Graphic Design: The New Basics

by Ellen Lupton

How do designers get ideas? Many spend their time searching for clever combinations of forms, fonts, and colors inside thedesign annuals and monographs of other designers' work. For those looking to challenge the cut-and-paste mentality thereare few resources that are both informative and inspirational. In Graphic The New Basics , Ellen Lupton, best-selling author of such books as Thinking with Type and Design It Yourself , and design educator Jennifer Cole Phillips refocus design instruction on the study of the fundamentals of form in a critical, rigorous way informed by contemporary media, theory, and software systems. Through visual demonstrations and concise commentary, The New Basics shows students and professionals how to build interest and complexity around simple relationships between formal elements of two-dimensional design such as point, line, plane, scale, hierarchy, layers, and transparency. The New Basics explains the key concepts of visual language that inform any work of designfrom a logo or letterhead to a complex web site. It takes a fresh approach to design instruction by emphasizing visually intensive, form-based thinking in a manner that is in tune with the latest developments in contemporary media, theory, art, and technology. Colorful, compact, and clearly written, The New Basics is the new indispensable resource for anyone seeking a smart, inspiring introduction to graphic design and destined to become the standard reference work in design education.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Art, Art Design, Reference, Graphic Novels, Creative

248 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2008

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introductory textbook for graphic design. It introduces the basics of graphic design in a brief and simple way and then shows examples of graphic design work that exemplify the concepts being discussed. In other words, this book takes a show-don't-tell approach to teaching graphic design. This is an introductory book, so if you know about the basics of graphic design already, there won't be much new here other than the examples of design. However, if you are starting out in the field or if you are just curious about graphic design, this is a good place to start.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like what this book is trying to do - move away from derivative artwork and into the raw components of composition. But I don't think it does it all that well. There were some really good chapters - great overview of colors, for instance. But other areas seemed less well thought out. I was also a little confused by the images they chose. Many were decent, but they were virtually all student art from the class that the author's teach. I'd be interested in a more diverse set of examples.

[Izzy Wootonn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I was very disappointed by this book. I knew it covered basic concepts, but I was hoping for strong visual examples of each category... It ended up being mostly student work from the author's classes - and was more experimental and theoretical than practical and beautiful. I gained nothing more than a few more fancy vocabulary words for concepts I already knew. :(

[Leo Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable introduction to graphic design. Unfortunately, I think this is a discipline better learned by doing, so this is a textbook for a formal class, not geared to someone like me who just wants to design a personal website so it looks nice. Still, it breaks graphic design into chunks. And while I found most of the book ho-hum, the book on gestalt fascinated me. Albeit, since this is a sourcebook for an intro to graphic design class and not a book on perception, Lupton stopped before it got REEEEALLLY good.

Then again, I'm a middle age nerd, not the target audience Lupton was shooting for. Three-stars.

[Manuel Frias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed. I was expecting an explanation of the (new) basics for graphic design. Instead, I found a rather superficial description of some principles. There are a lot of examples that can be inspiring though. And the design of the book is superb.

[Princeton Architectural · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do designers get ideas? Many spend their time searching for clever combinations of forms, fonts, and colors inside the design annuals and monographs of other designers' work. For those looking to challenge the cut-and-paste mentality there are few resources that are both informative and inspirational. In Graphic Design: The New Basics, Ellen Lupton, best-selling author of such books as Thinking with Type and Design It Yourself, and design educator Jennifer Cole Phillips refocus design instruction on the study of the fundamentals of form in a critical, rigorous way informed by contemporary media, theory, and software systems.

Through visual demonstrations and concise commentary, The New Basics shows students and professionals how to build interest and complexity around simple relationships between formal elements of two-dimensional design such as point, line, plane, scale, hierarchy, layers, and transparency. The New Basics explains the key concepts of visual language that inform any work of design—from a logo or letterhead to a complex web site. It takes a fresh approach to design instruction by emphasizing visually intensive, form-based thinking in a manner that is in tune with the latest developments in contemporary media, theory, art, and technology. Colorful, compact, and clearly written, The New Basics is the new indispensable resource for anyone seeking a smart, inspiring introduction to graphic design and destined to become the standard reference work in design education.

[Hadley Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very useful for the class it was required for. However, if you are purchasing the book for personal use I would suggest previewing it first. The pages are well laid out though some chapters are more informative than others. Definitions and terms are limited on certain principles but the definitions that are provided are very well written and informative. This is more of a picture book as it displays concepts through art work and presentation rather than written information. If you have a slight idea of art or design concepts I would suggest this book for the furthering of those concepts and for visual examples of new ideas and ways to go about designing.

[Cindy Buckshon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic return to the basics. I've been a graphic designer for over a decade, but my practice has grown a bit stale, partly to working at in-house positions, but mainly because of laziness and lack of motivation. Reading this book brought me back to my design school training and rekindled my enthusiasm for good design. The basics are all here: hierarchy, Gestalt, grids, colour... The first chapter called "Formstorming" gave me some cool ideas for how to tackle future projects with greater creativity.

The work samples are excellent and inspiring. I always love a book that leaves me feeling like, "damn, I don't know if I could do that!" It helps push me out of my comfort zone. The paper quality is nice and smooth. The binding is not quite up to par for using this as a textbook (I think it is a bit weak) but I think it is a great book for both new and seasoned designers.

[haven ⋄ f (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 // followed the design trend and guidelines for the year it was published. for modern-day use its outdated but has some good elements in the text information and a few good designs.

[pearl]

DNF. Not what I was looking for which is okay. Most content draws from and is geared toward undergrad students. Would have preferred something more commercial, digital, and practical.

[KitCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

While doing my MBA, I really need to be creative with my PowerPoint slides. I picked up this Graphic Design book to get some new ideas and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed the presentation of student projects as it showed the unique answers that can come out of the same question.

I hope that after my MBA, I can spend some time working through the creative exercises myself.

Great source of inspiration.

[Marc Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book help me really understand elements of graphic design that I could not understand when my professors taught me. The use of simple yet descriptive examples help showcase the very basic principle use and how it can be used to compose extremely elaborate design schemes. This book will be referenced many more times in my future and I am happy that I purchased this book.

[Deanna Schetselaar]

I think that if someday I become a designer of any merit, I will point back to my dog-eared copy of this book as my beginning into design. I am newer to this area, but I thought the ideas were explained beautifully and with precision.

[Reza Baradari · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a very good book for starting in the field of graphic design and it's job is to familiarize you with the core concepts whether new or old.
From my point of view the examples of exercises designers do for mastering each concept was the most helpful.

[Mohammad Shaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it comes up with nothing new, it's a very good book on Graphic Design. Enjoy reading it.

[Guilherme Gontijo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curiously, this seemed deeper in the very beginning.

[Kamilė · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book if you know next to nothing about graphic design and just want to learn what it is. Also good for idea hunting if you're just starting out. But if you have any experience in the field, it probably won't be very useful.

I'm a second year graphic design student and I barely learned anything from the text, but I liked the examples. The text basically just mentions a few principles of design, describes what it is and just leaves it like that. I guess I like that it picks out the principles and presents them in a tidy manner for you so that you could research them further, but in general, it doesn't provide much info. If you know anything about graphic design, I assume you won't learn much from the text either. The examples though were pretty inspiring and gave me some ideas. Yeah, most of them are students' works, so if you're looking for historically significant artworks, that won't be the case. But for me personally, students' works were exactly what I need right now as I'm a student myself and I get similar assignments in my classes. So they gave me some ideas.

The book is easy to read, full of pictures, and even if most of the info written wasn't new for me, it was still interesting. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a quick introduction to graphic design.

[Vanee Angel Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es un libro increíble para aprender los fundamentos del diseño gráfico. Agradezco haberme topado con él, ya que los conceptos están explicados de una manera muy clara y corta.

Se nota que las autoras tienen mucha pasión por el diseño gráfico, ya que cada concepto trae proyectos de ejemplo, lo cual para mí es una inspiración gigantesca y una muestra de que uno mismo también puede hacerlo.

Por otra parte, el único "contra" que le encuentro a este libro es que se llama: "the new basics" o "los nuevos fundamentos". No tiene ningún fundamento nuevo, sino que es una "forma nueva de enseñarlos", por lo que para gente ya experimentada en el diseño este libro es simplemente un repaso y entiendo que por eso ha resultado decepcionante para algunas personas.

Definitivamente es un libro que volveré a consultar, los proyectos son muy inspiradores y actuales.

Es un muy buen primer paso para cualquier persona que aspire a ser diseñador gráfico

[Lavender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I'm not a designer, but I work with design.

For a book covering "the new basics", I wanted more out of it. While it does offer some interesting perspectives on the basics of design and how it has evolved in the modern age, it doesn't go into too much detail. The exercises are scattered throughout the book but I would've liked a more structured approach. It does have a wide variety of designs to take inspiration from that challenge you to go back to the basics and see how simple elements and principles can impact complex designs, so if that's what you're looking for, it serves its purpose.

[Morten Greve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought the book in the hope that it would offer useful guidance for presentation design. At first I was rather disappointed - lots of not very interesting examples from the authors' students and not the kind of hands-on guidance and advice I was looking for (and that the title seemed to promise). On closer consideration, I did actually find a lot to like in it. Excellent chapters on colour use, use of grids, use of patterns, for example.

Quite useful as a supplement and source of inspiration and ideas.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it is a fairly technical book, but if you like the subject, it is not heavy to read, it gives you key concepts and very interesting exercises. However, I would say that it does not delve too deeply into each point, some parts are very well explained, others somewhat short, but it opens you to begin to understand how a piece is designed and why is it designed like that.

Mainly I would recommend it to someone who has never studied design and wants to enter that world, but if you already study design, it could be interesting to read it for your learning process

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

To teach the basics, something should be so clear that a child can understand. Sadly, this book is far from clear, in both tone of writing and (ironically) layout design.

I have since learnt these design basics via other sources*, which I have found much more efficient and useful.

With that said, there are some useful exercise ideas to get your creative brain flowing.


*I would highly recommend 'Picture This: How Pictures Work' by Molly Bang (available online) - an incredibly simple, effective and engaging way of teaching all the same design basics.

[Mario Gogh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprei esse livro em 2010 e sempre o utilizei como consulta. Nunca tinha feito uma leitura direta na ordem dos capítulos.

Esse livro serve bem ao propósito de abordar os fundamentos detalhando exercícios de alunos e análises de trabalhos prestigiados analisando seus conceitos e abordagens.

Mesmo sendo um livro de 10 anos atrás ainda se faz válido pela atemporalidade ~ de alguns trabalhos contidos.

Não é o primeiro livro da autora da minha estante e não será também o ultimo.

[Clare Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant introduction to graphic design, clearly set out, and with fascinating examples of design in action from Lupton’s students.
This book not only gave me the basic building blocks of what makes good design, but inspired me to implement some of these in my current work and to be more creative and experimental with the presentation of ideas and concepts.
This is the type of book you could go back to repeatedly and gain something different each time.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for beginners and reference for design students

Great for those starting studies in graphic design. The authors interweave examples that reiterate and expand the text, which provide further understanding. The authors' authoritative knowledge of design speaks volumes as you read the text and you come away with a clear understanding of design basics. Highly recommended.

[alex elko · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book more of an inspiration to get involved with art and design rather than the theoretical basics. Lots of things presented in the book seemed to be pretty obvious. Unfortunately, since I was looking more into learning the theory of graphic design, I would say it was a waste of time.wd

[Nedam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Design is important, good design is difficult, but the pretentious and convoluted language used in this book leaves the impression that the authors don't think so and are afraid their profession will be looked down upon if they don't make it sound intellectually inaccessible.

Good teachers simplify complex, make clear the obscure. This book tries so hard to do the opposite.

Did not finish.

[Fabio TurboLangs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book butttttt, the language must be improved.
The verbiage used to teach design is just as that of a wine label. Can't stand it anymore.
Other than that, good organization, choice of topics, trends and examples.

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent introduction to the bare-bones basics of graphic design. Good primer on the concepts of line, point, plane and such, doesn't really get too far out of the basics, though. Nice to see an entry-level graphic design book written for modern technology, though, that is nice.

[Pascal Htt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Its a book for a first year graphic design student.
And the title is very misleading as it is not a new basic, it is very old basic :p. Nothing actually caught my attention even the examples are not that interesting.