Meggs’ History of Graphic Design
Review
A significant attempt at a comprehensive history of graphic design…it will be an eye-opener not only for general readers, but for designers who have been unaware of their legacy. — The New York TimesWith this book, Meggs made it easier for designers to envision their work in terms of history. The final pages of each edition attempt to put young designers into historical context, perhaps before their influence can be accurately assessed. Although some may argue that it’s an…
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In my opinion, this 3rd Edition “A History of GD” is the best reference book written about graphic design. This 500 plus pages book/bible is simply divided into 5 sections, 1) The Prologue to Graphic Design, 2) A Graphic Rennaissance, 3) The Industrial Revolution, 4)The Modernist Era, and 5) The Age of Information. The topics range from the invention of writing to, creation of new typogrphic styles to, the digital revolution and computer art. There are plenty of graphics and photos on every page to accompany the wonderfully written text. If you study art history or graphic design, I think this would be a great reference book to have. It will take some time to read the entire book. But this is like a text book, so, reading only part of the chapters would be quite informative as well. Once you are done, you will definitely appreciate graphic design/graphic designers.
I was introduced to this book early in my undergraduate studies of design but rediscovered it during my recently completed senior year. It became a reference for every project and a permanent fixture on my bedside table. I was required to read many different books on history but this was the only one that I read time and time again.
I bought this book for a class and am incredibly impressed. It covers the evolution of graphic communication from the earliest cave paintings to the web. This book has incredible pictures and describes different styles in an easy to understand format. It is thick, but is one of the best reference books for choosing style and historical content. I normally sell back my textbooks, but this one is staying in my library!