The Ab Cs Of [Triangle, Square, Circle]: The Bauhaus And Design Theory

by Ellen Lupton

The Bauhaus is the most widely known, discussed, imitated, dissected, exhibited phenomenon in modern design. Yet since the Second World War design education has lost sight of one of its most important the need to think about design in a theoretically self-conscious way. By re-examining Bauhaus ideas and encouraging critical thinking about the means and ends of design, this work provides the opportunity to reinvigorate today's graphics. Conceived, designed and edited at The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography, The Cooper Union, New York, this book traces the origins and impact of the Bauhaus in relation to basic design, graphic design and typography. While the text is a challenging exploration of the Bauhaus's aims and achievements, the book itself is a manifesto of Bauhaus ideals, synthesizing editorial concept, typography and craftsmanship. Essays by eminent contributors address various aspects of the Bauhaus, including its relationship to Weimar culture, Herbert Bayer's geometric type design called 'universal', and the psychological implications of Kandinsky's celebrated attempts to establish fundamental laws of form and colour with his triangle/square/circle test. Illustrations include extensive samples of typographical design, instructional diagrams and symbols. Designed in a manner that befits the aspirations of the Bauhaus, this manual will be an inexhaustible fund of inspiration for design professionals and a revelation for all those interested in 20th-century culture.

Genres: Design, Art, Art Design, Architecture, Nonfiction, Reference, History

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

Reviews

[Leonard Houx · Rating 2 out of 5]

The person who was responsible for this grammatically incorrect book cover should go into a cave and PRAY that they never do something so ridiculous ever again.

The book itself is a mixed bag. The pages are cleverly designed, each spread different than the next. But the writing is often disorganized and shallow. Ellen Lupton's essay is great, but the majority read like papers at a graduate student conference.

[Mario Carranza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the book design and the format but some sections are completely far fetched and off-topic.

[Onofre Benlloch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo compré porque me entró por el ojo y porque en principio la temática era de mi interés. La realidad ha sido que es un compendio de artículos sobre la Bauhaus más bien tangenciales y alguno hasta un poco magufo y loco. Me ha gustado el del tipo universal y Herbert Bayer, así como el del diseño n-dimensional, pero me ha parecido un despropósito el del psicoanálisis. También hay otros que pueden estar bien y yo ni darme cuenta porque tras leerlos dos veces seguía entendiendo solo artículos y preposiciones sueltas.
La maquetación y los detalles, sin embargo, son una pasada. Es una edición preciosa que experimenta a tope con ello con mucho éxito.

[Yuqian Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book design itself is absolutely beautiful. However each chapter seems a bit disconnect to each other. Maybe it was just me, sometimes I found myself quite confused about the whole picture.

[Juan Pablo García Estefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro en sí mismo es bonito, con una edición muy cuidada, buen papel, y toda una variedad en el diseño de las páginas que lo hace muy agradable al tacto y a la vista.

Concuerdo con otros comentarios en cuanto al contenido, con respecto a que algunos ensayos parecen no tener ninguna relación entre sí; sin embargo, hay varios que valen la pena.

Finalmente, sea como sea, el libro me despertó la curiosidad por algunos temas y me generó algunas ideas que quizás nunca habría concebido sin él... lo cual creo que es un gran logro para un libro.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an explanation of the design theories of the Bauhaus and the cultural context in which they existed, this was pretty good. 3 or 3.5 for that. Reading it was more like visiting a museum gallery and reading wall plaques than a normal book.

But some of the content was so bad that it knocked my rating down a lot - I couldn't even make it through the bizarre appendix essays about topics like the "psychoanalysis of geometry."

[Alberto · Rating 2 out of 5]

No era lo que me esperaba, pero es que tampoco sabía que quería esperar de él.

Curioso, entender como mucho del diseño actual occidental viene en cierto modo dirigido por la Bauhaus, y más aún, con la historia, que es el motor de tantas cosas, y en este caso, del diseño.

También la psicología tiene su ámbito y tiene algo que decir en el libro, como las formas, colores, pueden significar distintas ideas.

Eso sí, el final es abrupto, literalmente no tiene ni despedida ni epílogo.

[Angela Obeso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very academic, not exactly what I was looking for, but someone who is interested in the more academic side of Bauhuas may rate this higher. I was hoping for more of how the theory translated into art and abstraction, but I did learn some of the history and theory of the Bauhaus movement.

[Gabriel Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um bom começo para a história!!
Diagramação tem um design incrível ♥️
Mas as vezes muito complexo com o assunto!! É quase perfeito

[Jason Baldauf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping that this would be about the theory and teachings of Bauhaus, but was disappointed to find it is a collection of essays. They include a two page introduction and timeline, the art teaching influence on elementary school, the attempt to identify a visual language, the condition in Germany at the time, typography and a couple of others that really failed proving any bearing on the subject. While interesting, it didn't deliver on what was advertised. Instead it's a rag tag group of essays that feel thrown together. If interested in Bauhaus history and system, look elsewhere.

[Vitor Carvalho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um ótimo livro que conta um pouco da história da construção do que se acreditava ser uma linguagem visual universal intrínseca e o que se entendia por isso. Contém alguns ensaios difíceis direcionados à psicanálise, mas também interessantes de serem lidos. Recomendado para quem se interessa e estuda sintaxe gráfica.

[Ary D. Cahyono · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn the basics of design, this book is the one to read, especially for art students.

[Aaron Chu · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good primer for the Bauhaus movement.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was lots of information present, but it was laid out in a way that made reading it and researching confusing and hard to follow.