Idea Book Serie

Idea book serie

Idea book serie
by Gail Anderson & Steven Heller

​Playing with typographic puzzle pieces is one of the joys of graphic design and typographers have many entertaining, esoteric and eccentric options at their disposal. The Typography Idea Book presents 50 of the most inspiring approaches used by masters of the field from across the world. Geared towards helping you evolve different typographic styles, the book contains none of the technical jargon or tired old rules found in traditional tutorials but is packed with practical techniques and iconic examples. From type transformation to abstraction, via overlapping, hand-lettering, vectorizing, novelty typefaces and puns, discover all the brilliant ideas you could be bringing to your own designs.

Steven Heller has been known for decades as one of the most prolific authors in international graphic publishing. I've even heard of fellow authors making fun of his writing speed, referring to the time it takes to write an e-mail to achieve a full-length book.

While one can criticize the depth of his books, which are often limited to collections of old graphic documents, he remains one of the specialists with indispensable books to his credit, such as the monograph devoted to Paul Rand, or best sellers such as From Merz to Emigré (a history of twentieth-century satirical or avant-garde magazines) or Iron Fists (devoted to the identity design of dictatorships).

Steven Heller's strength lies in his ability to understand the needs of a readership and to conjure up his encyclopedic knowledge to make it accessible and from an angle rarely approached before. Thus, he has teamed up with designer and educator Gail Anderson to develop a series of four books addressing the main principles of graphic design sub-disciplines through the rapid study of 50 exemplary cases: the use of typography, graphic design, logo creation, as well as illustration (not yet available in French).

For The typography Idea book, over the course of 7 thematic chapters, then on each double-page spread, the authors present and then dissect a poster, layout or record sleeve playing with typography in a sensible and creative way. Full-page illustrations confront the text, which is limited to around thirty lines. The historical context of creation is quickly outlined, as is the technical aspect that makes this rendering possible. Each chapter logically groups the creations to provide an overview of all the functions specific to the field. For example, typography is discussed in terms of its communicative purpose, personality or historical connotations, techniques and media, mystery and illusion, formal experimentation, or playfulness.

The format, like the layout, focuses on ease of access and transparency: here, there are no stylistic effects other than the examples shown. The quest for neutrality in design highlights the visual content, and each of the book covers in the series is distinguished by an effective color code.

The examples are drawn as much from the historical heritage as from the contemporary creations of the younger generation, thus providing a wealth of examples capable of laying the foundations of a graphic culture for the reader. As a result, the relevance of the works is more appropriate for a graphic design student looking for an introduction to the discipline without delving into serious textbooks, or leafing through collections of creations encouraging superficial appropriation of style.

Anderson & Heller position themselves more as passers-by, narrating in writing what could be conveyed on the corner of a desk to a student a little lost in the immensity of creative possibilities. It's perhaps a pity that each of the entries doesn't extend via a few recommendations for printed or online reading, enabling the novice to progress towards a richer, more personal vision of the discipline.

More than a must-have, this series of books is recommended for art school, university or public library libraries, where consultation is sufficient and purchase is reserved for gifts.

Idea Serie: Typography, Graphic design, Illustration, Logo design

Gail Anderson & Steven Heller

Published in English by Laurence King, in French by Pyramyd

2016 (UK), 2019 (Fr)

128 pages

15,8 x 21,8 cm (UK), 18 x 24 cm (Fr)