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The Language of Graphic Design

An Illustrated Handbook for Understanding Fundamental Design Principles
by Richard Poulin
The Language of Graphic Design: An Illustrated Handbook for Understanding Fundamental Design Principles. Rockport: Quayside. 2011. 288p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781592536764. $45. GRAPHIC ARTS
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Poulin, head of his own design consulting firm, is also an experienced teacher of graphic design at a number of institutions. This volume, written for students and practitioners, contains examples of work from both groups and is intended as a succinct reference elucidating common concepts used in design work. Twenty-six chapters cover such concepts as "point," "symmetry," and "proportion" and are illustrated with representative examples. Each chapter also contains a brief entry on a key figure—for example, Max Bill or Jan Tschichold—and that person's contribution to the development of graphic design.
VERDICT The examples are well chosen and the art nicely reproduced in this moderately priced book, but its usefulness as a standard reference, as the introduction suggests it might become, seems questionable. The explanations of some simple terms are overworked, and the layout, while pleasing and illustrative of design principles, doesn't lend itself to easy referral. This is a worthwhile though not essential addition for practitioners in the field.
Reviewed by Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY , Sep 01, 2011
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