5 comments about Layout Index: Brochure, Web Design, Poster, Flyer, Advertising, Page Layout, Newsletter, Stationery Index.

1. This book can give some ideas on layouts, but the designs on it are very dated. So if you want to take anything good from the book you have to focus more on estructure, and how information is organized on the layout, rather then on the overall design. It's a good book for starters but I prefer Graphic Design Cookbook: Mix & Match Recipes for Faster, Better Layouts. The ideas there are simple, but because of that, never dated.



2. First things first: this book was clearly designed for beginners. It would probably not be particularly helpful to someone with a graphic design background.
   
   But as someone who has no professional design experience at all and is faced with creating and producing a newsletter for the first time and possibly a brochure as well, this book has been a tremendous help. It answered all my most basic questions, as well as ones I was too ignorant to know I should have (grid? what's that?) The book helpfully assumes that I know more or less nothing, and quickly and economically escorts me through a series of possibilities. I didn't like all the design ideas or layouts, but I wouldn't expect to. Many of the layouts were quite nice, though, and one of them has already been selected to serve as a jumping-off point for me. This won't be the last book I consult, but I'm grateful it was the first.



3. This whole series seems a little dated to me. The books still serve as a good reference point for ideas, but is really just a book of examples from projects.



4. The whole "index" series is good for jump starting when in a stuck place. For average students it can really be helpful to get them to seek/create more variety in their work. For marketing or PR individuals or students it is a must have. Many individuals may have a cursory introduction to design and yet find themselves having to create layouts and design. The Index Books are a lifesaver.



5. This book is at first appearance, visually interesting and consuming. But upon closer look (as in opening it) it's not worth the time, money or breath sadly. The concepts and ideas within this book can be inspiring to thoses who have the time and energy, but overall this book is just a display of bad, kitsch design. My advice? Don't bother.

No comments about Mary Engelbreit's On the Edge: 2009 Wall Calendar.

4 comments about Buddhist Art and Architecture (World of Art).

1. The 1993 edition of Fisher's "Buddhist Art and Architecture" was reprinted, with revisions, in 2002. The cover of the revised edition is like the 1993 edition (i.e. the Kansas Guanyin), but now framed within a diamond-shape which is inset into a black background. The text is current on recent scholarship, such as the role of aniconism in Early Buddhist art, and cosmological interpretations of Angkor Wat. Attention is paid to the organic development of Buddhist art styles as they evolved in being transmitted from country to country, although I wish that even more emphasis had been put on this.

   The book is organized by region: of its 200 pages, approximately 40-50 pages each are devoted to India, China, Korea/Japan, and Southeast Asia. The book's wide area coverage is both an advantage and a disadvantage, since much has been left out. For example, there is only one paragraph on the life of the Buddha himself, and not even a mention of Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavillion), arguably Japan's most famous and beautiful architectural icon. I would also have liked to see a greater use of color illustrations (only 32 of 179, in the present edition).

   I hope that readers who start with this book will go on to more in-depth treatments, such as the same author's excellent introduction to the Art of Tibet (Thames & Hudson, 1998).




2. I am an architectural historian with a fairly extensive knowledge of Buddhist architecture. Even though this is an introductory text, Fisher's book explained some things I've failed to find anywhere else. Another plus is that Fisher includes Buddhist art/architecture from every Buddhist country. Usually books of this type leave out countries for expediency. Though this book is short, Fisher touches it all.



3. Fisher's book offers an accessible, well-organized overview of both the evolution and meaning of Budhist art and architecture for the uninitiated. Never having studied Buddhism or Asian History prior to a recent trip to Southeast Asia, I found the balance between general explanations of subject matter and geographic breakdown useful. Returning to the book upon return, it was clear that most of the major, recurring symbols observed (Budha's subduing of the Mara, other meditative and teaching postures, the sometimes uneasy juxtaposition of Hindu and Budhist structure and symbols, etc.) were mentioned in this survey.

   The narrative is clear, if occasionally dry. The photographs are not, however, ideally located to match their corresponding texts, and it would have been helpful to have included in the captions a note about where the given object was located (rather than having to wade through a paragraph at the back of the book that does not even list the citations numerically). Still, the book is well indexed and the illustrations are well chosen.




4. As an instructor in Asian Arts and cultures survey courses, I am always looking for short works that give a quick overview of essential cultural elements across the wide spectrum of Asian experience. This book is excellent as a source book for understanding the breadth and beauty of Buddhist art forms throughout Asia.

No comments about The Making and Meaning of Art.

4 comments about 2008 Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market.

1. This book is a MUST read for anyone looking to earn money from their art. The information provided is invaluable and they answered questions I did not even know to ask! Will DEFINATELY purchase every year.



2. well, you get what you pay for. It's a good resource for someone starting out who isn't ready to dish out hundreds of dollars for a mailing list. But half the listings are obsolete, or old adresses, old art directors.
   
   Also it hasn't really kept up with the times... most illustrators these days aren't looking to design flower patterns for dixie cups. 3/4 of that book is irrelevant to me. Of course it's probably targeted at part time crafters, flower pattern designers, and the mid life crisis "Im going to write and illustrate a children's book" rather than professional illustrators.
   
   If somebody published a seriously updated & comprehensive illustrator's market book I would pay a lot more than $20 for it though.



3. This book is quickly becoming a source of information that I frequent. It is much easier to quickly find information in a combined source than weeding through thousands of websites and "googled" information to find the contact information that is relevant for my endeavors.



4. Every year these rip-off artists (i.e., people who specialize in the business of ripping off other people), publish an "updated" book. The updated books supposedly have been "completely revised" and feature new entries. I am here to tell you that not only are there very few new entries, but many are out of date, no longer pertinent and/or simply give inaccurate information. What is most frustrating is the author's insistence on marking several entries as "new" that have appeared in many previous editions. Perhaps they think if an entry has not appeared since 2002 they can throw it in the 2008 edition and call it new. Some of these places aren't even doing business anymore. Bottom line: I am extremely disappointed with this edition. I also must report that I have found no leads from these books, yet I have been successful finding leads on the Internet and through other forms of research. If you feel you need this book, go to a bookstore and take a pen and notebook with you. Just don't waste your money on buying it!

5 comments about The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook - Landscapes.

1. This is really a must-have. Very detailed in a clear and direct language. Excellent for every level of watercolor painters!



2. This has some great step-by-step lessons for creating different effects in a landscape watercolor. The only criticism I have of it is the drab coloring in many of the examples.



3. This is a really great book on watercolor. It is full of wonderful tips and explanations of how to achieve many simple to advanced effects. It also explains why certain colors are better to mix with others for the results you want. It is also amazingly readable. I set it by my reading chair and I am drawn to pick it up and read just for interest. I am learning so much. FYI- I have lots of knowledge about art, but am a beginning to intermediate watercolorist.



4. This book offers great advice on landscape painting so, If you've wanted to paint plein air with watercolors, this is the book for you.



5. This book contains valuable techniques for the creation of landscape features in watercolor. It is perhaps a bit overwhelming for the absolute beginner, but for anyone who has a little experience with watercolors and is motivated to improve, it's a great book!

5 comments about 79 Short Essays on Design.

1. Hello Amazon,
   the content of this book is basically very similar to what you'll read in the blog, funny, intelligent and informative BUT this book is AMAZINGLY built, designed and crafted. I took my internship in a bookbindery and I'd rate the craftsmanship behind this book as A+, EXCELLENT JOB and a pleasure to read, if you don't own it, YOU TOTALLY SHOULD!



2. I have read just a few of the stories so far in this book and have loved each one of them so far. The design of this book can easily be appreciated by any designer - they compliment the story to which they are printed for.



3. Definitely not a book to be read straight through.
   
   However, reading one essay at a time, it's full of anecdotes and facts about the design industry - as well as general writings on being a designer.
   
   Great for little blips of inspiration.



4. But design is about everything. So do yourself a favor: be ready for anything."
   
   Many of Michael Bierut's 79 essays here appeared online or in other collections. The essays cover an enormous range of topics and touch on an incredible number of people.
   
   Each essay is set in a different typeface, ranging in age from Bembo, designed in 1495, to Flama, created in 2006. Every experienced reader is familiar with the colophones at the end of many books, and many of us recognize Helvetica, Bodoni, Arial, Roman and Times New Roman. At least one font stars in a movie; Helvetica "is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture," and has been well received by Amazon reviewers.
   
   (Virginia Postrel reviewed the book for "The Atlantic" focusing on fonts, and has a very interesting discussion with the director, Gary Hustwit, of "Helvetica" on the Atlantic website.)
   
   Bierut is a senior critic in graphic designs at the Yale School of Art. He is a co-founder of the Design Observer blog. He comments about graphic design in everyday life on the blog and on Public Radio International's "Studio 360."
   
   Here's a sample of the riches here:
   
   "It's not hard to see why innovation is becoming the design world's favorite euphemism. Design sounds cosmetic and ephemeral; innovation sounds energetic and essential. Design conjures images of androgynous figures in black turtlenecks wielding clove cigarettes; innovators are forthright fellows with their shirtsleeves rolled up, covering whiteboards with vigorous magicmarkered diagrams, arrows pointing to words like 'Results!' But best of all, the cult of innovation neatly sidesteps the problem that has befuddled the business case for design from the beginning. Thomas Watson, Jr.'s famous dictum 'good design is good business' implies that there's good design and there's bad design; what he doesn't reveal is how to reliably tell one from the other. Neither has anyone else. It's taken for granted that innovation, however, is always good."
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008



5. These are basically posts from this guy's blog. It's fairly interesting, but I had a hard time reading it straight through.

3 comments about Modern Art 1851-1929: Capitalism and Representation (Oxford History of Art).

1. This book was used as a text for a graduate class I took. The lecturer of my class was a student of Brettell's. I presume the relationship determined the choice of text, because this book is not a book to be chosen on merit. Editorial choices (including at least one image published upside down) do not help the author's lack of brilliance (to be kind). Buy anything else. Only if you have a 300-tome collection of books on modern art should you even consider this book--and then I know you'll want to use it to light your fireplace.



2. dry reading
   condition fine



3. One cannot own all the art books available but this one is close to being number one. The approach is refreshing, the text clear and interesting, the images fascinating, and include some paintings that I have not found in other books. However, as usual this book's cannon includes women artists, namely Mary Cassatt, Georgia O'Keefe and Imogen Cunningham but no mention of other important women artists, such as Paula Modersohn-Becker, who in my view should be included in any book about Modern Art.

5 comments about Visual Literacy: A Conceptual Approach to Graphic Problem Solving.

1. Our students have related warmly to Visual Literacy. It has helped them understand the fundamentals of design. The exercises connect with the real world and they generate a lot of inspiring results.



2. As a sophomore advertising student in Richard's "Visual Literacy" class at SVA, I learned to see the hidden beauty of... just about everything. The assignments included were both artistically and intellectually stimulating; one project that I don't believe is included in the book was "Point of View," in which he asks you to show one object from six different perspectives (not from different views, more from say... a mouse's perspective, your mother's perspective, the perspective of a giant). It was the perfect blend of creating and thinking, both outside of the box. Buy this book. Use this book. It is great for creative block, and more fun than kindergarten!



3. but the shipping sucked!!!
   
   The delivery time was great.
   
   However, you guys sent it to the billing address... not the delivery address. So I was late on an assignment for class.



4. I bought this book to help me teach a graphic design course to high school students and found that it's visual problems were very useful and interesting. It approaches visual communication and literacy from a direction I have not seen before. The students were really forced to think and be creative, and the other art teachers took notice. I would also recommend this to those not interested in graphic design because the principles in the book can be applied in other media as well.



5. Before buying this book you have to realise this is merely an exercise book. The amount of explanation or theory is extremely limited. And neither they elaborate on the student examples they chose for their book. Nor do they explain why some solutions might be better than others. The exercises itself could be more challenging, they really seem to be aimed at first year students. You will have to buy at least a book on graphic design principles/theory to put the exercises in this book into the right context. Nothing wrong with that, but they 'forgot' to mention all that on the back cover, so to speak.
   It's a nice idea, but its execution is flawed and way too limited to be the stroke of genious that some reviewers want you to believe.

5 comments about D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself (Design Handbooks).

1. I'd had the impression that I would learn some techniques on creating my own stuff: business cards, websites, t-shirts, stationary, etc. They touch on all these subjects, and more, in the book. But I was disappointed that it is really more just a collection of ideas and work that MFA and graphic arts students have created, with very little technical detail of how to create designs for yourself. I was looking for a how-to, not a see-what-we've-done.



2. I saw this book years ago and thought I'd like to own it. Now that I do I really am underwhelmed.



3. This is basically like all those magazines - Sunset, Martha Stewart Living, etc. etc, - wherein you buy it with the hopes of being inspired to create, update, remake, etc. and you ACTUALLY NEVER WILL, except in book form!
   
   I love reading the book - it's cute, kitschy and definitely entertaining, but really, who can create these crazy wall decorations and/or press kits and have them turn out flawless!?!??



4. I know a little about Lupton's career -- teaching, writing, and curating shows. She seems very intelligent, but I don't understand who this book is really for. Beginning or advanced people? Crafters or designers? Some of the ideas in this book (wrapping paper) are so obvious that I think anyone with an ounce of creativity has already figured them out. Some things (commercial embroidery) seem very advanced and specialized, and not useful to most people. The layout of the book is nice, but the content is very inconsistent. Was this really a student project, as someone mentioned? If so, I think Lupton should have made more of an effort to make sure that everything came together and made for a coherent whole. I think there are better DIY books out there.



5. Pretentious art student tripe, mostly. I discovered that I can wrap gifts with newspaper! I can use a graph paper notebook for a scrapbook! I was looking for examples of cutting-edge design, and a methodology to implement it. What I got was the product of the tragically hip after too many lattes.