It’s that time of year when the pre-holiday spirit befalls us all and we give thanks for all the books we can buy. Here are some of my recent projects to give as gifts. Please order from the retailer of your choice. And if you send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope, I’d be happy to sign to you or a loved one.
The first is the most recent history of the Moderns by Greg D’onofrio and me. The Moderns: Midcentury American Graphic Design (Abrams Books) is a survey of over 60 designers who interpreted, communicated and practiced a distinct form of American modernism. Click here for a preview.
Next up is a book called TypeWrap by Rick Landers and me, featuring typographic wrapping paper and matching labels that you can use to wrap The Moderns in.
Play “name that type style, type designer and type genre” with this beautifully designed desktop typeface reference, TypeDeck (Thames and Hudson), designed by Rick Landers and written by me. The package consists of 54 cards showing a letter design on the front and its history and historical images on the back. Hours of type fan fun.
Teaching Graphic Design, Second Edition, edited by me and freshly designed by Kevin Brainard and Cybele Grandjean, contains syllabi to enhance teaching skills and showcase how experienced instructors and professors teach varied tools. This second edition is revised to include 30-plus new syllabi by a wide range of teaching professionals who address the most current concerns of the graphic design industry, including product, strategic, entrepreneurial and data design as well as the classic image, type and layout disciplines. Beginning with first- through fourth-year undergraduate courses and ending with a sampling of graduate school course options, Teaching Graphic Design, Second Edition (Allworth Press) is the most comprehensive collection of courses for graphic designers of all levels.
Type Tells Tales (Thames & Hudson / Yale University Press) examines how author-designers use typography in narrative and other storytelling ways. From the vintage classics to the contemporary masterpieces, the diverse examples reveal the how type conveys content, illuminates content and is the content of literary and poetic works.
Finally, but not least, from Laurence King Publishers comes The Graphic Design Idea Book and The Typography Idea Book, which offer insights for smart design concepts. I love these books. Illustration Idea Book will be out in the Spring.