The Design of Dissent: Socially and Politically Driven Graphics

by Mirko Ilić and Milton Glaser

Book Overview

Chosen by the Editors at Amazon.com as one of the top 50 Best Books of 2005 - Now in paperback With the world's economy in a slump, the Middle East's never ending conflict, and the on-going war on... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592533078
• ISBN13: 9781592533077
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers
• Length: 239 Pages
• Weight: 2.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.0" x 11.1"

Customer Reviews

Superb

I bought this as a gift for my brother. It is one of his favorite art books (he has several bookcases of art books). I have briefly skimmed through the book on a few occasions. The quality of the book and printing is very good. The content is vivid and well organized. Of the many political art books I have seen, this is one of the best.

Design activism at its best.

In the present world full of hatred, cruelty, racial discrimination, communal riots, war, human degradation and erosion of values, what a graphic designer can do with his/her talent and compassion that is what the authors trying to show us loud and clear. In the context of the present situation, I strongly feel that this is a book which every graphic designer should buy and inspire.

Design of Dissent

Milton Glaser, Mirko Iilic & Tjony Kusner have put together a visually powerful book. The posters were drawn from individuals and groups around the world and encompass artwork from the 1960's to the present. They express a broad spectrum of concerns from many viewpoints. Mr. Glaser has stated in an interview "the general perception I have is that design can function in culture and has a social role that cannot be only about selling goods". This is certainly true of the design art found in this book. The brief accompanying text to each poster adds to the reader's appreciation and is often invaluable to understanding the meaning of some posters that use language or symbols the reader may not be familiar with. This is not a "coffee-table" book. The impact of the images and messages are direct, dramatic, sometimes humorous, and often very intense. You don't have to be a graphic designer to appreciate this book. If you believe as Mr. Glaser does that "dissent protects democracy", this book is worth a long look.

More than Pages

This book is packed with powerful images that are beautiful, but sometimes difficult to look at. That being said, you can't help getting lost in them. The images come from an endless number of countries and address a wide variety of issues with text that briefly explains the issue and the work itself. It's so captivating because you can quickly get the information you need and then concentrate on the work. The design is equally amazing and even includes a flip book half-way through. If you buy one book this year - buy this one because you'll learn a lot about what's going on in this world - especially things you don't hear on the news.