Minimalism emphasizes extreme simplicity of form. By reducing the number of graphic elements, the strength of each element is enhanced. Or, as Mies van der Rohe famously said, "Less is more." Known for their simple and unassuming rules, the Nordic and Japanese design schools are the most outstanding representatives of this trend, which is being embraced by more and more graphic designers in their fields, be it branding, editorial, communication or packaging. Simplicity collects over a hundred works by graphic designers from all over the world who apply minimalism in their works to infuse them with an elegant simplicity and a clean style. This volume aims to be an indispensable guidebook for designers who are looking for new modes of expression, and an enjoyable and engaging read for those who wish to learn more about the beauty of all things simple.

Risography, named after the Japanese firm Riso, is a digital printing process based on screen printing techniques that was developed in the transition phase from mechanical to digital printing. Although the printer looks like a copying machine, the colors are transferred onto the paper without the use of heat or chemicals, saving energy and making the process ecologically friendly. The Risograph printer is at the forefront of a new creative explosion. More and more artists and designers all over the world are rediscovering this stencil duplicator for themselves, sparking a unique and unexpected renaissance in analogue printing. And Risography is just the most prominent technique in a new wave of cutting-edge contemporary design, one that is also recuperating forgotten technologies such as the Gestetner and the mimeograph. A comprehensive introduction that addresses past, present and future is followed by an essay about the key pioneers in the contemporary risography scene. In the chapter Risoworld notable risography-oriented publishers, printers and design studies from around the world are presented. At the heart of the volume are fabulous, hugely diverse examples of Riso-printing, including postcards, magazines, posters, flyers, and experimental printed products, all of which inspire through vivacity of colour, unique textures and, above all, the perfectly imperfect authenticity of Risography.

"Editorial design is the art of storytelling, and DJ's brand of it is uniquely American. Western American. It starts out slow and builds. It wins you with a bit of humility (almost 'shucks-gee-whiz') and then comes back at you with a surprise punch. The pacing and analogies feel like a Will Rogers narrative. . . . When he first began presenting his work to his London Pentagram partners, they thought he could have just as easily been from the moon. But the storytelling was so strong, so funny, so completely designed but guileless at the same time that the Londoners, and the rest of us, found ourselves confronted with something real, authoritative, and probably definable only as pure American Graphic Design." -Paula Scher, from the introduction An internationally renowned graphic designer and partner in Pentagram, the world's most famous graphic design firm, DJ Stout is a fifth-generation Texan whose strong sense of place has inspired his design work for over thirty-five years. His contributions to Texas Monthly, where he was art director for thirteen years, helped the magazine win three National Magazine Awards. American Photo magazine named Stout one of its "100 Most Important People in Photography," and I.D. (International Design) magazine selected him for "The I.D. Fifty," its annual listing of design innovators. The Society of Illustrators honored Stout with the national Richard Gangel Art Director Award, and he was made a Fellow of the Austin chapter of the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) for his lifetime achievements. Variations on a Rectangle presents both a career retrospective of DJ Stout's work and his inimitable, often humorous perspectives on publication design. Using nearly eight hundred images to illustrate more than two hundred fifty major design projects, Stout describes the inspiration and creative process behind his highly innovative designs for magazines, books, brochures, posters, and even a fiberglass "batcow." He tells fascinating, behind-the-scenes stories of Texas personalities such as Tommy Lee Jones, Sissy Spacek, and Ann Richards, who figured prominently in Texas Monthly's pages, while also discussing how his Texas heritage has influenced his more recent design work US and international clients. An essential primer for younger graphic designers and a revelation for everyone who values exceptional design, Variations on a Rectangle proves Stout's maxim, "A publication without style is just a document, and documents don't do well on the newsstand. And that's why you need editorial art directors. Amen."

Structural Packaging Art has it all wrapped up, literally! Presenting the most innovative and imaginative graphic designs and technical constructions using paper and cardboard to promote a range of products from snacks to stationery, to teabags and truffles. All are designed to create a unique identity and brand within a highly competitive consumer market, colourful and eye-catching, quirky and desirable these wrappings are about first impressions with the focus on presenting each item as a 'gift' to be purchased, then savoured and enjoyed as an essential feature of the whole product experience.

Fully updated, the third edition of Grids for Graphic Designers explores this important tool which is part of every designer's practice- whether it involves digital or print-based media. With over 200 illustrations plus six new interviews with design practitioners such as Second Story, Brody Associates and Peter Dawson, the student is introduced to the creative use of grids in contemporary practice as well as the basic principles that underlie their effective use. Written and designed by best-selling authors Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris, this clear and concise introduction to the use of grids in design covers all the basics and the expanded section of activities and exercises allows students to implement what they have learned.

The Architecture of Cinematic Spaces by Interiors is a graphic exploration of architectural spaces in cinema that provides a new perspective on the relationship between architecture and film. Combining critical essays with original architectural floor plan drawings, the book discusses production design in key films from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Rope, Le mepris, Playtime, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Home Alone, Panic Room, A Single Man, Her and Columbus. Each chapter is accompanied by an original floor plan of a key scene, bridging the gap between film criticism and architectural practice. The book, written by the editors of the critically acclaimed online journal Interiors, will appeal to both film and architecture communities, and everyone in between. A must-read for fans and scholars alike, this volume prompts us to reconsider the spaces our favourite characters occupy and to listen to the stories those spaces can tell.

Arabic script remains one of the most widely employed writing systems in the world, for Arabic and non-Arabic languages alike. Focusing on naskh-the style most commonly used across the Middle East-Letters of Light traces the evolution of Arabic script from its earliest inscriptions to digital fonts, from calligraphy to print and beyond. J. R. Osborn narrates this storied past for historians of the Islamic and Arab worlds, for students of communication and technology, and for contemporary practitioners. The partnership of reed pen and paper during the tenth century inaugurated a golden age of Arabic writing. The shape and proportions of classical calligraphy known as al-khatt al-mansub were formalized, and variations emerged to suit different types of content. The rise of movable type quickly led to European experiments in printing Arabic texts. Ottoman Turkish printers, more sensitive than their European counterparts to the script's nuances, adopted movable type more cautiously. Debates about "reforming" Arabic script for print technology persisted into the twentieth century. Arabic script continues to evolve in the digital age. Programmers have adapted it to the international Unicode standard, greatly facilitating Arabic presence online and in word processing. Technology companies are investing considerable resources to facilitate support of Arabic in their products. Professional designers around the world are bringing about a renaissance in the Arabic script community as they reinterpret classical aesthetics and push new boundaries in digital form.

How Life Unfolds provides an insight into the approach, methods, and processes of the popular design studio atelier oi based in La Neuveville, Switzerland. atelier oi pushes the boundaries of architecture, product design, and scenography, and experiments with various textures and dimensions. The troika-Aurel Aebi, Armand Louis, and Patrick Reymond-presents surprising design solutions that are remembered by the public as icons-be it the "Arteplage" at Expo 2002 in Neuchatel, a precious perfume bottle or oating paper installations. The publication features archive material as well as descriptions of current projects and photo essays. Statements of designers and partners, friends and critiques, customers and producers let the readers delve further into the world of the multi-awarded design studio. The book also offers an insight into its immense material archive, which has grown over the decades. How Life Unfolds is published on the occasion of the exhibition "Oiphorie" at the Museum fur Gestaltung Zurich. The exhibition is on display from March 3 to September 30, 2018.

Reading Graphic Design History uses a series of key artifacts from the history of print culture in light of their specific historical contexts. It encourages the reader to look carefully and critically at print advertising, illustration, posters, magazine art direction and typography, often addressing issues of class, race and gender. David Raizman’s innovative approach intentionally challenges the canon of graphic design history and various traditional understandings of graphic design. He re-examines ‘icons’ of graphic design in light of their local contexts, avoiding generalisation to explore underlying attitudes about various social issues. He encourages new ways of reading graphic design that take into account a broader context for graphic design activity, rather than broad views that discourage the understanding of difference and the means by which graphic design communicates cultural values. With a foreword by Steven Heller.

Deals with a little-known, short-lived, tradition of imaginative geometry that flourished in 16th century Germany, during the Northern Renaissance. The key figure in this movement was the goldsmith Wenzel Jamnitzer, whose graphic fantasies were an imaginative response to the newly rediscovered geometrical theories associated with such important figures as Pythagoras, Plato, Archimedes and Euclid - all part of the great revival of interest in Classical knowledge that characterised the Renaissance. 'Fantastic Geometry' provides a fairly comprehensive overview of the work of this group (with many illustrations), together with an account of the historical background and the sources of their inspiration. David Wade is a sculptor and photographer.