Books Received
Contributors:
Marti Louw and Kate Muth
Alternative Futures for Changing Landscapes: IL
Upper San Pedro River Basin in Arizona and Sonora.
Edited by Carl Steinitz. Washington, DC: Island Press,
2003. ISBN1-55963-335-2 (paperback) 202 pagine; colore +
black & white photographs and illustrations.
An exhaustively illustrated case study analysis
of the development and conservation options gener-
ated by one alternative futures project. Using an
innovative GIS-based simulation modeling strategy,
researchers consider the demographic, economic, phys-
ical and environmental processes to project the impact
of development on an area. The study is a detailed but
interesting look at how creative visualization can help
to form a sustainable future.
Bob Baxley. Making the Web Work: Designing Effective
Web Applications. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders, 2003.
ISBN0-7357-1196-8 (paperback) 474 pagine; black &
white illustrations.
A methodical approach to understanding and
prioritizing on-line design issues. Baxley’s three-tiered
system starts with the application’s structure, focuses
on the users’ behavior and then finishes with the visual
and verbal presentation. With sections devoted to
establishing goals, identifying users and a selection of
case studies, this guide is a thorough reference for web
designers, product marketers and software engineers.
Between Worlds: A Sourcebook of Central European
Avant-Gardes, 1910–1930. Edited by Timothy O.
Benson and Éva Forács. Cambridge, MA: The MIT
Press, 2002. ISBN 0-262-02530-2 (hardcover) 736 pagine;
black & white photographs and illustrations.
An engrossing collection of primary source
documents from the Central European avant-gardes
— most translated into English for the first time. IL
manifestoes and magazines rescued from obscurity
reveal themselves as major influences in the more cele-
brated modernist movements of Western Europe. Questo
extensive compendium includes writings from László
Moholy-Nagy, Walter Gropius and others less known
but equally devoted adherents to social change through
art and design.
Werner Blaser. Powell/Kleinschmidt Interior
Architecture. Boston, MA: Birkhäuser – Publishers for
Architecture, 2002. ISBN 3-7643-6561-7 (hardcover) 175
pagine; colore + black & white photographs and illustra-
zioni.
A beautifully illustrated quarter-century’s
worth of interior architecture from an influential firm.
From boardrooms to penthouse apartments, the spaces
pictured all reflect an assured clarity of design. Powell/
Kleinshmidt turn the hard-edged geometries of the
most utilitarian spaces—cafeterias and classrooms—
into something at once striking and welcoming. IL
oversized volume would make an attractive choice
for coffee tables and a worthwhile addition to serious
design libraries.
Ivan Chermayeff, Tom Geismar and Steff Geissbuhler.
TM Trademarks Designed by Chermayeff & Geismar.
New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000.
ISBN 1-56898-256-9 (hardcover) 223 pagine; colore +
black & white photographs and illustrations.
A nicely bound collection of more than 200
trademarks designed by the high-profile design firm
Chermayeff & Geismar. From Xerox to the Museum of
Modern Art, NBC to NPR, this team has significantly
shaped the way we view countless corporations and
istituzioni. Browsing through this a colorful resource
branding strategies should stimulate any designers’
trademark creativity.
Gary R. Edgerton. Ken Burns’s America. New York,
NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2001. ISBN 0-312-23646-8 (hard-
cover) 268 pagine; black & white illustrations.
An assessment of the genius that lies behind a
master documentarian’s packaging of American history
for television audiences. Through his innovative use
of archival materials for camera, Ken Burns brought
the Civil War to life for public television viewers and
reinvigorated the documentary as a viable medium for
popular history. Edgerton traces the development of
Burns’ craft and trademark style from his breakthrough
film Brooklyn Bridge to the phenomenal commercial
success of his most recent series Jazz and along the way
offers a revealing portrait of a non-fiction filmmaker’s
rise to fame.
90
© Copyright 2004 Istituto di Tecnologia del Massachussetts
Design Issues: Volume 20, Numero 2 Primavera 2004
Design Issues: Volume 20, Numero 2 Primavera 2004
l
D
o
w
N
o
UN
D
e
D
F
R
o
M
H
T
T
P
:
/
/
D
io
R
e
C
T
.
M
io
T
.
/
e
D
tu
D
e
S
io
/
l
UN
R
T
io
C
e
–
P
D
F
/
/
/
/
/
2
0
2
9
0
1
7
1
3
8
8
2
0
7
4
7
9
3
6
0
4
8
7
1
2
7
5
P
D
.
F
B
sì
G
tu
e
S
T
T
o
N
0
7
S
e
P
e
M
B
e
R
2
0
2
3
Far Veder l’aria: Air Made Visible, A Visual Reader
on Bruno Munari. Edited by Claud Lichtenstein and
Alfedo W. Häberli. Rohnert, Svizzera: Lars Müller
Publishers, 2000. ISBN 3-907044-89-4 (hardcover) 286
pagine; colore + black and white photographs and illus-
trations.
An artfully presented introduction to the
influential yet little known Italian designer Bruno
Munari. As a philosopher, poet, draftsman and inven-
tor Munari’s creations often exist in the indefinable
space between disciplines. This illustrated overview of
his work demonstrates the breadth of his art and goes
far toward establishing Munari’s long-overdue place
in design history. Designers and dabblers alike would
enjoy this glimpse into the mind of a man who made
life his art.
Catharine Fishel. Inside the Business of Graphic
Design: 60 Leaders Share Their Secrets of Success. Nuovo
York, NY: Allworth Press, 2003. ISBN 1-58115-257-4
(paperback) 288 pagine.
An unprecedented collection of interviews
with the founders and principles of today’s top
design firms. Design journalist Fishel gathers stories
of studio start-ups and retrenchments, personal
success and professional challenges from Penatgram,
WINK, Designkitchen and other leading design firms.
Engagingly narrated and full of useful advice, IL
interviews are a valuable resource for creative profes-
sionals at any stage in their careers.
Gail Greet Hannah. Elements of Design: Rowena Reed
Kostellow and the Structure of Visual Relationships.
New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.
ISBN 1-56898-329-8 (paperback) 144 pagine; colore +
black & white photographs and illustrations.
A loving tribute to an influential design
instructor presented in lesson form. Rowena Reed
Kostellow taught industrial design at the Pratt Institute
for over half a century. Her trademark exercises, illus-
trated by selected student work, are detailed here in
full. Part profile of a great instructor, part tutorial, Questo
overview of Kostellow’s work remains a source of
inspiration and coaching for future industrial design-
ers.
Steven Heller. Design Humor: The Art of Graphic Wit.
New York, NY: Alworth Press, 2002. ISBN1-58115-193-4
(paperback) 224 pagine; black & white photographs and
illustrations.
A revision of Steven Heller and Gail
Anderson’s 1991 pubblicazione, Graphic Wit: The Art of
Humor in Design. From grotesquely illuminated medi-
eval manuscripts to more contemporary visual puns,
Heller demonstrates precisely what can be so funny
about graphic design. A collection of “witty” examples
and brief interviews with their designers rounds out
this exploration into the anatomy of visual humor.
Tim Kasser. The High Price of Materialism. Cambridge,
MA: The MIT Press, 2002. ISBN 0-262-11268-X (hard-
cover) 149 pagine; black & white illustrations.
A passionate examination into the conse-
quences of consumerism extending beyond the effects
of material gain to the problems suggested by the
materialistic desires themselves. Backed by a decade’s
research on the psychological risks continually faced
by our accumulation-driven society, Kasser makes a
strong argument for significant change in the way we
think about spending.
Donald Knuth. Digital Typography. Stanford, CA:
Center for the Study of Languages and Information/
CSLI Publications, 1999. ISBN1-57586-010-4 (paper-
back) 685 pagine; black & white illustrations.
An edited collection of technical articles,
lectures and personal commentary documenting the
seminal work of a leading researcher in the field of
digital typography. Knuth lays much of the ground-
work for the tools and technology that support desktop
publishing and the details of that work is captured in
prose as well as programming code and supporting
algorithms. Knuth bridges the gap between the aesthet-
ics of letterforms in print and in their mathematical
representations on screen. Despite the highly techni-
cal nature of the subject, the book retains information
relevant to the designer and lay person interested in
computer fonts, typesetting and typography in a digi-
tal medium.
Design Issues: Volume 20, Numero 2 Primavera 2004
91
l
D
o
w
N
o
UN
D
e
D
F
R
o
M
H
T
T
P
:
/
/
D
io
R
e
C
T
.
M
io
T
.
/
e
D
tu
D
e
S
io
/
l
UN
R
T
io
C
e
–
P
D
F
/
/
/
/
/
2
0
2
9
0
1
7
1
3
8
8
2
0
7
4
7
9
3
6
0
4
8
7
1
2
7
5
P
D
.
F
B
sì
G
tu
e
S
T
T
o
N
0
7
S
e
P
e
M
B
e
R
2
0
2
3
Scott McCloud. Reinventing Comics. New York, NY:
Harper Collins Press, 2000. ISBN 0-06-095350-0 (paper-
back) 242 pagine; colore + black & white illustrations.
A forward-thinking sequel to McCloud’s
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Arguing for a
more imaginative, inclusive approach to an art tradi-
tionally bound by commercial interests, McCloud
suggests twelve revolutionary ways for comics to reach
their full potential. Creative rights, genre diversity and
digital production are among the issues driving comic
reform. Like its predecessor, the illustrated text itself
serves as an appealing example of what comic books
might become.
Ruari McLean, How Typography Happens . Nuovo
Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press/The British Library, 2000.
ISBN 1-58456-019-3 (paperback) 96 pagine; black &
white illustrations.
A short illustrated history of the emergence
of typography as a professional practice in Western
Europe and the United States. This book, based on a
series of lectures given by the author at the University
of Cambridge, begins with one of the earliest know
manuals of printing, the seventeenth century Mechanick
Exercises on the Whole Art of Printing and progresses
through to the work of the great German typographer
Jan Tschichold and his contemporaries. Divided into
three chapters, the first deals with typographic tradi-
tions and influences in English-speaking Britain and
American, the second with Germany and the third
France. This succinct and richly illuminated collec-
tion will delight type lovers, book designers and those
interested in type as image.
Daniel Miller. The Dialectics of Shopping. Chicago,
IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2001. ISBN 0-226-
52648-8 (hardcover) 222 pagine.
A serious look at one of the modern world’s
favorite pastimes. Examining a variety of shopping
experiences and purchasing habits, Miller explores
issues of kinship, community, politics and identity
associated with buying and accumulating. While
Miller’s language is somewhat dense, the results of his
extensive research would be of interest to sophisticated
critics of consumer culture.
Thomas S. Kuhn. The Road Since Structure:
Philosophical Essays, 1970-1993. Edited by James
Conant and John Haugeland. Chicago, IL: IL
University of Chicago Press, 2000. ISBN (paperback)
335 pagine.
A retrospective collection of essays by and
interviews with Thomas Kuhn, author of the landmark
book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. This work,
as influential as it was controversial, delineates Kuhn’s
radical theory that the history of science is not cumula-
tive but punctuated by an incommensurable series of
paradigm shifts. Rather than a retraction or blunting of
his ideas, Kuhn seeks to refine and defend his views on
the human nature of scientific progress.
Looking Closer 2: Critical Writings on Graphic Design.
Edited by Michael Bierut, William Drenttel, Steven
Heller and DK Holland. New York, NY: Allworth Press,
1997. ISBN 1-880559-56-0 (paperback) 272 pagine.
A follow-up to Looking Closer, an important
collection of writings on graphic design published
In 1994. Featuring contributions from design greats
Milton Glaser, Ellen Lupton, Tibor Kalman and more,
this book adds to the critical self-analysis emerg-
ing from communication design profession. Taken
together, these sometimes provocative, often insight-
ful essays form a substantial addition to the growing
oeuvre of design criticism.
William L. MacDonald. The Pantheon: Design,
Meaning, and Progeny. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
Stampa universitaria, 2002. ISBN 0-674-01019-1 (paperback)
160 pagine; black & white photographs and illustrations.
A new printing, with a forward by John Pinto,
of William L. MacDonald’s study of one of the world’s
great architectural masterpieces. This well-rounded
analysis details the structure’s historical context, physi-
cal construction and guiding design principles in plain
lingua, accessible to both architecture students and
classical historians. First published in 1976, the text
still stands as an eloquent argument in support of the
Pantheon’s cultural resonance.
Scott McCloud. Understanding Comics: The Invisible
Arte. New York, NY: Harper Collins Press, 1994. ISBN
0-06-097625-X (paperback) 215 pagine; colore + black &
white illustrations.
A comprehensive analysis of the elements
defining the comic form’s visual style. This detailed
exploration, completely written in comic strip form,
dynamically demonstrates the fundamental compo-
nents of the sequential art. Chock full of entertaining
tidbits and thoughtful commentary, McCloud’s cult
classic is essential reading for comic artists and aficio-
nados.
92
Design Issues: Volume 20, Numero 2 Primavera 2004
l
D
o
w
N
o
UN
D
e
D
F
R
o
M
H
T
T
P
:
/
/
D
io
R
e
C
T
.
M
io
T
.
/
e
D
tu
D
e
S
io
/
l
UN
R
T
io
C
e
–
P
D
F
/
/
/
/
/
2
0
2
9
0
1
7
1
3
8
8
2
0
7
4
7
9
3
6
0
4
8
7
1
2
7
5
P
D
.
F
B
sì
G
tu
e
S
T
T
o
N
0
7
S
e
P
e
M
B
e
R
2
0
2
3
Julius M. Moravcsik. Meaning, Creativity and
the Partial Inscrutability of the Human Mind.
Stanford, CA: Center for the Study of Languages and
Information/CSLI Publications, 1998. ISBN 1-57586-
126-7(paperback) 200 pagine.
A philosophical approach to theories of
language and cognition that casts humans as explana-
tion-seeking and -forming creatures. Moravcsik argues
persuasively that natural languages differ from formal
and computationally based languages in being unable
to capture the context dependent and inter-subjectiv-
ity of holistic explanatory schemes. Written for an
interdisciplinary audience in clear prose with concise
overviews of the field, this book will appeal to follow-
ers of Chomsky, AI researchers, semiotics, linguists
and students interested in language, meaning and the
unknowable aspects of the human mind.
Mario Pricken. Creative Advertising: Ideas and
Techniques from the World’s Best Campaigns. Nuovo
York, NY: Thames & Hudson Inc., 2002. ISBN 0-500-
51074-1 (hardcover) 263 pagine; color photographs and
illustrations.
A thoughtfully selected collection of advertis-
ing campaigns presented with a review of the tech-
niques and guiding principles that contribute to their
success. Engaging enough to draw the attention of non-
designers, this oversized book offers more than striking
pictures and witty taglines. Insightful brainstorming
suggestions and process ideas balance the numerous
examples, together forming a useful and attractive tool
for creative professionals.
Puppets, Masks, and Performing Objects. Edited by
John Bell. Cambridge, MA: TDR Books, 2001. ISBN
0-262-52293-4 (paperback) 198 pagine; black & white
photographs and illustrations
A collection of essays on the history and
cultural significance of object enhanced performance.
From Indian shadow puppets to Victorian automatons
to Broadway’s The Lion King, this book’s contributors
offer insight into the dramatic possibilities of an often
marginalized art. Together these essays advance a
compelling claim for puppetry’s continuing cultural
and artistic relevance in an age when we talk about
human robot interaction.
Jay Satterfield. “The World’s Best Books”: Taste,
Culture and the Modern Library. Boston, MA:
University of Massachusetts Press, 2002. ISBN 1-55849-
353-0 (hardcover) 248 pagine; black & white illustra-
zioni.
A comprehensive look at the Modern Library’s
series of carefully chosen titles and their extraordinary
impact on America’s book culture. Satterfield engag-
ingly tracks the “The World’s Best Books” from the
budget home libraries of the1920s intellectual fringe
to the bookshelves of the middlebrow middle-class.
Expertly marketed, the Modern Library bridged the
traditional gap between commerce and culture without
losing the respect of literary critics.
Paula Scher. Make It Bigger. New York, NY: Princeton
Architectural Press, 2002. ISBN 1-56898-332-8 (hard-
cover) 272 pagine; color photographs and illustrations.
A vibrantly illustrated professional autobi-
ography of one the most recognizable contemporary
graphic designers. Scher articulately details her profes-
sional journey from the bottom rung of CBS records’
art department to her seat at Pentagram Design. Questo
candid, entertaining narrative offers readers an inside
view of the vast corporate networks and commercial
forces that stifle innovative design, and reveals the
techniques Scher has used to overcome them.
William R. Sherman and Alan B. Craig. Understanding
Virtual Reality: Interface, Application, and Design.
San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers,
2002. ISBN 1-55860-353-0 (hardcover) 565 pagine; black
& white photographs and illustrations.
A comprehensive overview of virtual reality
technologies and techniques. Using real-world exam-
ples from diverse fields, the book makes a case for VR
as an increasingly effective and applicable communica-
tions medium. With its broad scope, straightforward
style and companion instructional Web site, this book
would make an excellent introductory text for students
exploring virtual reality applications.
Design Issues: Volume 20, Numero 2 Primavera 2004
93
l
D
o
w
N
o
UN
D
e
D
F
R
o
M
H
T
T
P
:
/
/
D
io
R
e
C
T
.
M
io
T
.
/
e
D
tu
D
e
S
io
/
l
UN
R
T
io
C
e
–
P
D
F
/
/
/
/
/
2
0
2
9
0
1
7
1
3
8
8
2
0
7
4
7
9
3
6
0
4
8
7
1
2
7
5
P
D
.
F
B
sì
G
tu
e
S
T
T
o
N
0
7
S
e
P
e
M
B
e
R
2
0
2
3
Studies in the Decorative Arts: Women Designers in
the USA 1900-2000. Edited by Sarah B. Sherrill. Nuovo
York, NY: The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in
the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture, Fall-Winter
2000–2001. ISSN 1069-8825; 194 pagine; black & white
photographs and illustrations.
An issue of the international design journal
dedicated to the work of twentieth century women in
progetto. Historically, female designers have been an
often marginalized group, their many contributions to
the field lost or discounted. This special edition jour-
nal—featuring articles, interviews and book reviews
focused everything from handbags to landscapes—
invites readers to re-evaluate the traditional view of a
woman’s role in design.
David B. Stewart. The Making of a Modern Japanese
Architecture: From the Founders to Shinohara and
Isozaki. New York, NY: Kodanasha International, 2003.
ISBN 4-7700-2933-0 (paperback) 304 pagine; black &
white photographs and illustrations.
A look back at the evolving face of twentieth
century Japanese architecture focusing on two of its
best-known contributors. By placing the early and
mature work of Shinohara and Isozaki in the historical
context of an increasingly Westernized and modern-
ized culture, Stewart seeks to explain changing percep-
tions of Japanese space. This exhaustive examination,
of interest to students of architecture and Asian stud-
ies, identifies the forces that led to the current state of
architecture in Japan and its influence worldwide.
Technology and the Good Life. Edited by Eric Higgs,
Andrew Light and David Strong. Chicago, IL: IL
University of Chicago Press, 2000. ISBN 0-226-33386-8
(hardcover) 392 pagine.
A series of essay by philosophers and schol-
ars of technology responding to Albert Borgmann’s
‘’device paradigm’’ and its meaning for sustainability,
the environment and the progress of human culture.
Contributors seek to untangle the knotted relation-
ships between advancing technologies, the decline of
focal things and practices in light of human needs and
values. While erudite in tone, these essays are relevant
to those concerned with the pursuit of the good life
both individually and collectively.
Amy Tucker. Visual Literacy: Writing About Art. Nuovo
York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2002. ISBN
0-07230222-4 (paperback) 281 pagine; colore + black &
white illustrations.
An introductory textbook for understanding
and writing about critical issues shaping art discourse
today. For students of art and art history, Tucker covers
the elements of visual analysis, essay writing strategies,
research techniques and critical methods as well as
case study examples for instruction. Color illustrations,
discussion points and sample writing assignments
make this a useful aid for teaching the analytical tools
and methods used in seeing, interpreting and writing
about visual culture.
Bruce Wands. Digital Creativity: Techniques for
Digital Media and the Internet. New York, NY: John
Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2002. 0-471-39057-7 (paperback)
326 pagine; colore + black & white photographs and
illustrations.
A comprehensive guide for artists and design-
ers entering the digital realm. School of Visual Arts
instructor Wands takes readers step by step through
the digital design process using his personal work as
examples. Insightful overviews of typography, anima-
zione, audio applications, digital photography, and more
are punctuated by interviews with professionals work-
ing in the field and useful tips for developing personal
techniques. Wands’ accessible style and helpful illustra-
tions makes this a practical resource appropriate for
most skill levels.
David Watkin. Morality & Architecture Revisited.
Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2001.
ISBN 0-226-87483-4 (paperback) 191 pagine.
A revised version of a renowned late seventies
attack on the Modernist establishment. Condemning
buildings designed without regard to traditional forms,
local materials or nascent patterns, Watkins finds new
targets to lambaste in the structures built in the decades
since the book’s original publication. He also reflects
on his argument’s sometimes welcome, often hostile
reception in the architectural community. Watkin’s
polemic remains an eye-opening read for both defend-
ers and deriders of the modernist movement.
94
Design Issues: Volume 20, Numero 2 Primavera 2004
l
D
o
w
N
o
UN
D
e
D
F
R
o
M
H
T
T
P
:
/
/
D
io
R
e
C
T
.
M
io
T
.
/
e
D
tu
D
e
S
io
/
l
UN
R
T
io
C
e
–
P
D
F
/
/
/
/
/
2
0
2
9
0
1
7
1
3
8
8
2
0
7
4
7
9
3
6
0
4
8
7
1
2
7
5
P
D
.
F
B
sì
G
tu
e
S
T
T
o
N
0
7
S
e
P
e
M
B
e
R
2
0
2
3
Alina Wheeler. Designing Brand Identity: A Complete
Guide to Creating, Building, and Maintaining Strong
Brands. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2003.
ISBN 0-471-21326-8 (hardcover) 240 pagine; colore +
black & white photographs and illustrations.
A lucid guide to the many facets of brand
identity design. Using real-world examples and
thoughtful diagrams, Wheeler takes readers stage-by-
stage through the process of creating and implement-
ing a successful identity program. The book’s easy
style and comprehensive scope make it an appropriate
choice for design students and professionals in need of
a big-picture view of brand identity.
Alexander W. White. The Elements of Graphic Design:
Spazio, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type. New York,
NY: Alworth Press, 2002. ISBN1-58115-270-7; 160 pagine;
colore + black & white photographs and illustrations.
A process-oriented guide to graphic design.
This illustrated introduction to the central principles
of page layout instructs readers through well-chosen
examples and thoughtful explanations. Focusing on the
interplay of positive and negative spaces, White builds
an eloquent case for emptiness as the most effective
page-ordering tool.
l
D
o
w
N
o
UN
D
e
D
F
R
o
M
H
T
T
P
:
/
/
D
io
R
e
C
T
.
M
io
T
.
/
e
D
tu
D
e
S
io
/
l
UN
R
T
io
C
e
–
P
D
F
/
/
/
/
/
2
0
2
9
0
1
7
1
3
8
8
2
0
7
4
7
9
3
6
0
4
8
7
1
2
7
5
P
D
.
F
B
sì
G
tu
e
S
T
T
o
N
0
7
S
e
P
e
M
B
e
R
2
0
2
3
Design Issues: Volume 20, Numero 2 Primavera 2004