Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design [Paperback]

Steven Heller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

This update to the first book to provide explicit case histories of the successful marriage of form and content in graphic design explores more than 125 classic and contemporary works-30 of them brand new-explaining why they are aesthetically significant and how they function as good design. These thought pieces offer a vast taste of the aesthetic, political, historical, and personal issues that move today's global design community and fans.




• Full of new stories about the graphic icons and idols of today's design culture

• This replaces 1-880559-76-5 which has sold nearly 20,000 copies

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Its great virtue is that it offers a lot of information and raises many provocative issues while avoiding the windy theoretical jargon that sometimes passes for serious thought in the field.”
  (PRINT magazine )

About the Author

Steven Heller is the co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program and co-founder of the MFA in Design Criticism and MFA in Interaction Design programs at the School of Visual Arts, New York. For thirty- three years he was an art director at the New York Times, and currently writes the “Visuals” column for the New York Times Book Review. He is editor of the AIGA VOICE: Online Journal of Design and contributing editor to Print, EYE, Baseline, and ID magazines. He contributes to Design Observer and writes the DAILY HELLER blog for Print magazine. He is the author or editor of over 130 books on design and popular culture, including Design Literacy, Design Disasters, Born Modern: The Life and Design of Alvin Lustig, and Vintage Type and Graphics. He is the recipient of the 1999 AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement. Heller lives in New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; 2nd edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581153562
• ISBN-13: 978-1581153569
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite a history book, November 17, 2002

By 

Pumpkin King - See all my reviews

This review is from: Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design (Paperback)

This book isn't quite a history book, nor is it a book on design theory. While it has aspects of both, it's more like a series of case studies, in which almost 100 designers, magazines, posters, advertisements, icons, types... are analyzed and discussed and placed in a historical context.

So if you're expecting a comprehensive book on design history, this is not for you. In no way does it feel complete for a design education. What it does is provide thoughtful pieces to consider, and a perspective on the usage of design, originality, trends, etc. The authors do have a point of view, but it doesn't ruin the book. To the contrary, it makes it even more interesting. Design isn't just art and technique It's grounded in economics, history, culture, and politics. Heller and Pomeroy contribute a useful set of essays to help the reader become more aware of these relations.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting but slanted., October 15, 1999

By 

CREAMASTER (Vancouver BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design (Paperback)

I like this book a lot but found it to be full of very subjective opinions. It's not that I disagree with the opinions, for the most part i don't, but I'd prefer if it was more of a critique than a platform for the authors views on the world. I found that they would tend to defend one body of work (Brody) while slamming another (the Joe Camel complain) without fully explaining why. But then I guess that would be the point of writing a book in the first place, to voice you opinions.

And while I feel that one or two pages just is not enough space to dedicate to many of the designs discussed in this book, I was very surprised and grateful to see many of them at all. When was the last time you read about the history of the swastika? Let alone one that dared to go deeper that the obvious nazi reference. [lookup Manwoman the artist for more unbiased info on it's history.] I would have loved to read more on each of these topics though.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a must-read for any serious student of design., July 7, 1999

By 

I'm a box-model "mel2669" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design (Paperback)

I attend a school with a lackluster offering in the area of graphic design history. This book closed many gaps in my seeming self-education. Every chapter was well thought out, well designed and an thoroughly enjoyable read. Kudos to the authors.