- Graphic Design - Laurence King Publishing
Graphic design always seems like an incredibly interesting field and Adrian Shaughnessy keeps up the allure with his book that is called the “A-Z of current practice.” The book itself is really well laid out and the designs scattered throughout are quite interesting—something very important with a book about graphic design.
Clients
One of the major concerns of graphic designer is finding clients. Though designers would love to simply design for the sake of designing, in order to sustain graphic design as a career, designers have to find paying clients. Often, the ideas of the client and the ideas of the designer will clash. A good designer must find a way to work through the client’s demands while staying true to their artistic vision. One of the biggest problems with becoming a designer is working through both the creative side and the business side. Shaughnessy emphasizes the idea that a designer who simply designs cannot sustain their business. They must seek out clients and manage to cater to their ideas while designing. He warns aspiring designers that clients may be difficult, but they must learn how to compromise with the client without compromising their vision.
Grid Theory
Another important section of the book involves learning how to design. One of the ways that web designers—or any designers—use is grid theory. Simply put, the entirety of their design is drawn on a grid, a way to create a master plan for laying out the elements of drawing. A major criticism of grids is their supposed lack of spontaneity. Critics believe that tying everything to a rigid structure leaves out the creativity of a design and reduces it to lines on a page. However, Shaughnessy pushes grid theory as a way to map out the ideas and then make sure that the design meets all of its criteria for both the client and the designer. A design must be both functional and aesthetically pleasing and grids attempt to help put both in perspective.
Typeface and Font
Shaughnessy also spends time on typeface and font and its importance in design. Besides giving many examples of different typeface, including the ubiquitous Helvetica and the less-familiar Univers, Shaugnessy cannot state enough the significance of type in a design. It can be used as the sole piece of a design, with clever shading and negative space. Mostly, typography has an interesting role in that it must bring together a piece while not detracting from the main illustration. If the two pieces do not mesh well, then the entire design looks flawed. In addition, the right or wrong typography can date a piece or remind us of a different era.
With the entire manual, Shaughnessy gives a lot of useful information to the beginning/intermediate/experienced graphic designer. It is definitely a user’s manual, i.e. something not really meant to be read through, but instead kept as a reference. Some of the information was simply for information’s sake, for the aesthetic value. However, much of the rest of information was useful in the career of a graphic designer.
Source:
Shaughnessy, Adrian. “Graphic Design: a User’s Manual.” London: Laurence King Publishing, Ltd., 2009.
Patricia Li - Patricia has been writing purely for pleasure for several years, so far focusing on short, fictional tales. She lives in the ...
