Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design

Author and design expert Steven Heller has revisited and revised the popular classic Design Literacy by revising many of the thoughtful essays from the original and mixing in thirty-two new works. Each essay offers a taste of the aesthetic, political, historical, and personal issues that have engaged designers from the late nineteenth century to the present—from the ubiquitous (the swastika, antiwar posters) to the whimsical (MAD magazine parodies). The essays are organized into eight thematic categories—persuasion, mass media, language, identity, information, iconography, style, and commerce.

This revised edition also highlights recent trends in graphic design such as aesthetic changes in typography in the digital age and the nexus between graphic design and wired culture. This is an eclectic look at how, why, and if graphic design influences our ever-evolving, diverse world.

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

• Design Elements, 2nd Edition: Understanding the rules and knowing when to break them - Updated and Expanded
• Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design
• Meggs' History of Graphic Design
• Graphic Design Thinking (Design Briefs)
• Graphic Design: A New History
• Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions
• Thinking with Type, 2nd revised and expanded edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students
• Graphic Design: The New Basics
• Design Is Storytelling
• Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field