5 comments about A Bug's Life: The Art and Making of an Epic of Miniature Proportions.

1. Nice Book. A little bit of damage. But what do you expect from a second hands book?



2. This collector's edition of A Bug's Life deserves ongoing mention is a fun accompaniment to the film, requiring good reading skills or parental assistance but pairing film clips with an outline of the story. Visual insights, art and insider's info abound.



3. This book is very much to own for animators and who that love this movie



4. A hardcover and full color book on the making of a bugs life.Absolutely wonderful!!Interviews with the directer and clips from the movie.Also encludes many of the story-boards they used.I loved it !!!!!!!



5. A very handsome book that doesn't appear to've been copyedited at all. The first five pages have more grammatical errors than any ten randomly selected novels. Plus, author Jeff Kurtti's tortured prose stylings seem better suited to a grade 12 english class than a "quality" mass market publication. Still, excellent pictures, an attractive layout, and some good and interesting quotes from the key creatives, albeit rammed bone-headedly in between all the intermittently coherent Kurtti-text. Buy it to look at, not to read.

5 comments about The Art of the Band T-shirt.

1. it was okay, i had hoped a bit more in depth to the periods but as a vauge overall view it was very nice- i was dissapointed my first queen concert shirt was not listed.I had purchased it as a gift for a customer but i don't think it is cool enough to give them , sigh



2. My boyfriend plays in a rock band, so I got the book as a surprise for him. We love looking through it and reading up on the stories of the how, why, where, and what of each particular shirt. Call us Rock Geeks if you want, but I think this book is "Chicken Soup for the Rocker's Soul."



3. If you are interested in band or rock tees- this is THE book. You can tell the authors are true music fans who really care about this subject. It is well presented with great photos on really nice paper. Almost every page is a photo- so it serves as a great catalogue of "the best of" band shirts. Interesting details on each shirt keep you turning the pages. They really did a lot of research. Good range of tees (not just rock). If you are interested in music, fashion, or art- you'll like this book.



4. This is a great mini coffee table book with heaps of great band t shirts for almost every genre of music. Would make a great gift.



5. Or I guess I had that one. It is great to be able to see so many shirts that I had or always wanted. I miss my RUN DMC shirt, and now can at least look at a photo of it. The photos are high quality, the selection is varied and impressive, and great stories about how some of the shirts/logos came about, that you don't usually get to hear.

2 comments about The Art of Darkwatch.

1. I've continued to enjoy books of film and video game conceptual art and, upon finding out that a book of art from Darkwatch had come out, I had to check it out. While I wasn't expecially a fan of the game itself, I loved the concept behind it (cowboys fighting zombies and vampires in a gothic-style version of the old west? Neat!) as well as the look on the game. And The Art of Darkwatch does not disappoint. Taking us from the early days of the game when it was going to be a kooky, light-hearted romp and the characters were styled to match, to the dark and brooding (and downright creepy) version that made it to a PS2 near you, The Art of Darkwatch shows you character designs, designs for equipment, vehicles, monsters and locales in rich detail and vibrant, frightening color. Fans of video games, conceptual art, or horror/fantasy art would do well to pick up this volume.



2. This Book is an AMAZING Resource for any Artist or Designer looking for that elusive "Concept Art Sketch Look"... their are SO MANY Sketches in the book, of Both Character & More... This Book is Not only a MUST HAVE FOR YOUR reference collection, a smorgasbord for the Visual SENSES !!! definite 5 star *****

5 comments about Exploring Illustrator CS (Design Exploration Series).

1. Over the years, I have bought a pile of "How to" books on After Effects,Première Pro, Photoshop and Illustrator and I did not feel any urge to write anything about these books before buying Ms Hartman's Illustrator guide.
   
   I liked the writing : unpretentious, simple with a warm tone that clicks with the reader.
   
   The first lesson in itself, is worth more than half the price of the book.



2. This book is a guide to learning Adobe Illustrator CS and digital illustration. The approach is divided between reading sections and step-by-step exercises. Each chapter is divided into several short lessons with accompanying images describing the steps. The key combination and minor interface differences for Mac and windows are explained when necessary.
   
   Overall, this was a good book that provided a smooth experience to learning Illustrator and design in general. The basics of Illustrator are easy to understand through the reading and exercises provided. Although the lessons are short, there is plenty of opportunity to practice on your own. You are initially walked through an exercise, but then usually given a chance to finish part of it on your own. The "Exploring On Your Own" sections provides extra practice and places to look for more information on the various topics discussed. The rest of the book in dedicated to providing useful information on design concepts such as color chords and art principles (line, fill, value etc). The color chords such as analogous, dyad or monochromatic will definitely help on my color choices on my next project. The CD provides all the needed lesson files and any additional samples for practice.
   
   As for problems, most were really minor with this book. There were only a few minor errors spotted such as steps with missing detail or incorrect menu paths. Also, I did think the review questions at the end of each chapter would have been more helpful if the answers were provided. Actually, the biggest issue I had with this book was the novel sized format it was published in. The book is small and the pages are difficult to keep open. Even my document holder was barely able to keep the pages open. For most of the book I had to use one hand to keep it open while working the mouse with the other. I am probably just being a little finicky since most of these minor problems had little effect on actual content.
   
   In the end, this is still a fine book to quickly get up to speed with Adobe Illustrator. The coverage on related design principles was just a bonus. Since this is a short book, do not expect deep coverage on Illustrator techniques. If you need more advanced concepts and/or less on design, then another book will probably work out better. However, the material that is covered is done so well and it should provide a good start for any beginner.



3. This book honestly is like a guide line. Especially if you need to look up something you can't remember, you can probably find what you need in the book.



4. I am a computer programmer/web designer familiar with adobe photoshop, but I wanted to learn more about designing with illustrator. I knew how to get around the program, but was not confident in using it. This book was wonderful - it's great for beginners, and I love how it encourages you to use keystrokes to get things done, instead of the mouse (much faster).



5. This book really showed me, step by (illustrated) step, the way to make the most out of using Illustrator. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the hands-on approach to learning. In the very first lesson, the author helped me create a logo that was really great looking, which gave me a boost of confidence to go on and do more. This book is just great for a beginner, to learn all the essentials of Illustrator.

3 comments about Trademarks of the '60s &'70s.

1. This book is a good reference, with a nice introduction by Philip Meggs, and some nice commentary, but it just kills me that you are not given the artist or firm behind any of the logos. For each logo, the author has listed the Company name, Company location, type of product, and year of execution of the logo, but if you are interested in the names behind the marks you will be frustrated that this piece of information is omitted.



2. A terrific overview of trademarks, this remarkable book break symbols down into sections - corporate america, typography, etc - that make the book easily digestable. Great as inspiration for graphic designers, as source material, or as one of my friends recently did, ideas for tattoos. Good stuff.



3. So far, the biggest kick I got out of this book was seeing the trademark for National Airlines. I remember when the only air service we got here in little Sarasota was from Eastern, National, and Florida Airlines, none of which are in existence any more. This book shows you how a symbol can be ubiquitous and then vanish.

5 comments about Designing with Kanji: Japanese Character Motifs for Surface, Skin & Spirit.

1. What a great book! The presentation of multiple styles definitely caught my eye as I fanned through the book the first time; I was hooked! The introduction is very well written, and each page thereafter imparts a wealth of information that is simply a joy to read.
   
   I love "power" words - single words that encompass my thoughts and feelings - and kanji characters are a beautiful way to express them. I found 'Designing with Kanji' in my effort to design my next tattoo. When I did not find exactly what I was looking for in the book, I contacted Leza and she promptly responded with the characters I needed. Great book - great woman!



2. This book is wonderful if you are going to get a tattoo of a certain Kanji it has tons to choose from. I use this book almost everyday.. this is by far one of my best purchases.



3. I have been an admirer for Oriental Culture, and willing to understand Chinesse and Japanese writing. This book is an excellent source which explains a lot of Kanji symbols, and has several notes about interesting facts about it. I recommend it to all people looking to introduce themselves into this enigmatic and wonderful language.
   Antonio Sobalvarro



4. Easy to read, follow, and use right away. Shows formal, modern, flowing, and stylish character sets. Describes the root, meaning, and nature of common Japanese words and phrases. The calligraphy is excellent. I only wish it was longer and more encompassing. Among other things I use this book as a supplement to Write Your Name in Kanji text by Nobuo Sato to write the characters more elegantly.
   
   Lawrence Kane
   Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction



5. We had recently seen "The Last Samuri" so I was in the frame of mind to learn more about Japanese history and culture. I found this book on the Breakfast table one recent morning. The introduction and explanation of Kanji was clear and concise. This book provided a great beginning to the subject of how a culture influenced a language and how a language influenced a culture. I couldn't put it down for an hour or so. I'll refer to it often.

No comments about Community Participation Methods in Design and Planning.

No comments about Poiret.

2 comments about Milton Glaser: Graphic Design: Graphic Design.

1. Since you've made it this far, allow me to briefly write about the book--the other commenter puts Glaser's personality so well in context. The book's content is graphic material, both published and rejected, complemented by Glaser's succinct explanations concerning any of the following: historic/social context, guiding professional principles, technique and process, interpretation, the tension between client and creator, etc. The text and the graphical works are very diverse, ranging from terse to lengthy, and simple to complex, respectively. All in all, the feeling of being in Glaser's presence (in class or studio) is likely to grow in you as you progress through the book.
   
   If what you've read so far compels you to get the book, do so by all means, it's a 5-star! Otherwise, if, let's say, you are looking for for something akin to a cafe-table book, this one gets only 3 to 4 stars.



2. It's certainly unbelievable that nobody reviewed this book before (july 30 1999). Milton Glaser means to the history of graphic design what Michelangelo or Arcimboldo or Leonardo mean to the history of art. In a time when the likes of David Carson or any of the trendy computer BS designers reign, discovering Milton Glaser should be like a breath of fresh air. He represents a rare breed (almost extinct) of designers who master the craft of casting a good idea with the appropiate "visual language" in order to get the message across. His illustration skills as well as his thinking are always on the crest of the wave, regardless of who is "en vogue" at the time. He stands for excellency in the widest sense of the word. No designer who prides himself/herself of being one, should continue practising/studying without -at least- flipping through this book.

1 comments about Collection by Design: A Paper Doll History of Costume 1750-1900.

1. A wonderful reference for costumes from the time periods. The clothes are excellent and colorful. Great books to own.