Best Graphic Design Books

Film Posters of the 40s

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:25:33 +0000

Tony Nourmand

This full colour series is a great place for the design student to begin to notice all the principles come together and a fantastic way to chart the development of design sensibilities through the twentieth century.

As an all-picture retrospective, aim to approach this reference book after reading up on major dominant and minor emphasized pairings in Wucius Wong’s Principles of Form and Design, and notice how one might create a contrast of male and female protagonists as reflected in John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. The use of contrast as a principle in and of itself is best explained in Robin William’s The Non-Designer’s Design Book whilst a geometric approach to composition can be learned in Elam’s Geometry of Design.

I fell in love with the 1940s edition, which is why I have chosen to feature it here – please feel free to check out the entire series and enjoy building them up in your collection.

Film Posters of the 40s: The Essential Movies of the Decade

(Click link to purchase)

How To Be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:24:20 +0000

Adrian Shaughnessey

Shaughnessey provides a guide to the joys and the perils of pursuing a career in graphic gesign.

Key topics:

Promoting your work
Freelancing
Setting up a studio
Accommodating your clients

If you ever find yourself disheartened by the demands of the market in the face of artistic license, Shaughnessey’s well presented advice will teach you about the business realities of graphic design. You may just find that the creatives are just as subject to contemporary economics as any other industry.

How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul

(Click link to purchase)

The Designer’s Guide to Color Combinations

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:22:36 +0000

Leslie Cabarga

There will be people out there who will find this one useful. The word guide is pretty strong and whilst this may be a little harsh on the author, the offering is more about one man’s observation of colors that he would like to use one day, rather than a mentor’s wisdom.

You may prefer its sister publication, A Designer’s Guide to Global Color Combinations which introduces the cultural significance of colors in differing countries.

If you are seeking a more approachable tome on color theory, I heartily recommend Colour: How to Use Colour in Art and Design. People may enjoy The Designer’s Guide, but be prepared for the hard sell on Art Deco – with which the author appears to have a personal affinity.

The Designers Guide to Color Combinations

(Click link to purchase)

Ways of Seeing

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:21:00 +0000

John Berger

Adapted from the BBC television series of the 1970s, Berger discusses western art theories that have both influenced and been influenced by culture throughout history. It remains as relevant today as ever.

Key concepts:

Why the photographer selects one sight over another
How rarity affects the perceived value of an object
How ownership of objects and appearances of envy impact on mass culture
How the nude is a way of seeing which a painting achieves
Transcendence of the object

.
Berger’s seminal and short transcript affords a budding artist the confidence to enter into heated pub debates about whether or not that latest installation at the Tate Modern is actually art, and it will be extremely useful stuff to know if you ever work with images of men/women and popular culture.

Ways of Seeing: Based on the BBC Television Series

(Click link to purchase)

Learning to See Creatively

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:19:39 +0000

Brian Peterson

Photography is the cornerstone of contemporary art and design. The principles, with their roots in portrait and landscape painting facilitate the desirable organic look of much graphic composition.

Peterson teaches the principles of better photography with clear, simple and effective examples. This is quite honestly a fantastic textbook of creative techniques and once on this path, you will possess the necessary skill set with which to turn everything in your immediate field of vision into a striking image.

For best results, follow up this book with The Principles of Form and Design and begin combining photographic composition with repetition structures.

Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography (Updated Edition)

(Click link to purchase)

The Non-Designer’s Design Book

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:16:59 +0000

Robin Williams

Essential to enhance your understanding of how to combine typefaces. The theory behind basic layout is described here better than any other book reviewed on these pages and I would encourage you to read this before Josef Muller B’s Grid Systems in Graphic Design. The two together should get you off to a flying start.

While the syntax of William’s writing style is a little parental, “Do this, Don’t do that, Avoid this at all costs…” the playful tone makes it very easy to remember the principles.

Key concepts:

Make it the same, or very different
Don’t be a wimp!!

The book is extremely fluid to read with lots and lots of great advice for the aspiring designer. So DON’T be fooled by the title….!

Non-Designer’s Design Book, The (3rd Edition) (Non Designer’s Design Book)

(Click link to purchase)

Geometry of Design

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:13:20 +0000

Kimberley Elam

Ever wondered how in the 1100s the architect of Notre Dame designed the building’s geometric facia?

There are some good and straight forward lessons in here. You will need a compass, yet it isn’t as mathematically involved as some similar books such as The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry (link soon) as it employs tracing paper-style overlays to let you in on exactly where geometric lines are created to structure a design.

Key concepts:

Constructing root rectangles and how one might use them to design
The circle and its importance in the construction of geometric designs
Vitruvian man

Stuff you can try and apply – It’s a light read and will introduce you to the integration of form and content in geometrically harmonious ways. For maximum benefit, I recommend following up with any of the Film Posters series for a wealth of examples which demonstrate how subjects can be aligned to an implied geometry. You may also like to try Sacred Geometry (link soon) for more advanced instruction.

Geometry of Design: Studies in Proportion and Composition

(Click link to purchase)

Making and Breaking the Grid

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:11:15 +0000

Timothy Samara

Once accustomed to working with grid systems, you can begin to experiment with your layouts. Some great ideas are presented here and reasonably well. I would advise that this is more of a glossy reference book of layout ideas for the middleweight print designer rather than a flowing tutorial. You could visit here having already read Editing By Design which is significantly more useful for its immediacy when learning how to vary the layout of your content – and particularly if you harbour a desire to start your own magazine.

Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop

(Click link to purchase)

Grid Systems in Graphic Design

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:09:23 +0000

Josef Muller Brockmann

Much of what is discussed here is relevant to the calculations graphic designers used to undertake before the advent of desk-top publishing. You won’t need to know all of it, just the crucial parts about where to start and stop a paragraph inside a grid square, and how to place a balancing picture.

If you follow it to the letter, your design will end up looking very informational. But do a quick search for Josef Muller-Brockmann Posters and revel in the creative possibilities afforded by grids when placing type and imagery.

A fantastic introduction to hierarchy and proportion. For maximum benefit, follow this up with Editing By Design (link coming soon). and certainly combine this purchase with Kimberley Elam’s Geometry of Design.

Grid Systems in Graphic Design/Raster Systeme Fur Die Visuele Gestaltung (German Edition)

(Click link to purchase)

Interaction of Color

stu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:02:39 +0000

Josef Albers

Albers’ wisdom teaches:

The phenomenon of the After Image and how this occurs when observing colors
The perception of a color is affected by the color next to or surrounding it (such as the color of the page)

All seven color contrasts are explained here, and the book does have some full color references in the appendix. Simultaneous Contrast is experienced as follows:

Imagine the color RED and the color GRAY side by side. The gray would appear to be slightly GREEN because the eye simultaneously seeks the contrasting, or complementary color.

RED GRAY

If the same GRAY (remember it is actually gray) is placed next to the color BLUE, the gray color wouldappear to have an ORANGE tint as your eye would this time be simultaneously searching for the complementary color orange.

BLUE GRAY

The copy that I own feels a little light in its explanations – a summary of a class that Albers once taught in the 1930s, and as such is incomplete as tuition. That said, the revised edition has apparently been expanded (see below link).

For a book that focuses solely on color theory, you are these days, much better off with the more comprehensive Colour: How to Use Colour in Art and Desgin, which contains a fantastic chapter on using colour in balanced proportions.

For a complete set of lessons, definitely purchase Color Design Workbook: A Real World Guide to Using Color in Graphic Design but I should add that Interaction of Colour does impart the invaluable advice - color relationships have to be experienced in order to be learned.

Interaction of Color: Revised and Expanded Edition

(Click link to purchase)