Graphic Design Time Line: A Century of Design Milestones (Paperback)

by Steven Heller (Author), Elinor Pettit (Author) "Art Nouveau movement begins and continues through 1910..." (more)
Key Phrases: designs film title sequence, best album package, new typography, New York, United States, Paul Rand (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This matchless volume is the first to record the milestones of graphic design, from its beginnings as a viable art and craft to its most sophisticated, present-day accomplishments. Two-page spreads are devoted to each year of the century, from 1900 to 2000. Complete with numerous illustrations, this is an ideal desk reference, providing answers to endless historical questions such as when a style or technology was invented, when a designer was born or died, when an influential work was created, when a movement began, and when a school was founded.

About the Author
Steven Heller, a senior art director at The New York Times and editor of the AIGA Journal of Graphic Design, is the author of The Swastika, Design Literacy, Letterforms: Bawdy, Bad and Beautiful, and numerous other books on graphic design. He lives in New York.Elinor Pettit, an educator and graphic designer, is the coauthor of Design Dialogues. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581150644
• ISBN-13: 978-1581150643
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #240,904 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Trivial Pursuit, Anyone?, November 16, 2007

By	Architect of Skin (Philippines) - See all my reviews

I've reviewed a few books here, and have generally been gracious. However, I couldn't get myself to give Graphic Design Time Line anything more than a one-star rating.

The book covers a little over 100 years of design history. Each decade begins with a quote, then proceeds to showcase numerous "milestones" that happened each year, one spread per year. Then there's a smattering of black-and-white images.

And this execution constitutes the failure of Graphic Design Time Line. The book is the equivalent of a Graphic Design Trivial Pursuit reference. Worse, it's akin to a highschool kid who knows more than enough to get through a fill-in-the-blanks quiz and yet is bereft of insight. A motherload of facts, true. But to any practicing graphic designer, facts are worthless without insight.

As an example, a 1913 entry highlights: "William Randolph Hearst purchases Harper's Bazaar." This may have been a milestone for the publishing industry, but graphic design? Did Hearst revolutionize magazine design, or use new printing techniques, or elevate the magazine to a new level of visual communication? No explanation.

One 1960 entry states: "Steff Geissbuhler is a designer for Geigy Pharmaceutical Company." Okay, so why is this event a graphic design milestone? Again, no explanation.

"Milestone" is a big word, but the book never supports the milestones it presents. In the early part of the book, design movements are mentioned but are never explained, not even in summary, and most of these movements don't have the benefit of a visual peg. There is nothing in the book that exhibits trends, their origins, or implications.

My fault is that I expected far too much from this book. If I were to have my "dream" Graphic Design Time Line book, I would start a decade with a summary of the design trend of that period, how it started, who were the major players, who were starting to get noticed, then add some images of works that defined that decade.

When it comes to each year, I'd scrape the twenty or so factoids and focus on four to six entries--the milestones of all milestones--expand on them, highlight their defining characteristics, interconnect them, and cross-reference them with other decades. A sidebar would still contain factoids as supplementary information.

So am I disappointed? Yes, yes, and yes. If you're a design student, a professional, or someone looking for practical info, you might be disappointed with this book as well.

I can imagine, though, that Graphic Design Time Line would be perfect for the graphic design history teacher. It can help a teacher with a course outline, but I can't see anything more than that.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time is of the Essence, December 26, 2002

By	I. Brynjegard-Bialik "B2" (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Heller is, as we all know by now, the preeminent graphic design writer of our times. This work displays the history of graphic design in simple, bulleted lists arranged by category in a chronoligcal arrangement that is as elegant as it is simple: each year gets its own spread (though earlier , sparses, years are two-to-a-spread), with reproductions of work from the year and stats on important developments in design, illustration, photo, and more, as well as the people who are responsible for such work.

Not a book to be read all at once, but to be enjoyed sporadically, leafed through, glanced through before bed... a must-have for the design history enthusiast.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5* Plus - Essential reading for any graphic designer, August 17, 2005

By	Heather Rennie "graphic design tutor" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a great lover of the written word and adore books, in any shape or form. I have been part of the graphic design/print/typography industry for over 20 years and now share the knowledge I have acquired in education. But I still want to learn more and consequently I am always on the look out for graphic design books that entice me to look further. This book is one of those - it encouraged me to go online to find out more. Simple, clear, concise, easy to read, well laid out. In fact, something I would NEVER have dreamed of doing before to any book - I found myself writing additional notes on the pages where I found out more fascinating information. Exciting and inspiring. Would buy again and definitely encourage anyone wanting to learn more about the history of graphic design to buy it. I believe it is a must-have.