Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History.

Graphic design has had a profound impact upon American life in the 19th and 20th centuries. Essays by specialists in the field examine areas that include graphic design's role as a social force as well as the effect of technological developments and political change.

This catalog is published to coincide with an exhibit organized by the Walker Art Center. Essays and testimonies from prominent designers attempt to review graphic arts "in aesthetic terms and as a barometer of the society they reflect." As in many other exhibit-related books, this effort does not have enough depth for the scholar yet is not sufficiently enticing to the general reader. Coverage is unfocused, and too many essays are ponderous, particularly in contrast to the candid and enlightening views expressed by the designers. Curiously, the book lacks visual appeal (footnotes dwarf stamp-sized illustrations on some pages). Philip B. Meggs's A History of Graphic Design ( LJ 6/15/83) is a better purchase for most libraries.
- Stephen Rees, Bucks Cty. Free Lib., Levittown, Pa.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.