Meggs' History of Graphic Design
by Alston W. Purvis, Philip B. Meggs
List Price:
Our Price: $56.00
You Save: $29.00 (34%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $21.57 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Alston W. Purvis, Philip B. MeggsEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-12-07
ISBN: 0471699020
Number of pages: 592
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of Meggs' History of Graphic Design
Book Review: Meggs' History of Graphic Design
Summary: 4 Stars
It may (or may not) be of interest to the reader to ponder some design facts not specified in this book. My review being number 46 in line, I thought it apropos to inject something new. If I am mistaken I apologize in advance.
Science now tells us that within seconds of the blast which created the universe, then, too, was every element of design created. And these are line, shape, size, texture and color.*
Through eons of time, blast matter coalesced.
We need look no further than our own solar system to witness the formation of design in the universe: planets round the sun in designated orbits; the planet Saturn, with its rings, a beautiful design. Meanwhile, back on Earth, we behold an atom, perfectly in balance and in harmony with itself as a full moon hangs above a horizontal plane.
The words "design" and "art" are sometimes used interchangeably. However, there exist basic differences between the two. Design, as noted above, is a creation of the universe; art, on the other hand, a creation of man. Design is approximately fourteen billion years old; man's first verifiable art approximately fourteen thousand years old. Art requires the human hand; design exists without us. Whenever we design, we borrow from the universe using numbers and calculations born of cosmical origins.
Man DISCOVERED design; he in no way created it. Safer to say that design created man. Design is forever obligated to obey nature's laws whereas our art is under no such obligation whatsoever. Interestingly enough, when we stretch design beyond the boundaries of nature's laws we no longer have design. It suddenly becomes art.
Because "art" eludes precise definition there has been growing acceptance of the opinion that anything which an artist produces is art. This, in fact, may very well be true, but not everything which an artist produces is good art, meaningful art, relevant art or significant art, and much, therefore, deservedly falls by the wayside.
Man, as graphic designer, combines art and design. The ultimate goal: a message understood.
Meggs' History of Graphic Design might in other respects be of significance to this industry, however, the author draws no distinction between art and design and seemingly "blurs" the two into one single entity, depicting design as a manmade concoction, possibly the work of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. This book, being used as a textbook in schools, I would expect a higher level of clarification from this author if only a few paragraphs somewhere at the outset. A designer need not necessarily be an artist and it would be helpful, particularly to students, for the author to note the difference.
Well, thanks for your time. Very kind of you to give a listen.
*For information regarding the ELEMENTS and PRINCIPLES of design see John Lovett's informative site. If you're interested in watercoloring check out his book, "Watercolor For The Fun Of It" now available on Amazon.
Suggestions for further reading: The Harmonies of the World by Johannes Kepler; The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin; The Discovery of the Future by H.G. Wells; Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Find them all on Amazon.
Summary of Meggs' History of Graphic Design
Now in its Fourth Edition, this unrivaled, seminal work continues its long tradition of providing balanced insight and thorough historical background. Under the new authorial leadership of Alston Purvis, this authoritative book offers more than 450 new images, along with expansive coverage of such topics as Italian, Russian, and Dutch design. It reveals a saga of creative innovators, breakthrough technologies, and important design innovations.Graphic Design Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Graphic Design Books
Rendering Fashion, Fabric and Prints with Adobe Illustratorby M. Kathleen Colussy, Steve Greenberg
Prentice Hall; Published: 2006-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $59.98
Price in other shops:
Inside Fashion Design, 5th Editionby Sharon Lee Tate, Mona S. Edwards
Prentice Hall; Published: 2003-08-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $59.95
Price in other shops:
Graphic Design: Vision, Process Productby Louis Ocepek
Prentice Hall; Published: 2002-12-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.75
Price in other shops:
Designer's Guide to Print Productionby Kayanna Pace
Prentice Hall; Published: 2001-09-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.33
Price in other shops:
Instructor's Manual Set for All Wordperfect 5.1 Texts: Text and 5 1/ 4" IBM Data Diskby Gonzalez
McGraw Hill Higher Education; Published: 1991-05-01; Paperback; Book
Talking with Artistsby Pat Cummings
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1992-03-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.35
Price in other shops:
American Picturebooks from Noah's Ark to the Beast Withinby Barbara Bader
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1976-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $112.12
Art of the Hobbitby J R R Tolkien
Harpercollins; Published: 2011-10-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $30.01
Comics (Learn to Draw)by John Byrne
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-03; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Printmaking: History and Processby Donald Saff, Deli Sacilotto
Wadsworth Publishing; Published: 1978-01-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $98.75
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Designing with Type, 5th Edition: The Essential Guide to Typographyby James Craig, William Bevington, Irene Korol Scala
Watson-Guptill; Published: 2006-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.97
Price in other shops:
Graphic Design: A New Historyby Stephen J. Eskilson
Yale University Press; Published: 2007-10-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $60.00
Price in other shops:
Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field (Design Briefs)by Helen Armstrong
Princeton Architectural Press; Published: 2009-03-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.94
Price in other shops:
Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshopby Timothy Samara
Rockport Publishers; Published: 2005-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.08
Price in other shops:
Typographic Design: Form and Communicationby Rob Carter, Ben Day, Philip B. Meggs
Wiley; Published: 2006-11-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.40
Price in other shops:
Typography Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Type in Graphic Designby Timothy Samara
Rockport Publishers; Published: 2006-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.11
Price in other shops:
Looking Closer 3: Classic Writings on Graphic DesignAllworth Press; Published: 1999-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.91
Price in other shops:
The Elements of Typographic Styleby Robert Bringhurst
Hartley and Marks Publishers; Published: 2004-10-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.69
Price in other shops:
Thinking with Type, 2nd revised and expanded edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Studentsby Ellen Lupton
Princeton Architectural Press; Published: 2010-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.87
Price in other shops:
Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Designby Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin Vit
Rockport Publishers; Published: 2011-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.00
Price in other shops: