No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism

A spectacularly illustrated survey of the changing face of graphic design at the end of the twentieth century

The past twenty years have seen profound changes in the field of graphic communication. As the computer has become a ubiquitous tool, there has been an explosion of creativity in graphic design; designers and typographers have jettisoned existing rules and forged experimental new approaches. No More Rules isthe first critical survey to offer a complete overview of the graphic revolution during the postmodern period. Design critic Rick Poynor tells this story in detail, breaking down a broad, multifaceted field of graphic design activity into key developments and themes: the origins of postmodern design; deconstructionist design and theory; issues of appropriation; the revolution in digital type; questions of authorship; and critiques of postmodern graphic design. Each theme is illustrated by spectacular and significant examples of work produced between 1980 and 2000 that have changed the way in which designers and their audiences think about graphic communication. This generously illustrated book is a vital reference for design professionals and educators as well as for students of graphic design, image-making, advertising, and the visual arts.

Rick Poynor founded Eye, the international review of graphic design, and was its editor from 1990 to 1997. His books include Typography Now (1991), Typographica (2001), and the essay collections Design Without Boundaries (1998) and Obey the Giant: Life in the Image World (2001).