Steven Heller

Michael Bierut

Rick Poynor

Jessica Helfand

Theodore Gachot

Elinor Pettit

Rare and difficult-to-find essays provide fascinating reading in this third anthology in the Looking Closer series, a matchless resource tracing the continuum of critical thought from graphic design¹s earliest days as a viable art and craft. Looking Closer 3 brings back into discourse more than thirty seminal essays by such distinguished figures as William Morris, Aldous Huxley, Alvin Lustig, and Paul Rand, reviving ideas of form and content as well as arguments over manner and style that have been lost for decades. For professionals, teachers, and students alike, this pivotal collection is an invaluable compliment to any design library.

Classic Writings on Graphic Design

Looking Closer 3

William Drenttel

Looking Closer is a collection of the best contemporary writing about graphic design, including theoretical, practical, business-oriented, philosophical, and humorous essays. Selected by a prestigious editorial committee composed of Michael Bierut, William Drenttel, Steven Heller,and DK Holland, the essays reflect on inspiration, ethics, "isms," the impact of new technology, and the role of design in the larger culture. 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.

Critical Writings on Graphic Design

Looking Closer

Mermaids embody all that is beautiful, wondrous and cruel about the sea, and in doing so have inspired adoration, fear and curiosity since antiquity. As symbols of fertility, they are present in mythology worldwide, from the creation myths of Tibet, China, Korea and India in the East to the classical myth of the birth of Venus in the West. They have long been the subject of popular sea ballads and chanties, and have inspired works of music, literature and art by many a brilliant soul, including Franz Joseph Haydn, Oscar Wilde, T.S. Eliot and Paul Gaugin. A subject of feminist history and women's studies, mermaids have been represented in popular culture in many forms: advertising, music videos and successful Hollywood films. This lavish gift book, replete with many special features, including vellum pages, metallic ink, an enchanting gatefold, a fortune-telling mermaid and a mermaid tattoo, is a tactile, enticing trip under the sea. Author Theodore Gachot discusses the archetypal appeal and multifaceted symbolism of the mermaid -- as goddess, heroine, fertility symbol and ocean spirit -- throughout time and across cultures. A range of stunning artwork and excerpts from literature enhance every alluring page, while a comprehensive sources section enables readers to locate mermaid art and decorative accessories.

Nymphs of the Sea

Mermaids

Theodore Gachot

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