Many of us wait for the summer to read, taking advantage of the fact that we enjoy more free time. I am in favor of these types of traditions not being lost and we do not forget the habit of reading good books on paper and I know that many of you do too. For all those who like me want to embark on a good work on graphic design, today we are going to review three of the most interesting titles that can fall this summer.
I have tried to gather digestible books that can be read without difficulty. Two of them focus on methodological aspects, while one focuses on a historical analysis of the personalities of our profession. Enjoy them!
Graphic design cookbook
This book is ideal for these holidays because, in addition to being digestible, it is fast, direct and provides a large number of materials to get the most out of our ideas. It is intended to serve the reader (who will be an average designer / student) as an aid in inspiration, reflection and learning. It stands out for presenting a totally inspiring appearance. It is permeated by more than 1000 illustrations with different design elements, different typographic treatments and spatial solutions. Its structure and format allow it to become a quick reference book. In a single glance we can answer the doubts that arise. The wealth of advice it provides makes it a tremendously effective tool for tackling simple and complex projects.
Graphic design visionaries
The concept of visionary has been strictly linked with others such as creativity, imagination or even magic. And it is that a visionary is revealed as an individual capable of seeing beyond what other people are capable of. Finding infinite nuances in a kind of «hidden dimension»To the rest of the mortals. When a visionary manages to exercise his role and effectively develop his potentials, he ends up becoming a channel that connects the present with the distant future, causing unprecedented revolutions. We have all known visionaries: historical figures who at one point made global thinking evolve by leaps and bounds and who today, even from the past, continue to serve as examples, unspeakable words and deeds with enough force to make us shudder and feel great inspiration and desire to improve ourselves. This book focuses on these types of characters within the short history of graphic design, although of course they are present in any branch or field. This work includes studies on authors as decisive in our aspect as Piet Zwart influenced by architecture, who defined his design process as "the construction of pages with typefaces"; Ladislav Sutnar who talks about “The purpose of good visual design is serious. To achieve improvement and progress, the designer must work to the limit of his abilities; you must think first and work later ”.
The Practice of Graphic Design: A Creative Methodology
A good design has different purposes (everything will depend on the hands that bring it into the world, and the mind that invents it), but one of the most important and that takes it far away from art, is efficiency. Within this world there is an inescapable protagonist, whom we all know: creativity. There are different aspects regarding this human phenomenon. One of them watches it as an almost accidental, magical outburst. Another of them is perhaps less mystical and more rational: And it is that it defends that creativity is present in always alien examples and we can always imitate it through the imitation process. The conclusion that is always reached lies in the methodology: For what? It is quite curious that all those who practice creativity as a way of life rarely stop to analyze it as a phenomenon. The conditions, the necessary training or the context are not usually taken into account. This work is reflected in a tremendously interesting way, a debate from the prism of methodology and without lacking a pragmatic vision.