The Learners
by Chip Kidd
The Learners
Chip Kidd |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 391)
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
design students/teachers, graphic designers, copywriters and anybody working in advertising
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Read in March, 2008
Awful.
The Learners features the same eternally naive, lovable (?), ball-less and ostensible like thirteen-year-old protagonist as The Cheese Monkeys (it's even subtitled "The Book After The Cheese Monkeys"), Happy (read: Hapless), now out of art school and working for an ad agency. Only this time, not content with simply focusing on something he's familiar with (graphic design), Kidd throws in a second storyline, that of real-life psychologist Stanley Milgram and h...more
The Learners features the same eternally naive, lovable (?), ball-less and ostensible like thirteen-year-old protagonist as The Cheese Monkeys (it's even subtitled "The Book After The Cheese Monkeys"), Happy (read: Hapless), now out of art school and working for an ad agency. Only this time, not content with simply focusing on something he's familiar with (graphic design), Kidd throws in a second storyline, that of real-life psychologist Stanley Milgram and h...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Shannon by:
myselfrecommends it for: psychologists, graphic designers
I really wanted to like this, since I adored The Cheese Monkeys. But.. I'm not really sure how to feel about this. In some ways I think this sequel ruined Cheese Monkeys. The way Cheese Monkeys ended was a bit vague and mysterious an, I liked that. This takes all that away and continues.. and literally destroys some of the characters. I'm conflicted about how to rate this, though, because there were probably about 30 pages that I thought were brilliant... but most of it, the whole "plot&quo...more
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Sigh. I've been thinking for the last few days about what I should say in this review. I love Chip Kidd's voice, you see, his snappy dialogue and his witty little characters and his charming descriptions. There's a lot of clever stuff in this book, too, including smart digressions on form vs. content, design in general, psychology, and clothing from the fifties. But the story... well it didn't really go anywhere. Or, rather, the places that it managed to go were not at all satisfying. To ...more
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12 comments
Read in March, 2008
It's amazing that Chip Kidd is such a great designer AND he can write. I absolutely loved his first book The Cheese Monkeys and this one doesn't disappoint...it's snarky and designery and a fun, quick read. It's definitely targeted toward advertising folks, but not so esoteric that others wouldn't enjoy it as well.
A few of my favorite quotes:
His voice was all knives.
She's the princess and the pea.
She's so pretty.
She's a poinsettia. Ever taste one?
I wasn't in the aud...more
A few of my favorite quotes:
His voice was all knives.
She's the princess and the pea.
She's so pretty.
She's a poinsettia. Ever taste one?
I wasn't in the aud...more
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recommends it for:
fans of The Cheese Monkeys and Dave Eggers
I found this sequel to The Cheese Monkeys better than its predecessor, mostly because it's a more consistant book than Chip Kidd's first effort. The thing that bothered me the most about the Cheese Monkeys, but wasn't much of a problem in The Learners, was how drastic the tone had changed in the last forty pages of The Cheese Monkeys. The tone changes here as well from beginning to end, but it's a more controlled, gradual change that occurs through out the course of the entire novel, rather th...more
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Read in February, 2008
Synopsis
A sequel to book designer Kidd's first novel, The Cheese Monkeys, this beautifully composed paean to pre-computer graphic design pitches recent graduate Happy (his nickname), now 21, into the mercantile halls of down-at-the-heels New Haven ad agency Spears, Rakoff and Ware. Kidd paints the agency with all the customary conventions of a mid-century office culture farce: lacquered secretaries, lunchtime scotches and broken-down businessmen. Happy wiles away his time in blissful drudgery ...more
A sequel to book designer Kidd's first novel, The Cheese Monkeys, this beautifully composed paean to pre-computer graphic design pitches recent graduate Happy (his nickname), now 21, into the mercantile halls of down-at-the-heels New Haven ad agency Spears, Rakoff and Ware. Kidd paints the agency with all the customary conventions of a mid-century office culture farce: lacquered secretaries, lunchtime scotches and broken-down businessmen. Happy wiles away his time in blissful drudgery ...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
writers, social psychologists, graphic designers, fans of Kidd
The first half of the book is somewhat slow at times (though the typography digressions are awesome!), but it really starts to pick up the pace right before the Milgram experiment.
The last third that follows is so brilliant I completely forgot any problems I had with the beginning. It reminded me a little of The Pillowman and also The Prestige (movie version). It has that absurd but very fragile quality to it that makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time, not sure when...more
The last third that follows is so brilliant I completely forgot any problems I had with the beginning. It reminded me a little of The Pillowman and also The Prestige (movie version). It has that absurd but very fragile quality to it that makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time, not sure when...more
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Read in June, 2008
Funny and charming. An interesting look at the advertising age in the early 60's. The premise for the book reminded me of one of my favorite shows Mad Men but really did not have a lot in common with it.
There is nothing really special about the story however I found it entertaining. What grabbed me the most was the look into the art and mind of a graphic designer. Why should we choose to highlight or bold certain aspects of text. Why does the font make so much difference in the message bein...more
There is nothing really special about the story however I found it entertaining. What grabbed me the most was the look into the art and mind of a graphic designer. Why should we choose to highlight or bold certain aspects of text. Why does the font make so much difference in the message bein...more
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This is Kidd's sequel to "The Cheese Monkeys", but I ended up reading it first because I saw it on the "new" shelves in the library before my hold on the first book came in. I'm sure that had an effect on how I reacted to both books, as the second books seems much darker overall, and when I read "Monkeys" I already knew the fate of Happy and Hims. There are some very funny moments here, especially at the beginning, and the characters and situations are spot on--ha...more
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Read in July, 2008
Very quick read. Chip Kidd is an amazing graphic designer that has made me judge a book by its cover (in a good way) on many an occasion (Donna Tartt's The Secret History, Augusten Burroughs' A Wolf at the Table"). The Learners is a sequel to his 1st novel, The Cheese Monkeys, and I definitely recommend reading that first.
It's his witty one-liners that make up for any plot flaws along the way. Some of my favorites were:
"She doesn't go to extremes; she lives there." and ...more
It's his witty one-liners that make up for any plot flaws along the way. Some of my favorites were:
"She doesn't go to extremes; she lives there." and ...more
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Chip Kidd is a graphic designer known for his outstanding book jackets...Augusten Burroughs' are some you might remember. He is also a wonderful writer.
"The Learners" is the sequel to "The Cheese Monkeys," a novel about student life at a liberal arts college that came out several years ago. "The Learners" continues to follow the main character, "Happy" as he finds a job with a small ad agency. If you are wondering what happened to Hillmsly Dodd, this b...more
"The Learners" is the sequel to "The Cheese Monkeys," a novel about student life at a liberal arts college that came out several years ago. "The Learners" continues to follow the main character, "Happy" as he finds a job with a small ad agency. If you are wondering what happened to Hillmsly Dodd, this b...more
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Read in May, 2008
I liked Kidd's "The Cheese Monkeys," the story of Happy's freshman year as an art major at an undistinguished state college, where he is buffeted by the harsh tutelage of Winter Sorbeck and by friendship with the bizarrely original Himillsly.
But I was disappointed by this sequel, which catches up with Happy after graduation, as he starts his advertising at the very firm where Sorbeck designed the Double Mint gum wrapper. Monkeys felt much more complete; this seems half-baked and ha...more
But I was disappointed by this sequel, which catches up with Happy after graduation, as he starts his advertising at the very firm where Sorbeck designed the Double Mint gum wrapper. Monkeys felt much more complete; this seems half-baked and ha...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Graphic Artists, Art Directors, Advertising Agency Types
This witty novel is a great foray into the less than glamorus world of advertising set in the 60's. It deals with the difficulties that a kid straight out of college has to deal with, from getting the foot into the door to dealing with the egos behind that door. Then there is life away from work and the ever present designer's eye.
Although this bygone era was not experienced by myself, this story relays a timeless struggle to be satisfied with one's self despite any mistakes made along the w...more
Although this bygone era was not experienced by myself, this story relays a timeless struggle to be satisfied with one's self despite any mistakes made along the w...more
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Read in March, 2008
I was very excited to read this book...and then stalled out. It took me three weeks to finish this when the first book took me that many days. It doesn't have the same momentum that The Cheese Monkeys does, and while I loved seeing Happy at an ad agency (Winter's ad agency!), I had a harder time identifying with his internal struggles this go-round. The writing is less polished -- significantly choppier and more abrupt -- and devices which worked in the last book (the use of assignments as a way...more
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Read in February, 2008
As much as it pains me to say it, I was really disappointed in Chip Kidd’s The Learners, a follow-up to his phenomenal book Cheese Monkeys.
The Learners picks up with Happy, the main character from Cheese Monkeys all graduated from State and trying to get a job at Spear, Rakoff & Ware in New Haven, Connecticut the same ad agency where Happy’s professor and idol Winter Sorbeck got his start. However, the Happy in this new novel doesn’t feel like the same character from the earlier no...more
The Learners picks up with Happy, the main character from Cheese Monkeys all graduated from State and trying to get a job at Spear, Rakoff & Ware in New Haven, Connecticut the same ad agency where Happy’s professor and idol Winter Sorbeck got his start. However, the Happy in this new novel doesn’t feel like the same character from the earlier no...more
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Read in August, 2008
While I have to agree with the general consensus that it wasn't as good as The Cheese Monkeys, I liked a lot of things about this sequel, which didn't rely too heavily on its predecessor. While some of Kidd's typographical tricks, and especially the series of mini-commercials about the use of stylistic devices such as irony, got a little annoying, for the most part I enjoyed this story about a new graduate's first job as a graphic designer. The subplot about his involvement in the infamou...more
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Read in March, 2008
Before I begin, I want it made clear that I really like Chip Kidd. I enjoyed "The Cheese Monkeys" and, from a graphic designer standpoint, he's one of my idols.
While "The Learners" had its great points, it strays a lot. Individually, the plot points involving graphic design and advertising in the 60's, the Milgram experiment (!), and Form vs Content were very interesting. However, these points had moments where they almost seemed forced together. How that would get fixed...more
While "The Learners" had its great points, it strays a lot. Individually, the plot points involving graphic design and advertising in the 60's, the Milgram experiment (!), and Form vs Content were very interesting. However, these points had moments where they almost seemed forced together. How that would get fixed...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Cheese Monkeys
I wanted so badly to like this book. I loved Cheese Monkeys and bought this book the day that I heard a new Chip Kidd had hit the market. Alas, the writing is a bit too cute with one liners and tries a bit too hard to mirror the language of the last book without the preachy, grizzled college professor that allowed it to be pulled off.
The meat of the book - a psych experiment and an advertising pitch - tries a bit too hard to make the metaphor and ends put pushing a cliche plot forward with...more
The meat of the book - a psych experiment and an advertising pitch - tries a bit too hard to make the metaphor and ends put pushing a cliche plot forward with...more
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Read in February, 2008
Solid second novel from the superb graphic designer. The novel, while starting a tad slowly and blemished slightly by some narrative pitfalls, nevertheless tells a gripping tale of a graphic designer in the 1960's and Stanley Milgram's behavioral experiments at Yale, all with a splendid supporting cast of characters. Kidd breaks away from the story throughout, to digress on elements of graphic design--which are highly interesting in their own right and also manage to relate to the story. High...more
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