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Virtu Art Books

Principles and Practices of Design

Design, 1935-1965: What Modern Was
Offers a unique perspective on the decorative arts of the mid-20th century. This publication focuses on 200 of the finest objects from the most important designers and artists of the time. With some 300 illustrations, these works create a rich and diversified image of the Modern period in design.

Bauhaus Ideal, Then and Now: An Illustrated Guide to Modern Design
'Design' itself was an invention of the Bauhaus era to combine usefulness, beauty and economy into a reasonable whole. This unique volume introduces modern design principles and examines them from an historically critical perspective. It concludes with some ideas for melding modern solemnity with postmodern irony. And in each phase, the illustrations speak as eloquently as the text. This invaluable book is itself a work of art and is issued at a time when there is a revival of interest in modernism-furniture by Corbusier, Noguchi and Eames has never been more popular.

ABC's of the Bauhaus: Bauhaus and Design Theory
By re-examining Bauhaus ideas and encouraging critical thinking about the means and ends of design, this work provides the opportunity to reinvigorate today's graphics. Conceived, designed and edited at The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography, The Cooper Union, New York, this book traces the origins and impact of the Bauhaus in relation to basic design, graphic design and typography. While the text is a challenging exploration of the Bauhaus's aims and achievements, the book itself is a manifesto of Bauhaus ideals, synthesizing editorial concept, typography and craftsmanship. Essays by eminent contributors address various aspects of the Bauhaus, including its relationship to Weimar culture, Herbert Bayer's geometric type design called 'universal', and the psychological implications of Kandinsky's celebrated attempts to establish fundamental laws of form and colour with his triangle/square/circle test. Illustrations include extensive samples of typographical design, instructional diagrams and symbols. Designed in a manner that befits the aspirations of the Bauhaus, this manual will be an inexhaustible fund of inspiration for design professionals and a revelation for all those interested in 20th-century culture.

Universal Principles of Design: 100 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach Through Design
Whether a marketing campaign or a museum exhibit, a video game or a complex control system, the design we see is the culmination of many concepts and practices brought together from a variety of disciplines. Because no one can be an expert on everything, designers have always had to scramble to find the information and know-how required to make a design work - until now. This comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopaedia of design pairs clear explanations of every design concept with visual examples of the concepts applied in practice. From the "80/20" rule to chunking, from baby-face bias to Occam's razor and from self-similarity to storytelling, every major design concept is defined and illustrated for readers to expand their knowledge

Graphic Design School: The Principles and Practices of Graphic Design
I n 'Principles and Techniques', the reader is shown how to start developing these ideas and learns new methods of giving form to their vision by experimentation with colour, typography and computer techniques. Finally, 'Commercial Practice' shows how these skills are applied in the workplace, whether in editorial design, advertising or in the creation of corporate identities. Throughout, the book highlights real examples of students' work, from the design of logos and websites to product packaging, providing points of reference so the reader can continually compare their own progress and enhance their potential in this competitive field. Graphic Design School is a must-buy, all-encompassing guide to this fast-evolving subject

The Designer's Complete Index
Every designer needs a little inspiration now and then and this series of "index" books: "Color Index", "Idea Index" and "Layout Index" (in a transparent carrying case) provides fuel for creativity

Graphic Design Cookbook
With 100,000 copies sold, Graphic Design Cookbook is one of the most useful all-purpose resources for designers and anyone who wants to create a dynamic layout for magazines, newsletters, books, posters, or other media. Now released with a fresh new cover, Graphic Design Cookbook has over a thousand line drawings that illustrate effective design devices, type treatments, spatial solutions, and pictorial issues, allowing anyone to examine and compare various design options in no time. As with a culinary cookbook, Graphic Design Cookbook can be opened to virtually any page for instant access to great ideas. As a catalyst to cook up endless new design recipes, this book has proven indispensible to one generation of designers; this latest edition will prove priceless to the next

A Smile in the Mind: Witty Thinking in Graphic Design
This text explores witty thinking, looking at clever ideas rather than funny drawing, and gathering together the best examples of graphic wit since the 1960s. Work is included from more than 300 designers in the US, Britain, Europe and Japan.

The Complete Guide to Digital Graphic Design
A review of the fast changing world of graphic design, this guide should be essential reading for anyone involved in the graphics industry. Its succinct but comprehensive coverage of a multitude of technical issues confronting today's graphic designers, coupled with examples of graphics from around the world, makes it ideal for those already employed in graphics who feel the need to improve their technical and theoretical skills, as well as students. Starting with a showcase of some of the best practitioners in the fields of print, exhibition design, advertising, signange, packaging, multimedia and the web, this handbook also provides detailed information on designs basics such as type, colour and images.

Graphic Design Solutions
Demystifying the design process, this text outlines a step-by-step procedure readers should be able to apply with confidence to solve their own design or advertising problems. The author's detailed discussion of typography and 2-dimensional design - reinforced with opportunities to execute diverse applications such as logos, packaging and web design - offers a springboard for critical thinking and visualization skills development. In addition to a chapter on web design, plus a detailed look at advertising, this edition also features: a chapter on annual reports; full-colour samples of works by master and contemporary designers; guidance on how to objectively assess and critique designs; a list of criteria by which readers can judge their own work and establish basic objectives when designing; plus tips for compiling a portfolio and launching a successful job search.

Design Basics Index
Design Basics Index is full of inspiration for those working in the graphics industry, or those seeking to find a way in. The book guides the reader through a progression of visual and conceptual theories to samples and exercises that will stretch the designer's imagination and creativity. Also included is a section of advice and strategies for gaining agency and freelance work in graphic design, one of the most popular and difficult industries to break into. The Index series has become successful and popular for its hard-working approach and its vigorous and inspiring exercises

Creative Sparks: An Index of 150+ Concepts, Images and Exercises to Ignite Your Design Ingenuity
The author has put together a collection of thought-provoking concepts, suggestions, anecdotes and exercises to stimulate the creative, innovative thinking that designers need in order to do their job well. He focuses not only on cleverely designed creativity tips and anecdotes, but also on practical advice and idea starters

A Book Designed to Help
Featuring close to 1,000 artworks from over 240 international contributors,this is a book of graphic design, illustration and photography to raise money for charities helping victims of the Tsunami crisis in Asia. It also includes a foreword by Mark Sinclair, Senior Writer at renowned UK design magazine "Creative Review."

Restart: New Systems in Graphic Design
A complete overview of where graphic design is going, Restart presents a radical body of work that is redefining the nature and scope of design practice. An introduction establishes the creative and design background against which this new work is emerging. The book's core is the work of over 35 international studios, which is presented in three categories: Code, how designers are shedding the restraints imposed on them by using the computer as a tool to become creative programmers, thereby discovering worlds of extreme beauty; Generic shows designers who manipulate the ordinary and everyday to produce projects that are off-beat and refreshing, yet strangely familiar; Disjunction features work that aims to provoke and to question, to advance a designer's particular agenda, whether political, social, aesthetic or even personal

Drawing and Designing with Confidence
Readers of this book learn graphic rendering skills quickly with the proven how-to approach that has made Lin the most successful teacher in the field. His method emphasizes speed, confidence, and relaxation, while incorporating many time-saving tricks of the trade.

Design: A Concise History
Aiming to place design developments in their broader context, this text describes the history of design from its emergence as a separate discipline around 1750 to the present. Arranged chronologically, and with colour-coded pages for ease of reference, the book includes time-lines and designers' biographies, as well as feature spreads on notable designers and companies. There is also a detailed list of major design museums and collections

Graphic Design in the 21st Century
Covering a vast range of cutting-edge graphics, with politically charged anti-commercial work placed in the same context as Nike's latest ads, this book presents a sweeping look at today's most progressive graphic currents - from signage at packaging to branding and web design

Interior Design Visual Presentation: A Guide to Graphics, Models & Presentation Techniques
The new, updated edition of the successful book on interior design Interior Design Visual Presentation, Second Edition is fully revised to include the latest material on CAD, digital portfolios, resume preparation, and Web page design. It remains the only comprehensive guide to address the visual design and presentation needs of the interior designer, with coverage of design graphics, models, and presentation techniques in one complete volume. Approaches to the planning, layout, and design of interior spaces are presented through highly visual, step--by--step instructions, supplemented with more than forty pages of full--color illustrations, exercises at the end of each chapter, and dozens of new projects. With the serious designer in mind, it includes a diverse range of sample work, from student designers as well as well--known design firms such as Ellerbee and Beckett Architects and MS Architects. Maureen Mitton is Assistant Professor in the department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin

The Evolution of Useful Things:
How Everyday Artefacts - from Forks and Pins to Paperclips and Zippers
- Came to Be as They Are
A look at the origin of everyday household items examines the Phillips-head screwdriver, paper clips, Post-its, fast-food "clamshell" containers, and other items

Creating the Perfect Design Brief: How to Manage Design for Strategic Advantage
In one of the only books of its kind, a veteran design consultant offers the tools for success gained from nearly 30 years of developing corporate and brand identity programs. Readers will discover the most effective formats for design briefs, how to structure the best possible team, what distinguishes a great design brief from an adequate one, how to use the brief in project tracking, as a measuring tool, and as a means of getting approval for a design solution; and much, much more

Colour: How to Use Colour in Art and Design
Combines a thorough grounding in colour theory with advice on putting principles into practice. Beginning with colour fundamentals, the author then explores the four dimensions of colour - hue, value, intensity and temperature - and finally focuses on psychological, symbolic and cultural aspects.

How to Wow: With InDesign
Visually inspiring guide shows users how to create dazzling pages with the new desktop publishing leader--InDesign CS! Teaches the way designers think--visually, with an emphasis on the design concepts that drive the software rather than the technology behind it. Authors are design and training pros who use just the right combo of text and images to inspire and inform. Companion CD includes all of the lesson files needed to complete the book's projects, plus style sheets, templates, graphic libraries, images, and more!

Universal Principles of Design: 100 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach Through Design
Whether a marketing campaign or a museum exhibit, a video game or a complex control system, the design we see is the culmination of many concepts and practices brought together from a variety of disciplines. Because no one can be an expert on everything, designers have always had to scramble to find the information and know-how required to make a design work - until now. This comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopaedia of design pairs clear explanations of every design concept with visual examples of the concepts applied in practice. From the "80/20" rule to chunking, from baby-face bias to Occam's razor and from self-similarity to storytelling, every major design concept is defined and illustrated for readers to expand their knowledge

20th Century Pattern Design: Textile and Wallpaper Pioneers
Pattern design has flourished throughout the 20th century. From the flamboyance of Art Nouveau at the end of the 19th century, to the computer-generated digital images created at the turn of the millennium, each new generation has evolved their own distinctive approach to pattern design. Tracing the creative cross-fertilization between fashion and interiors, the book provides a chronological account of the proliferation of pattern design. Highlighting the decisive trends that emerged in each decade, the book draws attention to the achievements of progressive manufacturers and ground-breaking designers, charting the emergence of a series of pattern design superpowers in various countries at different moments in time. The book combines full colour photographs, many published for the first time, with a well-researched and informative text to create a resource for modern design enthusiasts and design historians alike. The book can also serve a a sourcebook for students and designers

Design, 1935-1965: What Modern Was
This title presents a distinct perspective on the decorative arts of the mid-20th century. It spotlights seminal objects from the periods most significant innovators, including the Eames's iconic chairs, Noguchi's sculptural lamps, and Sottasass's early rebellious furniture

International Arts and Crafts
The Arts and Crafts movement revolutionised attitudes to work and the home and laid the foundations for a radical shift in approach to design and lifestyle in the early twentieth century. From the pioneering example of William Morris and the writings of John Ruskin, to a new generation of architects, artists, designers and patrons, the movement championed a unity of the arts and was broadly defined by the common aims of social and industrial reform, the revival of handicrafts, a return to the simple life, and the improvement of art for everyday life. It was the first major art movement to focus on the decorative arts but it flung its net much wider, drawing architecture, garden design, photography and graphics into its orbit and changing the way we think about design. Leading scholars in the field explore the the regional, national and international manifestations of Arts and Crafts, looking at the work of many leading designers

Principles of Color Design: Designing with Electronic Color
A complete revision of what is considered the classic introduction to color for all graphic designers and artists. This book provides a solid foundation for the development of personal color sense, and a practical examination of the myriad effects that can be achieved with color

Interior Design Visual Presentation: A Guide to Graphics, Models & Presentation Techniques
The new, updated edition of the successful book on interior design Interior Design Visual Presentation, Second Edition is fully revised to include the latest material on CAD, digital portfolios, resume preparation, and Web page design. It remains the only comprehensive guide to address the visual design and presentation needs of the interior designer, with coverage of design graphics, models, and presentation techniques in one complete volume. Approaches to the planning, layout, and design of interior spaces are presented through highly visual, step--by--step instructions, supplemented with more than forty pages of full--color illustrations, exercises at the end of each chapter, and dozens of new projects. With the serious designer in mind, it includes a diverse range of sample work, from student designers as well as well--known design firms such as Ellerbee and Beckett Architects and MS Architects. Maureen Mitton is Assistant Professor in the department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin--Stout

Design Drawing
This is comprehensive introduction to drawing and more sheds new light on the relationship between perception, drawing, and design. Design Drawing covers the traditional basics of drawing, including line, shape, tone, and space. The supplemental CD-ROM contains information and instruction that elucidates a broad range of design drawing concepts through animation, video, and three-dimensional models. Intended for use with the book or as a stand-alone product, the CD-ROM includes 25 interactive lessons which demonstrate concepts and techniques in a way that a 2-D book format cannot

Color Drawing: Design Drawing Skills and Techniques for Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers
Over 390 new color illustrations *Clear, step-by-step instructions and in-depth guidance *Innovative ways to create design drawings with color copiers and the latest computer techniques *Tips and shortcuts for creating light, shade, shadow, and texture effects in color *Guidelines for choosing and working with color palettes

From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Art and Design Problem Solving
With its emphasis on visual problem solving, creative thinking, and co-operative projects, this book offers the art teacher an opportunity to incorporate a variety of stimulating and meaningful new studio experiences into the curriculum. Developed with the secondary teacher in mind, more than 35 design problems encourage higher level thinking and increased technical proficiency. At the same time these design problems provide explorations in meaning that touch upon subjects such as self, family, and community. The fusion of visual problem solving, creative solutions, and self-expression moves student artwork beyond ordinary to extraordinary

Design Basics 6e
Illustrated throughout with color photographs, this textbook for an introductory class describes the basic elements and principles of design. Examples of good design are taken from various cultures and periods throughout art history. Sample topics include proportion, asymmetrical balance, tactile texture, and ways of suggesting motion. Annotation 2

Safety Symbols Art: Camera-Ready and Disk Art for Designers
For the first time, people who design, produce, or use hazard warning signs, labs, or tags have a definitive source for safety symbol art. Safety Symbols Art is the first and only commercial source of camera-ready and computer disk art for the SEGD safety symbol system a system designed to save lives and prevent injuries. Each of the symbols in this book has been tested and meets the standards approved in 1991 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as Z535, the most far-reaching set of U.S. safety standards developed to date. Now you can reproduce these quickly, easily, and with the assurance that you are complying with ANSI Z535's national safety symbol standards.

Safer by Design: A Guide to the Management and Law of Designing Product Safety
The second edition of this title on the management and law of designing for product safety includes a number of case studies which illustrate the consequences of faulty product design.