Graphic Design Books

Wonderful book documenting the life of Dick Bruna and showing many examples of his work, not just Miffy. It's just BEAUTIFUL!

For anyone who grew up in Europe over the last six decades (and in more recent years millions of newer fans in North America and Asia-Pacific), here's the definitive book on the deceptively simple art, menagerie of characters and captivating stories created by the inimitable talents of Dick Bruna. As a child, I couldn't imagine a day (let alone a bedtime) going by without following the tales of Snuffy, Miffy, Poppy, Boris and other unnamed but equally glorious characters that came from this very sweet, perceptive man's mind, talents and heart. All of these qualities are in abundant evidence here, for this is as much a fine art book and biography as it is a love story. Bruna amply acknowledges here how much he (and we, by extension, among his legions of fans) has benefited from the keen eye, advice, encouragement and adoration of his wife, Irene. This book is one of those gifts that keeps on giving!

On August 13, 1931, Captain Joseph Medill Patterson of the "New York Daily News" sent a telegram to Chester Gould, the man who created Dick Tracy, that read: YOUR PLAINCLOTHES TRACY HAS POSSIBILITIES STOP. Within the pages of "Dick Tracy: The Official Biography" you will find the great adventures of the greatest detective in the funny pages, his unforgettable enemies from Flattop to Pruneface, his allies from Pat Patton to Diet Smith, his 2-way radio (late 2-way TV), and Tess Trueheart, his long-suffering sweetheart and eventual mate. Jay Maeder, a top editor at "The New York Daily News" might be providing an official biography, but he is doing so from a pop culture perspective. Consequently, we begin with Dick Tracy, square-jawed and straight-shooting, a creation of the time when crime was rampant in 1931, but trace his entire career, both in comics, radio and the movies. As you would expect, this book is loaded with black & white strips as well as 24 pages in color.

The character that Chester Gould created was absolutely dedicated to getting rid of the crime gangs afflicting the big city. Like the real-life Eliot Ness, Dick Tracy was brave, incorruptible, and sworn to making the world clean again. The catalyst for his career was the murder of Tess Trueheart's father in his deli by a robber. Gould had worked on earlier comic strips, "The Radio Cats" and "The Girl Friends," when he came up with the submission idea for "Plainclothes Tracy." The idea was refined before the first strip appeared on October 12, 1931, with Dick calling on the Truehearts for dinner. But the Big Boy, the first official Tracy villain, sent some boys to rob the Truehearts deli and Emil Trueheart ended up dead with Tracy vowing a blood oath over the body. The rest is the history that Maeder is detailing.

The approach of "Dick Tracy: The Official Biography" is basically chronological, beginning with the effort to bring Big Boy to justice, which was followed over the years by the Buddy Waldorf kidnapping, working as a G-Man across state lines, and, of course, all those battles with the Grotesques which would end up defining the strip for the world: The Blank, Pruneface, Flattop, Wormy, Flayface, and the rest. Maeder also devotes chapters to not only Tess and Junior, but the atonement of Stooge Viller and Steve the Tramp, which shows there was rehabilitation as well as justice in the Dick Tracy universe. Then there is Sparkle, B.O., and the other Plentys, along with Moon Maid and the whole Space Period of the strip. The result is not a strict chronology, but more of a constant circling forward, which reflect an effort to provide each chapter with thematic unity. Bu the primary goal remains to tell the story of how Chester Gould created a great and enduring American icon.

However, Maeder deals as well with the twilight period of the story of Dick Tracy when the culture turned against the character as he does with the original glory days and the later period of cultural retrieval. The major strength of the book is the way he puts all the pieces together, so that there is a sense of progression and character growth. Maeder is able to not only provide a concise description of Dick Tracy dealing with a terrorist-bomb incident or an adventure with Nilon Hoze, but also takes pain to show what was different or special that time around. I did not exactly work it out, but it sure looks like Maeder literally accounted for every "Dick Tracy" strip ever drawn by Gould. While I was never all that interested in the comic strip I found this to be a fascinating look at the over half-century that Dick Tracy fought his never-ending battles against the most memorable bad guys ever to embody evil. Oh, and do not forget to pay attention to the great tips provided in those Crimestoppers Textbooks!

This overview of the DICK TRACY comic strip coincided with a plethora of books that were part of the hype machine for Disney's movie extravagaza, and it was the best. Written by Jay Maeder, an historian of sorts for New York's Daily News, this "Official Biography" lovingly revisits the plot lines and characters of Chester Gould's 70 year old comic strip and brilliantly summarizes what it has become: an enduring pop cultural epic.

When Gould first created the exploits of his young gangbuster he was merely following the crime filled headlines of the day with crude, childlike artwork and a storytelling style that read like a cornball silent matinee. This, however, was the Depression and readers starving for breathless thrills found themselves hooked. Gould, who himself stated he never knew how the plotlines would evolve, became both a master puppeteer and an enthusiastic front row spectator. Soon, the plots became more intricate, the criminals became uglier, the violence became unflinchingly bloodier (a bold move when you consider today's hightened sensitivity), and the crude artwork became a style onto its own. All the while Dick Tracy, and his immediate family of cops and others became like friends we earnestly knew.

That was the beauty of comic strip storytelling from its golden age in that it was to unfold like a saga and in the case of DICK TRACY it was a saga that spanned the life of the 20th Century. The Depression, World War 2, Eisenhower's 50's, the psychodelic 60's- Tracy rode his police car through all of this and writer Maeder critically keeps his eyes on how the strip stayed the course (or derailed in the 60's...remember the Moon Maid?) and managed to entertain ever changing taste. With plenty of illustrations and a cogent reading style, this out of print book is an underrated gem.

On va en ligne, pour faire des photos, des graphiques, et des copies. Car l'ordinateur donne aux artistes les couleurs toujours voulues. Les images se copient fidelement, de l'ecran a l'imprimeuse. Les couleurs se montrent le mieux, surtout si le noir est le quatrieme encre d'impression et si les points sont elliptiques, sur les plaques, les papiers et les colorants de la haute qualite. Reussir a dessiner a l'aide de l'ordinateur, ca se voit par les exemples dans tout le livre. Quant a moi, ce sont tres bien faits les coups de brosse crayeux dans le portrait de la jeune fille, et les tetes et les terrains sculptes au style de l'ile de Paques.

DIGITAL COLOUR IN GRAPHIC DESIGN works when drawing, painting, photoediting, and 3-D print the way you want. Because scanners and monitors work colors differently than desktop printers and offset presses, mapping can pass colors correctly along calibrated color handlers. Color management and matching systems can bring about accurately printed screen images. The 16.7 million digital palette prints best from 21-inch non-interlaced monitors onto dye sublimation desktop printers and calibrated offset presses working with black as a fourth process ink for better shadow density and overall contrast, with elliptical instead of round dots, and with quality colorants, paper and plates. Ken Pender gives striking examples, such as chalk brush icicles to his ice maiden portrait of his daughter, impasto sweeping brushstrokes to a cloned Photo CD image, and Easter Island type carving and sculpting to a polyhedron head and terrain. So the author is interesting to read along with Veruschka Gotz's COLOR AND TYPE FOR THE SCREEN, Steven Heller and Daniel Drennan's THE DIGITAL DESIGNER, Michael Leary et al.'s WEB DESIGNER'S GUIDE TO TYPOGRAPHY, and Michael J. Sullivan's MAKE YOUR SCANNER A GREAT DESIGN AND PRODUCTION TOOL.

Unfortunatly I arrived at Virginia Commonwealth University's graphic design program after Phil Meggs had passed away. His legacy still lives on. Rob Carter on the other hand has been my professor. He is a great man who pushes his students into experimenting and becoming comfortable with their own styles of design. He is by no means a "stuffy" guy. I have some of their books and I don't have one problem with them at all.

By the way, this book is a good one!

The Digital Designer is a quality publication , plus it covers enough ground to be useful in all of the classes we teach, so students going through the program will probably keep it and use it in several classes.

Your text is written in a friendly, accessible tone, and is a relief from some of the stuffy "Design is the Center of the Universe" books out there. As an example stuffy books are anything by Stephen Heller, Phil Meggs, or Rob Carter.

Their books are really good, of course, but frankly too focused on defining design as an official profession. Their books to me always seem like they are stiffly trying to define design as a formal, codified, yet creative event.

You seem to have achieved that friendly informative tone with ease. Kudos to you on your well resolved text. Frankly, this book is more useful to our program than any Rob Carter book, because of its accessibility.

"VOLUME 2 CONTAINS CHAPTERS 9 - 12, covering matching, segmentation, representation, and description.

The material in Volume 2 is not strongly dependent on that in Volume 1; and to make it even more self-contained, the Preface and Introduction (called Chapter 1 in volume 1) are reproduced at the beginning of Volume 2....."
[from the book of preface]

This is a historic book which helped define the field of image processing. It has clarity and it presents the basic issues in a superb manner. Although it is somewhat dated now, it will still be useful to those who wish to look at the historical development of the field.

Digital Video Essentials: Apple Final Cut Pro 6 is the latest in a series of books written by Lisa Rysinger on digital video. The book is a valuable resource that should be placed in the personal reference library of everyone who uses Final Cut Pro. It guides video editors in a step-by-step manner with the industry's favorite Apple program. Lisa Rysinger is an accomplished author and teacher in her own right. Visit her site at [...]
When you open the book you will notice illustrations that POP in color and size. These full-color visuals are generously sized, clearly distinct, and make their point to accompany the related text throughout the book, which can be used as a textbook. It has clear objectives in the beginning of each lesson complete with review questions and exercises at the end. The book also includes an area for many interviews and special features in Final Cut Pro, called Spotlights.

But the gem is the included DVD packed with resources and tutorials like Alpha Channels, Final Cut Pro and the Fx Factory. There is also a trial version of FxFactory, and special offers from resellers as well as Web links to a host of supportive sites you may access directly from the DVD.

I viewed the tutorial on the DVD for Final Cut Pro and learned how to add motion to multiple layers and add two filters, one of which was key frames over time and the other was a title. Lisa Rysinger herself teaches this tutorial without missing a step and with clear visuals, which are easy to follow and apply to your own projects. FxFactory is a visual plug-ins package by Noise Industries for Apple Final Cut Studio. The tutorials are demonstrated and narrated by the company. The plug-ins are so gorgeous you will want to have them to save yourself a lot of time and to make you look like a Hollywood producer.
The Spotlights throughout the text list interviews with many successful professionals who use Final Cut Pro, as well as other Final Cut Studio applications like Color, Compressor, LiveType, Motion, SoundTrack Pro and DVD Studio Pro. The index is well-designed, the Glossary is a wealth of information explaining its terminology, and the Tips in the margins help and enhance your knowledge.
With this book you will learn how to use Final Cut Pro from importing video, applying motion and effects, using layers and transparency, to rendering and exporting your Hollywood-like production. The book size is not overwhelming and the layout is non-intimidating for this very complex application. With this book you can actually begin to use Final Cut Pro with confidence. It is a must-have for your technical library to have available as a handy reference as you apply your creative juices to your projects.
I cannot end my review without my thoughts about the cover of this book that sports my two favorite colors, gold and red. Truly stunning! If I ever write a book, I'm asking Bruce Bond to design the cover.

Book Title: Digital Video Essentials: Apple Final Cut Pro 6 with DVDAuthor: Lisa Rysinger
Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning
URL: www.delmarlearning.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4018-7791-0
Pages: 371
Price: $46.95
Level: Pros and serious video amateurs
Reviewer: Maria O. Arguello
Date: December 2008
Rating: 5 out of 5

© 2008 Maria O. Arguello. Maria is a reviewer for the Macintosh user group community and the vendor liaison of Macintosh Users Group of South New Jersey (MUGSNJ) . To see more reviews go to [...] and to http://www.mlmug.org. Maria is also a member of NCMUG, PMUG, CCPMUG, MUGSNJ, PPUG, and SJAUG. She is the Apple User Group Regional Liaison for the Northeast United States (CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT).

Remember when the most recent iMovie was released, how everyone was up-in-arms over the changes. Well, that version proved to be the version they should have had from the word "go." So some some hardy souls set sail for Final Cut waters (what's with the sea-fairin' analogy). Uncharted territory to be sure (oh ... I see). But bravely we pushed onward to the distant shores of the prosumer. But shouldn't we have a map (I promise, that's the end).

There are literally dozens of books and electronic tutors out there, not to mention Apple's One-on-One sessions to help you get a leg up. But still when you launch the program, be it Express or Pro, up come the `deer in the headlight' looks.

But here's a book for the novice seeking answers to the pro that needs the casual reminder. Lisa Rysinger, the book's author, has been steeping in professional video for a long time. Her book, Final Cut Pro 6 (US$46.95).

The first section of the book lays a thorough foundation of digital photography. It goes in to the lexicon of NTSC, analog vs. digital, and so forth. If you're a neophyte to the world of Final Cut do not skip this section as it will aid you when Ms. Rysinger guides you through the limitless possibilities in video editing. Remember, you have to know the rules to break them. An imperative read for the novice, a good refresher for the veteran.

Once you have mastered the foundations, Ms. Rysinger brings you along the step by step process of editing, first with the back story of Apple's involvement in video editing. Then we learn how to organize all of our raw material.

From here we go on to the introductions of all of FCP's various tools and their uses. (NOTE: If you possess FCE 4, you will have none of these extras. Whereas, if you still have a copy of FCE HD, you will have Soundtrack and Live Type.) These are what will really make your project shine.

You are then shown, with accompanying illustrations, the power that now lies at your fingertips. Rough cuts, the proper use of transitions and how to edit the waveforms of your audio tracks. And if the book isn't enough, there is an accompanying DVD that contains tutorials and a free trial of FX Factory plug-ins. Plus there is an HTML page crammed with valuable links. That should keep you busy for a while!

Final Cut Pro 6 is a worthy asset to your technical library and will serve as a handy reference as you wind your way through DV and your imagination. Now sit down at your editing console and break some rules.
©2008 Frank Petrie

I found this book at the Virgin Megastore in NYC and I have yet to see it elsewhere, but it should be picked up wherever it is found. For those who find the graphic design of 'electronic' music a style of its own, Discstyle provides the best in book thats a example piece itself. The CD covers, vinyl sleeves, flyers, and fine art pieces of many different designers all contain the same concept of big-time visual impact with their simplicity. The layouts may contain nothing but a few words and a picture, but it reflects the music- for those who love the infectious beat, you know what I mean. With a guide in the beginning that traces the short history of today's house, trance, breakbeat, jungle, etc. the book shows where it's contents came from- getting down all night long.

Seriously. Markus Weisbeck is one of those obsessed guys who just gets so deep into a topic that if he claims something is the way it is, you better trust him. If you are looking for a super comprehensive source of excellent design then trust Mr. Weisbeck. This book contains all the good stuff... from Eike to Stardax, Karl Kliem and meso's "involving systems'. And if you ever wondered how certain styles of club electronic house and techno electro are interconnected, Weisbeck and Pesch provide you with a very exact two page family tree of music styles. This 12inch softcover is technically a volume two to Pesch and Weisbeck's "Techno Style",... Well, and one more thing. This book contains some of the work of the master himself. Markus Weisbeck likes to include his own design in his books. He is the creator and the critic in one person. Everydesigner should have his books in their collection. Learn from Markus Weisbeck. He is a good designer and he is good for design. This book is fresh. Get it.

Appreciating these two artistic geniuses requires at least a modicum of a fine artist mentality. However, if you possess the teachings and/or the mere exposure to such passionate art, this collection of outstanding work will ignite and inspire you at the most basic level. So when's Braid coming out, guys? ;) Bout time you updated your website too. ;P

Double Memory is an eccentric, eclectic collection by a pair of artists renowned for bringing fine art sensibilities to genre illustration. Both Berry and Hale have honed their skills since the publication of this book, so Double Memory should be considered an introduction to their work rather than a statement about their careers. But there are some wonderful pieces included in this book: Berry's paintings for Peter Straub's Mrs. God are real knockouts while Hale's manic Johnny Badhair canvases are simply amazing. Truly a wonderful collection.

In a manufacturing environment, a correct drawing is key to production and Cost of Ownership! I looked in numerous places to locate a good SW book on Detailing and Drawing. This is a fabulous book. I've been a user of SW for over two plus years and I love the software. SW is a great CAD tool.

I had countless questions on various areas that include: Developing a predefined drawing template, Creating design table parameters for parts and assemblies, understanding drawing properties, creating offset section and aligned section views, and using tolerance symbols with surface finish and weld symbols to name a few.

The section on ASME Y14.1 is informative and will be a useful reference. This is a must have book if you creature drawing in a manufacturing environment.

Steve

This is the book for you if you want to learn how to create Drawings using SW. I used Pro/E before and I am new to SW. SW is so much easier to learn and use than Pro/E! The book provides a very logical sequence of events starting from creating a Drawing Template and Sheet Format, then moving into different part drawing views: Broken Isometric, Section, Detail, etc., and then into Assembly drawings with multi sheets.

You are then exposed to Detailing and finally Geometric Tolerancing. The book is well laid out and is easy to follow with the screen shots and its step by step procedure.

I've being using SW for 9 months as a designer, mainly focused on drawings for production and inspection. I took a SW class at my local VAR and performed the SolidWorks tutorials on drawings, but I still needed a book to provide in-depth information targeted for every day issues and design challenges.

The drawing book starts off slow, "I guess this can be good" addressing the SW user interface, the various available toolbars, file management, sheet properties, document properties, basic design orthographic projection, BOMs, creating drawing templates, etc. It then gets into the good stuff.

The book covers most of the complex drawing views; section, detail, exploded, section, broken-out, crop, auxiliary, etc. and the ASME Y14.4 standards.

The geometric tolerance and surface finish section is well documented and easy to follow. The author bolds the active commands.

In general, this book is very easy to use and to understand. The book has helped me significantly. The book also includes a great section on welds and symbols.

I bought Engineering Design with SolidWorks 2006 and it's a very useful book. The Engineering Design book is a great hands-on book; that is easy to read, follow, and understand. The book provided a solid general understanding and foundation of SW.

I required additional in-depth knowledge of drawings for my job. I purchased Drawing & Detailing, and it's a winner.

Drawing and Detailing provides the same great step by step approach with lots of key illustrations to enforce the command structure. Each command is identified in bold letters.

I agree with a reviewer that stated, "The authors go thought the excruciating process of relating the document properties to the Y14 standard." This was a real time saver for me!

The book covers basic drawings and general information, and then goes into complex drawings with multiple views, and addresses; templates, geometric tolerances, BOMS, surface finishs, weld symbols, eDrawings, DWGEditor, etc. I can go on and on, but I think you can get the idea. This is a winner.