This book is a highly informative, highly entertaining introduction to what art direction is and what art directors do. Written by two of the world’s leading experts on the subject, it covers the role of art director in numerous environments, including magazines and newspapers, advertising, corporate identity, museums, and publishing. It also provides an insight into what makes a successful art director, what an art director actually does all day, what makes things go right, and what makes things go wrong.

Alongside perspectives on typography, illustration, and photography, there are case studies of successful art direction in different spheres, from McSweeney’s to Vier5′s web design. The authors have also invited pre-eminent international art directors to interpret their roles in special sections of the book that they have art directed themselves. The result is an impressive, enlightening, and often very funny diversity of perspectives and approaches.

Clearly written, including a glossary of handy art director sayings, an ‘art director test,’ and more, Art Direction Explained, At Last! will provide students with insights into the world of art direction and professionals with a perceptive overview of their profession.

Steven Heller is co-chair of the Designer as Author program and co-founder of the Design Criticism program at SVA, New York. For 33 years he was an art director at the New York Times. He is editor of AIGA VOICE, contributing editor to Print, Eye, Baseline, and I.D., and author of 120 books on design.

Veronique Vienne has worked at a number of US magazines as art director, and is the author of The Art of Doing Nothing and The Art of Imperfection, as well as Something to be Desired.

“Cheeky, youthful exuberance…” –Library Journal, Mark Woodhouse, November 1, 2007

…Of the 55 practitioners of hand-drawn typography represented here — each given between two and six pages to show his or her stuff — none creates work that is remotely ordinary. — Metropolis, September 2007

…chock-full of inspiration for designers an eye candy for those who just dress like them…Hand Job is about the next generation of superstars, from frighteningly talented students to rising taste makers Deanne Cheuk and Kevin Lyons. It’s hours of fun. — Time Out Chicago, December 3, 2007

…it’s uplifting to experience a graphic design book that focuses on hand-drawn typography…vibrant and alive…hip without being pretentious–a true look at an underappreciated art form. This is the perfect book for anyone who appreciated graphic design and values sincere uniqueness. — BrandChannel.com, October 2007

A technique which transforms every shape of letter into an art, which celebrates every curve, every height and every upstroke. Sublime and reassuring at the golden age in the computing. — Rosebuzz, Winter 2008

If, like many of us, you’re tired of seeing one computer-generated graphic after another, Hand Job might provide a refreshing change. The book is a collection of hand-drawn type from 55 of today’s most-talented hand typographers. — Step Inside Design, November 2007

“The new book Hand Job: A Catalog of Type by Mike Perry (Princeton Architectural Press, 2007), is a fascinating 250-page tome in its own right, with clever, cute and sometimes bizarre examples of custom-penned letterforms.

No component of graphic design has attracted as much interest or inspired as much innovation in recent years as lettering and type. These fundamentals of design, once the exclusive domain of professional typographers, have become an essential starting point for anyone looking for a fresh way to communicate. Practical information about creating letters and type often amounts to a series of guidelines for executing a particular process, font program, or style. But what makes lettering and type endlessly fascinating is the flexibility to interpret and sometimes even break these rules. Lettering & Type is a smart-but- not-dense guide to creating and bending letters to one’s will. More than just another pretty survey, it is a powerful how-to book full of relevant theory, history, explanatory diagrams, and exercises. While other type design books get hung up on the technical and technological issues of type design and lettering, Lettering & Type features the context and creativity that shape letters and make them interesting.

Authors and designers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals examine classic design examples as well as exciting contemporary lettering of all stripes—from editorial illustrations to concert posters to radical conceptual alphabets. Lettering & Type is ideal for anyone looking to move beyond existing typography and fonts to create, explore, and use original or customized letterforms. This latest addition to our best-selling Design Briefs series features a foreword by Ellen Lupton and hundreds of images and examples of work by historical and contemporary designers, artists, and illustrators, including Marian Bantjes, Stefan Sagmeister, Matthew Carter, Christoph Niemann, Steve Powers (ESPO), House Industries, Christian Schwartz, Margaret Kilgallen, James Victore, Abbott Miller, Sibylle Hagmann, Ed Fella, and many more. Throughout the book interviews with type designers, artists, and graphic designers provide real-world perspective from contemporary practitioners.

For nearly a decade, Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals have collaborated under the label Post Typography on creative projects encompassing graphic design, illustration, typography, lettering, and printmaking with additional forays into art, apparel, music, curatorial work, design theory, and vandalism. They both live in Baltimore.

“Typeface is a unique source book of 60 classic typographical designs. Among the best features of the book is quick comparison between like designs. Offering solutions, alternatives, and even technical specifications.” –Curated Magazine, June 10, 2009

If there is one experience that any graphic designer can relate to, it’s the quest for the perfect typeface. The right typeface communicates the visual essence of the content while enhancing the impact of the overall design. The dozens of type samplers available are often more confusing than helpful, offering hundreds of choices but little guidance. Typeface: Classic Typography for Contemporary Design is a unique sourcebook featuring sixty classic typefaces that continue to resonate with today’s most influential graphic designers. The book is organized using typographic classifications such as sans serif, serif, display, script, and dingbats. Each typeface is presented in detail, including its origin, main characteristics, and uses. The main character set of each type specimen is accompanied by typesheet style examples including technical specifications and non-Latin characters.

In addition, Typeface includes a unique feature certain to delight designers: a choice of similar typefaces is given for each font, so that alternatives can be easily compared, taking the stress out of tracking down typefaces. Characteristics such as vertically stressed oblique serifs or abrupt contrasts are highlighted and easily cross-referenced, allowing designers to make educated type choices without having to trawl through the seemingly endless pages of type vendor libraries. Accompanying the main character sets and typesheets are examples of the typefaces in use. Leading practitioners such as Pentagram, karlssonwilker inc., and Why Not Associates provide a working context for each typeface, making Typeface both a fully functional sourcebook and an inspirational showcase of international typographic design.

Review
From my earliest days using After Effects, I owe much of what I know to Trish and Chris Meyers classes and books. Alex Lindsay, ex-ILM/JAK Films, Chief Architect, Pixel Corp

Motion graphics and moving images are essential to communicating in a memorable way. Trish and Chris Meyer are masters of their craft and are uniquely qualified to guide anyone learning Adobe After Effects. –Michael Coleman, Product Manager, Adobe After Effects

Review
“From my earliest days using After Effects, I owe much of what I know to Trish and Chris Meyer’s classes and books.” -Alex Lindsay, ex-ILM/JAK Films, Chief Architect, Pixel Corp

“Motion graphics and moving images are essential to communicating in a memorable way. Trish and Chris Meyer are masters of their craft and are uniquely qualified to guide anyone learning Adobe After Effects.” -Michael Coleman, Product Manager, Adobe After Effects

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