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Visual Grammar (Design Briefs) [Paperback]

Christian Leborg
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 1, 2006 1568985819 978-1568985817 1
Life in the image world has made us all voracious, if not always deliberate, consumers of visual messages. Easy access to computer graphic tools has turned many of us into either amateur or professional image producers. But without a basic understanding of visual language, a productive dialogue between producers and consumers of visual communication is impossible. Visual Grammar can help you speak and write about visual objects and their creative potential, and betterunderstand the graphics that bombard you 24/7. It is both a primer on visual language and a visual dictionary of the fundamental aspects of graphic design.

Dealing with every imaginable visual conceptfrom abstractions such as dimension, format, and volume; to concrete objects such as form, size, color, and saturation; to activities such as repetition, mirroring, movement, and displacement; to relations such as symmetry, balance, diffusion, direction,and variationthis book is an indispensable reference for beginners and seasoned visual thinkers alike. Whether you simply want to familiarize yourself with visual concepts or whether you're an experienced designer looking for new ways to convey your ideas to a client, Visual Grammar is the clearand concise manual that you've been looking for.


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Visual Grammar (Design Briefs) + Geometry of Design, Revised and Updated (Design Briefs)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Christian Leborg decodes concepts associated with abstract and concrete objects and structures, activities, and relations. Includes a glossary of terms every designer should know." --Dynamic Graphics

"For those of us who learned terms like 'Negative/postive space' and 'visual weight' the hard way--in classroom art critiques--Christian Leborg's new book will bring back painful memories. For those who have an interest but lack the language, however, this book elucidates the lexicon of visual grammar, from angles to opacity, and is replete with helpful infographics." --Dwell

"Required reading. " -- Architecture Magazine

"A slim and simple tome, but visually stunning in its description of the basic principles of objects on a page and how they interact with one another. Visual Grammar serves as both a visual dictionary and a straightforward introduction to the visual language of graphic design." --Jason Santa Maria

About the Author

Christian Leborg is a designer and design educator. He is founding partner of K, a knowledge and communications consultancy in Oslo, Norway.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 96 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (May 1, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1568985819
  • ISBN-13: 978-1568985817
  • Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

3.3 out of 5 stars
(11)
3.3 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Focussing the visual mind August 17, 2006
Format:Paperback
The standard for visual literacy was set by Dondis A. Dondis in 1973 with "A Primer of Visual Literacy". However, it was (is) a heavy read. Christian Leborg's "Visual Grammar" gives us a more visual approach to the subject. His thesis is that we cannot understand the visual images that assault our eyes unless we share a common understanding of the symbols involved. Leborg enlightens us with a symplified but nonetheless complex view of symbols that are abstract, concrete, active, and relative. It's an interesting exploration using only basic geometric shapes. This is a "must have" book for those who teach design and a desirable book for students. All you need to know is that it is published by Princeton Architectural Press. Princeton publishes some of the most important books on design. Their positive discrimination is evident in all of their publications.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A book with few words December 2, 2006
Format:Paperback
This book certainly takes the simplicity route. It is ruthlessly straightforward in regards to expressing it's information, in a layout that is without a doubt concise and efficient. The nadir? It also unfortunately reads like stereo instructions and the knowledge it tries to impart is thoroughly basic at best. Simple shapes and the like may be the building blocks of structure, but without any really tangible information to be gleaned we are left with an attractive skeleton. Yes there are some bits of wisdom in this book as well as some fetching Adobe Illustrator rendered graphics, but by and large we're just left with more white space than a snowstorm. I really do think people should form their own opinions about reference materials however, maybe you could learn a great deal from this work. Buy it, try it, but I honestly can't envision the need for this volume in light of so many other exemplary works on the subject.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Simplified lessons on visual language February 4, 2013
Format:Paperback
This book is simple, which is exactly the point. And it is visual, another area in which the author accomplished his goal. I am a book artist and designer and this is one of my "ideal bookshelf" books. I don't prefer to read text about this subject -- I want to see examples of visual grammar. When something is simple, it is sometimes deceptively so. Simplified does not mean simplistic or childish. I don't think it's true that most 5th graders learn these things, and they certainly don't learn how to DO it. I'm a fan of Princeton Architectural Press and of this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
Had to get this for a class, it is a simple and easy to read design book. It is short and concise and really look at the pictures, they are design in and of themselves!
Published 12 months ago by Emily
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing - nothing but definitions of terms
Basic definitions of terms you probably had in high school geometry and grade school art classes. Devoid of insights. Read more
Published on September 11, 2010 by J. Sexton
3.0 out of 5 stars Great but too summarized
I finished reading this book in an hour, its short and sweet but sometimes i terms used to describe the diagrams seem too simplified and summarized.
Published on August 8, 2010 by Jeremie Michaels Lim
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
The book itself was poorly designed, with minuscule font on red/pink background on many pages. The content itself was engaging, a solid basic introduction, but the enjoyment that... Read more
Published on August 8, 2010 by Ricardo
4.0 out of 5 stars Used Book/Great Deal
Although shipping seemed to take longer than I had hoped for the book arrived in good shape as described. I would not hesitate from buying used books!
Published on July 27, 2010 by DKess
4.0 out of 5 stars I Found It Facinating
I stumbled on this book at the local library and found it a very fascinating read. I've been involved in graphic production for years and can push the objects around on the comp,... Read more
Published on August 1, 2007 by Mark T. Plattner
2.0 out of 5 stars If you missed out in 5th grade...
Wow. Thats just it for this book. Seriously, someone wanted a publication and farted this thing out. I mean, it gives you the vocab of the elements...thats it. Read more
Published on March 28, 2007 by R Hurley
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Nice
Everything was excellent except the quality of the binding on the book. it isn't bad enough for me to want to return it but it is something to mention.
Published on November 9, 2006 by Flossy Titan
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