The Graphic Design Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters by Steven Heller

The Graphic Design Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters Reviews

• 
  jorgeordas

  Ojo buenísimas ideas. Expuestas sin fliparse, sin mucha historia. Como debe ser. Funciona muy bien porque los ejemplos son tremendamente chulotes. Viva.
• 
  Nancy

  There are moments in the life of a modern-day graphic designer when he or she gets stumped with a design problem. Spinning the proverbial wheels, minutes turn into a hour and nothing one does in front of their computer seems to be solving it. What to do? This book encourages the solution…thinking, understanding, examples, history, learning…and ideas. Ideas with the stories or rationale behind them. Rather than wall-to-wall imagery à la Pinterest, this book constructively explains basic design precepts in a way that sticks. Connecting a conceptual premise with an established graphic design example (by one of 50 celebrated design thinkers including Saul Bass, Michael Bierut & Stefan Sagmeister) on each spread, the authors demonstrate an effective idea in action.
  
  For example, the idea of simplicity or “less is more” is demonstrated with a visual that shows seemingly very little: 4 boxes with varying line weights cropped together on a primarily bare poster. However the explanation behind it reveals the power behind the design. Such a simple thing but with so much impact. Although we live in a chaotically busy digital realm where full color spectrum is the norm, the premise that LESS content IS MORE impactful, can really hit home, when explained in comprehensive detail. The thinking behind these examples are primarily print, but it doesn’t mean the precepts end there. Many of the ideas covered can carry over into web, app, product, package or even interior design disciplines. They also transcend overused design trends, visuals or typography in pursuit of the core visual device.
  
  Having an easy guide of these key ideas is well-delivered in a short but sweet compact print book that encourages the reader to spend time with it thoughtfully, even if for a moment, or an hour on the couch. Intelligently written and designed by the very capable powerhouse art direction team of Steven Heller and Gail Anderson (just “Google" how many books Heller has written on the subject of graphic design alone), this is yet another pairing that makes for a book that stands apart from others in an unassuming way. Described as “Inspiration from 50 Masters” much is covered here; fundamental design themes of scale, perspective, color to more complex ones like abstraction, collage & parody. Part graphic design history primer, part mentor in a book, part light inspirational reading, this is worthy as a design resource equally when panic or boredom strikes. Also recommended is the equally enjoyable and structured “The Typography Idea Book”, written by the same authors. I wouldn’t categorize this book as a design classic per se, but it’s a useful one.
• 
  Timothy

  This review originally appeared in the November 2016 edition of "Technical Communication".
  
  The Graphic Design Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters is designed to showcase a combination of themes, ideas, and styles used in graphic design. It tours artwork and design starting with the mid-20th century and continuing up to recent times. As expected of a graphic design book, there are illustrations paired with every concept in the book.
  
  Heller and Anderson took the approach that the best way to convey graphic design is to create a book where the works of graphic design leaders illustrate concepts to the reader. First, the authors created thematic groups such as “Experiment with design” and “Communicate a message” and placed the artwork and styles into each group. Each grouping contain several concepts, such as “white space,” “collage,” and “mood.” Every conceptual section contains a list of the artists featured in that section but does not contain an explanation as to why the grouping was created, or how the concepts and artists were chosen for that group. In turn, each concept is represented by a two-page spread featuring one page of commentary and one page of illustration by an artist whose work exemplifies the concept. For example, in the “Play with type and image” group, the concept of tromp l’oeil is first explained. The descriptive text explains the history of how tromp l’oeil evolved and how modern advertisements take advantage of such optical illusions to attract attention to their products. On the opposite page is the illustration of a 1962 shoe advertisement. The ad features a bus where the ad banner appears where the passenger’s legs and feet would be, giving the illusion that you are looking through the side of the bus at their shoes. The whole book follows this pattern so you can easily flip through looking for visual ideas and then read an explanation of the displayed technique.
  
  Overall, The Graphic Design Idea Book is a fun introduction to the art of graphic design. The prose is clean and easy to read, and the illustrations are well-paired with their associated themes. It is not heavy or authoritative and is intended to both clarify ideas and to inspire artists. If you are looking for a good place to start with graphic design, this book is a good choice. While it won’t teach you to be an artist, it can help focus your existing artistic skills into established styles. Therefore, I recommend The Graphic Design Idea Book to anyone interested in learning how artwork can be used for commercial purposes and to anyone interested in a survey in the past 100 years of graphic art.
• 
  Djina

  This book to me is a resume of some design principles. Each subject offer an one paragraph description in bold followed by an example on an existing design. The content of the book is divided in 5 sections: design experimentation, type and image, media and techniques, design history and communication. I would recommend it as a starting point to learn more about design. I personally would use it as a refresher.
• 
  Craig Maxwell

  Clear and concise, the authors were straight to the point, speaking in a clear and direct language!
  
  I really liked the format - piece of work - commentary! Especially for a designer, too much writing in a "art book" puts me off instantly. We all love pictures - we are visual people after all!
  
  Some groundbreaking work, a staple for any designers starting out.
• 
  Ania Gaska

  It was well curated and had helpful examples however the tone of the writing felt very fingerwaggy "don't you baby designers do [insert dumb thing here]" which could be helpful if it wasn't written in such a grouchy tone OR we got one bad design to show what not to do next to the good design
• 
  Martin Keith

  Short but sweet. Contains a well-organised bunch of ideas to help spark inspiration. Historical context provided, which is always appreciated. Has some practical advice to help guage when and where to apply these ideas. Kind of a nice introduction.
• 
  Olga Isakova

  Short, inspiring, and thought-provoking not only for designers but for anyone interested in visual culture.
• 
  Gisela Valdera

  Cool inspo. Pretty straight forward. I bought as a gift from me to me. Not sure if it was worth the money but then again I can't remember how much I spent? Also it's pretty.
• 
  Steph Jones

  A lovely reference book for many types of graphic design with an example for each. I'll certainly be reading through this time and time again for referencing.
• 
  Samudyatha

  My favorite discoveries were Marian Bantjes and Gerd Arntz :)
• 
  Manas Saloi

  Wanted a book where I could just look at nice designs whenever I was bored, and learn a bit about graphic design. Did not disappoint
• 
  franthormel

  General overview of graphical art spanning from imagery, colors, and typography.
  
  It can serve as a refreshment when in need of inspiration or an onboarding experience for newcomers.
• 
  Ana Rodera

  Lectura ideal y ágil para adentrarse en el mundo del diseño gráfico.
  Ofrece ejemplos visuales de diferentes diseños acompañados de una breve reseña.
  Al finalizar el libro es posible encontrar un listado de lecturas adicionales recomendadas.
  
• 
  Vuk Trifkovic

  I am sucker for those "designers dissect successful designs and reveal to the layfolk why are they so great". It's a good 'un...
• 
  Aditya

  Dense, interesting, and quick.