No comments about Adobe InDesign 2: Introduction to Electronic Documents (Against the Clock Series).

1 comments about Grids for the Internet & Other Digital Media.

1. Another superb book by Götz. Although the title is a tad dry and does not suggest that the book will appeal to the same wide audience as Type for the Internet, in fact `Grids' is just as fascinating and timely. Gotz describes how websites (and other browser-read creations) should be laid out for maximum effectiveness. Her analysis is practical and how-to, leading from the apparently obvious problem of landscape layout , the limits of legibility on screen, to the more elaborate problems of dynamic and interactive pages. But the very practicality of Gotz's approach, and her sharp focus, only make it doubly clear how our whole philosophic engagement with information is radically changed by the new technologies. Gotz does not resist the temptation to point at some of the larger issues by truffling her boook with witty quotations and maxims from the great savants, all presented with a layout full of panache.

2 comments about Designer's Guide to Color: 3.

1. The book is full of color combination examples. It's just page after page of color patterns. It's great for letting you see how colors look together and the CMYK numbers for it. it's a little eye tangling to see pages up on pages of color combination examples. It would have been nice to see the color combos in something other than a square with patterns of colors on it. But they kept it simple.



2. This is, in my opinion, the best of the designer's guide to color series. It focuses primarily on the interaction of color in patterns and presents many interesting and useful islamic, japanese, art nouveau, and textile patterns.

3 comments about 100% Cotton: T-Shirt Graphics.

1. i liked this book. i thought it was very cleanly put together, with good examples by classic t designers alongside cool, up and coming people whose work i hadn't seen before. there was a really good selection of shirts and so what if there wasn't any information on how to print them? says it in the title: t-shirt GRAPHICS. that's what it says, and that's what it gave. nice new shirts around a difficult theme and a cool bunch of leftfield collections/exhibitions/shows. it's definitely a graphic designer's book rather than a book for your average consumer, but i'm a graphic designer so that's fine by me.



2. This is not about t-shirt graphics - it's about non-mainstream artists who have happened to put their designs on tees. I get the strong impression that many of the graphics featured have never been printed on a t-shirt. Because the book features mainly abstract designs, it is very hard to relate with on a personal level.

   This book does not feature any corporate owned lines, which tend to better exploit the imprinted clothing medium. Because of this you won't see any creative printing techniques or processes.

   Many of the labels presented are popular in their originating country only and not worldwide. They should have organized graphics by geographic origin to clarify this, but instead act as if the lines are known worldwide when they are not. Very few, if any, Americans will have heard of these clothing lines, even the ones that are stateside.

   The authors of this book obviously know nothing about creating artwork for t-shirts. They know nothing about the trends in the industry nor any of the popular brands of clothing. They don't know that American, Japan, Australia, and the European countries all have different tastes in fashion.

   Creating a great t-shirt graphic requires the artist to understand the screen printing process, materials and techniques. The artworks featured were not created by graphic artists familiar with screen printing. They did not exploit the medium by creating complex color separations, half tone patterns, special inks, or other creative processes. Most art featured only has a few solid colors with no blends or details. Most designers appear to have taken the cheap route by not using a lot of colors (since each new color adds to the cost of the shirt).

   They also feature far too many designs from each label/artist. They should have offered a bigger sampling from more designers and even corporate lines. Seeing twenty designs from one artist makes me think they were just lazy about finding more samples.

   If you want to see professional t-shirt graphics, look at some screen printing trade magazines like Impressions. Try to look at the techniques being used and not the topic of the artwork. If you want to see some good graphic design, buy a different book. This book will not inspire anyone.




3. I am a graphic designer and was looking for inspiration for some apparel designs. But a lot of the stuff in this book is the trendy pop-art rip-offs or deconstructive designs that look like they were drawn on the shirt with a marker. I think I may have been happier just buying a big book of logos. If you get to design shirts with ALOT of creative freedom, then maybe this is the book for you.

   The part of the book I like the most is the actual "100% cotton" section where well qualified designers took the 100% cotton theme and designed something for a plain white T-shirt, and explained their thoughts behind it. But this was only about 20 pages in the book.

   I think this book is average for a design book. I dont have any other T-shirt design books so I can't say how it compares to others. If you can get it , its not a bad deal.

1 comments about Taking Tea with Mackintosh: The Story of Miss Cranston's Tea Rooms.

1. Book arrived promptly in very good condition. Interesting, informative discussion of the relationship between Cranston and Mackintosh. Not interested in pastry receipes included.

1 comments about 150 Full-Color Art Nouveau Patterns and Designs (Promotionals, Displays).

1. Dover Publications is a friend to anyone looking into the past, with its incredible array of reprints of books -- some seminal, some highly idiosyncratic -- in art, architecturre, crafts, math, science, technology, and much more. And they're always affordable.
   
   This one captures a point in time more than it inspires. It appears to be largely a collection of wallpaper (or stencil) designs, in mainly muted colors, with each design consisting of from one to three hues.
   
   Among the stylized and abstracted natural forms you expect from art nouveau are a very few realistic, kitchy, chocolate-box roses and hollyhocks. They are jarring, the kinds of designs you'd see on your great-aunt Pearl's bread box or your great-grandmother's collection of postcards.
   
   Herr Wolfrum -- or his customers -- liked swags, ribbons, classical elements, and vases of cut flowers. One or more of these is part of nearly every design.
   
   All told, whether it's the muted colors or the predictable step-and-repeat of the designs themselves, there seem to be few inspiring images. That said, there are individual design elements worth study, from the way a blossom is abstracted to the form of a leaf-spray (the pattern on the cover shows you what I mean).
   
   And certainly this collection will be of use to anyone interested in a showcase of vernacular art of the era, unadulterated by today's tastes. Unfortunately the era is hard to pinpoint, since the original book had no date, but I'm guessing 1910. You get all the chic colors of the time: dark olive, brown, tan, dusky red, deep lavender.
   
   You never know... in time, everything comes around again. Maybe in 2055, these designs will find their way back to an ecstatic audience. They'd certainly give an inimitable backdrop to the darker Ibsen and Strindberg plays.

4 comments about Mistakes Men Make That Women Hate: 101 Style Tips for Men (Capital Lifestyles).

1. Let me start by saying that this book is somewhat funny.
   The title makes no sense. The book is written by a man and has more to do with what is professional than what is fashionable. The title should have been "Mistakes Men make that Employers hate." It is a pretty good guide if you are looking for a job and don't know how to dress yourself. Otherwise, don't waste the money.
   The only reason I even gave it 2 stars was because of the humor.



2. The advice in this book is so basic and obvious that you would have bigger problems than fashion if you actually learned something. The title is pure marketing. There is nothing in the book that targets women's opinions over other men's opinions. I'm sending it back.



3. Kenneth Karpinski's little book is a quick read and has its better moments.
   
   But his humor is sarcastic, his tips are very basic, and the project has little or nothing to do with what *women* hate. They're simply matters of good taste and self-awareness. Men don't learn well by being made fun of. We carry enough weight already.
   
   This book makes a convenient stocking stuffer and is good for a few chuckles in that way. However the Rutledge Press 'Gentlemanners' series is more helpful if you really intend to elevate your game.



4. I saw this book at a local bookstore and had to pick it up as an early Father's Day gift for my dad. Kenneth Karpinski uses humor to pass along clothing and style advice to men. The tone of the book is joking, not negative or condescending, so no one should get offended.

   This book is the perfect gift for any man in your life!

No comments about The Real World Guide to Fashion Selling And Management.

5 comments about Krazy Kat.

1. This is a wonderful book for Krazy Katz fans to own. It is large, colorful and very informative on one of Americas great cartoonists. The delivery through Amazon was fast and effortless. The book, a treasure to own. Worth the lower price through Amazon.



2. This is a wonderful introduction to George Herriman's great comic strip Krazy Kat that ran for several decades in the early twentieth century. This introduction provides biographical background to Herriman's art, a survey of some of his influences, and a very healthy dose of Krazy Kat panels, both color and black & white. It also discusses the way that Krazy Kat became a cultural phenomenon, easily one of the most highly regarded comics of the century, and permeating many other arts as well.
   
   The Krazy Kat strip is utterly insane, surreal stuff. Here is the premise: Krazy Kat (who is usually female but is sometimes apparently male) is in love with Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz loathes Krazy, and to prove it konstantly kreases that kat's krown with a brick. Incredibly, Krazy sees this as proof of Ignatz's affection, and falls even more deeply in love (many panels show hearts rising from Krazy's heart when she is hit by one of Ignatz's bricks). Officer Pup, the town constable, is in love with Krazy and frequently throws Ignatz into jail for hitting Krazy, which causes Krazy to pine for her would-be lover. This is merely the barest sketch of this weird and wild world. The town of Concocino is populated by a host of equally outrageous characters, though the focus continually comes back to the three principals.
   
   Though even the most recent of these strips are over sixty years old, Krazy Kat has stood up magnificently over the years. Part of the reason surely lies with Herriman's enormous gifts as an illustrator. The Sunday strips in particular are things of great beauty, with the frames arcing around the page in spectacular designs of considerable innovation and complexity. The content of the comics reflects a genuine wit and substantial intelligence, while the bizarre love triangle possesses endless possibilities for both humor and pathos. This truly is one of the most unique comics in the history of the medium, and even those who do not usually respond to the genre are apt to find this enormously entertaining.



3. This book stands as the best introduction to one of the best comic strips ever produced. Not only is it packed with hard to find "Krazy Kat" strips, but it also includes a biography of the artist, George Herriman. Some consider Herriman the first African-American mainstream cartoonist. His colleagues didn't know his ethnicity (and Herriman didn't tell them) so some called him "the Greek". He felt he had to hide some of his features from the public. For example, he kept his very curly hair closely cut and hidden under a hat. Not only that, his birth certificate shows his parent's ethnicity as "colored". The prejudices of the time likely would not have allowed an African-American the mainstream status and freedom allowed to George Herriman. So through "Krazy Kat" we get a glimpse of what early 20th century American culture may have missed out on due to its racial myopia. For "Krazy Kat" stands as an absolute masterpiece of its genre.
   
   Herriman found some modicum of fame in his lifetime. William Randolph Hearst (the newspaper magnate) loved Herriman's work and rewarded him with a lifetime contract (according to the biography in the book, Hearst once read a "Krazy Kat" Sunday page and immediately demanded a raise for the artist). Herriman's success didn't come quickly, however. His first big break came in 1897 with the sale of a sketch to the Los Angeles Herald. Around 1901 he landed his first job as a "Staff Cartoonist" (a person who literally reported to the office every day and rattled off strip after strip; very different from today's cartoonists). Between 1901 and 1916 Herriman penned numerous strips (the book includes samples of many of these strips - many in color), including: "Musical Mose" (this strip's overt racial humor would not fly today), "Professor Otto and His Auto", "Acrobatic Archie", "Two Jolly Jackies", "Major Ozone's Fresh Air Crusade", "Home Sweet Home", "Baron Mooch", "Mary's Home From College", "Gooseberry Sprig" (considered to be a direct forerunner to "Krazy Kat"), "Alexander the Cat", "Daniel and Pansy", and finally, in 1910, "The Dingbat Family" (which changed its name briefly to "The Family Upstairs"; it was Herriman's first hit). It was in a "Dingbat Family" strip in 1910 that a mouse first "beaned" a "Kat" with a projectile (in the "running boards" of the strip). Eventually the Kat and mouse sideshow surpassed the main strip's popularity, and "Krazy Kat" debuted as a daily in October 1913 (the famous Sunday pages began in 1916). Herriman kept experimenting with other strips through 1923 when he finally placed his focus squarely on "Krazy Kat".
   
   From roughly 1913 to 1944 (when Herriman passed away leaving a week's worth of unfinished Krazy Kat's on his drawing table) "Krazy Kat" developed from a "Kat" and mouse game (filled with puns, misunderstandings, and musings on the imperfections of language) into a complex love triangle between Krazy (the "Kat"), Ignatz (the mouse) and Offisa Pupp (the dog). Ignatz's entire being revolves around "beaning" the "Kat" with a brick, and Krazy interprets this as an act of love (unbeknownst to Ignatz). Offisa Pupp loves Krazy (in a fatherly sort of way) and his obsession revolves around catching Ignatz in the act and jailing him. Three obsessions collide in an almost jazz-style derivation of themes. Herriman developed this theme brilliantly over 30 years of strips. But overall it defies analysis: the strip can only speak for itself.
   
   Sadly, though "Krazy Kat" counted such dignatiries as e.e. cummings, George Gershwin, Gilbert Seldes, James Joyce, and other literati, as fans, its popularity waned dramatically throughout the 1930s (as it became more surreal, esoteric and unabashedly uncommercial). It was kept in print by Hearst himself. The book does not cover the frustration of Hearst editors at the inclusion of the strip in their papers. They rebelled against it in some cases. Many simply tried to remove it from circulation only to find Hearst himself yelling "keep it in!" So we have, of all people, the controversial William Randolph Hearst to thank for the continuation of "Krazy Kat". By the end of its run "Krazy Kat" only appeared in some 30 papers.
   
   The main focus of this book lies in its numerous incredible strips. The book includes daily strips (most dating from 1938 to 1944) and Sunday pages (dating from 1916 to 1944 with some in color; it also includes both the first and last Sunday pages). If one reason exists to purchase this book, here it is. The strips retain their amazing character even after decades of aging. And the artwork remains astounding. Not only that, the book includes samples of hand colored drawings of Herriman's, and photos of Herriman and his family. All in all, this book opens the door on one of the comic strip medium's most celebrated strips. Those that get hooked should continue thier obsessions (in the true spirit of Krazy, Ignatz, and Offisa Pupp) with the Fantagraphics' series of Sunday pages, and the Pacific Comics club's reprints of daily strips. Someday every Krazy Kat strip Herriman drew will finally appear in printed form. We can hope, at least.



4. When I noticed that many of my favourite cartoonists have said that Herriman's 'Krazy Kat' is the greatest comic strip ever, I decided I should check it out. It didn't take long before I agreed with them.

   George Herriman is one of those rare individuals who genuinely deserves to be called a genius. That's a word that gets thrown around a little too casually perhaps, but in Herriman's case it is almost an understatement.

   He was a brilliantly inventive artist, but his writing is what really sets him apart. A lot of the dialogue is written phonetically in bizarre dialects, a tricky thing to do, but he uses it to great effect.

   Whereas space restrictions force cartoonists today to avoid using more words than is necessary, Herriman would often use a lot more, and much of the pleasure of reading 'Krazy Kat' comes from the sheer virtuosity with which Herriman uses language.

   That a comic strip could be as funny, as intellectually stimulating, and as beautiful to look at as 'Krazy Kat' seems to me to be some kind of miracle. This book is a great introduction to Herriman and his work. There's a generous helping of 'Krazy Kat' strips, as well as some of Herriman's other work. Anyone who loves comics should have it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.




5. This is what all popular art forms should be. A social commentary as love poem. And poem this is. There is very little that someone can write about the Krazy experience without treading in the same terran as this wonderful book. This is were your Krazy love afair begins. And unlike Ignatz you don't show your love with a brick.

No comments about Early Advertising Alphabets, Initials and Typographic Ornaments (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).