Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design [Hardcover]

Armin Vit (Author), Bryony Gomez Palacio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009

Graphic Design, Referenced is a visual and informational guide to the most commonly referenced terms, historical moments, landmark projects, and influential practitioners in the field of graphic design. With more than 2,000 design projects illustrating more than 400 entries, it provides an intense overview of the varied elements that make up the graphic design profession through a unique set of chapters: “principles" defines the very basic foundation of what constitutes graphic design to establish the language, terms, and concepts that govern what we do and how we do it, covering layout, typography, and printing terms; “knowledge" explores the most influential sources through which we learn about graphic design from the educational institutions we attend to the magazines and books we read; “representatives" gathers the designers who over the years have proven the most prominent or have steered the course of graphic design in one way or another; and “practice" highlights some of the most iconic work produced that not only serve as examples of best practices, but also illustrate its potential lasting legacy. Graphic Design, Referenced serves as a comprehensive source of information and inspiration by documenting and chronicling the scope of contemporary graphic design, stemming from the middle of the twentieth century to today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Gomez-Palacio, Bryony & Armin Vit. Graphic Design, Referenced. Rockport: Quayside. 2009. 400p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-59253-447-0. $50. GRAPHIC ARTS
A major challenge of comprehensive books on graphic design is to fit the numerous dimensions of the field into a work that is logical and readable. The authors of this book, both founders of UnderConsideration, an online graphic design networking site, provide an accessible overview of graphic design in a very browsable format. Its success is owing to a general-to-specific subcategorization based on four main ideas: principles (typography, color, etc.); knowledge (important books, journals, schools, and repositories); representatives (notable designers, firms, and typefaces); and practice (design applied to book and music jackets, posters, products, etc.). Each entry includes full-color illustrations with one- or two-paragraph discussions on the related concepts. The index is thorough, and a brief illustrated time line at the book’s beginning is also nice. VERDICT Highly recommended for design students as a supplement to the core texts mentioned above -- Library Journal, September 2009

About the Author

Born and raised in Mexico City, Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit are graphic designers and co-founders of UnderConsideration (www.underconsideration.com), a growing network and enterprise dedicated to the progress of the graphic design profession and its practitioners, students, and enthusiasts. Since 2002 they have published and edited some of the most widely read design blogs, including Speak Up, Brand New, Quipsologies, Word It, and FPO (For Print Only). In 2007, they established the Department of Design to produce client-driven work. Bryony and Armin each have a decade of experience in various disciplines including corporate and brand identity, annual reports, business collateral, web design and programming, packaging, and magazine and book design. They are the authors of The Word It Book and Women of Design, published by HOW Books in 2007 and 2008 respectively. They reside in Austin, Texas, with their daughter, Maya, and two cats.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers; 1 edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592534473
• ISBN-13: 978-1592534470
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hardcore Design Book for Hardcore Designers, July 30, 2009

By 

Ellen K. Lupton (Baltimore, Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

Every graphic designer and design student should get a copy of this book. Created by two of our field's most committed chroniclers and advocates, this book is full of information and ideas. Providing the backstory for today's design profession, this book is fun to read and fun to look at. If you're looking to invest in your permanent design library, this volume will be useful for years to come. It will help newcomers to the field get up to speed on what graphic design is all about. (What is it all about? The intriguing people, the ever-changing visual language, and the rough and glittering texture of public life.)

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The layers of creativity peeled back, April 22, 2010

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

The two authors of this amazing book wisely say in the intro that their endeavors are not really comparable to the Meggs, Hollis, Bringhurst or even newcomer Stephen Eskilson's standard history of graphics, design and typography. They have approached the subject in a fresh and I thought unique way.

The book is in four sections: Principles (design, type and print); Knowledge (books, online, collections and colleges); Representatives (designers, type creators, design writers and design clubs) and Practice, with 139 pages bulging with practical examples of anything designed. What I thought interesting was the way these four sections are developed to cover a phenomenal amount of information, either historical or contemporary, and presented primarily as visual items backed up with bite-size text.

Obviously the more technical aspects of design can only be covered briefly: print is wrapped up in twelve pages (and nothing on paper) but the range of design, from magazines, motion graphics or typography: anatomy; genealogy; classification; typesetting is spread over fifty-eight pages. Brand identity covering logos and corporate programs gets twenty-five pages. Perhaps the weakest part of the book is 'Recommended reading', summed up with just a spread and not including the 1989 Typographic Communications Today by Ed Gottschalk or the 2001 The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher and a book I'm sure would have been included had it been published before 2009 Bibliographic: 100 Classic Graphic Design Books.

All of this information, which includes 2500 images, is deftly served up in a clear, straightforward page and typographic design which fortunately avoids one of the annoyances of books for designers: acres of empty page space (I tend to think this is only an indication of too little material for too many pages). There is though a slight annoyance with the book. Whenever a cross reference appears in the text a miniscule arrow is used pointing to a page number both of which are in a light tint and therefore almost unreadable.

As the title's sub-deck says 'A visual guide to the language, application and history of graphic design' and I thought it worked a treat. A real-page turner presenting creativity in a fresh format.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover,

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first book of its kind I have seen--and it is superb., July 20, 2009

By 

Chuck Green "Host of ideabook.com" (Glen Allen, Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

It is not a history, a how-to, a reference, or a book of examples--though it includes elements of each. Instead, it offers a studied impression--via 400-plus well-written, beautifully illustrated entries--of the people, principles, and ingredients that have made (and are making) the field of graphic design such a compelling part of world culture.

Authors Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez Palacio ([...]) have again demonstrated their wonderful sense of what is important about graphic design. It is a must-have.