The Word It Book: Speak Up Presents a Gallery of Interpreted Words (Paperback)

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

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The assignment: Graphically interpret a single word.
The rule: Do it in a five-inch by five-inch square.
The results: A visual smorgasbord of inspiration.

A dynamic exercise in creativity, The Word It Book works on three levels: as a collection of stimulating challenges, a compendium of contemporary design, and a look behind the creative process of successful designers.

Each month Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit, founders of the design blog Speak Up, put forth a different word such as "saturated," "tease," "rebel," "public," "empty," or "pleasure." Designers everywhere are challenged to interpret the word in a single graphic that's witty, observant, wise, serious or humorous. The best of the best are compiled here.

You can use these visual interpretations from top designers to rev up your own creativity, and then try the exercises for yourself. If you're a designer, wordsmith, or simply someone who likes to approach things from a different angle, take a look inside and start to create your own meanings.

About the Author
Bryony Gomez-Palacio is co-founder of the design firm Nice. Currently, she divides her time between working for clients, pursuing her own ventures, and teaching at the School of Visual Arts. Born and raised in Mexico City, Armin is a graphic designer and writer now living in Brooklyn, New York. He has written for AIGA's VOICE, Emigre, Eye, Creative Review, HOW and STEP magazines among others. He is a former faculty member of Portfolio Center and currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts. He has lectured on topics ranging from typography to branding. He currently works at Pentagram. Armin and Bryony together founded UnderConsideration and Speak Up, and most recently The Design Encyclopedia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: How; illustrated edition edition (April 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581809255
• ISBN-13: 978-1581809251
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #647,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to have around for inspiration., September 28, 2008

By	J. Wheat - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The cool thing about this book is that the entries came from different readers of the site. You get a totally different angle from each entry and it is interesting to see where different minds took different words.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee table book!, July 30, 2008

By	B. Pierson - See all my reviews

This book is a great addition to your coffee table collection. Fun, artful, witty, thought provoking. Graphic designers have put images to the meanings of specific words.

5.0 out of 5 stars Freedom to express, May 30, 2008

By	Unnikrishna Menon Damodarn "umd" (Kingdom of Bahrain) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Yes. There are no pearl crushers here. All are pearl fishers. The Word It Book is an absolute epitome of freedom of graphic expression. No clients, no logos. Indeed i have enjoyed the freedom of "tight brief" from Armin and Bryoni.