V & A Pattern: The Fifties

Jennifer Farley — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:30:51 +0000

I bought this little book a few weeks ago and have been intending to mention it here on the blog. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a massive archive of designs for textiles, decorations, wallpapers and prints. This book is a small collection of 70 patterns from that collection created during the 1950’s. Some of the artists included are Joan Miro, Paul Klee and Alexander Calder. It’s a small hardback book and each page is given over to one image with some info about the creator.

Masks furnishing fabric, by Robert Stewart (1924-95), for Liberty & Co. Screen-printed linen and cotton. London, England, 1954.

At the back of the book there is a CD which has high-resolution images of all the patterns featured. The images are copyright Victoria and Albert Museum, London and are available for personal use but by contacting the museum it may be possible to use the images for commercial use. According to the V and A “our commitment to inspiring design means that securing permissions should be both reasonable and quick”, which sounds pretty good to me.

Book Review: How To Think Like A Great Graphic Designer

Jennifer Farley — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:44:36 +0000

This is a real page turner. I read it from cover to cover over two days and I know I will dip back into it on a regular basis. The book, How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer, written by Debbie Millman, consists of 20 interviews with some of the genuine “greats” of graphic design. The author states that the book does not provide a recipe for design greatness but rather a glimpse into the minds of the masters.

All of the interviews feel very natural and unstilted, they’re funny and philosophical and there really is something to be learned from each interviewee. When asked hot she would define the term “graphic design”, Paula Scher answers “I see design as the art of planning … I actually prefer to say I’m a visual planner”. I love that.

Here in Ireland, I feel there is no real culture of mentorship in the design field, which is why I said at the beginning I would dip into this book regularly. The interviewer has asked all the questions that I would like to ask and the interviewees have given honest and interesting answers. Highly, highly recommended.

The full list of interviewees in the book are; Milton Glaser, Paula Scher, Peter Saville, Chip Kidd, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, Carin Goldberg, Neville Brody, Emily Oberman & Bonnie Siegler, James Victore, John Maeda, Paul Sahre, Jessica Helfand, Seymour Chwast, Lucille Tenazas, Vaughan Oliver, Steff Geissbuhler, Stephen Doyle, Abbott Miller, Massimo Vignelli.

Have you read this book? What did you think about it?

Jennifer Farley : Laughing Lion Design Ireland » Book Review

V & A Pattern: The Fifties

Book Review: How To Think Like A Great Graphic Designer