Forget All the Rules About Graphic Design: Including the Ones in This Book

by Bob Gill

Bob Gill is a genius when it comes to graphic design, and this book is the proof of it. While this edition may be out of print, it would be a worthy addition to any personal or professional creative library. So if you don't own this book it's well worth the wait or extra fee. While the work presented here has a very dated 70's look to - that not what's important. The idea behind the work is that the graphic design communicates an idea. Each page in the book starts by giving you an "orginal problem" from a client - and then shows how Gill comes up with a solution to to not only solving the problem , but to redefine it. Gill uses a wide range of styles to solve his problems including plain typography, illustration and photography. His work is very clever, and is the opposite of people who just make pretty pictures.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Technical, Art Design

168 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1981

Reviews

[Zoe Hannay]

total cooker but his work’s good

[kari trail · Rating 4 out of 5]

“the hardest part, always, is to get the problem right. don’t be in a hurry to solve the problem. make sure that the problem is worth solving in the first place. the problem is the problem.”

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, so refreshing to read a book that shows graphic design instead of just talking about it. Very simple explanations of different design "problems" and how they were solved. I will never be this creative.

Would be good paired with A Book About Design.

Favorite Quotes:

Any design decision was okay as long as it solved the communication problem in a precise and interesting way.

The design decisions must not look arbitrary. They should look inevitable.

The most likely way to find a unique solution is to find something unique about the problem.