Wordtrade.com on Art

Graphic Design

From Hieroglyphics to Isotype: A Visual Autobiography by Otto Neurath (Hyphen, Princeton Architectural Press) Otto Neurath wrote From hieroglyphics to Isotype during the last two years of his life: this is the first publication of the full text, carefully edited from the original manuscripts in the Otto & Marie Neurath Isotype Collection at the University of Reading. Calling it a ‘visual autobiography’, Neurath documents the importance to him of visual material, from his earliest years to his professional activity with the picture language of Isotype. He draws clear connections between the stimulus he received as a boy – from illustrated books, toys, and exhibitions – to the considered work in visual education that occupied him for the last twenty years of his life. This engaging and informal account gives a rich picture of Central-European culture around the turn of the twentieth century, as well as an exposition of the techniques of Isotype. The edition includes the numerous illustrations intended by Neurath to accompany his text, and is completed by an extensive appendix showing examples from the rich variety of graphic material that he collected.

RGB: British Graphics by Marc Valli and Richard Brereton (Actor) A comprehensive, up-to-date collection of the most exciting new graphic-design in the United Kingdom. What design scene is as diverse or cosmopolitan, more rich in influences and references, as packed with new trends and original ideas, as teeming with talent and ambition than the UK? To stand out in this competitive arena, British graphic designers have had to make their work ever more clever and polished, better informed. This fuels the distinctive, refined styles of such artists as Mark Farrow, Sea, Spin, Browns, Fuel, James Joyce, Zak, Studio 8 and Bibliotek. The UK (especially urban hotbeds like London, Manchester and Sheffield) is also a greenhouse for new musical styles and youth trends, and a fertile ground for eccentric visual artists like Non-Format, Ben Drury, The Designers Republic; and of course, also a major financial nucleus for studios like William Paul, BB Saunders and Saturday marking their styles and brands across the world. The main question in compiling a book on the best of new British design is not what to put in, but what to leave out. Stylistic novelty and visual distinctiveness are our key parameters. RGB features artists from highly diverse backgrounds, at all different stages in their careers, from household names to the newest young talents. RGB captures the UK s explosively vibrant and unpredictable realm of graphic design, in over 280 pages packed with exciting visual material.
The first question one has to ask is: but is there such a thing as British graphics? What can legitimately be called British, and what cannot? Tricky question. Contemporary Britain is unmistakably cosmopolitan. A selection criteria based purely on nationality, on passports, would not do the trick. Even the idea of focussing on practitioners who reside in the UK was problematic: in the age of broadband, designers can move freely around the world, while continuing to work for British clients and within a British sphere. We therefore decided to use the looser, trickier idea of 'belonging', or 'fellowship', constantly asking the question: how does this work fit into the UK's visual art scene? But that brings us back to our starting point: what is that then? Is there such a thing as British graphics?

In my view the answer to this question is, typically, yes and, well, no... Yes, in the sense that there is work that manifestly belongs to this culture, and no in the sense that in the UK today there doesn't appear to be one predominant style. Moreover, the diversity of styles and influences is clearly one of the key characteristics of the graphics produced in this country.

In fact, on this tour of contemporary British graphics, three distinct characteristics did stand out for me, and I have come to believe that they correspond to the three main facets of the British graphic design scene.

The first thing that did strike me was the astonishingly high level of stylistic sophistication and erudition of the work in front of me. I am thinking, for example, about the work of Mark Farrow, Browns, Bibliothèque, Studio8, Sea, North, Mike & Rebecca, Dan Eatock, Design Project, Spin, MadeThought, Multistorey, NB Studio, Proud Collective, Shaz Madani, William Hall and Angus Hyland at Pentagram. As I write this list down, I can't avoid noticing that London-based practitioners are prevalent. In fact, all except one of those mentioned above are based in London, though it must also be noted that a significant proportion of them are not from London. But if you are a design practitioner in the UK, London is somehow inevitable. Even if your studio is not based in the capital, you are likely to still come regularly down on the train in order to attend meetings, exhibitions, conferences. Not all ambitious British designers choose to establish themselves in London, but a lot of them do. These sophisticated London dwellers produce concept-led and incredibly well-informed work. I believe this style is, to some degree, the product of this particular milieu, which has plenty to offer in terms of influence and inspiration, without imposing many constraints on individual creatives. More than anywhere else in the world, British graphic designers have been free to roam through design history, developing visual styles without the pressure of a dominant, overarching stylistic or theoretical framework. Like barbarian hordes entering more civilised but less dynamic territories, these young raiders were able to absorb influences such as the Swiss International Style and the Dutch, American and various other forms of modernism, and transform them into a vibrant new form. As a reaction to the abundance of material around them, these new converts operate, for a majority of the time, within a rather strict minimalist aesthetic. They have resisted a general tendency to abuse new image making software and create flashy and facile images, preferring instead to stick to the basics of graphic composition and type layout.

Nevertheless, true to their modernist calling, they also make sure that the results look absolutely and radically contemporary, not hesitating to splash on specials and colours and textures, or throw a spontaneous gesture or post-modern twist into the mix. Being able to service a cosmopolitan, sophisticated and non-traditionalist clientele has certainly also been a factor in the development of this particular style. Over the years, it has produced disciplined, timeless and disconcertingly stylish designs for this well-off clientele, while giving the UK's arts & culture sectors a very recognizable look.

The second characteristic of UK-based graphic design seems, initially at least, diametrically opposed to the first one. From concept-led design, we do a U-turn to move towards highly illustrative, image-led work — in other words, from design work to graphic work. Relentless visual experimentation has been a trademark of British graphics. The heirs of Vaughn Oliver & V23 have continued to refuse easy, pleasing, carefully ordered imagery in order to search for new ways of making images — unique and previously unimaginable images. When saying this, I am thinking about the likes of The Designers Republic (TDR), Build (Michael Place, ex-TDR), Universal Everything (Matt Pyke, also ex -TDR), Ehquestionmark, Graphic Thought Facility (GTF), Accept & Proceed, Julian House (Intro), Family, Hellovon, Tom Hingston, Me Company, Airside, Studio Tonne, Rick Myers, Attik, James Joyce (One Fine Day), Studio Output, and Jonathan Barnbrook. We're still often in London here, but also in Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Brighton, Huddersfield, Nottingham... The balance has shifted, away from London, and the prying and judgemental eyes of fellow designers, towards the unquiet North and other less over-designed corners of the UK.

In particular, these designers have supplied the UK's phenomenally successful and productive music industry with visuals. Record labels (such as Factory Records, 4AD, Warp, Ninja Tunes and Lex) proved to be accommodating patrons, allowing designers to let rip — which they did, going at visuals with both a vision and a vengeance. They have explored 3D imagery and architectural photography, all kinds of digital illustration, ornamentation, graffiti, chemistry charts, origami techniques...

They have obliterated type, pulled down grids, rejected symmetry, distorted scale, warped perspective, scrambled language... They have used stains, holes, hairs, marker pens, Stanley knives... They have defaced covers, subverted signage systems and even, in one case, studied disinterred medieval graves and torture instruments, in their quest for striking and strikingly new images and visual styles. Lively? Hell, yes...

The final characteristic I would like to mention (or come back to) in relationship to graphic design in the UK is its eclecticism. Here I am thinking about hopelessly cosmopolitan figures such as Fernando Gutierrez, Fuel, Non-Format, Abäke, FI@33, Vince Frost, Domenic Lippa (Pentagram), Alex Rich, Tomato. Not to mention the Pentagram umbrella, which, despite its strict rules and high standards and demands, ends up functioning as a sanctuary for elegantly eclectic styles. The focus has shifted again, this time not just away from London, but from the UK altogether. Post-colonial Britain is a vast melting-pot

of cultures. The UK's economy, and in particular its design, advertising, art and fashion industries could not survive without foreign markets, foreign capital and foreign labour. English, being the ultimate international language in a globalised world, continues to act as a magnet for business and talent. Every year, thousands of ambitious art students from all over the world enrol into British art courses. As they pay higher fees, these foreign students are welcomed with open arms by British schools. They are also welcomed by prospective employers afterwards. Nowadays, you can hardly find a studio in London which does not employ at least one foreign designer, even if simply as work experience. Horizons have broadened, connections were made and kept, and tastes, habits and practices changed significantly in the process.

Of course, dividing designers into categories is a flawed strategy: fun for geeks, on a level with top ten movies or musical genres. In truth, the majority of the designers mentioned above can boast of at least two, if not all three, of these characteristics. And none more so than Peter Saville. Not included in the present book for reasons we shall outline below", Saville possesses all the three main attributes of British graphic design — refinement, visual innovation, eclecticism — in abundance, and the unique combination of these have made him one of the greatest image makers of his time. In decades to come, we may look back upon the work of British graphic designers and realise that Saville is not the only one who fits that description.

There is one last observation I would like to make. In the last decade, new technologies have allowed small studios to take on bigger jobs. We have witnessed a move away from the big corporate studios of the nineties and towards smaller and more flexible set-ups, not dissimilar from those which allowed seminal artists such as Alan Fletcher (Pentagram), Barney Bubbles, Peter Saville, Malcolm Garrett, Jamie Reid, Terry Jones, Vaughn Oliver (V23), Neville Brody, Sean Perkins (North) and Ian Anderson (TDR) to create some of the most stunning and influential visuals of the seventies, eighties and nineties. May this new wave of raiders be able to carry this spirit of innovation, refinement, experimentation and individuality deep into this yet to be shaped century.

 

New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age by Steven Heller (Watson-Guptill) Retro is the new modern. And nowhere is that fact more evident than in typography, which today uses vintage type in ads, book and magazine design, movies, and everywhere words convey meaning. Viewers may not even realize that the type itself conveys mood, information, and a sense of style, but graphic designers know the power of vintage type. Now the world’s foremost historian of graphic design presents New Vintage Type, a remarkable rethinking and rediscovery of old and classic typefaces for today’s modern needs. Hundreds of amazing, astounding, and obscure examples from around the world are gathered here, organized into five historically and stylistically grouped sections: the Victorian Age, the Woodtype Era, Art Deco Style, Modern Movement, and the Eccentric Movement. With hundreds of lively and one-of-a-kind examples, plus informed, intriguing text, New Vintage Type is the graphic designer’s guide to choosing and using vintage type for maximum impact.

What excites a designer most? Well, for us, vintage type from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is designer porn, stimulating the kind of ecstasy ordinarily conjoined with carnal pleasure. Consequently, old book fairs and antique flea markets are veritable peep shows, where glimpses of rare type specimen books and brochures titillate and arouse.

But what actually sparks this impassioned response to something so decidedly unerotic as type fonts is some­thing of a mystery. What makes otherwise diffident designers like us into slaves of such infatuation seems somehow perverse. And what forces us to pay virtually any price and go to such great lengths to possess the object of our desires is curious at best.

Nonetheless, sensuality has had a long entanglement with type, and sex is, surprisingly, the principal metaphor for many things typographic. In the hot metal eras, dating back to the sixteenth century, type production was routinely described in terms of human reproduction. Matrices (or mothers) were impregnated by patrices (or fathers), producing exact offspring (or children). Although this tale of the typographic birds and bees may seem more mechanical than sexual, it nonetheless suggests a relationship that gives the "hot" in hot type more relevance. Even today — especially today, when there are more practitioners than ever before — one might well ask, "What typographer does not get hot for typefaces, particularly beautifully crafted vintage ones?" A designer indifferent to letter forms is not really a designer.

Even the most neutral — or, as Beatrice Warde would call them, "crystal goblet" — typefaces arouse heated passions among the heatedly passionate. Therefore, it is both physically and emotionally impossible to be neutral about type. If one is genuinely committed to typography, hardcore typophile or not, it is inconceivable to be any­thing less than obsessed. As we look at our bookshelves, lined as they are with luscious type catalogs dating back to the late nineteenth century, with reproductions so pristine that they might have been composed and printed yesterday, we cannot but feel a seductive gravitational pull to use and reuse them in current designs.

Type is not merely the lingua franca of the designer's craft, it is the sina qua non of our art — the paint on our canvas, the clay of our sculpture, the symbolism in our poetry, the film in our camera, the wool of our sweater, the shrimp in our cocktail and the ricotta in our cannoli. While this might sound excessively florid, most designers

and all typographers worthy of their professional standing must be fluent in the language of type and fanatically fix­ated on the look, shape, and kiss of letter forms. (The term kiss is a common, physical reference describing the delicate impression made when the hot metal type touches paper.) The allure of a perfect cut, the quintes­sential x-height, and the ideal ascender and descender are essential to the aesthetics and function of typefaces. This is why specimen books of old were designed in such fetching ways, enticing users through a kind of typoroticism and enabling them to fantasize about just how beautiful the perfect composition can be when set on the naked page.

Typographic seduction may have come to a head (though not a climax) at the turn of the twentieth century with the advent of free-spirited, feminine Art Nouveau lettering. The eccentrically ornamented faces of Arnold Bocklin, Koloman Moser, Georges Auriol, and Otto Eckmann (among other Art Nouveau, Secessionist, and Stil Liberty designers), with their curvaceously entwined tendrils, exuded a come-hither look and defined the obsessively sensual style of the fin de siècle. Conversely, the Victorian era, known for its hard-edged no-nonsense typefaces with heavy slab and block serifs, suggested a kind of stoicism and masculinity. Art Nouveau was the style in which womanly beauty reigned supreme, as if each contour insinuated wanton delights. Victorian type was the rigidly dogmatic preacher who wailed against gaiety.

It is no wonder that designers continue to lust after these and other similar faces from subsequent eras. In each period, types have fulfilled an erotic promise. In the 1920s, Oswald Cooper's Cooper Black was naughty and fleshy, whether he intended it or not. In the 1930s, A. M. Cassandre's Peignot had the innate sensuality fit­ting for the face that defined (if only for a moment) France. In the 1950s handbook, Printing Types and How to Use Them, author Stanley Hlasta casually tosses around adjectives such as "masculine," "handsome," "dashing," "feminine," "beautiful," "graceful," "romantic," and "charming," when describing the typefaces he sampled. Type designers and type critics may not even be conscious of this. Generally speaking, most type designers are them­selves more geeky than sexy, yet sex is so totally endemic to type forms that it is surprising the church has not imposed moral codes on its design and composition.

Enough of this fixation on the erotic! Let's face it, some­times a cigar is just a cigar, as Sigmund Freud has been quoted as saying a million times. A vintage typeface is often just a vintage typeface, perhaps steeped in symbolic rel­evance but used not to turn back the hands of time but because it is well suited to a particular contemporary layout.

Moreover, a large percentage of all contemporary, even ultra-orthodox Modernist typography, is based on vintage letter forms. Compositionally speaking, designers often pick through the timeworn menus of type for complimentary combinations, regardless of when or why the typeface was designed. Jan Tschichold, standard-bearer of Bauhaus- and Constructivist-inspired New Typography in the late 1920s, used a few nineteenth­century-looking swash scripts as a counterpoint to Modern, bold sans serifs. Was he playing with contrasts, or did he truly revere the sumptuousness of the curlicues? Probably both. Today many old and young designers are attracted to a slew of nineteenth-century bifurcated Tuscans, slab woodtypes, Art Nouveau and Art Deco letters, and other antiquated faces retrieved from the hellbox of history. Many of these types are redrawn or digitally remastered to make them, more adaptable

or symbolic relationships, for example, the luxury of the Streamline era or the functionality of the wartime years. But many old types are reconfigured into fashionable new design schemes, such as mixing Victorian and Swiss Modern faces together into an eclectic stew, resulting in hybrid neo-modernist grunge or proto-retro techno styles.

Few art forms are completely made from a whole cloth, and more than others, type design is built largely on historical precedents (for what is the alphabet if not an historical precedent?). The ratio of brand-spanking­new typefaces compared to revivals is rather low, and the old is ultimately revered since few faces designed after Garamond, Bembo, Janson and Bodoni, among others, are quintessentially as beautiful or as functional. Revivification is the heart and soul of all type design, and there is hardly a typeface that was conceived decades or centuries ago that will not be retrofitted at some time (take Neue Helvetica, for instance). Look at how many passe types were placed in mothballs, only to be resurrected and appreciated years later. Ed Benguait's popular Souvenir, dating back to the Art Nouveau period, lost its original currency but returned with vengeance in the 1970s. Prior to Benguait, Push Pin Studios' Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast revived Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco faces and ornaments, triggering a so-called "retro" fashion for eccentric faces. It continues to the present day with a regular outpouring from such digital type foundries as P22 and House Industries. Both companies have digitized numerous old-timers: among P22's hit faces, Bauhaus, Constructivist, Dada, Victorian and Arts and Crafts are used when the moment calls for pastiche. Each of these respective revivals has a nostalgic aura, but the cumulative result of blending period styles into an über-aesthetic promotes a curious longevity.

This moment in design history, like this entire period of popular culture we live in, is beyond eclectic. It is post­ neo-proto-eclectic, Chronologically and aesthetics boundaries of culture employ variations of style.

For example, there is a fashion in copying vintage typefaces by hand on layouts in their raw, sketched form. This method of "transcribing" typefaces accentuates the basic shapes yet highlights a contemporary rough-hewn character, and playing with old and new allows designers more leeway with typographic tradition and standards. With so many options for computerized perfection, designers now look to tickling types from the past, not to indiscriminately "borrow" but to find alternatives outside computer-imposed perfection. In addition to the hand­writing method, vintage types are also routinely scanned, manipulated and digitally altered to make them even more idiosyncratic. Old faces are being used like illustrations to spell out messages and to visually interpret them. In this diverse stew of applications, types representing one era are often juxtaposed willy-nilly with those from others to deliberately trigger the clash of sensibilities.

The clash of old and new brings about change. And this book — a record of change — aims to reveal, analyze, and discuss the shifts in aesthetics and function through how old typefaces, from classical tours de force and mongrel abnormalities, inspire and prompt new typo­graphic languages. It shows how the raw, sensuous and the sensuously raw historical models have directly and indirectly influenced and been appropriated by contemporary designers for a wide range of projects, from magazines to packages, from print to screen, from posters to billboards. This book is a timely guide to typographic practice and possibility, and a lively overview of how decorative, novelty and expressive type can successfully span stylistic periods with aplomb and ease. 

Innovative Promotions That Work: A Quick Guide to the Essentials of Effective Design edited by Lisa L. Cyr (Graphic Workshop: Rockport Publishers) To make their audience stop, look, and listen, creative firms and freelancers should strive to produce memorable promotions that speak to a prospective client's needs in unique and innovative ways. Rather than relying on any one venue, firms should penetrate their target market on many fronts. Building brand recognition and making a long-lasting impact with key clients is possible using such items as image and brand-building initiatives, campaign endeavors, keepsake promotions, publication and newsletter promotions, event invitations, announce­ments, and greeting cards. Whether a creative company is new and embarking on a launch, or a seasoned firm looking to maintain or expand their market share, a distinctive promotion can effectively call attention to what a business has to offer.

      Includes image and brand-building initiatives, campaign endeavors, keepsake promotions, publication and newsletter promotions, event invitations, announcements, and greeting cards.

      Provides valuable insight into the strategy, concept, messaging, and production behind each promotional initiative, accessible in a quick and easy to read format.

      Features a directory of suppliers and manufacturers for sourcing unusual materials and innovative processes.

For creative professionals, both seasoned and new to the business, this book shows how to create distinct promo­tional initiatives that inspire, motivate, and produce an effective response.

Excerpt: Over the last two decades, the world has seen enormous change. Technological innovation has made it ever so easy to disseminate information to a global audience almost instantaneously. With this immediate accessibility, however, the floodgates have opened to mediocrity in communications; almost anyone can now enter the arena with the aid of electronics. In the quick-fix-get-the-job-done-and-the-work-out philosophy of the twenty-first century, we are seeing more and more ready-made, convenience-based, and overtly cost-conscious creative work enter into the culture. This time-is-of-the-essence reality has opened a market for corporate-controlled stock image banks, royalty-free design, and off-the-shelf identity systems. They are cheap, readily accessible, and allow for a quick turnaround. It seems that the speed and the cost for which things are done is becoming ever more important, oftentimes trumping quality and leading to the creation of an almost homogenized aesthetic. Just because we have the tools to produce faster than ever before does not mean we should discount quality and the time it takes to develop something truly original and distinctive. Producing work that is constantly compromised will come back to bite the industry as time goes on.

As visual communicators, it is our role to lead. We need to eradicate the complacency that exists, educating clients of the importance of producing creative work with imaginative content that speaks to the culture in ways that inspire and motivate. To take charge of our industry and our destiny, we need more than ever to innovate and experiment, working outside our comfort zone and limitations to move forward. We have to be willing to strive for greatness every time, refusing to compromise and settle for the mundane. By continuing to question the existing paradigm, we can begin to discover new solutions and opportunities for our work to move and grow. In the days of speed and haste, our patience and ongoing commitment to excellence will serve as a working model for the next generation of communicators, a brilliant reminder of the importance and virtues of integrity, hard work, and creative vision.

Getting it Right in Print: Digital Prepress for Graphic Designers by Mark Gatter (Harry N Abrams) With this much-needed new book, designers learn precisely what they must do to prepare their brochures, posters, books, magazines, and other materials for trouble-free, high-quality printing. Addressing the single greatest challenge facing the professional designer today-calibrating images and layouts to match press specifications-the shows how to use common digital-layout and image-management programs to their best advantage. Delays and additional costs previously incurred to fix disappointing proofs can now be eliminated, saving designers both time and money.

Supplanting other books on the subject, which focused`on predigital practice and are now out of date, Getting It Right in Print explains prepress processes in easily understandable terms that will give designers a firm grounding in the fundamentals of this complex subject. Whether they are learning to adjust trapping to appropriate levels, mix colors successfully, or master techniques to make images (even ones downloaded from the Internet) look good in print, designers gain the know-how they need to get the results they want. AUTHOR BIO: Mark Gatter worked in commercial printing before becoming a freelance designer 12 years ago. He is the founder of Whole Page Graphics, a graphic website design company based in Dorset, U.K., with clients that include IBM, Lotus, and LYW Archive, Boston.

Forms Folds and Sizes: All the Details You Can Never Find but Need to Know by Poppy Evans (Rockport Publishers) is the book that is always next to a designer?s computer. Completely practical with only the most needed information, this book will provide designers with all the little details that can make or break a design such as how much space to leave in the gutter when designing barrel folds, how to layout a template for a box and the ratios of each part, metric conversion charts, standard envelope sizes in the USA, Europe, Canada and Asia, etc. This hardworking handbook has a 2-color with a durable soft vinyl cover.

Poppy Evans is an award-winning writer and graphic designer who lives in Park Hills Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. She is the former art director of Screen Printing and American Music Teacher magazines, and former managing editor of HOW magazine. Since shifting into design-related writing and editing in 1989, her writing achievements include eleven books and over 200 articles that have appeared in Print, HOW, Step Inside Design and other design trade magazines. Her most recent books include The Graphic Designer's Ultimate Resource Directory, Fresh Ideas in Photoshop, Your Perfect Home-Based Studio, Graphic Design Makeovers, the Designer's Survival Manual, and Extraordinary Graphic for Unusual Surfaces. Poppy also teaches design-related courses at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

Push Pin Graphic: A Quarter Century Of Innovative Design And Illustration by Seymour Chwast, Martin Venezky (Chronicle Books) Part design and illustration studio, part pop culture think tank, Push Pin Studios made a phenomenal impact on visual culture from the 1950s to the 1980s, representing an important chapter in postwar graphic design. Founding member Seymour Chwast partners with key figures from the design community -- as well as co-founder Milton Glaser -- to provide a visual history of the studio by way of its signature publication, The Push Pin Graphic. Hundreds of memorable covers and spreads culled from each of the eighty-six inspired and imaginative issues confirms Push Pin's vital role in setting the design curve and influencing the direction of modern visual style. The Push Pin Graphic is the first comprehensive account of a design milestone that continues to influence designers to this day.

Seymour Chwast is co-founder of Push Pin Studios. He has created over 100 posters and has designed and illustrated more than thirty children's books. He lives in New York City. Steven Heller is the author of over ninety books on graphic design, popular art, and satiric art. He lives in New York City. Martin Venezky is the director the renowned design firm Appetite Engineers. He lives in Rhode Island. Milton Glaser is the co-founder of Push Pin Studios and New York Magazine. His graphic and architectural commissions include the "I (Heart) NY" logo. He lives in New York City. 

German Expressionist Prints: The Marcia and Granvil Specks Collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum by Stephanie D'Alessandro, James Deyoung, David Gordon, Reinhold Heller, Sarah B. Kirk, Kristin Marholm, Gretchen L. Wagner, Milwaukee Museum of Art (Hudson Hills Press) 531 colorplates and 9 black-and-white illustrations A good overview of prints by early 20th Century masters.

Widely acclaimed as one of the most significant bodies of German Expressionist prints in the United States, The Marcia and Granvil Specks Collection is noted for its high quality, breadth, and profound graphic power. In celebration of its gift to the Milwaukee Art Museum, it is presented here for the first time as a whole, as a body of imagery that reveals the myriad concerns of the age—the joys and pain of life in Germany from the 1890s to the 1930s.

The Specks collection is a vast mirror reflecting that complicated and fiery period when printmaking asserted itself, when images impressed on paper became the most profound and exacting expressions of the age. From the tragic and sorrowful prints of Käthe Kollwitz to the profoundly human religious woodcuts of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff to the biting satire of radical artist George Grosz, the collection illuminates the sense of urgency, originality, and vision of a wide range of artists, all attempting to limn a shifting world of despair, hope, and renewal in the fragile years from the Second Empire to the rise of the Nazis. Etchings and drypoints of biting spontaneity and intensity, lithographs of corrosive ingenuity, woodcuts to stir the soul, heralded an era of individuality and democracy in visions of a new society that could be reproduced, illustrated, and mass produced to reach the most remote and casual of observers. Emotionally, technically, and rebelliously, prints offered artists fresh directions and challenges at a time of intense preoccupation and ultimately disillusionment with society and the world.

Within this broad terrain, the publication of The Marcia and Granvil Specks Collection constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to delve assiduously into an entire generation of remarkable images and artists. The stunning quality and vast range of prints, personally researched and selected by the Specks during countless trips to Europe over three decades, offer riches unparalleled in any other American collection of Expressionist prints—everything from the most iconic, rare impressions to remarkable prints by artists little known in the United States. In its totality the collection invites repeated viewing and comparison of similar themes and media by an array of artists over several decades. In its specifics there are areas of strength that reach the highest levels of excellence, importance, and expressive mastery.

In addition to the illustrated catalogue of over 475 prints accompanied by biographies of the artists, the book includes essays discussing issues of visual culture and representation by leading scholars in the field: Reinhold Heller, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Chicago; and Stephanie D'Alessandro, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Art Institute of Chicago. The Milwaukee Art Museum's Senior Conservator James deYoung contributes a study of the papers used in their prints. 

Graphic Modernism: Selections from the Francey and Dr. Martin L. Gecht Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago by Art Institute of Chicago, Introduction by Suzanne Folds McCullagh (Hudson Hills Press) Showcasing color illustrations of bold 19th Century, Twentieth-Century European, and Twentieth-Century American works that range from realism to more abstract constructions of shape and image. Graphic Modernism is enhanced with accompanying and extensively informative commentary, history, and critique by Suzanne Folds McCullagh (The Gecht Collection and the Chicago Tradition) and Mark Krisco (Francey and Dr. Martin L. Gecht: An Appreciation) to make Graphic Modernism a thoroughly impressive survey of modernism, displaying works by Cezanne, Degas, Gauguin, Pollock, and so many others. Graphic Modernism is a visual treasure that will superbly complement any personal, academic, or community library Art Appreciation and/or Art History collection.

This selection of modernist drawings and prints, with examples by the most important artists of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, is part of a major collection of graphic art amassed over the past three decades by Chicagoans Francey and Dr. Martin L. Gecht. Incorporating a number of images that have been exhibited widely along with others that have rarely been seen, the collection traces the sweep of modernist movements from the late-nine­teenth-century avant-garde in France to European Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, and to Abstract Expressionism in the United States. It boasts important examples by Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, and van Gogh, as well as powerful Expressionist drawings by Beckmann, Ernst, Kirchner, Schiele, and prints by Dix, Kirchner, Klee, and Nolde. The collection's representation of Balthus, Chagall, Magritte, and Miró reveals their various approaches to Surrealism. The representation of American mid-century artists is smaller, but choice, with signal works by de Kooning, Gorky, Pollock, and more.

At the same time, the collection is particularly rich in the art of several key figures. In addition to numerous examples by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Georges Braque, it boasts twenty-seven pieces each by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso (of which nineteen each are included here), demonstrating the range and graphic accomplishments of these two masters. The preponderance of Braque's early Cubist prints, together with those from the same period by Picasso, provides a focused look at the way these artists worked in tandem to create this deeply influential movement. In recent years, the Gechts have added another dimension to their collection, acquiring sculptures by artists whose graphic work they already owned, such as Calder, Degas, Matisse, Miró, and Picasso, among others.

This book celebrates the Gechts' gift of over thirty works to The Art Institute of Chicago, joining what has long been one of the most distinguished public collections of late nineteenth-and twentieth-century graphic arts in America. Showcasing the couple's bequest, Graphic Modernism is augmented by one hundred other examples from the family's important holdings. The Art Institute's staff worked closely with the Gechts in making selections for the museum that will fill lacunae and add strength to strength. In an informative introduction, Art Institute curator Suzanne Folds McCullagh relates the collection to the context in which it was formed. Each of the over 130 works included here is reproduced in full color, and is accompanied by an informative and accessible entry prepared by Art Institute staff and the Gechts' curator, Mark Krisco. 

New Book Design by Robert Fawcett-Tang (Harper Design) showcases the most interesting, influential, and accomplished book designs from the last ten years.It features over 100 titles published around the world, each chosen for their outstanding design qualities, from the publications of large mainstream publishers to those of small independent companies -- and even those from individual artists. Included in its pages are lavishly produced books with unconventional formats and unusual print techniques as well as less flamboyant publications produced for various different markets. A wide variety of books are featured, from paperback novels to architectural monographs, from text-based to profusely-illustrated books.

Divided into four main sections -- "Packaging," "Navigation," "Layout," and "Specification" -- the book examines each facet of book design: cover design; contents and structure; image usage; grids; typography; paper; printing; and binding. Clear photography captures each featured book, and interviews with prominent book designers, art directors, and publishers provide extra insight.

New Book Design is sure to provide a rich source of inspiration to book designers and bibliophiles alike. 

Brochures: Making a Strong Impression: 85 Strategies for the Message-Driven Design by Jenny Sullivan (Rockport Publishers) contains a collection of brochures that have proved to be more difficult to nail than most, pieces that have truly pushed designer?s creativity and forced them to reach inside.

Each brochure will be shown with a succinct amount`of copy discussing the essence of the book and the challenge of designing it. Each brochure will be given one full spread and there will be several shots showing the cover and interior alongside it.

Unlike most books on brochures which either give no context or an abundant amount of not necessarily important information is given, this book will provide the reader with a succinct but poignant bit of information which provides important context to the work and is short enough that a reader can process it quickly. The text will be brief but organized clearly into three sections: the challenge, the process and the result.

This format will allow the reader to access the precise information they need immediately. There will be approximately 90 brochures profiled, 8 of the brochures will be a redesign that will be designed as sidebars. These will show the original design and the new design. The rest of the content will be new work, a third of which is from outside North America.

Bringing Graphic Design in House: How and When to Design It Yourself by Orange Seed Design (Rockport Publishers) covers everything from basic graphic design guidelines (color, grid, type, paper etc) to production information. At the back of the book are tons of template designs for letterheads, brochures, logos, etc. that are really cool and fresh, and which you can copy. The authors make it simple and really easy to follow.

Bringing Graphic Design in House is geared toward untrained and marginally trained designers working within a company that has decided do their design in-house rather than hire an outside firm, and small business owners that have to design their own collateral.

With the market being in such a tough place right now, more and more design is being pulled in-house to save money. The result is that untrained designers are having to create collateral that can stand up to the competition (who may be using professional designers) and this can be a daunting task. Designing is difficult in a perfect world and even more difficult when one is dealing with a lack of a basic graphic design education

The goal of this book is two fold. The authors will not only address how to design it yourself, they will also discuss instances where it is best to hire professional outside designers for specific portions of the work. Being able to evaluate your tools, your limitations, and the tasks at hand is vital to being able for success.

Graphic Workshop: Step-by-Step Guide by Chuck Green (Design It Yourself Rockport Publishers) This new compilation of Design It Yourself Logos, Letterheads, and Business Cards: A Step-by-Step Guide and Design It Yourself Newsletters: A Step-by-Step Guide is a must have for designers and non-designers alike.

If you're looking for a concise how-to book on graphic design that avoids all the theory and just gets down to the nuts and bolts of getting a project done, then this book is for you. It includes a wide selection of well-crafted designs for logos, letterheads, businesses cards, and newsletters that anyone can accomplish easily with impressive results. Green’s designs are a perfect balance of shape and contrast, image and word.

The designs are clearly marked with all the design details you need. There's no guessing involved, all you have to do is follow the easy-to-understand recipes for executing these dynamic designs. Project recipes cover setting dimensions for page layouts; recommendations for type, including its name and the suggested point size; color ideas; paper information; sources for graphics and photographs; and a complete production guide.

This book is for everyone. Non-designers will find his designs easy to copy. Professional designers will use them as inspiring and helpful building blocks.  

Graphic Design That Works: Secrets For Successful Logo, Magazine, Brochure, Promotion, and Identity Design (Rockport Publishers) Consumers are blitzed with millions of images every day. Companies hoping to grab a consumer?s attention need a memorable, eye-catching design?whether for a logo, an identity system, an in-depth promotional campaign, or a magazine that needs to stay fresh and strong month after month.

Graphic Design That Works looks at examples of logos, identities, promotions, brochures, and magazine design that have proven, successful track records. Quick-hit copy explores these designs from early conceptual stages to initial drafts and final execution, so whether you are a seasoned designer or a newcomer to the field, you can understand how and why the design came to be.

Also included are tips from the experts who put these designs on the map. They tell what succeeded and what failed in their attempts to create designs that really work.

Logolounge: 2,000 International Identities By Leading Designers by Bill Gardner, Catharine Fishel (Rockport Publishers) Logos for everything from food and fashion to conferences and corporations are among designers? most prized projects.

When LogoLounge debuted in hardcover, it was the first in a series celebrating the work of top logo designers on the innovative LogoLounge website.This book, now in paperback, presents the site’s best designs of the year as judged by an elite group of name-brand designers.

LogoLounge offers a wealth of inspiration and insights for graphic designers and their clients. From the work of superstar artists and firms such as Michael Vanderbyl and Sibley Peteet Design, including both new campaigns and new projects to nearly 2,000 additional logos from various sources, this visually compelling volume will become the go-to resource for inspiration from the best in the field.

Magazine Design That Works: Secrets for Successful Magazine Design by Stacey King (Rockport) focuses on 20 different magazines and what makes them work graphically, and how their look was conceived, designed, and executed. The projects featured range in style and scope, and examine the work of the top designers in the business from all around the world. Providing a virtual 'blueprint' for each project, comparisons of rough draft and final drafts illustrate the process, and the development of familiar magazines are traced over their lifespan.

Logo Design That Works: Secrets for Successful Logo Design by Lisa Silver (Rockport) Logo design titles continue to sell the most copies of all graphic design subjects. This hard-working title examines 100 logo designs by illustrating how and why the design works. Sidebars compare and contrast rough drafts of popular logos with their final versions, and short tips address issues such as testing designs, sourcing inspiration, and typography. As well, the evolution of well-known logos are traced by examining why design changes were made and how those changes benefited the client and were successful`on the market.

Design It Yourself Logos Letterheads and Business Cards: The Non-Designers Step-By-Step Guideby Chuck Green (Rockport) For the nondesigner who want to attempt some basic design work this volume meets many practical needs. Not a design theory book - it is a design instruction book. Artist and author Chuck Green steps you through the concept, layout, and production process of creating a marketing smart logo and incorporating it into an eye-catching letterhead, business card, and envelope. From the initial research to checking the quality of the final, printed product, nothing is left to chance - follow his lead and the result of your efforts will be professional-quality materials at a design-it-yourself price. Design It Yourself Logos Letterheads and Business Cards features: Step-by-step instructions written in easy-to-understand language; detailed checklists for all aspects of concept, design, and production; 25 Design Recipes including page layouts and dimensions, typeface suggestions, names, and sizes, color ideas, paper information, sources for graphics and photographs, and complete production guidance.

Catalog Design: The Art of Creating Desire by Dianna Edwards, designed by Robert Valentine (Rockport) Catalogs, magalogs, and netlogs will be a $100 million business by 2001. The ablility to design a compelling catalog can make even experience designers more competitive. Perhaps just as important , catalogs are creative challenge alomost irresistible to those who truly love graphic design. This book demonstrates the how, and why, and the what-if of great catalog design.

Catalog Design: The Art of Creating Desire profiles some of the most beautiful work, from some of the best designers, in the world. Include are Neiman Marcus (The Book), Takashimaya, Habitat (London), Martha by Mail, Interface North America, Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch, Patagonia, and more. 

 Typography 21: The Annual of the Type Directors Club (Watson Guptill) Devoted exclusively to typography, this volume is the quintessential source in which to find a complete, up-to-date record of the most exemplary typographic work produced worldwide. Winners of the Type Directors Club's most recent competition were selected from thousands of entries of graphic design for books, magazines, logos, annual reports, video graphics, and other categories. The results of a separate contest for typeface design are also included. Full information for each entry lists all names of the creative team and other relevant data.

Illustrator in America, 1860-2000 by Walt Reed (Hearst Books International) A comprehensive visual reference work detailing the fascinating history of modern American illustration, The Illustrator in America covers 140 years and over 450 artists. Walt Reed, a respected historian, has done a masterful job of selecting the most important and appropriate works to represent each artist in this remarkable guide. The book, which is organized chronologically, begins with a timeline presenting the various influences of styles, schools, and "isms" over the course of the entire period covered-1860-2000. Each chapter is devoted to a single decade, and opens with introductory commentary on the general history and artistic trends of the period; this is followed by individual entries on the lives and work of the outstanding artists of the decade. Packed with color illustrations and clearly presented information, this invaluable reference deserves a place in the library of anyone interested in understanding the history of modern illustration in the United States. Most comprehensive reference guide available detailing the history of modern American Illustration Covers the work and life of more than 450 great American illustrators Beautifully photographed and designed includes visual studies of over 450 premier artists including.... John Wolcott Adams Harold Anderson Vernon Howe Bailey John Collier Joe DeMers Frank Vincent DuMond Robert Fawcett Gervasio Gallardo Theodore Geisel Charlotte Harding Maud Humphrey Rockwell Kent Louis Loeb Louise Patterson Marsh Maxwell Parrish Chris Payne Norman Rockwell Nancy Stahl Ross Barron Storey Leslie Thrasher Alberto Vargas Sarah S. Stilwell Weber Jack W. Welch.

Digital Design Business Practices: For Graphic Designers and Their Clients by Liane Sebastian (Allworth Press) reveals what it takes to succeed in each step of running a design business and managing projects. Covering such topics as planning, ownership, communication, development, and responsibilities, this comprehensive manual offers practical, real-life examples of what works and what doesn't in managing budgets, handling copyrights, dealing with decision-makers, beating deadlines, and negotiating disputes. Five full chapters devoted to the Internet cover Web strategy, planning, design, and construction. Plus, enlightening case histories from three viewpoints-Client Group, Creative Group, and Production Group-give readers a new, fresh understanding of each area of the design process.

 Paper Graphics: The Power of Paper in Graphic Design by Catharine Fishel (Rockport) a strong collection of designs on and about paper. That this is an inspiring collection was confirmed for me as I was sending back many hundreds of samples to generous contributing graphic artists. I collected many times more material than the book could hold, partly to be thorough in the research and partly because of my great interest in the subject. As I repacked slides into sleeves and printed matter into envelopes, I was struck by the cleverness, beauty and functionality even of the pieces that did not make it into the book. Then I knew that we had assembled the best of the best. No sample is offered without context: Every design in the book is accompanied by its own short article that explains what the original assignment was, how the solution was found, and what paper stock and other materials were used. When possible, readers also learn how much the project cost and how it was received by its audience. This is truly a "feed your head" book-but it was my goal that is should feed both the left and right sides of the brain.
Paper can be an elegant solution to the challenges of graphic design. Paper Graphics examines the many ways paper choice influences design with striking examples of work from top firms (both US and overseas) gathered to offer readers creative inspiration, know how, and fresh ideas. Collected in these pages you will find graphic design in which the qualities of the paper itself inspired or directed the finished piece. Seven chapters present more than 200 inspiring examples of graphic design.

 Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines, 10th Edition by Graphics Artists Guild (Http://www.gag.org) (North Light Books).  First published in 1973, the  Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines has become the essential source for fair prices and practice. Assembled by the national organization for graphic artists, this 10th edition contains the latest information on business, pricing and ethical standards for nearly every discipline in the visual communications industry, from advertising to publishing to corporate markets. This work provides much of the business orientation a person needs in order to seek faire compensation for their work. Recommended.

Then Is Now: Sampling the Past for Today’s Graphics, a Handbook for Contemporary Design by Cheryl Dangel Cullen (Rockport) unique and visually informative book examines how design elements, themes, and styles from different decades of the 20th century influence and play a part in contemporary design. Each section focuses on a specific era from the past 100 years, studies and presents the icons and design influences of that era, and evaluates the effectiveness of the elements in the work of today's top designers and design firms. Graphics, colors and icons continue to repeat themselves over time; the trends in modern design, which seem so original, are drawn directly from years gone by. Each project featured examines the design concept, inspiration, and purpose of the design, discussing the special effects the designers are trying to achieve with an eye toward historical accuracy.

Provocative Graphics: The Power of the Unexpected in Graphic Design by Laurel Harper (Rockport) is a unique swipe file book focused on sexy, bold, daring, innovative, playful, quirky, and thought provoking design work that pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable, taking the viewer places they do not expect to go. Famous examples of provocative graphics are Bennetton's controversial identity campaigns and Calvin Klein's head-turning clothing advertisements. Consumer's are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of choices, as a result designer's resort to the shock factor or an in your face style. Provocative graphics turn heads. The author discusses how the design firms and their clients conceived and developed these projects and focuses on why these designs work and what elements in them (both conceptual and technical) make the consumer respond.

 

Hand Lettering for Crafts: A Decorative Guide from A to Z by Sandra Salamony (Rockport) definitive guide for applying decorative lettering to craft projects targets the continued and growing interest in decorative crafts. Decorative lettering is often overlooked, yet it is an easy-to-learn skill for crafters who seek that special finishing touch. This is the first-ever lettering book written by crafters for crafters, with hands-on advice for polished results on the very first try. This book not only addresses letterforms as calligraphy books do, but it also provides insight and information on letters in regards to decorative styles and application. Provided is clear instruction and the practical tools, creative inspiration and templates for crafters to make words a decorative element in their projects.

Hand Lettering for Crafts starts out with basic information on tools and materials. Then there are great tips on transferring and using the computer to help your out if you handwriting and calligraphy skills are lacking.

The projects follow, and are broken up into lettering styles including romantic, modern, decorative, and vintage. Each section shows the full alphabet of several typestyles and a few have illustrations and notes of how to draw them correctly. For a beginner they can be traced and transferred. Typefaces include the basics like simple italic, block and script styles, decorative versals, uncials and art deco Anna, fun ones like Party and elegant ones like ITC Vintage. There is a typeface for almost any project.

A nearly endless array of projects can be enhanced with lettering and wide ranges of typestyles are included here. My favorite projects include gilded glass coasters, an etched glass floating frame, botanical note cards, dotted gradient dessert plate and a raised Chinese character lampshade. All the projects are great and fairly easy to follow, but I was a bit disappointed that a full alphabet for my favorite typeface the author uses (stained glass) was not in the book.

In the back there is great resource list. There is also wonderful gallery that shows you all kinds of way to use calligraphy. It is very inspirational. The gallery artists are all listed in a directory with addresses, phone numbers and email address. This book makes a great gift for anyone into crafts especially rubber stamp and paper artists.

White Graphics: The Power of White in Graphic Design by Gail Deibler Finke (Rockport) White is a constant challenge for graphic designers. Creating a balance between clean, striking, and eye-catching can often pose a conflict between clients and designers: a conflict that is often solved by a good designer's ability to effectively use white, white space and negative space for dynamic effect.

White Graphics is a unique collection of current design work which will inspire designers and clients who are afraid of white, as being lackluster or boring, through its stunning`presentation of innovative graphics which use white as a central design element.

Some of the earliest printed books snow us that horror vacui, or fear of empty space, is nothing new in design. Long before graphic design had a name, typesetters were busy arranging words and pictures on paper. Illuminated manuscripts, produced when every boo< was hand-written and hand-drawn, are full of generous white margins. Books were so labor-intensive, and took so long to produce that the pleasing use of white space was practical and economical.

But movable printing changed all that. Paper was comparatively cheap, arc while engravings were expensive to produce, they could be used indefinitely Pictures became a selling point for printers. Where once only the wealthiest could afford pictures in their books, row printed books were crowded with images: full-page pictures, half-page pictures, and borders made up of illustrated shapes piled on top of each other like building blocks.

The craze didn't last long. Saner heads prevailed (and books were even more profitable without illustrations). But unfortunately for the designer, the impetus behind that craze lives on. When you're printing a sheet of paper, it can be hard to justify leaving any of it blank.

Why should you? Well, as any designer knows, it just looks better. White space draws attention to whatever it contains. White space provides context, organization, and a restful place for the eyes. It can convey a variety of moods, from a mannered, classic arrangement of type to a dramatic spotlight for a photograph.

White space is the largest chapter in this book for a simple reason: it's one of the most versatile tools a graphic designer can use. Here you'll find white space, rot in the generic sense of open space of any kind, but in its literal sense. Open expanses of white. These projects demonstrate the power of white space -enough power, perhaps, to inspire amor vacui.

Creative Newsletters & Annual Reports by Rita Street and Roberta Street (Rockport) takes a behind-the-scenes trek through some of the hottest design firms in the industry-and a close look at the trade secrets for seamlessly blending form and content in newsletters, annual reports, and more.

Creative Newsletters & Annual Reports features:

• Interviews and graphics that convey the special design challenges associated with information publications

• The full spectrum of newsletters and annual reports-engaging work designed to increase awareness, to entertain, and to advertise goods and services

• An essential collection of great design that demonstrates bow to Successfully convey "data" to a wide range of readers

A well-made arts publication is a metaphor for the organization of company it presents. A shining example, CalArts Current reflects the independent university it covers: its electric page design, like the school, contains barely-restrained energy. This "sizzle" echoes the exciting atmosphere of the CalArts campus and its various art disciplines: reading the newsletter is like taking a walk on the campus, or watching a performance.

Powerful synergy between product and publication is a hallmark of good design-but it is especially critical for arts publications, which often must convey topics or events that might seem less tangible to the reading public than goods or services. The selections presented here are a valuable study in building a metaphor for a particular organization or corporation. Well-made graphics highlight the chosen subject and offer interesting solutions for such inflexible design elements as season calendars or sponsor acknowledgment pages. Notice how fact-based sections get added spice from simple illustrated motifs or elegant choices of sans serif type.

Art Is Work by Milton Glaser (Overlook) For twenty-five years the longest-selling design book in publishing history Milton Glaser: Graphic Design is distinctively known for the famous Dylan poster on the cover.  In Art Is Work Glaser considers the central role of tradition in the creation of new work. In this major retrospective, Glaser, one of the most influential figures in the history of international design (with the possible exception of Saul Bass and Paul Rand), considers not only his own work and the current scene, but also argues passionately that art and the creative life are serious business.

Art Is Work, lavishly illustrated with more than 500 full-color reproductions, is a com­prehensive overview of Glaser's rich and varied oeuvre,-executed over the last quarter century. An illuminating and insightful text accompanying these images offers a rare and intimate glimpse into his personal artistic philosophy and working methods. Glaser traces the development of countless projects from initial inspiration to early attempts to transform idea into image through to finished product. Along the way he provides a text that ranges from intriguing discussions of discarded alternative ideas, to a consideration of various techniques, professional influences, and recurrent themes in his work. Most importantly, in this fascinating weave of image and text, Glaser reacquaints us with bedrock principles that will always be cen­tral to design even as he looks forward to the new opportunities-and dangers-that technology offers.

Art Is Work is a dazzling array of Glaser's by now iconic work on well-known products, ranging from newspapers and magazines to toys, textiles, interior design of restaurants and supermarkets, posters, album sleeves and CD covers, book jackets and illustration. If you have ever bought a T-shirt bearing the "I heart N Y" logo, picked up a bottle of Grand Union brand ketchup, or leafed through the playbill for Tony Kushner's Angels in America, you have enjoyed the work of an artist unparalleled in his ability to provide excite­ment and grace in a wedding of rigorous conceptual thinking to elegant artistic expression. Art Is Work reflects Milton Glaser's abundant gifts and is a fitting manifestation itself of the talents of one of the powerful and creative forces in design today. It is filled with case studies, personal captions and wonderful illustrations and photographs of his work.

 About the Artist:
A graduate of Cooper Union in New York and the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Milton Glaser was born in New York in 1929. Glaser was co-founder and design director of New York magazine and a founder of Pushpin Studio, a group whose work has been exhibited around the world. His first book, Milton Glaser: Graphic Design, is one of the classics in the field. Still in print after more than twenty-five years, it has been translated into many languages. Glaser is the recipient of many awards from such organizations as the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Academy of Designers in Great Britain. His work has been the subject of exhibitions around the world; he has been honored with one-man shows at New York's Museum of Modern Art and Paris's Centre Georges Pompidou. He is married and lives in New York City and Woodstock, New York.

 

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