Some good books - gone but not forgotten

I’ll be reluctantly returning my stash of favourite college library books on Tuesday. I've had these for so long that I’ve become quite attached to them – they leave a hole on my bookshelf that’ll be hard to fill. Here they are listed below, in no particular order:

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Glamour: Fashion + Industrial Design + Architecture



ROSA, Joseph (Ed). 2004.
Glamour: Fashion + Industrial Design + Architecture
USA: Yale University Press.

"This lavishly illustrated book radically revises our understanding of glamour in fashion, industrial design, and architecture. The volume traces glamour's trajectory from its historical middle-class origins to its present-day connotations of affluence and elegance. In doing so, "glamour" is established as a new critical category for design that embraces richly decorative patterns, complex layering, sumptuous materials, and sculptural forms."

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Glamour-Fashion-Design-Architecture-Rosa/dp/0300106408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251817981&sr=1-1

I was interested in the way this book brings fashion, industrial and architectural design together through its common theme, but what drew me to it most was the examples of pattern in architecture included in the book.




Above, from to to bottom:

LUCKMAN, Charles. 1960. Parke-Davis Building, Los Angeles (pp 144, plate 54)
BECKET, Welton. 1964. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles (pp 143, plate 53)

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Ultimate Paris Design

LLEONART, Aitana. 2007.
Ultimate Paris Design
teNeues Publishing Ltd

"This “city of light” has long been a world leader in so many ways, not least of them in design. This attractively illustrated book covers the most up-to-date Parisian design from the fields of architecture, interiors and fashion. With an in-depth round-up featuring projects for cultural, commercial, and residential spaces, we get a privileged glimpse at what’s happening in this
creative capital. We also are granted access to the latest developments in product design and other specialties. Browse this book for a whole host of designs by native Parisians and those who work or live here."

http://www.teneues.com/shop-int/books-int/single00/?no_cache=1&item=80286&cHash=53cf943921

One of the strengths of this book for me is the diversity in the examples included – the interior design included has been particularly relevant to my studies. So many great styles and ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

Above, from to to bottom:

BIECHER, Christian. 2004. Boutique Pierre Herme (pp 133)

GOMEZ, Didier. 2006. Brasserie Printemps (pp 268)

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Best Ugly: Restaurant Concepts and Architecture by AvroKO



AvroKO. 2007.

Best Ugly: Restaurant Concepts and Architecture by AvroKO

USA: Collins Design

"Since 2000, AvroKO has designed Manhattan restaurants and lounges such as Public, The Stanton Social, Odea, and Sapa, among others. In their design book, "Best Ugly", the thirtysomething design team shows readers how to integrate this idea with a sophisticated design touch. With gorgeous colour photography, "Best Ugly" also reveals the smallest details, the brilliant quirks, and the lavish decor of AvroKO's amazing restaurants."

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Ugly-Principles-Unexpected-Connectivity/dp/006113693X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251820288&sr=1-1

This is a beautifully illustrated book, both in terms of its layout (heavy use of gold ink, large photographs, texture, typography, colour manipulation… I could go on!) and the projects included within it. The examples included are inspiring in their completeness of branding down to the finest of details.

As the book’s title eludes, there’s a certain raw eccentricity and ugliness to the style of the designs and this appeals to my own personal style and tastes.

Above, from to to bottom:

AVROKO. Light fittings at Quality Meats (pp 233)
AVROKO. “Ordering the ordinary”, double-page spread (pp 200-201)
AVROKO. Vietnamese roll bar in white onyx, Sapa (pp 106)
AVROKO. Interior detail, The Stanton Social (pp 80-81)

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Data Flow: Visualising Information in Graphic Design

KLANTEN, Robert (et al). 2008.
Data Flow: Visualising Information in Graphic Design
Germany: Gestalten

"Data Flow presents an abundant range of possibilities in visualising data and information. Today, diagrams are being applied beyond their classical fields of use. In addition to archetypical diagrams such as pie charts and histograms, there are manifold types of diagrams developed for use in distinct cases and categories. The abundant examples in Data Flow showcase the various methodologies behind information design with solutions concerning complexity, simplification, readability and the (over)production of information. This up-to-date survey provides inspiration and concrete solutions for designers, and at the same time unlocks a new field of visual codes."

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Data-Flow-Visualising-Information-Graphic/dp/3899552172/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251821020&sr=1-1

A rich collection of inspiring, innovative and beautiful examples of complex data presentation, I could spend hours pouring over this book and not get bored. It’s a rare treat to see scientific and graphic presentation bound so tightly together.

Above, from to to bottom:

PLUMMER-FERNANDEZ, Matthew. "Sound Chair" (pp 146)
KATCHADOURIAN, Nina. "Austria" (pp 99)
BARRADE, Xavier & DUPONT, Arnaud. "La représentation des statistiques", The Rain Project (pp 45)
CATALOGUETREE. "Trophy Size Matters” (pp 224)

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The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping / Harvard Design School Project on the City 2

CHUNG, Chuihua Judy (Ed). 2002.
The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping / Harvard Design School Project on the City 2
Taschen

"Like a favorite shopping emporium, The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping is a browser's paradise. This second installment of the Project on the City aims to investigate "a general urban condition undergoing virulent change." A big brick of a book with hundreds of photos and a bundle of essays by prominent designers, architects, and urban scholars, it traces the evolution of the marketplace and the environments we create for the purpose of getting and spending. From the great covered arcades of the 19th century to the museum displays of grand department stores to air-conditioned suburban malls, the book examines the ecology and life cycles of retail space the world over. Dip into the book anywhere for insights into acquisitive behavior. Newspaper clippings cite retail trends; a bar chart compares retail square footage by country (the U.S. tops them all). Some of the essays are already marked in yellow highlighter so you can scan for the main points. A 2,000-year timeline tracks major developments with theme concepts: Disney Space, Three-Ring Circus, Brand Zones, Shopping Landscapes. The book makes a wonderful reference for urban planners, but it's equally accessible to those who just want to shop 'til they drop."

http://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Design-School-Shopping-Project/dp/3822860476

I fell in love with this book not for its subject matter so much as for its success as a graphic work. There’s so much information presented (799 pages of it in fact), yet every page is a unique and stylish piece of layout. Photography is used in abundance with impact of images maximized through careful grouping of relevant images together, supported with just enough information and labeling to allow the reader to pause and contemplate the point being made. There’s also abundant example of information design in the form of charts and diagrams, in a variety of styles and formats, some conventional, others less so.

The lucky people given the task of designing this book certainly had fun with it.