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Bastardised on Page 76
November 14th, 2008I just received my copy of Bastardised by Bunch and what a gem it is. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet then what the hell are you waiting for? Some really great stuff in here. If you do have it and happen to turn to page 76 you’ll see my submission in all it’s glory. Honestly, it’s a real honor to be included with such talents as BB Saunders, Chris Hewitt, Craig Oldham, Darren Firth, David Corti, Michael Cina, Si Scott and many more.
You can see some more shots on my Flickr page.
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More Rare Swiss Design Books
April 22nd, 2008These next two additions to my collection have to be the most rare and the most expensive but also the most satisfying. Publicity and Graphic Design in the Chemical Industry (1967) and Graphic Design in Swiss Industry (1965) are both by Hans Neuberg and are part of the excellent ABC Verlag collection and contain page after page of some of the finest design work you’ll ever see. From packaging to letterheads these books will keep you hypnotized for hours… if you can find them.
You can see more photos from both books on my Flickr page.
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Swiss Sports Posters
April 21st, 2008I added a new book to my collection this weekend titled Swiss Sports Posters that features… well… Swiss sports posters. The book is a collection of the best sports posters covering more than a century. Printed in 1983 and authored by Karl Wobmann and Max Triet, Swiss Sports Posters contains brilliant work that will get any designers juices flowing.
Check out the full gallery on my Flickr page.
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Signet Signal Symbol
March 15th, 2008Here’s another rare gem that I managed to find. Signet Signal Symbol, by Walter J. Diethelm and published in 1984, is a book displaying commercial and cultural signs, symbols, logos and icons. What makes this book very unique are the three translucent pages featuring actual design sketches from the designers. An excellent insight into the process and evolution of the designs. Book itself is pretty rare but it makes an great inspirational tool for I need to sign logos and icons.
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A Sign Systems Manual
March 11th, 2008This beautiful specimen just arrived today. A Sign Systems Manual by Theo Crosby, Alan Fletcher and Colin Forbes illustrates and describes a simple basic system for designing, contracting and displaying signs. It also dives into the history of alphabets and the development of type. It’s an excellent inspirational resource jam packed with pages and pages of gorgeous type examples.
This is the rarest and most expensive book I own. I found it for less than $100, that’s a great price considering that I’ve seen it for $300.
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Rare Design Books
March 6th, 2008Recently my obsession with collecting rare design books has reached an all-time high. In the last month I’ve added 14 books to my collection. Some hard to find, some not, some expensive, some cheap, but all amazing. I’ve photographed them for your viewing pleasure.
Books:
1999 — 20Th-Century Type Remix — Lewis Blackwell
1974 — Basic Typography — Ruedi Ruegg, Godi Frolich
1989 — Basic Typography: Design With Letters — Ruedi Ruegg
1984 — Corporate Design International — Wolfgang Schmittel
1986 — Experiment Design — Igildo G. Biesele
1977 — Graphic Design Manual: Principles and Practice — Armin Hofmann
1980 — Moderne Werbe Und Gebrauchs Grafik — Hans Neuburg
1964 — Official Graphic Art in Switzerland — Walter Bangerter, Albert Moneda
1986 — Posters by the Members of the Alliance Graphique Internationale 1960 — 1985 — Rudolph de Harak
1978 — Process Visual — Wolfgang Schmittel
1993 — Symbol Signs: The Complete Study of Passenger/Pedestrian-Oriented Symbols Developed by The American Institute of Graphic Arts for the U.S. Department of Transportation
1974 — Symbol Signs: The Development of Passenger/Pedestrian Oriented Symbols for Use in Transportation-Related Facilities
1973 — Trademarks and Symbols: Alphabets, Volume 1 — Yasaburo Kuwayama
1973 — Trademarks and Symbols: Symbolical Design, Volume 2 — Yasaburo Kuwayama
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Grid Systems In Graphic Design
February 11th, 2008
This weekend I finally picked up Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Müller Brockmann. To say this is a great book would be an understatement. I think it’s one of the most important books on graphic design and every serious designer should put this at the top of their must read list. Brockmann does an exceptional job of explaining why a grid is so valuable to a design, and the important rules of setting type on a grid. This book alone will make me a better designer.
I also picked up Brockmann’s other great book, The Graphic Artist and his Design Problems. I haven’t read it yet but I plan to this week.
I’ve added photos of these books to my Flickr page along with:
We Are The World
Total Design: 40 Years
Braun Design Magazine
An Exhibition In Mono Catalogue
Spin/2: 50 Reading Lists
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AM7 Magazine
February 6th, 2008I wrote about this magazine back in May and I managed to get a copy. It’s one of my favorite items in my collection, a true gem.
You can check out some more photos of it on my Flickr page.
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My Avant Garde Collection
January 31st, 2008Recently I started to collecting vintage Avant Garde Magazines, mainly the ones with the pretty covers full of Avant Garde goodness. Herb Lubalin did a wonder job with this magazine. His interior layout designs are simple, clean and beautiful to look at and the typeface is one of my favorites. It’s amazing how the typeface has gone on to be such a big part of the modern design culture. I see the damn thing everywhere, even in cheesy catalogs and signage, and it’s butcher most of the time. But when used correctly it can be a wonderful thing.
Anyway, my collection is small, it only consists of issues 8, 11 and 13. Issue 8 is unique since it was released with 3 different covers. One white, one tan and one in a thick brown paper stock. Looks great in person.
Check out my Flickr page for more photos.
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Thinking For A Living Booklet
January 25th, 2008Here’s a recent addition to the AisleOne Bookshelf.
Created for the Dallas Society of Visual Communications 3rd Annual National Student Show & Conference, this companion booklet to thinkingforaliving.org was created by BBDK’s creative director Duane King. Sized at 6″ x 9″ and consisting of 42 pages, the booklet is printed on salmon colored newsprint using only Cyan and Magenta. It’s absolutely gorgeous in person and a must for any collection. Duane did an excellent job. You can purchase at copy at You Work For Them.
You can view more photos of the booklet on my Flickr page
Also, don’t forget to check out my interview with Duane King.
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AisleOne BookShelf 3rd Edition
January 7th, 2008The third edition of AisleOne BookShelf features Emigre Issue 57 — Lost Formats Preservation Society designed and edited by Experimental Jetset. This issue focuses on the lost formats of storage data. There are some essays but it’s mostly full of visual goodness. Pages and pages of big, bold type in beautiful Helvetica designed in EJ’s typographic style.
Emigre 57 — Lost Formats Preservation Society
Designed and edited by Amsterdam’s Experimental Jetset, Emigre 57 is an homage to lost formats — a celebration of customized mixtapes, obscure computer discs, and forgotten standards. The issue, while questioning its own physical manifestation as a magazine, reminds us how once each format used to contain its own specific data, while today the CD/DVD format is capable of containing ALL data, setting the stage for the final step, the mythical non-format.
You can view more photos of the books on the AisleOne Flickr page.
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AisleOne BookShelf 2nd Edition
December 19th, 2007For this second edition of AisleOne BookShelf I have some real goodies. The hard to find IDEA Number 323 which is entirely dedicated to Wim Crouwel, the new Peter Seitz: Designing a Life book and The ABCs of Bauhaus. I was actually blown away by the content of the IDEA issue. There is a ton of stuff in there, a lot of which I’ve never seen. It also includes Crouwel’s New Alphabet in full detail. This one is definitely a keeper. I recommended going over to You Work For Them and picking one up before they are all gone. The Seitz book is full of design goodness as well and the Bauhaus book is definitely a reader. I have to sit down and soak that one in.
On a side note, I still haven’t be able to figure out how to take good pictures of these books. The biggest problem I’m having is keeping them open without damaging them and without getting my dumb hand in the picture. If anyone can give me some advice on how to do this well that would be great. There has to be a way cause I see it done well all the time.
IDEA Number 323: Wim Crouwel
Special Feature: Wim Crouewel’s adventures into the experimental worlds. This issue of Idea specially devoted its 190 pages to Wim Crouwel’s representative design works, including posters, book designs, logotypes, stamps, typefaces and others. His legendary New Alphabet is also introduced with full details. Two historical essay’s by Crouwel and comments from imporatant design figures are also featured.
Peter Seitz: Designing a Life
Peter Seitz: Designing of a Life is the first in-depth documentation of Seitz’s unique story and influential work. Containing new historical research and never-before-published images, the book includes essays by Andrew Blauvelt, Kolean Pitner, and Bruce N. Wright that survey the compass of his prolific and influential life.
The ABCs of Bauhaus
The ABC’s of Bauhaus traces the origins and impact of the Bauhaus in relation to design, graphic design, and typography. The book, designed by the authors, invokes the Bauhaus ideal of synthesizing editorial concept, typography, and format. The essays address such issues as modernist design theory in relation to the nineteenth-century kindergarden movement and Bauhaus graphic design in relation to the idea of a universal “language” of vision. Additional essays address psychoanalysis, fractal geometry, and Weimar culture. This book includes two essays by Mike Mills.
That’s it for this edition. You can view more photos of the books on the AisleOne Flickr page.