Looking Closer 2, No. 2: Critical Writings on Graphic Design (Bk. 2) (Paperback)

by Michael Beirut (Editor), Steven Heller (Editor), William Drenttel (Editor), DK Holland (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A trio of books recently published by Allworth Press offer a compact self-study course on the practice and appreciation of graphic design. The books . . . are intended as an alternative to the diet of eye candy that sustains many graphic designers. Of the three, only DESIGN LITERACY is illustrated, and that only sparingly, with black-and-white thumbnails. The message? Look with your brain first -- Metropolis, April, 1998

Looking Closer, the first volume, a critical success, was a sort of Reader's Digest or Utne Reader for design. In Looking Closer 2, the editors have once again gathered some of the most trenchant of recent articles. . . . Looking Closer 2, as its forerunner, is a valuable and helpful compilation -- Communication Arts, Advertizing Annual 1997

To jump smack dab into the middle of the current graphic-design dialogue, read Looking Closer and Looking Closer 2. These volumes combined offer 80-plus lucid commentaries on everything from "jive modernism" and the social function(s) of design to postmodern theory and its implications for design. What astonishes me about these visual artists' texts is just how stylish, thoughtful, accessible and engaging they are. . . . the reader feels privileged to eavesdrop on the cream of the profession . . . talk theory and talk shop with each other in readily comprehensible ways . . . -- Photography in New York, January/February 1997

[The volume] achieves its twin goals of balance and eclecticism. . . . Heller's densely researched rebuke to naive appropriators of Nazi iconography is bracingly concrete . . . . The sequel affords a welcome chance to catch up on all the essays we never got around to reading . . ." -- I.D., November, 1997

Product Description
Looking Closer 2 offers more of the best recent writing on graphic design, covering new and important issues in design language, education, intellectual property, new media, the state of the business, and the place of design in society. The collection presents a stimulating look at how design issues are affected by and affecting changes in contemporary culture.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; Subsequent edition (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880559560
• ISBN-13: 978-1880559567
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #481,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Own Design Book, June 1, 2003

By	Jason A. Tselentis (Charlotte, North Carolina U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're a designer or visual communicator, this book is a must have for research, history, and critical insight. Throughful, provocative, and daring, Looking Closer gauges the role of design across social and cultural divides. Its articles are collected from magazines such as Graphis, Eye, Communication Arts, and the AIGA Journal. Furthermore, the book is cheaper than getting a subscription to those magazines!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bible for Graphic Design Students World Wide!, July 31, 2000

By A Customer

A collection of essays from various magazines, designers and typographers provides the student with an unmissable reference guide. Excellent as it is not only an enjoyable, interesting read, but also fantastic for essay writing as it condenses a library of books into one small paperback. No student should be without this book!