphic designer (that) brought overwhelming recognition to Rhode Island School of Design's Department of Graphic Design and its graduates."

Malcolm Grear has been awarded five honorary doctorate degrees and was selected by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, comprising 190 institutions, to receive the Citation for Distinguished Service in the Visual Arts. Grear continues to design, lecture, and conduct design workshops throughout the country and will occasionally teach a graduate design course. Visit www.mgrear.com for more information.

Inside / Outside is an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA.

Grear is a respected teacher at the Rhode Island School of Design as well as the founder and director of a leading international design firm. Here he brings together his personal experience in both areas, resulting in a book that combines the practical with the philosophical and the concrete with the abstract in a way that offers unique insight into the design process. The second half of the book offers examples from the work of Grear's design firm and, while useful, is not unlike the approach of many books on design. What sets the book apart is the first half, in which Grear presents problems given to his design classes and examples of their solutions. How these assignments serve to introduce students to subtle abstract concepts and the real fundamentals of space, form, and letterforms makes a fascinating study and shows Grear to be a true teacher, one capable of reaching the "inner" designer. Highly recommended for collections with an interest in design.
- Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., N.Y.
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