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Cheryl's Reviews > Go
Go
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4.5 stars rounded up - valuable for anyone who has any interest in graphic design, which, it can readily be argued, is everyone. Consider not just captivating book covers or fashion trends in interior decorating or advertising logos, as a relative newbie like me first thinks of. Consider the colors and fonts of informative road signs, for example; they're not just black on white rectangles, are they? Next time you look into the cooler at the convenience store, consider the shapes of the different kinds of plastic bottles holding the sodas and waters. Snapple doesn't come in a curvy bottle like Propel, does it?
Well, I'm getting outside the book a bit. I'm using what I learned to think more about the world around me. Kidd should be proud of himself that he was able to give me that ability. He did it by creating a book that has a lot of information in it, but that presented that info. in a way that is accessible to children, and also engaging to ppl who have been around for a few decades and have been paying attention.
One of the things that my son, who is actually studying graphic design as part of his computer science classes, helped Kidd help me understand, is font. I now understand that the most readable font, for when I want to type a list or document for my old eyes to read later, is probably not a very simple sans serif like Helvetica. Something like Century Schoolbook, in which the strokes vary in thickness, gives the eye an additional cue so there's no hesitation on ambiguity. That is to say, mn is not likely to be misread as nm, or 1 as I or l, or 0 as o, or u as w, in the most easily read font. But a certain grace is also helpful to smooth reading. I'm going to do some investigation....
(I'm not explaining well - I do recommend you check out the book.)
I really liked the example of the four different covers Kidd offered Knopf for The Heart That Bleeds: Latin America Now. Interestingly, they're all very different from one another, and very different than the one represented here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.
Although I want to try all of the exercises/ projects offered at the end of the book, I probably won't get a chance to. But I'm glad I read carefully because I'm glad I didn't miss this: "Often the first assignment in an Introduction to typography class is to select a word and make it look exactly like what it says it is." His examples are easy, and I'm sure you can imagine what 'filthy' and 'clean' look like, when the intent is to communicate sincerity. But then he points out that you can exchange the fonts of the two words to convey the concept of irony.
Well, I'm getting outside the book a bit. I'm using what I learned to think more about the world around me. Kidd should be proud of himself that he was able to give me that ability. He did it by creating a book that has a lot of information in it, but that presented that info. in a way that is accessible to children, and also engaging to ppl who have been around for a few decades and have been paying attention.
One of the things that my son, who is actually studying graphic design as part of his computer science classes, helped Kidd help me understand, is font. I now understand that the most readable font, for when I want to type a list or document for my old eyes to read later, is probably not a very simple sans serif like Helvetica. Something like Century Schoolbook, in which the strokes vary in thickness, gives the eye an additional cue so there's no hesitation on ambiguity. That is to say, mn is not likely to be misread as nm, or 1 as I or l, or 0 as o, or u as w, in the most easily read font. But a certain grace is also helpful to smooth reading. I'm going to do some investigation....
(I'm not explaining well - I do recommend you check out the book.)
I really liked the example of the four different covers Kidd offered Knopf for The Heart That Bleeds: Latin America Now. Interestingly, they're all very different from one another, and very different than the one represented here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.
Although I want to try all of the exercises/ projects offered at the end of the book, I probably won't get a chance to. But I'm glad I read carefully because I'm glad I didn't miss this: "Often the first assignment in an Introduction to typography class is to select a word and make it look exactly like what it says it is." His examples are easy, and I'm sure you can imagine what 'filthy' and 'clean' look like, when the intent is to communicate sincerity. But then he points out that you can exchange the fonts of the two words to convey the concept of irony.
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Reading Progress
June 25, 2016
– Shelved
Started Reading
July 10, 2016
–
Finished Reading
