Graphic Design Books

I like reading AutoCAD books. I think Shumaker and Madsen are the best authors'. This book guides you through advance designing such as Technical drawings and other information for fast tips.

The one book you'll need to use AutoCAD-14 efficiantly.It makes the task, of learning one of the most difficult programs, manageable. It's the text most used at collage. Get it!!

Great for advanced students. Easy to understand with thousands of pictures to help guide you through your studies.

This little book is fantastic. It's pretty short but packed. Definitely pick it up if you find it for a decent price and are interested in street art/Banksy. I bought mine here about 2 years ago for maybe $20 and now I see it's selling for $200 here and going for $100 on eBay at the moment. Madness! Guess I should have picked up more..

This book is a wonderful and witty review of Bansky's work written by the artist himself. I also highly recommend "Cut It Out." Both books are somewhat hard to find, but can be purchased here on Amazon or for reasonable prices at another great design book website, You Work for Them. Bansky's hardcover book, "Wall and Piece" is another must have. Cheers!

I dont want to say too much because the art speaks for itself. Forcing the viewer to quit looking at their feet and observe the world around them. Don't accept what you see. BUY IT NOW AND CHANGE YOUR MIND!!

After having a version of Photoshop Elements included with one of my digital SLRs, I thought it might be a good idea to learn how to use the program. I was surprised with all that can be done with this inexpensive program. The author carefully explains the tools and how to maximize their use. After reading this book, I am confident that I can make many of my corrections and manipulations in Elements and not have to rely on the pro versions of Photoshop. Photoshop Elements and this book is more than enough for most photographers.

I bought Elements 2.0, had Adobe's manual, and checked out 3 books from the library to learn how to use it--Teach Yourself Visually (Woolridge), Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 (Andrews) and this one. This is by far the easiest one to use to get started. At first I thought one of the other two books would be best, but this book, which initially I put aside as having too little information, is what I ended up starting APE2.0 with. It gives you just enough information on the different functions to get you started with the program in a logical order, with short explanations, brief but thorough instructions and visual samples so you can see the results and compare. I found the other 2 books from the library simply didn't go into the basics as well and the visual is simply confusing when you don't know what you're doing or what you're doing it with. The manual with the program--forget about it! Maybe once I'm comfortable with this book and have expanded a bit more with the others, maybe when I'm absolutely desperate for information I can't find anywhere else--maybe then I'll look at Adobe's manual.

If you're an absolute newby to Adobe Photoshop Elements, this is a great starter book. And I say this with some knowledge of Microsoft Photodraw 2000 and various other photofinishing software--I didn't start out a total novice. After just a couple days I am creating photo projects with Adobe that I never thought I could do with an inexpensive (compared to full grown Photoshop!) program.

This is the first guide to Adobe Photoshop Elements that this beginner has been able to really sink his teeth into. I hope they bring out a version for Version 6 soon.

I moved from NJ 6 years ago after spending my entire life 20 miles in the shadow of NYC. I discovered WFMU as a spotty little suburban brat and also discovered the station was along the bus line that ran through my town. They were in East Orange and I used to go down and hang. Pat Duncan had the best show, but I liked it all really. I used to wake up to JM in the AM because nothing got me out of bed faster than that.
I am lucky, I have EVERY issue that is picked a part in the Best of LCD, but I could not resist buying this book. First, it's a book without a glossy cover and I really like the way it feels. It is sort of like a 250 page issue of LCD. I also really like just about everything in it, so no complaints in the department of picking.
I really can't say anything bad about this book because WFMU is like a relative of mine that I have no issues with. It is like an old friend that you always kind of miss not hanging out with. This book really reminds me of that.

The Best of LCD: The Art and Writing of WFMU This excellent compilation of the WFMU magazine, provides the reader with well written articles, delightful drawings, an insight into this "last of its breed" radio station and a history lesson going back to the mid 19th century.

I heard people talking about this and it sounds pretty interesting. I would say that if you buy this, you might like it. There's a way to look at this book without reading it too. So, you can do that too.

This is quite an interesting guide for those seeking for innovation in newspaper design. What makes it so interesting is the fact that it's assembled with pages and pages of newspaper desing around the world.
Good choise if browing for a change in your paper.

What's the matter with newspapers these days? Not enough creativity, put simply. blah, blah, blah. this is THE book that will get those creative juices going from the very first glance. Gorgeous format photography (the eager and well-sighted can even read the articles) encompassing designs from around the globe, gloss paper and well written guidelines consolidate a book that is a pleasure to view and a pride to own. In previous years I have found it is not wise to lend - it takes ages to get the blessed book back!! A genuine and completely worthy investment, and absolutely recommended.

Julie Jansen: Freelance Journalist, Brisbane, Australia. Email: julie@journalism.com

I bought this book because I wanted to see the world's best newspaper designs. What I got is more than expected. Now I know what makes best newspapers. It's a combination of a lot of things. There are lessons to be learnt although the book is not a manual. Newspaper designers, editors, photographers and art directors better work together hand in hand to produce the highest quality newspaper or else.... I found that european newspapers are superb in the combination of news, art and design. What more can you ask if they can blend them so well in a newspaper. The American newspapers fares equally well with a combination of news and photos. For the Asian and the Pacific,... they had better catch up.

Bold Visions is an excellent publication! Any aspiring artist will find this book very informative and inspirational.

The quality of this book is of a very high stand and the format in which it is printed makes Gary's work really stand out! Bold Vision clearly explains the techniques used to make great images, and informs the reader in a tutorial way of how the images are created!

Bold Visions is a essential book to anyones collection.

This book is really informative from an artistic perspective, I would have like to see more of the PS functions displayed but the way that Gary Tonge explains his techniques more than compensates. This book has extraordinary displays of Gary's artistic capabilities and the direction for me is easy to follow and understand. I have searched for a book like this for years and Gary Tonge delivered! You wont find any better instruction for a better price...Get this book!

Beautiful images, great price, and a good overview of the steps Gary Tonge uses to create his spectacular fantasy and science-fiction paintings.

I keep looking for a book, or DVD, that will provide very detailed step-by-step directions for creating digital drawings and paintings from scratch using Photoshop. One that is designed for the beginner, but advances rapidly. I guess my unrealistic hope is to find material that takes me through the process in "baby steps" with directions like "I used this specific brush, with these settings, and this color to paint this area. Then I switched to this specific brushe and color and painted this here."

While this book doesn't get that specific--it does provide a good overview of the steps Mr. Tonge uses to create about a dozen different images. For example, his chapter on "Bringing a Fantasy Landscape to Life" includes 15 steps along with screen shots. In addition he has included useful information regarding composition, lighting, scale and perspective, with illustrations on how these are used in his work. And for the price--I don't think you'll find a better book. If you do, let me know!

One recommendation I have for the second edition of this book would be to include a CD or DVD with a video showing the step-by-step processess for one of his paintings! I'd pay double for that!

After reading many books from Osbert Sitwell and buying first editions where I found them only now I have a perfect idea about who and what the man was. A splendid book which it was oimpossible to close after beginning. Everybody interested in this family and man should begin with this work. It is well written, humorous in a convincing way and perfectly thrustworthy and gives you by the way for the most important books "the critical heritage".I am sure every reader will after finishing this books start buying those which he has not been reading. Splendid.

Francis Frith was a professional photographer in Great Britain (having already made a substantial fortune with a printing company) from about 1860, and the picture postcard company he founded and which was carried on by his sons and grandsons lasted until 1970. But its heyday was the twenty years either side of 1900 -- the high Victorian and Edwardian eras and on through the Great War -- in which every post office and village shop in the country, it seemed, carried his images of local sights for sale to tourists. Frith's photos are still very popular among collectors and local historians, for he and his assistants set out to record every single view of interest in the whole of England. The huge collection of images the company left behind were well on the way to uncaring destruction when a group of collectors were able to get hold of the surviving items -- "merely" 60,000 original glass plates and a quarter-million prints, now the basis of an unparalleled visual museum of the lives, work, and social mores of the English people over several generations. Ziegler has contributed the text for this collection of some 650 historical photos, which are accompanied by several hundred recent photos of the same views by John Cleare. For the student of modern social history, the result is fascinating, especially when a series of photos of, say, a seaside resort captures visitors from the 1890s, 1920s, 1950s, and late 1990s; in some cases, the clothing styles are the only significant change. Ziegler is generally quite able at providing context and historical discussion -- where the hedgerows went, the difference in status between the topper and the bowler. My only real complaint in that regard is that the captions of the photos much too frequently simply repeat a sentence or two from the text on the same page; under proper editorial guidance, this would have been an opportunity to slip in an additional remark or observation without adding to the book's length.

I was delighted by 'Britain Then & Now,' Philip Ziegler's book on the amazing Francis Frith landscape photos of Victorian Britain, most of which have been updated by superb contemporary color landscape photos by John Cleare, or by landscape views taken in the same position several decades apart, say in 1900, 1920 & 1950. I have almost never seen this 'then & now' format used for sites in Britain, though it has been very frequently used for sites here in the United States. The changes to the landscape over so many decades are stunning, often shocking. Discover, for example, what is hidden behind the garish neon signage of Piccadilly Circus !! Not a book which is likely to please defenders of advertising, modernism, or "the ubiquitous motor vehicle," but which will not only please, but delight the rest of us. Architecture is supposed to be "the most public of the Fine Arts," yet one has to wonder how respectfully Britain's marvelous legacy of this artwork has been treated, after reading this volume.

This book covers so much concerning the business of creativity. I've been searching and searching and haven't seen a book more thorough. I absolutely love the price estimation section where the author does all sorts of ways to estimate price and he explains the advantages and disadvantages. So yes, it covers pretty much EVERYTHING.

Though plenty of info still applies today, I still wish there were an updated version to this book.

The best part of this book is that more than half of it is interviews with successful designers, and examples of their work. They are quite candid, and talk about how they became a designer or started a studio, and how they run their business and deal with customers. Highly recommended.

For many people in the Graphic Arts profession, the business side is often missed in their schooling. For those who forgot to take Business courses while they were in Art school this book is for you.

From Back Cover:

"They probably didn't tell you in art school, but it takes a great deal more than talent to succeed in a career in illustration. Illustration is a business, and like any other business, professionals must learn to skillfully navigate their way through the marketplace in order to survive and thrive. 'The Business of Illustration' provides information not available elsewhere, guiding the wannabe or even more experienced illustrator through the process of setting up a business, creating effective methods of self-promotion, finding a rep - or perhaps even choosing to operate without one. Best of all, no three-piece suits are required.

Full of tricks of the trade too often learned only after getting burned, 'The Business of Illustration' presents a broad picture of what it takes to protect your intellectual property while also making your talent and passion into a viable business. Interviews with successful illustrators, such as Brad Holland, Anita Kunz, Henrik Drescher, and well-established artist representatives, like Vicki Morgan and Richard Solomon, put the reader on the 'inside track.' Examples of work from the many different genres of illustration show diverse, yet equally successful approaches to editorial work, corporate, advertising, book publishing, cds and records, medical, packaging, comics and still more. Appropriate fees for work in various areas of the business are also listed at the end of the book."

144 pages
188 full-color & 89 black-and-white illustrations

99.5% of illustrators are now self employed. At one time there were full-time employed illustrators on staff in most advertising agencies, but now that has drastically changed, and an illustrator has to learn how to start his/her own business just like any other entrepreneur. This book is great in giving you realistic advice and guidelines. I strongly disagree with the person that wrote that an illustrator needs a rep for their business. Your statement was correct, you are not an illustrator. I am a career advisor that also helps students with placement at an art college. (As well as being in the art field as a graphic designer and illustrator for 20 years.) The business of illustration is supply and demand. You must promote and market yourself, just like any other business. You also have to be good, fast and learn how to develop good communication skills. Yes, an artist can learn those skills if they choose to. Art as a profession demands the same respect as any other field. It is not a hobby when you are making a living at it. A rep is always an option, but never a must. My advice to any student who wishes to pursue illustration as a career is, you have to be serious, dedicated and willing to put your heart and soul into it. The art field as a profession is probably one of the most demanding fields. It is extremely deadline oriented and does not have 9-5 hours. As a self-employed business, you will have peaks, sometimes working 7 days a week, 12 plus hours a day. You have to learn how to deal with different personalities, understanding you may not have ownership of your work. Not every artist is cut out or willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make art their career. It is very rewarding though, if you don't let your ego get in your way.

I hate to disagree with the other reviewer but, frankly, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Mr. Heller has written a wonderful book explaining the ins and outs of the illustration industry and it's crucial that ALL illustrators read it. The illustration industry is going through a terrible time at the moment with large corporations preying on the lonely illustrator, so it doesn't surprise me that the businessman below feels that illustrators shouldn't know their business!! Illustration IS a business, not a hobby and should be treated as such. Business and art can co-exist and illustrators can be some of the most creative business people I know.

Mr. Heller is a well respected Art Director/Author and you would do well to head his advice.

I was happy to see there is such a high rating on my book but please note that you have mixed in 2 reviews of Don Sparkman's book in with my reviews. Many Thanks, Roz Goldfarb

THIS IS AN IMPERFECT ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF AN EARLIER REVIEW OF THIS BOOK (TRANSLATED BY BABELFISH, then from Babelfish):

I had the opportunity to read this book while studying the field of graphic design, and it seems to me that it is an excellent book. Anyone interested in graphic design should read it. Personally, I recommend this book to all aspiring designers, since it will not only help them open doors at the firms they are interested in working at, but also in finishing up their studies in their field. It is a book that really teaches to us to be graphic designers and not just in name. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did...

Tuve la oportunidad de leer este libro mientras estudio la carrera de diseño gráfico, y me parece que es un excelente libro, que todos los interesados en el área del diseño gráfico deberían de leerlo, personalmente recomiendo este libro como parte de la formación de todos los aspirantes a diseñadores, ya que este les ayudará y tal vez les abra las puertas de muchas organizaciones en las que les interese laborar, ya sea durante sus estudio o al finalizar la carrera. Es un libro que realmente nos enseña a ser diseñadores gráficos y no quedarnos tan sólo con el titulo en la mano, nos enseña a pensar como el patrón, que quiere y que espera de nosotros. Espero que disfruten este libro tanto como yo lo disfrute...

Atte.

Una aspirante a diseñador gráfico