Customer Reviews

There's Nothing Funny About Design

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Author David Barringer receives the 2008 AIGA Winterhouse Award for design writing and his articles on design have reflected both humor and literary criticism. This first collection of his essays considers a range of design puzzles and inquiries and is an outstanding survey of a wide range of design puzzlers perfect for any general or college-level library strong in arts and design.

David Barringer is a talented writer, who tells us about the process, pains, and pleasures that go into everything from book design to annual reports. Additionally, he peppers the book with short articles about color use, logos, information design, roosters, and skeletons (yes, as in the skull). Barringer's talent lies in taking apart the everyday, and making the reader keenly aware of why it matters. Or how it fails. Mostly, Barringer shows designers and non-designers (whichever you may be) why and what design means to him, and in the end, you see it in a fresh light yourself. Beginners and advanced designers alike will find that parts III and IV resonate with good advice, such as "How to Interview for a Job" & "The Nine Emotions of the Working Designer". My only regret? A longer glossary, or perhaps words defined within the writing as footnotes.

Barringer is a first-class designer, as well as an author of astute and often comical fiction. Thus, it comes as no surprise this topic would combine his two abilities, generating a hybrid that views design from a variety of perspectives. Barringer's own website and the posters and other promotional materials he creates prove he knows what he's talking about, unlike many writers who write about writing, producing an endless stream of how-to mumble jumble that lands new writers nowhere and their money in the publisher's pocket. These reflections, on the other hand, serve the purposes of Barringer and his readers.

Barringer, a designer himself, is also a clever and feeling writer. His empathy for design, and for artistic quandaries in general, makes this a super title for creatives of all stripes. I put this in the same category as Miranda July's Learning to Love You More and Matt Madden's 99 Ways to Tell a Story.

Barringer's tome covers an amazing amount of literary ground as well as covering the field of design with an innovative outlook. And yet, this is a book for all readers, not just designers. The information conveyed in its chapters is mind-boggling, and well worth the read.

I've been enjoying David Barringer's fiction and nonfiction for years, but picked up this, his latest, with some apprehension. I'm no designer, you see, and reading criticism on topics I know little about tends to not only bore me, but also hammer home the appreciable extent of my ignorance, which is disheartening. But I figured I'd give it a shot.

I'm glad I did. Barringer combines his unique brand of humor and appreciable perspective in a way that gave this outsider a fascinating view into the world of design. I highly recommend it.

An original and seriously funny take on design despite the title; there's enough solid wisdom here to engage an experienced designer and enough wit to keep a non-designer happy. Nothing easy about weaving literary excellence into art talk, but Barringer manages it seamlessly.

i dont like the way he (or whoever) designed the interior spreads, but the humor and design insight on display is unquestionably great. pick it up!

Barringer's book is one of the best design books out there. His prose is well crafted and elegant. If you're interested in design, definitely pick up a copy.

I know Barringer's brilliant design work from Opium Magazine, but here's an electric collection where he weaves together design and text in a way that's captivating, fun, and creative. Definitely worth a long look.