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Books > Arts & Architecture > Industrial / commercial art & design > Graphic design
Modern-day cryptic symbols and mysterious codes are no longer just
the tools of secret societies and spies; skilled graphic designers
use them constantly, creating new visual languages for branding,
logotypes, and company identities. Symbols in Graphic Design is
your own illustrated codebook to these logos, glyphs, and other
motifs. This exhaustive resource lays out basic symbols, their
meanings, and their histories before delving into a collection of
modern projects ranging from restaurant and clothing identities to
personal brands, promotional materials, and even city branding
projects.
Sutnar's brilliant structural systems for clarifying otherwise
dense industrial data placed him in the pantheon of Modernist
pioneers and made him one of the visionaries of what is today
called "information design." Visual Design in Action is a snapshot
of Sutnar's American period (1939-1976), and includes graphics for
Carr's Department Store, advertisements for the Vera Neumann
Company, identity for Addo-X, and other stunningly contemporary
works. He is best known for his total design concept for the Sweets
Catalog Service and lesser known for introducing the parenthesis as
a way to typographically distinguish the area code from the rest of
a phone number. Visual Design in Action is a testament to the
historical relevance of Modernism and the philosophical resonance
of Sutnar's focus on the functional beauty of total clarity. This
reprint of Visual Design in Action (originally published in limited
quantities in 1961) is as spot-on about the power of design and
"design thinking" as it ever was.
Reversing into the Future: New Wave Graphics 1977-1990 is a unique
and fascinating book of graphic design history curated from Andrew
Krivine's personal and vast collection of original posters, flyers,
artworks and memorabilia from the golden age of New Wave. Packed
with exclusive artworks and expert texts, this is the comprehensive
guide to the unforgettable period of New Wave. Having witnessed an
emerging generation of music buyers who'd been energised by punk,
major record labels and independents alike went in search of sounds
and visions that captured something of the energy and cheeky
attitude of punk, while ignoring its political edge. New Wave was
embraced by the mainstream music and entertainment industries and
used to promote artists who rejected the anti-consumerist,
anti-materialistic, black-and-white nihilism of the original punk
movement in favour of a more optimistic, humorous and colourful
present refracted through the past. In doing so, and as this book
illustrates, the New Wave followed Marshall McLuhan's dictum that
'we drive boldly into the future with our eyes fixed firmly on the
rear-view mirror'. New Wave artists rejected punk's satirical,
parodic and irreverent treatment of rock 'n' roll's original,
iconic imagery preferring to display it reverently or referenced
with love and affection. Reversing Into The Future: New Wave
Graphics 1977-1990 includes graphic designs for, among others, The
B52s, Boomtown Rats, Devo, Duran Duran, The Cars, Elvis Costello,
Joe Jackson, XTC, Cyndi Lauper, The Police, Simple Minds, Gary
Numan, Japan, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Go-Gos, Graham Parker,
Nick Lowe, Simple Minds, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and many more.
Graphic artists featured include Martyn Atkins, Barney Bubbles,
Chris Morton, Malcolm Garrett, Alex McDowell, Tony Wright, Martin
Kaye for the Paradiso, X3 Posters, DEVO Inc., Neville Brody, The
Designers Republic, Russell Mills and more. A collectable item
itself, the book is beautifully produced with front and back cover
artwork by world-renowned designers Malcolm Garrett and Chip Kidd.
Alongside a vast array of original artworks and graphics from the
New Wave period, the book includes text contributions from
recognised and respected commentators, critics and designers from
the UK, US and Australia. Documenting the incredible impact of New
Wave, this is the ideal book for die-hard music fans and graphic
design aficionados alike.
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