POP: How Graphic Design Shapes Popular Culture

by Steven Heller

“Pop culture is often maligned as fleeting, but history shows that sometimes what is pop in one culture has time-honored resonance in later ones. This book is an attempt to show that pop culture, especially as seen through the lenses of design, illustration, satiric and political art (and other things), is integral to a broader understanding of who we are and where we are going.”—Steven Heller, from the Introduction. How do popular culture and graphic design influence one another? What are the goals of design? Are they to sell? To package? To entertain? The answers to these questions are complicated and are intimately tied to the effect design has on the overall culture. POP is the first book to analyze the role of graphic design in the broader culture, as well as the impact of design on other art and entertainment forms, from album covers to baseball stadiums. Author Steven Heller addresses such subjects as: --pop icons --viral and guerilla advertising --political satire --the history of Interview, Monocle, Mad, and other magazines --illusionism and three-dimensional design --art for art’s sake --design vs. decoration --the return of hand lettering --art for the masses. POP spans over 150 years during which popular culture has influenced mass perception and behavior. Illustrated by more than fifty images, POP is sure to inspire both aspiring and experienced designers.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Art Design

296 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2010

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

[Adna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This textbook took me a long time to read because I found it to be rather condensed. For a book about history of graphic design -- there was a true lack of illustration and all the references had to be Googled if one was to understand what the author was talking about. I wish the author would edit this book to be more reader friendly and re-publish.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome Heller book. This man has a voice I want to listen to. He even has an article. In here about the conforming non-uniqueness of grave markers. I couldn't have agreed more with him. I was so disappointed by my choices when picking out my fathers marker and thought it was just me being selfish but looks like there are more of us then I thought. Will have to ruminate more and then write more not with the iPad.

[Susie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I was interested in the history of graphic design and its impact on pop culture. Unfortunately, since I'm not trained as a graphic designer, I didn't understand much of the book. For example there was a whole chapter on squiggles, but there weren't any visual aids or examples to explain what kind of squiggles he was talking about.