The Art of Business: New Design Books Hit and Miss

Eric J. Adams

For serious writers, there is still only one bible of good writing. It’s “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr., a 78-page ode to clear and succinct writing that has many imitators but no rivals. So when an author comes along with a book called “The Elements of Graphic Design,” he immediately sets a high bar for himself and his work.

The stated aim of “The Elements of Graphic Design” by Alex W. White is “to boost the critical an creative sensibilities of design students, self-made designers, and routine-trapped professionals.”

Does the book succeed? In large measure, yes, the book does manage to take a fresh look at design issues and sensibilities. A few marked deficiencies, however, keep it from a place on the hallowed shelf next to Strunk’s timeless masterpiece.

Trading Spaces
White’s philosophy of design revolves around the critical element of space and its very imperative counterpart, negative or “white space.” White argues that page design should first and foremost be understood from the point of view of “solids and voids.”

“The single most overlooked element in visual design is emptiness,” writes White. “The lack of attention it receives explains the abundance of ugly and unread design.”

Using 350 examples from art, architecture, pop culture, advertising and editorial design, White demonstrates how the lessons gleaned from the best design can lead to a reevaluation of generally accepted design principles and an improvement in the quality of your design work.

Based in New York, White is a graphic designer who specializes in magazine design and identity programs. He’s been a consultant to numerous publications, art directors and editors and has taught design at the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford for 15 years. He is also the author of “Type in Use” and “How to Spec Type.”

White fights his tendency to over theorize by peppering his thoughts with usable design principles.

White suggests, for example, that there are seven essential design components: unity, gestalt, space, dominance hierarchy, balance, and color. On hierarchy he writes: “having more than three levels of information is confusing because, while it may be clear what is most important and what is least important, it is rarely clear what the significant difference is between middling material.”

That’s good practical advice that can be applied immediately. Unfortunately the book leaves the reader wanting more of this type of hand-on advice. And since White’s advice is largely limited to magazine and display ad design, there’s little take away for web and identity designers. Thanks to his background in type, however, White does a great job of covering type, its uses, and “meanings,” very well.

Despite its shortcomings, White’s “Elements” is very well written, entertaining, and overall, instructive. All in all, a very nice addition to a designer’s book collection.

Too Many Voices?
If one voice of wisdom is worthy, 60 voices must be more worthy. That’s essentially the premise of “Inside the Business of Graphic Design: 60 Leaders Share Their Secrets of Success“, by design journalist Catharine Fishel. The book is a collection of interviews with designers from 60 prominent design companies in the US and abroad.

CEO Clay Timon of Landor Associates, for example explains how to fight complacency; Fossil, Inc., art director Tim Hale chimes in on the art of steering one’s staff on a human and creative level; Lowell Williams of Pentagram explains whys Pentagram partners work as account managers as well; and Diti Katona of Concrete argues that companies should never work on spec.

The book is divided into 15 sections that attempt to cover the life span of a graphic design business from start up to gone fishin’.

“Inside the Business of Graphic Design” is an ambitious project, but it fails in large part because it attempts to cover too much ground. Hence, each interview is only a few pages long, and with a few exceptions, the interviews rarely delve beyond the obvious. (“Under our model of business, conflict is necessarily kept to a minimum” ; “To keep the staffs united under the flag, the partners make sure both offices are sharing their work electronically” ; “Each member of senior management, together with the human resources manager, checks in with employees periodically.”)

Yet the book does have some value; it offers a peek into the inner workings of major firms as well as into the personalities of the firm’s leaders and visionaries. Therefore, the book is a worthy buy for job seekers looking for an inside edge come interview time. Otherwise, there are plenty of other graphic design business books better suited for the day-to-day management of your shop.