The Anatomy of Design: Uncovering the Influences and Inspirations in Modern Graphic Design (Hardcover)

~ Steven Heller (Author), Mirko Ilic (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An iconic collection of design work presented in fresh and useful format.

Designers are conceptual pack rats. They pack as much raw material in their brains as possible and then use that to build their own unique designs. The Anatomy of Design is what, in the butcher business, they call a "side of beef." The authors selected fifty examples of graphic design that will be dissected, piece by piece, tissue by tissue, revealing an array of influences and inspirations. These are not necessarily the most well-known or celebrated objects of graphic design, though many contain the genetic codes of some canonical works. Instead, these represent contemporary artifacts that are well conceived, finely crafted, and filled with hidden treasures. Some are overtly complex and their influences are somewhat easy to see with the naked eye. Others are so simple that it is hard to believe there is a storehouse of inspiration hidden underneath.

The selections include all kinds of design work including posters, book and record covers, packages, catalog covers, and more. Each exhibit is selected based on its ubiquity, thematic import, and aesthetic significance, and every page is a means to show how great work is derived from various inspirational and physical sources, some well-known, some unknown. Each design is presented on a gate-fold showing the featured design and and other works that share the key influences with extended captions explaining the whys and wherefores.

About the Author

Steven Heller is the art director of the NY Times Book Review and co-chair of the MFA Design program at the School of Visual Arts. He is the editor of the AIGA online journal, VOICE. He is a contributing editor to PRINT, EYE, Baseline, and ID. He writes frequently for Metropolis and other design magazines. He is author, co-author, and editor of over 90 books on design and popular culture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers (February 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592532128
• ISBN-13: 978-1592532124
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #547,236 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad cover, good book, May 12, 2007

By	Mark J. Montgomery "Markmont." (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Honestly, I haven't had the time to actually read this book yet. But the hundreds of examples they give for specific styles of design make this book amazing in itself. I've never owned a book that has so many examples of quality design. The cool part is that the examples actually pertain to specific pieces; there supposed to be the works that specific graphic designers drew inspiration from to create a certain their work. Basicly, you flip the page and there's an example of a good piece of graphic design. Then you unfold the page to see what works that piece drew inspiration from. It's really interesting. Every single page opens up, giving you twice the amount of content, so your getting a good deal. *There's a section that has some rather explicit graphics in it so this isn't a kids book.* Overload of quality design; couldn't ask for more in a book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Kind Of Art Book Is An Endless Visual And Intellectual Feast, February 15, 2007

By	Daniel Devino (New York) - See all my reviews

This is a visual equivalent of Bartlett's Quotations - with an ingenious analytical presentation. It is full of interesting ideas and enough content to last for a lifetime. Aside from being tremendously enjoyable to anyone like myself who is interested in the graphic arts, it looks like it gives a full course in graphic design and the history of visual art. The generous, non-stop foldouts are ingenious and every one of them is filled with fascinating images and commentary. It wouldn't surprise me if this work, aimed apparently at graphic designers, became a best seller simply as a new kind of art book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The title could've been "The Evolution of Design", August 8, 2007

By	Lorenzo Morales "Lo" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book, especially for referencing. Beautifully designed! As for the title I truely believe "The Evolution of Design" would've been more appropriate, especially while referencing to the earliest documents containing that particular object, artifact or style and its transcendence to what the subjects' conceived graphic design has "evolved" to.

True as stated in the preface, "These are not necessarily the best-known or celebrated objects of graphic design, though many contain the genetic codes or canonical works. Instead, they represent some visible and a few obscure relatively contemporary artifacts that are well conceived...", there could've been other, more successful pieces on the table for dissection, yet the specimens selected are exceptional!