Brands with Character showcases the strongest in brand identities employing characters to capture people’s attention. The featured designs are based on humans, animals and even anthropomorphized logos and words that reflect the unique principles and backgrounds of each brand. The identities range from sleek and modern to playful and childlike and are sure to delight and inspire. A diverse selection that ranges from small cafes, candy companies and independent clothing lines to large corporations, hospitals, schools and events fully immerses the reader in the colourful and dynamic world of brand characters. Featured brands include McDonald’s, Mr. Bean, Tower Records, Android, Adobe User Group XL, Wrigley, Pepsi and many more.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 304

Dimensions: 205 x 255 mm

Publication Date: 10-10-2014

The very best in printing techniques are on display in Printing Technology, a collection that will astound readers with both the quantity and creative quality of featured projects. Printing techniques running from high-tech laser-cutting to hand-crafted pressings of tree bark and leaves and everything in between, such as rubber stamping, letter presses, screen prints, fabric printing, and heat-sensitive paper. Many of the projects use multiple printing methods to create the final desired effect. Images that highlight the individuality and craftsmanship of projects are accompanied by descriptions from designers, as well as explanations of the printing processes used to achieve the final product.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 344

Dimensions: 223 x 292 mm

Publication Date: 15-09-2014

As sweeping in magnitude as its name implies, 5000 Years of Chinese Art is an amazingly comprehensive guide to Chinese art from prehistory (ca 2 million) to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. This gorgeous volume, which comes in an elegantly crafted red and gold folding case, looks at highlighted pieces not just as static objects but as artifacts of their time, tied to the historical and political context of the period they were created in. Chapters arranged in chronological order and an index presented as a timeline allow readers to trace the progression of signature forms of Chinese art through the ages, as simple jade talismans evolve into carved jade bonsai, elegant bronze work leads to elaborate vessels crafted from a variety of precious metals, and early writings carved on “oracle bones” give way to scrollwork of stunning beauty and philosophical value. From furniture to drinking vessels, simple glazed ceramics to the terra cotta warriors, 5000 Years of Chinese Art is a fully engaging experience for anyone with an appreciation of art, history, or Chinese culture.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 492

Dimensions: 255 x 304 mm

Publication Date: 15-11-2014

Type Player 3 displays the best of types that demonstrate how designers don’t just design type, but turn it into a subject of play with letters that go beyond the page to capture the unique needs and aesthetic preferences of designers and brands. The words and letters within exist as physical objects that embody the messages they spell out in their very design — items of clothing demonstrate exactly what it means to be “colorful,” long nights working on deadlines are represented in buzzing neon, and delicate curls of smoke show how beautiful a reminder in text can be. Type Player 3 contains creative examples collected worldwide, including editorial work, illustration, fashion, hand-made objects and environmental subjects, with 240 pages of lettering created from flowers, raindrops, food, and even the human body itself. The sequel to the best-selling Type Player 2, this title is essential for anyone looking for provocative new ways to get their message across.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 210 x 286 mm

Publication Date: 15-11-2014

Usugrow began his art career creating fliers in the underground punk and hardcore music scenes in the early 90s. Since then, he’s been involved in various album cover designs for bands and musicians across multiple genres, art directing, and merchandising, as wells as collaborating with many large skateboarding and fashion brands. Since 2005, Usugrow has continued to expand his range of activities, including the publication of his first monograph and several solo exhibitions in Japan and abroad. In addition to his own exhibitions, he has also curated group exhibitions and book projects with Japanese artists since 2009. His current works are mainly in illustration, painting, and calligraphy, but he also works in live painting, three-dimensional artworks, and collaborations with other artists. The artist’s first monograph, Usugrow – Works 2007 – 2013 collects his distinct work, which blends Japanese calligraphy, pointillism, and Los Angeles Cholo culture for an effect that is truly unique.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 180

Dimensions: 178 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 28-11-2014

Tips and Inspiration for Drawing on Location is the perfect companion for any creative traveler, urban explorer, or budding artist. 50 artists scattered around the globe have been brought together to share tips about their favorite urban settings, including locations in South America, Europe, Canada, Asia, and beyond. Citified sketchers will be guided through techniques for capturing frenetic street scenes as well as the rare moments of peace found in metropolitan centers with the aid of sections that include basic sketching knowledge, architecture and landscape sketching, common tools and materials, and FAQs about landscape sketching. In addition to this practical knowledge, artists’ profiles featuring samples of their work, descriptions of their methods, advice on composition and proper material use, and philosophical views on the art of urban sketching provide ample encouragement to inspire any artist to take to the streets.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 210 x 280 mm

Publication Date: 15-04-2015

Plants are age-old symbols of vitality, health and wholesomeness. Untamed Graphics – Plant Kingdom taps into the power of this symbolism by presenting iconic botanical forms as seen in the best contemporary design. The featured projects involve plant forms as used in branding campaigns, packaging, advertising, in-store displays and marketing collateral, to name only a few examples. The diversity and universality of plant-inspired designs are represented by inspired work from designers and firms such as Aridna Vilalta Creative, Bel Epok, Big Fish, T sushima Design, Leta Sobieraiski, AMKK and Str.mme Throndsen Design, from all corners of the globe. For artists and designers seeking inspiration, the verdant colors and organic forms from the Plant Kingdom, this untamed collection is a great place to draw inspiration.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 217 x 280 mm

Publication Date: 01-05-2015

The role of layout design is simply stated. It operates with design elements such as font, color and graphs to deliver visual aesthetic presentation without comprising proper content layout. Layout design in the information age has demonstrated more and more diversified forms and features based on traditional aesthetic principles. The design work showcased in Amazing Layout Design, organized in accordance with different graphic mediums such as albums, publications, commercial brochures, flyers, posters, advertisements, newspaper and periodicals, embodies amazing layout designs devised by outstanding design teams from across the globe. The audacious and original tactics employed throughout mirror the latest design trends and fashions. They will certainly bring readers the most abundant and innovative inspiration. Then it is up to your own originality.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 217 x 286 mm

Publication Date: 01-05-2015

The Lives of Colonial Objects is a sumptuously illustrated and highly readable book about things, and the stories that unfold when we start to investigate them. In this collection of 50 essays the authors, including historians, archivists, curators and Māori scholars, have each chosen an object from New Zealand’s colonial past, and their examinations open up our history in astonishingly varied ways. Some are treasured family possessions such as a kahu kiwi, a music album or a grandmother’s travel diary, and their stories have come down through families. Some, like the tauihu of a Māori waka, a Samoan kilikiti bat or a flying boat, are housed in museums. Others – a cannon, a cottage and a country road – inhabit public spaces but they too turn out to have unexpected histories. Things invite us into the past through their tangible, tactile and immediate presence: in this collection they serve as 50 paths into New Zealand’s colonial history. While each chapter is the story of a particular object, The Lives of Colonial Objects as a whole informs and enriches the colonial history of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 376

Dimensions: 255 x 225 mm

Publication Date: 20-07-2015

As technology has rapidly advanced, so too has the way we use and interact with it. Gone are the days of flat black backgrounds dotted with blocky green text; now, users expect a massive range of colors, layouts, and fonts to be used to entertain and assist them in their daily lives. GUI Design assembles the best of recent graphic user interface for a collection that provides practical encouragement for those new to the world as well as inspiration for experienced designers. The book gathers Twitter’s Vine video creation app for Windows phones, the vulgar yet amusing Authentic Weather app, an application designed to help tourists follow the physical and ideological path of the Iron Curtain, and more to showcase programs that balance information flow with user experiences and highlight the creativity, inspiration, and expressive techniques used in their design. The projects within demonstrate the increasingly significant role of user interfaces in both design and our everyday lives in the modern world.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 217 x 280 mm

Publication Date: 31-05-2015