Design for Obama - Posters for Change: A Grassroots Anthology [Hardcover]

Steven Heller (Author), Aaron Perry-Zucker (Editor), Spike Lee (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009

Poster art of the Obama '08 electoral campaign



Graphic innovation that helped make history



Hundreds of artists and designers expressed support for the Obama candidacy by designing posters and submitting them to designforobama.org for free download. This selection of the very best curated by Spike Lee and Aaron Perry-Zucker is a visual document of the most inspirational U.S. presidential campaign in living history.




From its inception, the Barack Obama campaign was destined to make history. Its message of inclusion and empowerment was spread by thousands of volunteers, a grassroots organization of unprecedented size and enthusiasm. Design for Obama built on this spirit with an online forum where artists, designers and supporters could upload their artworks and download others. Shepard Fairey s social realist "Hope"; poster became 2008 s enduring image, inspiring scores of designs that appeared on the streets, at rallies and registration drives, and in homes and offices around the country.




Edited by designforobama.org founder Aaron Perry-Zucker and filmmaker Spike Lee, this collection showcases over 200 of the best pro-Obama posters. Contributors range from prominent graphic and street artists to young up-and-comers. With essays by Spike Lee, Perry-Zucker, and design historian Steven Heller, this outstanding collection serves as a matchless historical document of the widespread visual creativity that helped spur Obama to victory.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

About the editor and authors:

Spike Lee is a writer-director, actor, and producer whose groundbreaking movies include She s Gotta Have It (1986), and the Oscar-nominated Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992). The producer and director of numerous documentaries, music videos and commercials, he heads the advertising agency Spike/DDB and is the author of several books. He is a professor at NYU's Graduate Film program, and its artistic director.




Aaron Perry-Zucker graduated from RISD and co-founded a design studio and consultancy, Big New Ideas, specializing in big, new ideas across all design disciplines. He is currently writing a reality TV show, designing a new collective poster project, and living in Cambridge, Massachusetts.




About the author:

Steven Heller, co-chair of the School of Visual Arts MFA Designer as Author Program, writes the "Visuals" column for the New York Times Book Review, and is the author of 120 books on design, illustration, and satiric art.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: TASCHEN America Llc (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3836518562
• ISBN-13: 978-3836518567
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #907,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freedom of Speech..., December 23, 2009

By 

Mark Thomas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Design for Obama - Posters for Change: A Grassroots Anthology (Hardcover)

If only our nation's leaders were as committed to not controlling every word of every sentence, and talk to us like real people! I love this collection of posters. I know it's about Obama's campaign, but more than that... it's a testament to the power of a group of people who are at liberty to say and create and needle and voice and debate. I'm not american. But I come from a country where these things are upheld also... Congratulations on capturing these thoughts in this way...

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classy, November 12, 2009

By 

Lauren M. Villegas "andthenshesaid" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Design for Obama - Posters for Change: A Grassroots Anthology (Hardcover)

I'm not a major fan of art books, but this one is no regular art book. The clean layout makes for a sophisticated yet browse-able book. The range of styles represents the diversity of support garnered by our President. The book reflects the emotion, passion, and soul of the campaign. Beautiful.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisite testament to a historic campaign..., November 12, 2009

By 

sweetestbaboon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Design for Obama - Posters for Change: A Grassroots Anthology (Hardcover)

This wonderful book is both a important testament to & a beautiful celebration of Obama's momentous election. Showcasing art by artists from all over the globe, "Design For Obama" is literally & figuratively a work of art in & of itself. Taschen really did an exquisite job on the printing, the coloring, the paper-stock, the layout, et al. The heft of the book is only surpassed by its beauty.
(& I write this not only as an artist whose great honor it is to have some work in the book ("Man of Hope", page 49, & "Baby Got Hope" on 85), but as a connoisseur of fine art books as well.)
If you would like to read about the book signing party which was a fabulous shindig & a great opportunity to meet the authors as well as many other artists involved, please visit "very secret monster things" @
[...].