Customer Reviews

Inspiration=ideas: A Creativity Sourcebook for Graphic Designers

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No doubt, professionals will enjoy Petrula's book, but as an educator I'd especially recommend it to design students and young designers considering or entering the field. This breathtakingly beautiful volume, chocked with gorgeous images, is so simple and elegant in its structure, you can flip to any page, any name, and be moved, inspired, stimulated, and informed. The first half is like a window into the minds of your favorite designers, giving you a peek at what drives them to create and what is born of that drive. The last half of the book is a salvo of spectacular, superlative found images that will force you to raise your own bar. As the title says, inspiration equals ideas, and there is much inspiration to be gleaned from these pages.
Hank Richardson, President, Portfolio Center, Atlanta, Ga.

I had hurt my back earlier this summer, and read this book from cover to cover during my recovery. It was SUCH a treat, and there was so much more to it than your average design book.

The layout of the book is beautiful and innovative. Within the structure, the elements in each chapter would change colors or form to reflect the inspiration of the highlighted designer.

I think what is most appealing about this book is that it includes the spiritual and philisophical motivations behind the design process as viewed by these designers. It was a way to get to know some of these talented designers, and to realize that many of the things that motivate and inspire them, also stir my creative juices. It also enlightened me to the fact that everything we do that feeds our soul - whether it be spending time in nature, appreciating a disintigrating billboard, or listening to music we love, is fuel for our creativity.

Petrula pours herself heart and soul into insipiration=ideas' pages. From its loud purple and orange cover to its innovative page layout and design, inspiration=ideas is stuffed with creative samples-posters, packaging, book jackets, logos, illustrations-inspirational photographs, honest advice, text and quotes. Inspiration=ideas is an essential reference for creative types-designers, art directors, illustrators, photographers and writers. Or anyone who has a care to be pushed and inspired.

An intoxicating read, inspiration=ideas is frequently off my shelf and in my hands-right where it belongs.

I can't stand chain restaurants-TGI Friday's, Bennigan's, Applebee's, Olive Garden-they're all cut from the same tired rug. I bet, however, if I went to one of these establishments with Petrula Vrontikis that I would be overjoyed, eating up every bite of my shrimp fettuccine alfredo or potato skin appetizer.

I had the privilege, actually, of sharing a meal with Petrula-at a small uptown cafe-in Atlanta several weeks ago. She was visiting as a guest speaker at my school, The Portfolio Center, where I study graphic design. During her presentation, she showed her work and talked about her design career. She presented slides of her creative work, including restaurant identity design for Kozo Hasegawa of the Global Dining group in Tokyo. At lunch, she named several books (The Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd; Made You Look by Stefan Sagmeister; Flatness is God by Ryan McGinness) that were must-haves for young designers, like me.

Weeks later, my classmates and I still talk about Petrula-and her inspirational book-both in and outside of school. That speaks to the type of woman that Petrula Vrontikis is-present, compassionate, caring, of-the-moment, not afraid. She designs with her whole self, pulling creative influence from unlikely sources-travel photographs, signage, international currency.

Petrula pours herself heart and soul into insipiration=ideas' pages. From its loud purple and orange cover to its innovative page layout and design, inspiration=ideas is stuffed with creative samples-posters, packaging, book jackets, logos, illustrations-inspirational photographs, honest advice, text and quotes. Inspiration=ideas is an essential reference for creative types-designers, art directors, illustrators, photographers and writers. Or anyone who has a care to be pushed and inspired.

The pool of responses to the "ongoing sources of inspiration" question posed to each designer is fun. Take, for example, New York designer James Victore who shares "my heroes have always been cowboys," citing the music of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson as ongoing sources of inspiration. Or design radical Stefan Sagmeister whose best situation for coming up with an idea is sitting on his roof at 5:30 A.M., sipping espresso, smoking a cigarette.

An intoxicating read, inspiration=ideas is frequently off my shelf and in my hands-right where it belongs.