Stop, Think, Go, Do: How Typography and Graphic Design Influence Behavior

by Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić

This revolutionary guide is not only the first to look at how typography in design creates a call to action, but it also explores type and image as language. "Stop, Think, Go, Do "is" "packed with arresting imagery from around the world that influences human behavior. Page after page, you'll find innovative messages that advocate, advise caution, educate, entertain, express, inform, play, and transform.

Genres: Design, Art, Ebooks, Nonfiction

225 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Steven Heller writes a monthly column on graphic design books for The New York Times Book Review and is co-chair of MFA Design at the School of Visual Arts. He has written more than 100 books on graphic design, illustration and political art, including Paul Rand, Merz to Emigre and Beyond: Avant Garde Magazine Design of the Twentieth Century, Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design Second Edition, Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age, Graphic Design History, Citizen Designer, Seymour Chwast: The Left Handed Designer, The Push Pin Graphic: Twenty Five Years of Design and Illustration, Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits, The Anatomy of Design: Uncovering the Influences and Inspirations in Modern Graphic Design. He edits VOICE: The AIGA Online Journal of Graphic Design, and writes for Baseline, Design Observer, Eye, Grafik, I.D., Metropolis, Print, and Step. Steven is the recipient of the Art Directors Club Special Educators Award, the AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement, and the School of Visual Arts' Masters Series Award.

Reviews

[Chris Z]

8 Verbs about Graphic Design
* Inform
* Advocate
* Play
* Caution
* Entertain
* Express
* Educate
* Transform

Play is the essence of the following sections; through play we learn, entertain, express, inform, and transform.
p9

There are many shared traits between sections, but the constant throughout the work is playfulness—what Paul Rand called the “play-principle.”
p9

[ ADVOCATE ]
What pushes our buttons or not is situational and contextual. Behavior is not impacted by design alone.
p47

[ PLAY ]
Here’s a fact everyone should know: design is play. Here’s a command everyone should obey: designers must play!
p77

Play is how we learn and teach others. Paul Rand: I use the term play, but I mean coping with the problems of form and content, weighing relationships, establishing priorities.” He went on to assert,“I don’t think that play is done unwittingly. At any rate one doesn’t dwell over whether it’s play or something more serious—one just does it.” p77

the common route begins with trial and error, which is the first step in the play-principle.
p77

Twisting one thing into another is another essence of play.
p78

[ ENTERTAIN ]
Much graphic design cannot afford neutrality; it must grab attention in crowded environments.
p129

Entertainment and play certainly overlap. However, to entertain implies acting for an audience, while play suggests entertaining oneself.
p129

Paul Rand said that play is the most integral part of the design process. “Without play, there would be no Picasso. Without play, there would be no Picasso. Without play, there is no experimentation. Experimentation is the quest for answers.”
p129

Stupid is trial and error. Mostly error.
Stupid creates, smart critiques.
p135 – Diesel Campaign

seeing is an intense act of consciousness.
p208

[ TRANSFORM ]
Transformation is not more than making the real abstract and vice versa. It is about taking something familiar and making it serendipitous.
p211

Survival of the fittest is as true for graphic design as it is for animal species. If a message is not distinct and unique enough, it will never enter the consciousness. ...... While this may seem obvious, designers are not always aware of their potential power.
p211

[kimyunalesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight forward, quick read, lots of pictures,examples and thought provoking pieces.

[Kyle T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers a wide variety of design topics and includes a little write up before each one. Lots of nice examples. I got about 3 quarters through it before wanting to move on

[Amilatun Sakinah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives me insight I don't know I need it