Graphic Design: The New Basics

by Ellen Lupton, Phillips Jennifer Cole

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Product Description

How do designers get ideas? Many spend their time searching for clever combinations of forms, fonts, and colors inside the design annuals and monographs of other designers’ work. For those looking to challenge the cut-and-paste mentality there are few resources that are both informative and inspirational. In Graphic Design: The New Basics, Ellen Lupton, best-selling author of such books as Thinking with Type and Design It Yourself, and design educator Jennifer Cole Phillips refocus design instruction on the study of the fundamentals of form and ideas in a critical, rigorous way, informed by contemporary media, theory, and software systems.

Through visual demonstrations and concise commentary, The New Basics shows students and professionals how to build interest and complexity around simple relationships between formal elements of two-dimensional design such as point, line, plane, scale, hierarchy, layers, and transparency. The New Basics explains the key concepts of visual language that inform any work of design—from a logo or letterhead to a complex Web site. It takes a fresh approach to design instruction by emphasizing visually intensive, form-based thinking in a manner that is in tune with the latest developments in contemporary media, theory, art, and technology. Colorful, compact, and clearly written, The New Basics is the new indispensable resource for anyone seeking a smart inspiring introduction to graphic design, and destined to become the standard reference work in design education.

www.gdbasics.com, the on-line companion to Graphic Design: The New Basics, includes a variety of student responses to the design problems featured in the book. Sample syllabi for a variety of course levels are included along with key technical information from each chapter.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5 out of 5 stars

Top of the line graphic design book. Great for referencin., 2008-09-28
This book is very helpful. It has a lot to offer to beginning students or just someone trying on their own. Its not so organized as a text book would be which keeps it fresh and fun to still look at. But it definitely has a lot to offer.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

4 out of 5 stars

excellent overview, 2008-08-28
this is an excellent overview: while I appreciated the new media content, that felt far more like info for those considering an MFA in graphic design and are not what I feel are basic in any way. I am a working graphic artist and using programming languages easy or not to develop visual media is not part of my work or a requirement. Flash animations, web design are, though. I feel other areas could have been better flushed out.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5 out of 5 stars

The short course...to the long road., 2008-08-04
Congratulations to Ellen Lupton for her contemporary take on the keystone of our visual culture: Graphic Design. This book is as good of a summary of the necessary skills and practices that are essential to contemporary communication design as I have ever seen. I was educated in graphic design in my undergrad by the legacy of modern design and Bauhaus pedagogy, even in the wake of the sweeping technological change that was occurring all around us. This book finally catches up on a curriculum and approach that would make sense for today. After working professionally as a graphic designer for 5 years, I'm currently enrolled in a graduate program for media design. My studies have shown me that graphic design is just the beginning, but a very necessary foundation for all kinds of design practices that our dynamic world requires. I would also commend her development of the Graphic Design Basics website which features exercises designed to supplement the topics covered in the book. Together the site and book represent a fairly off the shelf curriculum that would serve any designer(beginner to advanced) well to follow. All that would be left is years to practice...

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5 out of 5 stars

Finally, a current book on graphic design , 2008-06-10
When Ellen Lupton released her wonderful book, "Thinking with Type," I adopted as a required text for my college typography course. Not only did I admire the thinking behind the writing and structure, but my students LOVED the book.

When I learned about this new book written with Jennifer Cole Phillips I pre-ordered it immediately. Now that I've read it, I'm thrilled with their effort and am eager to use it as the text in my Graphic Design 1 class.

This book provides current examples that both illustrate classic principles of Graphic Design and explore the edges of current design thinking. I appreciate the use of student examples rather than just using professional, commercial work. There are plenty of annual reviews of commercial work by publishing houses such as Rockport. The student work tends to take more risks and be more provocative. It will provide more room for discussion, debate and inspiration in a classroom setting.

While not extensive, the text in the book is concise and well-written. Paired with the bountiful examples, it makes the subject accessible to graphic design students or to anyone interested in learning more about design on their own.

The book introduces enough about typography to whet one's appetite for more (check out "Thinking with Type" for that) and introduces basics about Motion Graphics ("Moving Type" by Matt Woolman was and still is great for learning more - it is out of print now but still relevant if you can find it.)

Princeton Architectural Press should be commended for producing such a quality book at such and affordable price.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5 out of 5 stars

YOU LEARN SOMETING NEW EVERY DAY !, 2008-06-08
THIS iS A VERY INFORMATIVE BOOK FOR ANYONE THAT IS A NOVICE AND WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE THE INS AND OUTS OF GRAPHIC DESIGN!

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