Graphic Design History: A Critical Guide

by Johanna Drucker and Emily McVarish

Book Overview

A Fresh Look at the History of Graphic Design Graphic Design History, 2nd edition is a critical approach to the history of graphic design. Organized chronologically, the book demonstrates the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0132410753
• ISBN13: 9780132410755
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Pearson Prentice Hall
• Length: 386 Pages
• Weight: 2.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.4" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

Graphic Design History: A Critical Guide

Excellent. Very well written and engaging - great ideas for class discussions. Have recommended the book to friends and colleagues.

Lively and Thoughtful Survey of the Field

This book is a splendid addition to the field of Graphic Design History. Until recently the study of graphic design lacked the sort of critical analysis that art historians have routinely lavished on painting or sculpture. Drucker and McVarish do a great job of engaging the reader in their thought processes. Some of the best pages are mash-ups of colorful and diverse graphics with interjected commentary and questions. For example, the two-page spread presenting Chinese oracle scripts, Sumerian cuneiform, and a Mayan codex is bisected by a horizontal red ribbon of text asking: What is the written equivalent of an ironic inflection? What is the spoken equivalent of a sans serif face? I had the opportunity to see this text of this book before it was published. The book design is splendid. One might quibble with certain inclusions or ommisions, but overall this volume is extraordinary. The writers left me thinking anew about the impact and importance of graphic design. I teach a graphic design history class, and I found it thought provoking.