5 comments about Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right.

1. Hi, everyone.
   
   I bought this book. It's a huge disappointment for me. You beter buy the anzovin studio tutorial DVD's and look for a freeware JAVA applet called JLIPSYNC, use MIMIC or VOICE O MATIC This book makes it way to complicated.
   Basicly all you have to do is analyse your vocal track roughly not word by word or letter by letter. That doesn't work. Try to analyse your track phonetical and see where THE LIPS AND THE MOUTH CHANGES. LESS IS MORE IN LIPSYNC. Add eyebrow wrinkles and nose up or down movements. Look at the pose your character is in. SEE THE LIPSYNC TOGETHER WITH THE POSE YOUR CHARACTER IS IN. That will work.
   Reading this book won't.



2. I am a 3d professional artist for a long time, I have to say I have read hundreds of books, watched hours of training videos, read pages of internet tutorials anything related to 3d animation. No other training material comes even close to things I have learned reading this book. It is a treasure that you have to keep somewhere close to your desk as a reference, whether you are modeling a character head, building blend shapes or rigging . I have used the techniques successfully in many projects. I thank Jason Osipa for writing this book and for teaching me how to build superior 3D characters. This is my second SS book, I also have the first edition. This 2nd edition is a lot different then the first.



3. Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done RightThis book is a very good resource for computer animators.



4. Have you ever worked with a facial rig that was based on a set of sliders in the viewport? Many of the most popular free rigs use that method these days. Well guess what -- it's sometimes called "the Osipa method," and it was popularized by the first edition of this book.
   
   As a novice character rigger, this book opened my eyes to an entirely new way of looking at facial modeling, rigging, and animation. I can not recommend it highly enough. These days when I create a character, I always have two books within quick reach: The Art of Rigging (by CG Toolkit, only available from their website) and Stop Staring.



5. I hate to say this, but didn't learn much more than which I had already been able to get from online tutorials and forums.

2 comments about The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook (Graphic Design).

1. This book is a must have for any graphic artist. It's beautifully executed with tons of examples to garner inspiration from. Worth every penny.



2. I love this book. The templates are amazing, but easy enough to alter into your own design. Sometimes as a student you need a starting point. My last project turned out amazing and I believe I'll use this book as a reference for along time. I am even interested in other books by this author and Rotovision Publishing. The pictures are great and the design on the packaging a lone is worth it. This book is one of my best if not the best design books I have and more affordable. I honestly would have paid more for this book. My classmates are also looking into buying this book after they viewed my copy. I believe this is a must in a design students library. It gives you inspiration and shows you what good package design is, believe me there are some terrible books out there.

4 comments about Advertising by Design: Creating Visual Communications with Graphic Impact.

1. This book's just fantastic to jumpstart and dive into advertising creative process! no matter if you're a student or seasoned adman, this book will reveal lots of insights about design as an important aspect in the creation of successful, punchy advertising.
   
   Being a copywriter myself, i can't stress enough the need to think visually, and this book encourages the reader to solve communication problems with images - very important for this fast-moving, can't-read-long-copy, sorry market...and this book gives you all the tools you need to start.
   
   Definitely a must have in a proffessor's top 10 shelf. Thanks, Mrs. Landa....you nailed it!
   
   D. Bohorquez
   S. America



2. I'm an advertising professor, and I've used Landa's "Advertising by Design" for three different classes when teaching an Introduction to Advertising Design course.
   
   The book is clearly written, organized well and rich in contemporary examples. Landa does a good job of discussing the problem-solving aspects of the art director's daily grind. And she very quickly establishes that there is a significant difference between graphic design and advertising design.
   
   In her next edition, I'd like to see a section dedicated to ideation, perhaps talking about SCAMPER, non-linear brainstorming and other tools to help the student develop a good conceptual foundation. But, overall, I would recommend this book without reservation.



3. Finally a book about advertising that helps the reader understand how to develop relevant concepts as well as design! There are so many great examples of concept categories and so much excellent info on how-to create a cohesive campaign. The info on guerilla advertising and TV is very helpful.



4. Fantastic guide for idea generation, designing unified ad campaigns and creative approaches. Very valuable information and great examples of award-winning ads and ad campaigns. Really interesting info about ad history that I didn't learn in college!

No comments about Modern Graphics Communication (3rd Edition).

5 comments about Massive Change.

1. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0714844012/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title
   A simple question: "what for?" should be ask for designers. What exactly a process of design means and how it works or could work in contemporary global civilisation? It help get a consciousness of designers role in modern world.



2. Excellent vision and unhappy scenarios are show us. How could we do this? It's time to change!
   
   Robson Quinello



3. An excellent look at the challenges and possible solutions facing the human race. My only complaint is that the book is a bit dated, but its perspective is future proof. The concept of the Institute without Boundaries is especially interesting.



4. Bruce Mau is more than a designer. He is a futurist who has swapped fatalism for idealism. His vision of the future is based on facts, but you feel his undertone of optimisim. Massive Change is an utterly interesting read from cover to cover. The structure of the book and the writing style makes it a great resource of information. Massive Change is a necessity for the bookshelf of every intellect and every dreamer.



5. Bruce Mau's previous book - "Life Style" - was a pivotal publication that had something very fundamental to say about the practice of design. The argument woven into this survey of Bruce Mau Design's portfolio derived its edginess from an underlying, existential dilemma. On the one hand, Mau wanted to do justice to design's capacity to give "style" to sprawling, viral "life" (originally a very Nietzschean concept, later taken up and politicised by Foucault and Deleuze). On the other hand, there was the fear for the domestication of his practice to the status of banal, lifeless purveyor of images and artefacts - global capitalism's lingua franca. This tension between subversion and acquiescence turned "Life Style" into a poignant testimony.
   
   Massive Change is, I am sorry to say, a much less compelling read. It takes its cue from Life Style's key idea - design is able to reformat the very principle of life - but dispels the darker, problematic side of the equation. Indeed, although Mau would like us to believe otherwise, the book's perspective is squarely utopian. In adopting as its motto theme "Now that we can do anything, what will we do?", it echoes the pragmatist voluntarism of the peer-to-peer movement. But the dissonances - P2P's paradoxical (symbiotic/parasitic) relationship with capitalism - have been filtered from the echo. What remains is the suave message that technological progress - shaped and harnessed by design - will be able to solve all our problems if we only want it to.
   
   So, although Massive Change promises to bring us a "wildly unexpected view of the future", it really doesn't reach beyond the intellectual horizon of, say, a special issue of Scientific American on "Key Technologies for the 21st Century". The material is conventionally organised in sections that review the state of the art in urban planning, transportation, energy, information, material sciences, military technologies, biotech etc. Only two chapters discuss governance issues ("market economies" and "wealth and politics"). The relatively meager substance comes from short interviews with a series of "experts" in the disciplines surveyed. The selection is very US-centric and contains quite a few usual suspects (Dean Kamen, Stewart Brand, Lawrence Lessig, Jaime Lerner, Hazel Henderson etc).
   
   By now we are also well acquainted with Mau's cinematic and fractured style in book design. "Massive Change" doesn't break any new ground compared to previous volumes (not only Life Style but also S,M,L,XL (with Rem Koolhaas) and the Zone series of books). What was once truly refreshing is becoming stale. By the way, the short interviews are printed on glaringly yellow pages, which I find positively ugly.
   
   All of this is disappointing. I can think of two explanations for the intellectual and stylistic flaccidity exhibited in this volume. First, we are missing the incisiveness and depth that Mau's sparring partner Sanford Kwinter brought to "Life Style" (In my opinion, Kwinter's three-page lead essay was worth the price of that book). I am not sure what happened between Mau and Kwinter, but the latter is almost completely absent from this volume.
   
   Then, although this is not be obvious at first sight, "Massive Change" is not really a Mau book. In fact, it has been largely put together by Jennifer Leonard, one of the students from the inaugural year of the Institute without Boundaries (a newly established postgraduate education programme whereby students spend a full year in the Mau studio). So, although Mau's name figures prominently on the cover, inside we learn that the Institute led the research, development, design and production of Massive Change.
   
   I can't recommend this volume. "Massive Change" is a missed opportunity.

5 comments about 100 Years of Fashion Illustration.

1. It needed more coverage on Italian Moda.
   But the whole expose is great.
   I would recommend it.
   Great approach to the new and the classic.



2. As a lover of fashion illustration, with book shelves and file drawers filled to capacity, I highly recommend this book. I like the small size and the fact that it includes examples from all eras. My only complaint, and this may be a personal preference, is that there was not one example of the work of George Stavrinos, a masterful draftsman who did work for Bergdorf Goodman, The NY Times, Barney's and The NYC Opera in the 1980's. He died too young, but really deserves a book of his own.



3. Excellent visual paranoma of fashion with panache. Should please everybody. There is a nice touch of elegance to it and chich flaire. Nice to have it on the shelves or on your cafe table.



4. This book is an absolute dream come true for me. It has inspired me not only costume wise, but also decorating my new apartment. You just never know where inspiration can come from. I would not hesitate for one second to recommend this book. It's really beautifully done.



5. This is a great book for any illustrator to have, loaded thick with full color images. The illustrations are done in a wide variety of different styles, hours could be spent considering some of the images. If your interested in drawing people this is a good book to have on your shelf.

5 comments about No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of the World's First Supermodel.

1. Janice got down, dirty, and honest with this book in her tough journey to fame. However, she is an amazing woman who has survived much in life, while doing her best to thrive.
   
   Kudos Janice! Thank you for sharing a part of you with us all!
   
   A MUST read for everyone!
   
   Merna Throne
   
   Pocket of Pearls: A 30-day pocket workbook to start hearing a softer voice inside of you!



2. This book was AMAZING!!! SOOO good i thought it was fiction. A fantastic read.



3. This memoir delivers! Laugh out loud funny, and full of juicy show biz gossip. Janice rats out everyone in here. I like that her voice comes through 100%--it's like you are sitting with her listening to her stories over drinks, one on one. There is more to Janice's story--a darker side with a totally messed up childhood that shaped who she became. Think what you will of her, but she is never boring. A great read.



4. I must say that I truly enjoyed reading this book. There is one thing about the author that I like best and it is the fact that she is real; she tells it like it is. She has guts! This by itself makes the book worth it! I honestly believe that she shares honest and truthful tales about the modeling bussiness and her personal life. I give this book a 10.



5. So, I am a fan of crazy-gorgeous-extreme model types, because they are so much the opposite of me.
   
   Take Janice Dickinson, for instance. Janice walks in a room, and everyone knows it. Maybe they smell her heady melange of booze, perfume, and cigarettes. It could be the obnoxiously loud string of foulness that always enters before she does. And perhaps it's because she's gorgeous and has those crazy -- as in substantially unstable -- eyes that demand attention in a Charlie Manson kind of way. I don't know. Whatever it is, I want it, as do millions of young ladies.
   
   So I really wanted to like this book and experience a lot of "Oh no she di'int" admiration, but mostly, I was stumbling over the lackluster, disconnected writing. Does anyone believe celebrities of her caliber -- low, that is -- really write their own material? I suppose her "writing partner" is partially to blame for the poor quality, but having seen Dickinson in action (critiquing ANTM contestants and manipulating her way through the D-list dumpster that is The Surreal Life), I don't doubt for a second that she'd have creative control and final say on the content and style.
   
   Janice does deliver some juicy bits. For example, way back when Sly Stallone was her man, Janice was regularly given mystery "vitamins" by the Rocky that, in light of recent events, may've been an early iteration of HGH. Hm. Plus there's tons of drugs and boyfriends (and girlfriends), although I could've done without the explicit descriptions of sex ham-fistedly sandwiched into random spots. (It's like she forgot she wasn't writing a Harlequin for a couple of pages.)
   
   As in other memoirs by people who shouldn't necessarily be writing any, there's the usual childhood drama blown out of proportion. Being abused is drama enough -- why add the Lifetime Movie of the Week fanfare? It feels a little... exploitative.
   
   But I suppose that's the point. Dickinson made her career out of exploitation -- of her body, the camera, other people's bodies... you name it. I appreciate the candor she shows, and no-holds-barred "outing" of celeb secrets is balanced by kind words for others (for instance, Christie Brinkley is -- or at least was -- a saint). This could've been an excellent book if only she'd taken an intensive in English composition and pulled out a thesaurus. (At least it wasn't as bad as Iceberg Slim!)

5 comments about Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users.

1. This book addresses all major topics needed when considering what color to assign to a group of layers, which symbols and scales to use, how to annotate maps and how to complement maps with text boxes.
   
   It is well written so it's easy reading and does not require extensive background from other fields.
   
   Getting from here to there is simple enough by scanning the chapter index.
   
   Great reference for map designers, both beginners and experienced ones.



2. An excellent book, but a bit tedious. Gives the GIS user an excellent review of what makes a map visually useful. GIS users aren't necessarily the best cartographers and this can help them along



3. This book reviews the very basics of map design and hardly touches on cartographic representations. It is probably a good starting point for first timers to GIS and mapping, but for the average map maker/cartographer it is too rudimentary.



4. Since I am relatively new to the world of GIS Mapping, this book was an invaluable aid to designing more attractive maps. It's a beautifully laid-out book with lots of common-sense tips in it. Well worth the price!
   
   Linda Pierce
   Pray, Montana



5. If you analyze data and make maps, this is well worth the money.
   It helps if you use ArcGIS too....

5 comments about Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You.

1. I am a bit of a fashion and style guide junkie. OK. More than a bit. I have read them all, looking for that perfect explanation of what to buy to be impeccably in style. And Simon Doonan has solved my problem. Buy what I want- as long as it is unexpected and makes me happy. Or buy nothing and make my clothes from poodle fur. A "to thine own self be true" for the style challenged! Not only did the book make me laugh, it made me look at my safe wardrobe choices and want to throw them out the window and dress only in gold lame'. I hope Mr. Doonan is pleased with himself.



2. I don't know if you'll take the advice in this book, but you should read it. How can you not read a book buy a gay British guy who both impersonates Queen Elizabeth and quotes Flava Flav?
   
   Okay, some of the advice you shouldn't take. Ignore the permission to wear "a gold leotard with your lesbian aunt Sylvia's mauve nylon fanny pack." Unless you live in NYC, people will talk about you and not in a good way. At least they will if you live in Southwest Michigan.
   
   Still, Doonan is hilarious. I laughed out loud several times and that's not normally true of fashion books. Okay, not true of any books, but most fashion books take themselves so seriously.
   
   Interspersed with stories and interviews with Glamorous Eccentrics is bits of advice, some of which I might actually take. For example: I collect handbags, totebags, etc as I'm always in search of the perfect bag. Doonan thinks that a woman - at least a Glamour Eccentric, one of which I think I am not, should only have one great bag that she takes everywhere. He encourages a person to buy the Hermes Birkin bag they are coveting. That is advice I might take! Of course, chances are good I'll buy a knock off first and see if I really like that style, etc before I save up TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS to buy one of the damned things. Still, I covet that bag.
   
   Doonan is kind to his reader. He reminds the reader that you are a work in progress and to be patient with oneself.
   
   An example of the things that made me laugh:
   These are some of the things that made me laugh: (they are all direct quotes from the book.)
   
   * I am pro-pot dealer: the arrival of a mysterious and attractive criminal adds a memorable frisson of excitement to any occasion.
   
   Doonan dispenses relationship advice that will either work or get you divorced more quickly. There are bits of wisdom that would be helpful to all of us, regardless of whether we are glamorous or eccentric. Sadly, I suspect I'm neither. For example, "alluring" is not cheap & tawdry. To paraphrase Doonan, it's timeless, it's beautiful and sensual. Alluring is "irresistible charm, which ever fails to mesmerize the viewer, regardless of gender."
   
   I can't decide if this is a "fashion book" or a "self-help book" but it's definitely an entertaining book and I highly recommend it.



3. I have loved Simon since the first time I saw him on those VH1 "I love the..." series. He is extremely witty, wry, and hilarious. True, not everyone will "get" his sense of humor and sarcasm, but for those who do, this book is a great read. No, it's not Hemmingway, but for those of who enjoy some "mind candy" to read over summer vacation, this is the book for you.



4. Thought this book would be fun as well as helpful. Had a hard time getting through even the first few chapters. Nothing really helpful here if you are truly trying to find out what clothes suit you best, general fashion rules and tips, or how to create your own sense of style (that is not over the top). I should have trusted the poor reviews I read.
   I'm giving this one to my sister, who considers herself a fashionista and may enjoy the author's style.



5. I love this book! Simon Doonan captivated me with his witty, sly and pithy writing style. I didn't want to put it down! The way in which Simon distills fashion into three styles - Gypsies, Existentialists and Socialites is fascinating. I'm now seeing examples of those distinct looks in ads and fashion magazine layouts. Few and far between are people who love fashion and aren't afraid to express their individuality and really "dress up". What we now take for eccentricity in dress would have hardly seemed out of the ordinary in the 60's and 70's. I believe the poor grooming habits and lack of style in the majority of Americans is the result of the jeans and tee shirt culture we're living in now. As music has become dumbed down so has fashion. People have lost their sense of fun and creativity in getting dressed - they have a fear of standing out from the crowd. Here in San Diego where I live I'm always non-plused at how sloppy and down right dull folks like to look! It isn't uncommon to go to some ones home for a beautiful sit down dinner and find your dinner partner in jeans and a plaid shirt!! I'm talking about VIP's in the county! "Eccentric Glamour" in a way fulfills my longing for real style. For me the book gets 5 stars.

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.