Graphic Design Books

I recently read "Graphics Programming with SVGALib" by Jay Link and I have got to say this book is an extremely well written book on SVGAlib and general graphics programming. I would like to congradulate Jay on writting such a wonderful book and also suggest that anyone that is wanting to learn graphics programming or how to do graphics programmming with SVGAlib should pick up a copy. It will be a valuble resource/referrence to anyone who does graphics programming.

This book is an excellent tutorial, not just for SVGAlib, but for graphics programming in general. I wish I had this one 3 years ago. Oh, well.

Excelent book, I wanted to get a Linux Gfx Book and i found it, Excelent explanation of SVGALib and many Gfx technics to success. I was able thanks to this book to create my own GUI Engine for Linux.

Thanks Jay Link, Nice Work! .

I bought this book about 2 years ago...I still pick it up, ohhh about every week. A great book for those inspired by skateboarding, graf and urbankulture. Ton's of grrrreat layouts from those crazy New York ...er... German Design boys.

this is a best-of collection from the german magazine Lodown. it's pure candy for the eyes as well as a great documentary of current skate culture etc. (also has great coverage of street graphics, music, and snowboarding). the Lodown stuff is miles ahead of most other like-minded journals and stands alone in sheer quality and craft. text is in english. get this book!

This book is beautiful. Thick, and extremely well designed mixing skateboarding photos, articles, and street stlye graphics and illustrations. Featuring such legendary artists as Futura 2000, Haze, and Shepard Fairey of "Andre the Giant has a Posse" fame. Not to mention photos and text about musicians such as DJ Shadow, Jeru, and Wu-Tang. For fans of this vein of art, music, and styles, this book is a masterpiece.

Mr. Barratt, if he were still alive, should have been knighted for
writing this book. His insight is a spring-board for so many other
thoughts. As the Amazon reviewer said, I also consider this work to be
something like scripture. It doesn't matter if you are a
mathematician, a musician or a web designer, this book will remind you
why you got into your field in the first place. It will also lead you
to higher ground.

There are underlying patterns connecting mathematics and art, engineering and design, logic and emotions. The geometric representations of music and their influence upon such myriad topics as architecture, economics, and the functionality of the human body are some of the more vivid examples of this connectivity.

This work takes an engineering vantage point to these possibilities, and provides the reader with a remarkable array of hand-drawn illustrations, precise geometric diagrams, and basic mathematical equations, in an effort to inspire and to remind how extremes are connected by a nexus of subtle patterns and profound relationships. Expect to be reminded of high school trigonometry and algebraic equations if you have not delved into these topics for some time, yet the perspective now is one of delectable artistic and harmonic profundities.

Traditionally Eastern and Western philosophies, seemingly irreconcilable at cultural levels, are found to be interconnected and even ultimately identical through these fundamental patterns. No category or endeavor of human learning and understanding is left untouched, and over numerous readings you may find more connections between electron spin, ocean waves, the musical scale, the female figure, and magic squares, which Benjamin Franklin occasionally kept himself occupied with, than you ever thought possible. Far from requiring leaps of faith, the explicit logic and mathematical foundation keeps the incredible diversity and abstraction replete within this excellent work firmly grounded.

Other works which take this approach include Connections by Jay Kappraff, and Sacred Geometry by Robert Lawlor. Works by and about Buckminster Fuller will provide context and further information as well. Your view of mathematics, engineering, and formal logic may be forever and most pleasantly altered.

Every once in a long while you find a book so packed with ideas and meaning that you can turn to any page and learn something that shifts your understanding of life. Like scripture. This is one of those books, unraveling many of the threads that wind between art and science and experience. It's as full as Fuller's Synergetics, but you don't have to learn esoteric mathemetics to grasp it.

The book arrived quickly and in great shape. Thank you. I haven't finished it yet, but is proving to be a big help in developing my website.

The authors do a great job introducing Fireworks MX 2004 to new users. They take readers on a thorough tour of the features and tools sets available in Fireworks. Experienced readers can also learn from this book as it talks about more advanced topics and even highlights the Fireworks Exchange by Macromedia which is one of the most powerful assets available to Fireworks users. If you want to learn Fireworks MX 2004, this is the book for you.

This book really helped me out with learning how to implement creative thoughts/ideas into a working navigation system. When read, it sounds like the authors are right there walking you through each and every step you need to understand and master FireworksMX 2004. As you read through the book, you'll find a lot of helpful tips that are in each section. I almost liked reading the tips rather than focusing on the main sections. Be sure to work through the tutorials, I picked up a lot of tidbits that I didnt think were possible.

:)

Alan

I would recommend this book to anybody interested in reading or making manga. It is inspirational and provides an insight to the profession like no other book.

This book has no value what so ever for teaching you how to draw. That's not what this book is for, it's actually a interview with the hottest manga artist's ever known! I thought it would be a good idea to buy this book, just so I can get a preview of my favorite manga artists'art works, as well as what they have to say to other inspiring manga-ka's. I truly enjoyed reading this book, and I'm sure fans of golden boy,clamp, silent mobius, etc would love to hear about what their idol manga artist have to say. I loved everything about this book, and I would recommend this book to those who are interested in a behind the scenes look at the world of manga. If you are looking to buy this book for other reasons, then don't bother buying this book, you will be sorely dissapointed.

As a fan of the many styles of Manga, this book caught me rather by surprise. Most books in my collection that deal with manga analyze the work itself. However, this book is truly unique in that it explores the process of the actual creation of manga art. The methods used are delved into in a very fascinating way. The interviews with the artists themselves are well composed and the questions asked are far more novice.

The other outstanding aspect of the book is the use of various manga illustrations as well as photos of manga artists at work. These two items really serve to represent the many aspects of manga art.



If you are a fan of manga, then you owe yourselves this book. A definite recomendation.

I DESIGN MARDI GRAS COSTUMES. THIS BOOK HAS BEEN EVERY USEFUL FOR IDEAS

If you wish to view the real New Orleans carnival celebration, take a look through this window opened by its legendary artist/historian, Henri Schindler. Schindler is a local icon, the touchstone of this unique cultural expression. Students of cultural and social history as well as art lovers and designers will share delight in Schindler's masterful recreation, through well-researched and entertaining text and beautiful color plates, of the "golden age" of the celebration--an oeuvre to which Schindler adds annually through his own designs for several of the old-line carnival organizations, thus keeping alive the artistic and cultural tradition of which he writes in this and his previous books. The reader comes to know, through the insights of a true "insider", the meaning and spirit of the "real" Carnival.

This book is exquisite.
In New Orleans, Mardi Gras as practiced by the faithfull is the high holy event of the year. Mr. Schindler has documented the aesthetic traditions of the rites in a series of beautiful books- this is the lastest and focuses on costume designs from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The plates are all original drawings by the great designers of Carnivals' past (Mr. Schindler is the great designer of Carnivals present). New Orleans Mardi Gras is rooted in the aesthetic of 19th century Italian opera and this book has some truly surreal illustrations. Any Carnival faithfull, opera fan, theatre designer or just folks who love costume parties should love this book. It also stands as a serious work of art history- the talent and effort that go into mounting parades and tableaux balls in New Orleans get overlooked and all of Mr. Schindlers books on the subject document a rich history of artists and artisans who worked in the city and built its most revered tradition.

This large and heavy book is full of inspiration from our founding fathers in the design world. I had the opportunity to hear Mervyn Kurlansky speak at a design conference a few months ago, and he described how long design took before computers made things nice and easy. This book is full of work by designers who had to use "old-fashioned" ways to get their results.

I can appreciate the creative forces of those who paved the way for modern graphic design, just by turing the pages. ..., I demand quality in the content of the book itself. Master's of the 20th Century is worth every penny.

Because graphic design didn't really come of age until this past century, you will experience it's history though the full-color samples in this book.

I recommed this book to all graphic design professionals and to people who like to collect great coffee table books. Anyone who enjoys books with more pictures than words, will appreciate the beauty of this one!

This large and heavy book is full of inspiration from our founding fathers in the design world. I had the opportunity to hear Mervyn Kurlansky speak at a design conference a few months ago, and he described how long design took before computers made things nice and easy. This book is full of work by designers who had to use "old-fashioned" ways to get their results.

I can appreciate the creative forces of those who paved the way for modern graphic design, just by turing the pages. Whenever I spend more than $[money] on a book, I demand quality in the content of the book itself. Master's of the 20th Century is worth every penny.

Because graphic design didn't really come of age until this past century, you will experience it's history though the full-color samples in this book.

I recommed this book to all graphic design professionals and to people who like to collect great coffee table books. Anyone who enjoys books with more pictures than words, will appreciate the beauty of this one!

A fantastic record of 100 of the best designers of this century. All in one book, great illustrations (done only by the best) all full color and best of all a superb interactive CD rom, a big bonus for those of us who's technical skills are better than our reading ones. Highly recomended for all students of design. Suitable for professors as well as interrested readers. A must for all artists; Great and Small.

This was one of the first and best monographs of this most important of West Coast artists who is now enjoying a slight rennaissance. For years this was the only book available on Mike Kelley, other than thin catalogues of european shows. Luckily, with the advent of more writing on Kelley, we have come to find that indeed it was and is the best introduction to his work. We are introduced to Kelley's work via tons of lovely color photos, b & w personal photos of kelleys, lengthy interviews, and essays. Nothing is to hard to understand and the psychological subtexts of his work easily filters into the writing without confusion. His earliest collegiate work recieves just as good attention as his later sonic youth-era works, although I would have appreciated more discussion of his side project the influential noise band Destroy All Monsters. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the west coast art scene, and should probably be recquired reading for anyone taking a class on the subject.

I have nothing but praise for Phaidon's publications. Each of their artist's books contain great documentations of the artwork, plus detailed writings by the artist and critics. If you are going to read a description of an artist's work, who better to explain it to you than the artist. This is especially true with Mike Kelley. He is well known for the writings he does for each of his works and he pulls no punches in his delivery.

Mike Kelley's excellent catalog from Phaidon may be the most definitive work to date concerning the merging of Elite and Popular culture. Kelley's use of his own astute observations about the world in which we live to "debunk belief systems" and deflate popular pretentions is nothing short of revelatory. His pathetic stance in sculpture, drawing, performance, sound, and banner-making constitute total war on austerity. All modes of his work are well-documented here with color photography of installations and descriptions and criticism by some of the best in their fields.

The artwork is original and inspiring. I love the Columbia Record covers from the olden days.

Full Disclosure: I am Art Director for the publisher, although this book was completed before I arrived. That said, this is an incredible and much-needed look into the work of one of the artists that defined the concept of record cover art. A darkly fanciful artist with explosive vision, Flora worked alongside Alex Steinweiss to conceive of what album art should be. There is no way to overstate how important his work is (then and now) and what a shame it is that it took so long to give him his due. Less restrained-in fact, more exuberant-than the revered Blue Note covers, Flora's art put a different face on jazz and classical. One just as accurate but with uninhibited joy in a shadowy world. If you enjoy the likes of the modern low-brow masters (most notably Tim Biskup) you must own this. If you want history on record cover art (which is painfully lacking on the bookshelves), you want an inspiring coffeetable read, or just want to look all hipper-than-thou, then buy it. Fantagraphics has made a beautiful collection in this book.

This book is a terrific introduction and overview of the beautiful, grotesque, familiar and yet shockingly fresh work of Jim Flora. It's pure eye candy, Flora's limited color palette illustrations are brilliantly reproduced in large scale. Essays by Irwin Chusid and others are both witty and informative. You'll come away from this book inspired and giddy.

As a graphic designer and fine artist I found this collective of poster design to be both inspiring and extremely funny. It's refreshing to see such a creative design studio not taking itself too seriously while at the same time doing work that is both timely and powerful. The joy of loving what you do shines through on each page. Bravo Modern Dog.

I am a professional freelance artist who specializes in poster design, and I found this book to be a wonderfully inspiring collection.

No two posters look alike; each have their own distinctive feel and approach and the stories behind them are equally interesting. I had never heard of Modern Dog before, and now I wonder where they've been all my life.

A throughly solid art book, I wish it had been twice as long!

This is a very entertaining book from a group of very talented designers at Modern Dog. I heard the founders of Modern Dog being interviewed by Debbie Millman= and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Modern Dog story. I highly recommend this book to all fans of the protest poster, and hilarious graphic communication.