100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design

Laurence King Publishing, London, 2012, English

Nonfiction, Graphic Design

8.25 x 10.75 inches, paperback, 216 pages, 300 illustrations

ISBN: 9781856697941

Suggested Retail Price: $29.95

From the Publisher. New in the "100 Ideas That Changed..." series, this book demonstrates how ideas influenced and defined graphic design, and how those ideas have manifested themselves in objects of design. The 100 entries, arranged broadly in chronological order, range from technical (overprinting, rub-on designs, split fountain) to stylistic (swashes on caps, loud typography, and white space) to objects (dust jackets, design handbooks); and methods (paper cut-outs, pixelation).

Written by one of the world’s leading authorities on graphic design and lavishly illustrated, the book is both a great source of inspiration and a provocative record of some of the best examples of graphic design from the last hundred years.

Read Author Q&A on Designers & Books.

On 3 book lists

Steven Heller

On list of Books by Steven Heller

Maria Popova

On Maria Popova’s Notable Books of 2012 list

Steven Heller and Véronique Vienne bring us this thoughtfully curated inventory of abstract concepts that shaped the course of graphic design, each illustrated with exemplary images and historical context. Unlike in other design books, the ideas in this succinct tome aren't organized by chronology. From concepts like manifestos (#25), pictograms (#45), propaganda (#22), found typography (#38), and the Dieter-Rams-coined philosophy that “less is more” (#73) to iconic creators like Saul Bass, Alex Steinweiss, Paula Scher, and Stefan Sagmeister, the sum of these carefully constructed parts amounts to an astute lens not only on what design is and does, but also on what it should be and do.

The book comes from UK-based publisher Laurence King, who brought us last year's epic Saul Bass monograph.

Véronique Vienne

On list of Books by Véronique Vienne

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