Rare Design Books

Posted on March 6, 2008March 11, 2008 Posted in Books, BookShelf, Design, Grid Systems, TypographyTagged Books, BookShelf, graphic design, out of print, rare7 Comments

Recently 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

Grid Systems In Graphic Design

Posted on February 11, 2008October 20, 2008 Posted in Books, BookShelf, Design, Grid Systems, TypographyTagged an exhibit in mono, book, braun, build, graphic design, grids, josef müller-brockmann, spin, total design, typographic, Typography, we are the world27 Comments

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

AM7 Magazine

Posted on February 6, 2008March 11, 2008 Posted in Books, BookShelf, Design, TypographyTagged Akademische Mitteilungen, am7, Daniel Fritz, graphic design, layout, magazine, Maik Stapelberg, Photography, Typography3 Comments

I 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.

My Avant Garde Collection

Posted on January 31, 2008January 31, 2008 Posted in Books, BookShelf, Design, TypographyTagged avant garde, Design, graphic, Herb Lubalin, magazine, typeface7 Comments

Recently 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.

Thinking For A Living Booklet

Posted on January 25, 2008January 25, 2008 Posted in Books, BookShelf, Design, Merch, TypographyTagged bbdk, booklet, dallas society, Design, duane, graphic, king, newsprint, pioneer10, thinking for a living, Typography2 Comments

Here’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.

AisleOne BookShelf 3rd Edition

Posted on January 7, 2008 Posted in Books, BookShelf, Design, TypographyTagged BookShelf, Design, emigre, experimental jetset, graphic, grid, grids, helvetica, lost formats, typeface2 Comments

Emigre 57

The 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.