By Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ISBN 978-1-4725-7271-4
Review by Joy Miessi
The book ‘Design Thinking For Visual Communication’ is a helpful and resourceful guide for the contemporary aspiring illustrator. It dissects the design process and methodologies of commercial project based work through diagrams, graphs and there is in abundance of high quality reference images set out as examples.
This book would be ideal for those aspiring to take on art related projects as it serves as a strong introduction regarding how to approach the task of a commission in a professional manner.
Recommended for illustration and design students alike, the authors have considered their audience well and have created the page layout with an even balance between text and image, the text is above standard size and accompanied by an image on every page: it has consistency throughout.
Its only major downfall is the unfortunate brightness of yellow pages, which can be a little exhausting on the eyes for the longer reading sessions, However, it should be said that the content itself is the important factor, and is easily digestible for anyone wishing to pursue with a project in the arts.
The book covers the entire process of the project structure in depth with step-by-step chapters. It goes through every stage needed to achieve a well prepared and executed project, and contains six easy to follow chapters, starting with the early stages of thinking, right through to the implementation stages and how to approach the final piece.
It’s an excellent starting point for an understanding of semiotics and the visual communication aspects implemented into contemporary art and design.
This would be most beneficial for those who want to work as freelance artists in a commercial setting and university students studying graphic design, illustration, or a similar art based degree that want a deeper understanding on visual communication.
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