Sex Appeal: The Art of Allure in Graphic and Advertising Design

by Steven Heller (Editor)

In this first book to seriously examine the use and/or abuse of sex and innuendo in the mass media, interviews with leading figures in mainstream marketing focus on sex and innuendo, from the so-called satiric pornography of Calvin Klein ads and the muscle men and women hawking Evian water, to the sensual allure used in graphic and advertising design in music, art, film, packaging, and publishing.

Genres: Design

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Steven Heller writes a monthly column on graphic design books for The New York Times Book Review and is co-chair of MFA Design at the School of Visual Arts. He has written more than 100 books on graphic design, illustration and political art, including Paul Rand, Merz to Emigre and Beyond: Avant Garde Magazine Design of the Twentieth Century, Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design Second Edition, Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age, Graphic Design History, Citizen Designer, Seymour Chwast: The Left Handed Designer, The Push Pin Graphic: Twenty Five Years of Design and Illustration, Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits, The Anatomy of Design: Uncovering the Influences and Inspirations in Modern Graphic Design. He edits VOICE: The AIGA Online Journal of Graphic Design, and writes for Baseline, Design Observer, Eye, Grafik, I.D., Metropolis, Print, and Step. Steven is the recipient of the Art Directors Club Special Educators Award, the AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement, and the School of Visual Arts' Masters Series Award.

Reviews

[jayce *ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 This collection of essays was super interesting, I learned a lot and found most of the essays still really relevant 25 years post publishing date. I'm super intrigued on how the topics that weren’t touched due to publication date, but a subject I think is really important to discuss here. Not only are brands selling their products but people can market and sell themselves (sexually or otherwise) in ways that would not have been fathomable to people 25 years ago. All the design advice and learning more about the history of my industry is something I hope holds within my brain for years to come. There's also new writers and publications that I'm excited to explore so that's another plus, overall I really enjoyed this book and studying for fun was really rewarding.