Looking Closer: Critical Writings on Graphic Design - Softcover

Steven Heller is the co-chair of the School of Visual Arts MFA Design / Designer as Author + Entrepreneur Program. He is the author, coauthor, and editor of over 170 books on design, social satire, and visual culture. He is the recipient of the 2011 Smithsonian National Design Award for "Design Mind." He lives in New York City.

A scholarly volume . . . these essays and contributions examine some of the major artistic, design, and philosophical arguments evolving in the field today, and are recommended reading for college-level graphic designers . . . -- The Midwest Book Review

The editors . . . have gathered essays, rants, and observations that are indeed significant. The reader takes in history, both recent and long past; reminders of ideas that have triumphed; styles that have crashed and burned; arguments that remain unsettled . . . -- Step-By-Step Graphics

This eye-catching volume has something for everyone. . . a graphic designer's dream. . . . Admirers of Milton Glaser, Paul Rand, Dugald Stermer, Steven Heller and 40 others can feast their minds on this intelligent collection of thoughtful essays . . . Looking Closer is a provocative magnifying glass through which to view our culture -- Design Management Journal

To jump smack dab into the middle of the current graphic design dialogue, read Looking Closer and Looking Closer 2. These volumes combined offer 80-plus lucid commentaries on everything from "jive modernism" and the social function(s) of design to postmodern theory and its implications for design. What astonishes me about these visual artists' texts is just how stylish, thoughtful, accessible and engaging they are. . . . the reader feels privileged to eavesdrop on the cream of the profession . . . talk theory and talk shop with each other in readily comprehensible ways . . . -- Photography in New York, January/February 1997