Product Description
How do we see the world around us? "The Penguin on Design" series includes the works of creative thinkers whose writings on art, design and the media have changed our vision forever. Bruno Munari was among the most inspirational designers of all time, described by Picasso as 'the new Leonardo'. Munari insisted that design be beautiful, functional and accessible, and this enlightening and highly entertaining book sets out his ideas about visual, graphic and industrial design and the role it plays in the objects we use everyday. Lamps, road signs, typography, posters, children's books, advertising, cars and chairs - these are just some of the subjects to which he turns his illuminating gaze. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Beautiful and inspiring book
A beautiful book by the 'Leonardo Da Vinci' of product design and the master of playful graphic design to make the kids react and understood. You can learn a lot of this book. About the simplicity in our place we live, in our life and the objects we buy. To do this, Bruno Munari makes a study in japanese traditional way of living.

An indispensable collection of thoughts for the design thinker...
This is a review for the new edition of this book by Penguin:

Part social commentary in a world of design, part designerly musing, and part thoughtful criticism at a world filled with abused objects, Munari's new publication by Penguin is a welcoming oasis of short essays (many merely one page long concisely argued and written) to the tyranny of cognitive science and user research tomes dominating design thinking today (think Norman and IDEO combined).

Clearly, Munari was writing in and for another period. That was a period spearheaded by designers-thinkers from the ranks of Nelson, Eames, Maldonado, Rittel, Bill, Aicher and Dreyfuss. Like Munari, these designers offer the insight that acute observation combined with thoughtful reflection of the material world is one of the most powerful forte of a designer.

In this book, I like the Munari's insight of 'wearing' best. He asks us to look at how objects become worn in their everyday use. Should we design objects on the sole merit of personal aesthetics and upon the Platonic plane of Ideal Geometry? Or should we design objects according to a limited sampling of user-needs study? Or as Munari suggests, should we design objects according to how it has been worn across time?

Munari did not answer his question (neither would I!). But it is this pensive quality of his work that merits his presence in the mind of every design thinker--a mind that seeks to ponder the thoughts on design across time.

Where are you, Bruno?
I find it strange that this book is not available except for used copies printed in Canada around 20 years ago. I decided to study design after reading this book, even though I grew up being told I would be an architect or a writer.

On the visionary chapter titled "what is a designer", Munari made it clear to me that design is a much needed public and collaborative art. He wrote as translated to english in 1966: "Art is once more becoming a trade, as it was in ancient times when the artist was summoned by society to make certain works of visual communication (called frescoes)..." and keeps going. It never made sense to me that art could only be self absorption hidden in galleries, but I guess that is yet another kind of trade.

He writes with humour and honesty, and keeps me focused on my discipline. I owe Munari a great deal. ... Read more

Product Description
A rich source of ideas and inspiration for all craftspeople and artists. The designs can be used as stencil or embroidery patterns, stationery designs, furniture decoration, glass painting guides or whatever your imagination chooses. The designs can be photocopied, traced, coloured, adapted or used as inspiration for originating your own designs. They can be enlarged or reduced for a particular project, and will stand up well to reproduction at any scale. Readers are permitted to reproduce any of the designs in these books for their personal use, or for the purposes of selling for charity, free of charge and without the prior permission of the Publishers. ... Read more

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Product Description
Here at last is the bible of T-shirt design today. 82 studios from around the world Brazil, Australia, Japan, Switzerland, America, Argentina, and more contribute their best designs to create a global and contemporary view of the thriving state of T-shirt land.

Tees is packed with illustrations of artwork and finished t-shirts, along with insights into the designers' inspirations, techniques, and where available, retail outlets.

With a vast range of styles anarchic illustration, pixel patterns, faux metal, all-over geometry, high craft, retro type, hand-drawn humor Tees reveals the enormous potential of T-shirts to be expressive, entertaining, and highly desirable all at once.

This special limited edition includes a T-shirt featuring a unique collage of designs provided by artists in the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great shirts
i own a clothing company so i have seen alot of shirts and this book showed me alot of new ones! i have several books with lots and lots of shirts and designs in them and this one by far was the won worth all the money. this is one you def need to own! love it! ... Read more

Product Description
Make Your Mark

Design is at a turning point. Our infatuation with--and the backlash against--technology is over. Today's best designers have learned to embrace its advantages and think beyond its limitations by combining the power of the computer with the tactile qualities of handmade elements.

Inside you'll find examples of work that showcase a variety of design methods, including mixed media, illustration, letterpress, screenprinting and collage. You'll find inspiration in examples from outstanding designers and see how traditional elements can make a more powerful statement than anesthesized computer-only work. Fingerprint also includes insightful essays on the power of the handmade by Debbie Millman, Jean Orlebeke, Jim Sherraden, Martin Venezky and Ross Macdonald.

The projects in this book are beautiful, technical, simple, layered and powerful. Each project communicates its intended message with eloquence.

You can be part of this exciting design revolution. Leave your own fingerprint on the world by exploring the fusion of the digital with the hand-wrought.

Chen Design Associates is a visual communications firm based in San Francisco. Firm Principal Joshua Chen is a frequent guest speaker for professional conferences, workshops, studio tours and educational institutions. The firm self-published the award-winning Peace: 100 Ideas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Getting away from the computer.....
I'm a graphic design student.When I was first introduced to Graphic Design, I was in High School, back in the early 90's.We used a horizontal process camera, a dark room and blue pencils.Cutting and pasting was the only way to achieve a layout design.Getting back into the graphic design process now, everything is done on the computer in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.I forgot how much fun it is to be creative and do things with my hands.

This book is excellent.The images and ideas are wonderful and I love how you are given a list of mediums used to create each piece.It has also inspired me to learn new techniques that I never even thought using.Since I finished my AAS in GD, I will have had 8 months away from school until I get back to finish my Bachelors this fall. I'm trying to keep my mind in the game and get some new ideas, ready for class to begin, fresh and thinking out of the box!Adding this book to my ever expanding design library was a great idea.I highly recommend it to anyone that's new to Graphic Design or just wanting to get back to it's roots.I was even impressed with the cover, the use of different 'handmade' elements....details that bring the point home. I hope they come up with more volumes.

One of the best
3 years old and I still turn to this book for inspiration.It's a great resource, especially in a world filled with so many graphic design books that rely heavily on overly computerized and super trendy samples.

OK graphic design book
I bought this book after Amazon recommended it...

Pros:It has pictures and less words.
Caveats: examples are average. I owe illustration books that give better ideas.
Summary: It is average and likely overrated. I am afraid it will be buried in my library....I better put it for sale on this site..mmm...

Even on a student budget, this book is a must.
As someone who rarely invests in books due to a low budget, I have to say I'm very selective in the books I choose to purchase. Fingerprint was my very first purchase over a year ago and I still use it as a reference and inspiration. The work inside is so unique that it doesnt follow graphic design trends and it won't date easily, the illustration and techniques cover a broad range of styles using a range of traditional and alternative materials. It's a beautiful book in itself and I would recommend it to anyone

Inspiring
This is not a book to read. It is one to experience, to commune with, perhaps to fall in love with.

I'm a fine artist studying graphic art, and despair of ever catching up with all the computer technology. I thought scanning hand done artwork and using that in designs marked me as an amateur. But here I learned that the hand trumps the computer! Not that I don't still have a lot to learn. But this puts things in perspective. It reaches beyond the fixation on technology to the point where we use technology only where we really need it.

I love this book because it understands me. It nurtures me. It inspires me. ... Read more

Product Description
Magnificent collection of floral patterns and stencil designs, created by one of the movement’s finest artists, includes 120 images of graceful garden flowers—foxglove, hollyhocks, columbine, lilies, among others, and 39 stencil designs of blossoming trees, reeds, mushrooms, oak leaves, peacocks, and more. Classic, copyright-free motifs will add a note of elegance to fabrics, stained glass, wallpaper, and a host of other art and craft projects.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Beautiful
This book includes beautiful designs, I love Art Nouveau and I chosed this book because I am doing a ceramic course, I found in it great ideas to make plates and vases. The pictures are in color, and there is also a whole set of stencil designs.I am thinking to buy the Art nouveau animal patterns which belongs to the same book serie.Beautiful book.

Nice artwork!
This book has great designs and some very pretty artwork, however I would not really call it a stencil book.There are only a few stencils in the back of the book and they are all in full color with printing on both sides of the page so there would be no way to use the stencils out of the book.You could photocopy them for use but there are only about 10 pages of real stencil designs the rest are front and back fairly intricate artwork that would be not good for stenciling, but they make great little pictures for frames, etc.

BEST OVERALL Art Nouveau Floral Borders & Ornaments Collection Book for Artists
I have about two dozen books specifically purporting to be Art Nouveau 'collections', and NOT ONE, or even THREE COMBINED, come close to capturing what THIS book offers, albeit in the "floral" patterns category... To artists looking for a definitive 'starter' source, in the art of the period, for repurposing in art, crafts and decor (ie: wallpaper, fabric, pottery, woodcarving, etc.), pick up a copy of this book and forget the rest! I was able to find not only what I needed for several initial projects, but was inspired to START more new projects based on the sparkling ideas inspired by this plethora of lush color images. Only wished a CD-ROM was available to accompany this book with hi-res digital images, as it would have made importing images to my computer (for re-sizing, tiling, color changes, etc.) much easier than hand-scanning... Only my collection of (specifically) Alphonse Mucha art books surpasses the value of "Art Nouveau Floral Patterns & Stencil Designs", and that is only because I have not YET found a like compilation of M. P. Verneuil 'figure' designs.

Best of Verneuil
This book exceeded my hopes. It had many more images in full color than I expected for such a cheap book. I have seen other books by Verneuil and they were half as nice and mostly black and white. I think anyone into decorating, drawing, and painting will like this book. It will inspire you to create art nouveau lines and flowers on your own work.

Good designs
If you are into art nouveau, you will enjoy this Dover book. Again many variations on floral themes. ... Read more

Product Description
Striking reproductions from a rare French portfolio of plants, animals, birds, insects, florals, abstracts, women, landscape and other subjects—all depicted in the sensuous, curvilinear Art Nouveau style. Designs shown in a wide array of usable formats: borders, repeating patterns, mortised cuts, corners, frames, and other configurations. Imaginative copyright-free art for use in textile and wallpaper design, book and magazine illustration, poster art, and a host of other graphic projects.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not a 'ready-to-use' book, but beautiful ideas...
I purchased this book along with one by M. P. Verneuil, and, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give THIS one a firm "5". The idea starters are here, in some lovely period (although somewhat mono to duochromatic) colors, but most are small and will need much manipulation and skilled handwork to transfer to a project. Because of their small printed size, a scan into digital format can only help so far: I was able to scan a chosen 1.5" X 3" image in at 300dpi, re-interpolating the image at 200% size. THEN I was able to "re-draw" the image by tracing it using Adobe Illustrator, producing my own vector (infinitely scaleable) digital image. It took me (a professional graphic artist) about 3 hours total to produce ONE of the 7 borders I need for several urns I am working on.

When every minute counts, I cannot afford to do this every time I need an image to "accent" a project I've already spent hours on, so, for me, it would be far easier to dream up a design (or use one of the illo's in this book as a 'starter') on my own without going through all of the scanning, re-drawing, image manipulations, tweaking, re-sizing, etc.

For those who KNOW there's no such thing as a "free lunch" (or thick volume of totally usable art for tracing or stencilling), this is still a nice book for referencing, especially if you're having a creative block and need some sparks to get the artistic fire going. But do expect to work at turning out a scaleable, tileable piece.

My only other disappointment was that this was a relatively THIN book (let?), and might've been a little nicer (and heftier!) if they'd NOT tried to squeeze so many illo's onto each page (hence, making most almost too small to work with)...


On the other hand, the "other" book I purchased, "Art Nouveau Floral Patterns and Stencil Designs" by M. P. Verneuil, was WONDERFUL (read my review of it there): the illo sizes are comfortable, the colors are bewitching (true color, not mono or duo tints!), and I am eager to use 4 out of every 5 designs (159 total crisp, detailed color plates)in the book!

-- Shea

Absolutely Gorgeous!!
This book is fantastic. Beautiful images and tons of borders, full-color - breath taking!

poor colour
Being a lover of Art Nouveau style, I liked the designs which will be very useful in my artistic endeavours. However, I was quite disappointed with the presentation of colours and sometimes print quality ... Read more

Product Description
Art Deco's attraction is as magnetic today as in its earliest appearance in France, showcased eventually at the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs held in Paris in 1925. We may think we know the parameters of this avant-garde design genre, from the superb Chrysler Building to Florida's South Beach architecture to the designs inspired by Cubism and African, Aztec and Mayan art. This book, however, will surprise and delight the reader with its wealth of Art Deco designs, ranging from those that are well-known to many designs drawn from kitchenware, textiles, advertising and other sources researched by Phoebe Ann Erb in magazines, books and ephemera of the period. Their vitality, beauty, sophistication and wit are as fresh today as when first viewed by a captivated public. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Save your money!
Save your money! Don't make the mistake I did (buying this book). What you get: 42 pages of shaky black and white pen and ink drawings. Some are art is deco-esque. Many of the drawings are not done in the art deco style. The ones that are, show very little by the way of style. The artist demonstrates not only that she does not understand art deco and cannot reproduce it. But also that she cannot draw a decentstraight line. The line quality is very poor throughout. Not worthy of a freshman art class.I'm giving my copy of this book to the local charity shop.

Good value
I have alot of books on this topic-this is a good one and the price is right.

provided what i wanted
the designs in this book are all original, actually from the 30s and actually art deco; not interpretations or adaptations or something that just happened to be drawn in the 30s. they are black and white (and sometimes grey) mainly outline drawings.

there aren't a lot of them, but the book is not expensive. as an addition to a collection of 30s designs it could be useful. it served my purpose, but might not do the same for anyone else. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Outdated approach, horrible illustrations, bad writing
There are so many problems with this book I don't even know where to begin.Pevsner writes in passive voice throughout the text, the paragraphs are filled with people referenced only by surname, the author takes up much more space quoting architects and designers rather than describing or analyzing the buildings and objects that are ostensibly the subject of the book, and nearly all the reproductions are black and white.There is no logic to the choice of the few color illustrations--single insignificant decorative arts objects are given a full page while Victor Horta's breathtaking and pivitol no. 6 rue house is relegated to a tiny black and white...?!?The intention of focusing on and explaining the sources of modernist design is a smart one, but readers should look elsewhere for the information this text purports to elucidate; especially a text that employs contemporary approaches to history (Pevsner's first edition was from 1968 and clearly has never been changed in any reprinting).

A quick review of the precedents of the Modern Movement
An excellent primer on the 19th and early 20th century sources of Modern Architecture, but a little thin when it comes to the underlying theories that set the stage for the movement that began after WWI.Pevsner starts with the British Arts and Crafts Movement and ends with the Deutscher Werkbund, which the Arts and Crafts Movement inspired.He covers the short Art Nouveau era, making some interesting comments on the role Gaugin played in it by inspiring a return to primitivism in the early stages of the movement.He notes the strong impact Frank Lloyd Wright had on the European architects at the turn of the century with the publication of the Wasmuth monograph, and the further impact of Cubism in leading to the further abstraction of architectural form. But, for the most part the book is a catalog of buildings and decorative designs that will give the reader a good starting point for investigating the roots of the Modern Movement.

A great book
I like this book so much: we used it for an art history course at Yale on art, architecture, and design from 1890-1940. Pevsner's goal, seemingly quite simple but really so complex, is to show the SOURCES of modernism,its origins. This is what the title suggests. Yet it seems he does so muchmore - he teaches, he gives things dignity, he makes clear intricateconnections reaching across space, time, and place in architecture and theapplied arts. Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, industrialism, theInternational Style - everything. Plus the illustrations are fitting and sobeautiful. Pevsner gives mention to things often neglected - jewelry,ceramics, etc. It's a compact work, slim, beautiful, easy to read, andgreat to have as a reference. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Annie Rose Knows...
This collection of designs is very diverse, some being intricately detailed while others are simple. The animals, people, plants, and other designs are beautifully printed in black and white with helpful descriptions of time, place and uses included.If the pages printed sideways had been printed back to back, with the footnotes on the outer edges of the left hand side as well as the right, it would be easier to use in terms of copying or sketching. This is an excellent resource of pre-twentieth century design. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486437574/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Doesn't delve deeply enough
True to its objective, "how can design be used to solve business problems", this book pulls together a collection of articles (mostly from the last decade) that examine the concept of design and its application in varying business situations: building business strategy, applying to innovation process, product design, creating loyal customers, branding, workspace design, ... With that, if you are interested in gathering differing perspectives and ideas, you will find this book a good value (definitely more cost-effective than purchasing the articles separately on the DMI site.)

Written by various authors, with differing writing styles yet similar themes, this book brings home the message of: design as a tool for change; difficulty convincing organizations of design value; importance of using design to solve today's problems. Although I found the first half of the book interesting and engaging, the second half was repetitive and long. So much so that, at the end, I felt desensitized to many valid issues designers feel (such as communicating their value or feeling left out from business conversations).

I did find a few gems in the book as the authors did a good job of describing their thought process and the framework they utilized, such as "The Best Strategy Is the Right Strategy" by Sohrab Vossoughi, "Design Strategies for Technology Adoption" by Alonzo Canada, Pete Mortensen, Dev Patnaik, and "Corporate Strategy: Bringing Design Management into the Fold" by Frans Joziasse. Various design methodologies and how they can be used in the context of business are also scattered throughout the book. With that, I can see myself going back to these articles for reference. However, due to what felt like a shotgun approach taken by this book, I don't think my overall awareness or appreciation of design strategy has increased after reading it.

Note to the editor: even though articles in the book may represent timeless ideas, it would be valuable to indicate when the article was written/published in the Design Management Journal or DMI Review.

Design Based on Thinking Like a Customer
Design is such an important component for organizations that are transitioning to thinking like a customer. Lockwood's selection of essays is very strong in telling the story of how designer skills can and will raise the value of your products and services in the eyes of your customers. [...]

Fantastic case studies
Don't let the un-sexy cover (sorry publisher) fool you -- major hitters in this compilation tell some darned good stories. Got a lot out of it. Highly recommended! ... Read more

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Product Description
Over 300 spectacular pendants, combs, buckles, rings, bracelets, brooches, umbrella handles, penknives, buttons, clasps and scissors in detailed photographs reprinted from rare, turn-of-the-century folio. Elegant, copyright-free illustrations exquisitely detailed with flower, foliage and butterfly motifs. Readily adaptable to any design use.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Art Nouveau Jewelry Desgins
The book is full of great jewelery designs but they are only basic monotone colour drawings and not photos or varied coloured drawings.

Perfect
This was a gift to a friend in Europe and he LOVED it!Very quick shipment and everything great.Amazon is fantastic, as usual!

Great for tattoos
I LOVE this book, and have turned many of these designs into tattoos. Never seen anything like it on any other person, either. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Nice books weird design
The books contained in this book are fabulous, but the book itself has some ugly pages with unresolved maximalism. With empty interviews, brief explanations on the books and boring graphics I can't give it more than a 3. ... Read more

Product Description
Over 200 authentic designs from Dahomey, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Mali, Kenya, Ghana, other African nations depict such unusual configurations asstylized lions, birds, fish, alligators, totemic figures, abstracts, geometrics and zigzags. Adapted from shields, masks, jewelry, textiles and other sources for copyright-free use by artists, designers and craftworkers.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

OK sort of
This book had very few clip art designs that were of any use. The concentrated on some masks but no real designs. The other book had a CD in it and had all the same pictures too. This was a better investment. Wish I had known that before I wasted my money on both books. Neither were very good. Have several Dover clip art books and this was one of the most disappointing.

Traditional African Designs
Traditional African Designs is a book that includes over 200 pieces of clip art from various countries in Africa.The pictures include representations of people, animals, designs, borders, plants and jewelery. I found this book a great resource not only for graphic design and collageprojects, but also a great inspiration for jewelery design.

Traditional African Designs
Traditional African Designs is a book that includes over 200 pieces of clip art from various countries in Africa.The pictures include representations of people, animals, designs, borders, plants and jewelery. I found this book a great resource not only for graphic design and collageprojects, but also a great inspiration for jewelery design. ... Read more

Product Description
Practical, affordable collection of 513 Art Deco designs—copyright-free and ready-to-use. Crisp black-and-white motifs combine stylized birds, insects and floral elements with circles, squares, triangles and other abstract forms. Inexhaustible source of design inspiration. 513 black-and-white designs. Publisher’s Note.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Notwhat I expected
I thought that this would be a book with reproductions of typical art deco motifs but it turns out to be one artist's interpretations of Art Deco, and in my opinion the results are pretty ugly...

these are not authentic
i assumed, since this was a dover book, that the designs would have been originally published in the 20s and 30s.not so.they are 'interpretations' by an artist born after deco ended and created in the mid-80s.

the designs are not horrible, but they're not wonderful, either.there may be one of two that, with tweaking, i might use, but most are pretty ordinary. ... Read more

Product Description
A rich source of ideas and inspiration for all craftspeople and artists. The designs can be used as stencil or embroidery patterns, stationery designs, furniture decoration, glass painting guides or whatever your imagination chooses. The designs can be photocopied, traced, coloured, adapted or used as inspiration for originating your own designs. They can be enlarged or reduced for a particular project, and will stand up well to reproduction at any scale. Readers are permitted to reproduce any of the designs in these books for their personal use, or for the purposes of selling for charity, free of charge and without the prior permission of the Publishers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

So so book
The designs were way too big for what I was looking for.I returned the book. ... Read more

Product Description
Hundreds of borders and enrichments (including frames, corners, cartouches) for the busy working artist are copyright-free and easy to use in this inexpensive collection. Add graphic excitement to menus, catalogs, greeting cards and all sorts of advertisements without statting. 32 black-and-white plates, with hundreds of individual motifs.
... Read more