Graphic Design Rants and Raves: Bon Mots on Persuasion, Entertainment, Education, Culture, and Practice

by Steven Heller

Design is everywhere. Graphic design enters into everything. This is the scope of designer Steven Heller’s latest essay anthology that covers the spectrum of graphic design and related art and culture. Looking at design as practice, language, culture, and power, each of the forty-plus essays is a self-contained story. Heller pours out his ideas—criticisms and celebrations—on such topics

A history of our modern Hindu-Arabic numerals, and a look at the letter K
Brand design utilized by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump early in the 2016 Presidential race
The tumultuous relationship between design and sex
The Charlie Hebdo massacre and the principles of free expression
Icons revisited, including Paul Rand (not to be confused with the politician Rand Paul), Ralph Ginzburg, Frank Zachary, George Lois, and Print magazine
Food packaging, the design of milk, and USPS stamps
The obsessive use of cuteness, and the sad and happy history of the ubiquitous happy face

From commercial advertising to government institutions to cultural revolution, from the objects that push design forward to those that seep into the everyday, Graphic Design Rants and Raves is an exploration of how visual design has arrived in the twenty-first century.

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 3, 2017

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

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid exposure to a random collection of design history, players, and concepts.