Hollis Graphic Design a Concise History Pdf

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 · 743 ratings  · 17 reviews

Start your review of Graphic Design: A Concise History (World of Art)

This book was quite dry and crammed a lot of information into it, so it was not the easiest thing to read.

The book follows Graphic Design from the 1800's to the late 1990's. It starts with the change from Graphic Art to Design, and touches on Posters, Bauhaus, New Typography, the beginnings of design, the war and propaganda, the Avante Garde, Modernism, Futurism, Swiss style, Neue Graphik, 60's, Psychedelia, protest design, and new technology, with everything in between. It mentions all the majo

This book was quite dry and crammed a lot of information into it, so it was not the easiest thing to read.

The book follows Graphic Design from the 1800's to the late 1990's. It starts with the change from Graphic Art to Design, and touches on Posters, Bauhaus, New Typography, the beginnings of design, the war and propaganda, the Avante Garde, Modernism, Futurism, Swiss style, Neue Graphik, 60's, Psychedelia, protest design, and new technology, with everything in between. It mentions all the major players, and some that I hadn't heard of, all the different big styles and movements and the major events of the the last 150 years and how they affected design (or vice versa).

This is a good source of information, as a starting point, and although it goes into some detail, it isn't really in depth about any particular subject, but then that isn't the point of the book. It's a good place to start if you want to learn more about different styles and movements or about the history of Graphic Design, and there is a fantastic bibliography at the back of the book that helps you to find more books to find out more...

I bought this book at the beginning of my degree course to help in the theory side, and ended up buying/borrowing more books on each individual subject, but used this as a good starting point. It is also a good reference book to find out about designers from different eras, and styles, but the imagery is purely to help illustrate the points in the text and tend to be black and white thumbnails rather than full colour full page prints, so this is not a good book to pick up for some visual inspiration.

A good reference book to start with, to help you find out more about the different styles and movements, designers and eras before going on to research in more depth.

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Feb 08, 2016 Lisa rated it did not like it

DNF 9 Feb 2016

I'm not even going to review this. It's a book for uni and like all uni books I didn't like it.

DNF 9 Feb 2016

I'm not even going to review this. It's a book for uni and like all uni books I didn't like it.

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Feb 03, 2008 Zohar rated it it was amazing

An important read for the graphic design student.

O livro dá um vislumbre interessante sobre o tema. Porém cada capítulo mais parece uma lista interminável de nomes que nada dizem para quem não conhece o assunto tratado. Acaba ficando um pouco massante.

Mar 21, 2021 Stephen rated it it was ok

I'd like to begin by saying that I've read this book twice. The former was simply a read-through, and the latter was to collect notes. In my opinion, this book is an essential guide, but it is also difficult to read for a few reasons. There is plenty of vital information in here for anyone interested in design, and it covers multiple countries such as Britain, France, Germany, USA, Japan and more. Furthermore, there are multiple styles included, and it contains a number of designers (I calculate I'd like to begin by saying that I've read this book twice. The former was simply a read-through, and the latter was to collect notes. In my opinion, this book is an essential guide, but it is also difficult to read for a few reasons. There is plenty of vital information in here for anyone interested in design, and it covers multiple countries such as Britain, France, Germany, USA, Japan and more. Furthermore, there are multiple styles included, and it contains a number of designers (I calculated somewhere around 336, give or take a few).

However, upon finishing my notes, this was an immediate gripe of mine, given that I'd whittled it down to only 57 designers being noteworthy; with the rest being one-time name-drops, assistants, or otherwise being barely mentioned. I remember my first read being confusing because of this overwhelming number of designers being sprinkled throughout the book; not in any biographical, or even chronological manner - but rather just dropped here and there. It made me paranoid to think that if I didn't remember a name, it'd become important later on - but it seldom was.

Another gripe I had was the organisation of dates. Something about the way the dates were laid out makes it disorientating, in that it dances back and forth between eras. For instance, you'll be jumping from chapters such as: "Avant-Garde and the Origins of Modernism 1914 - 1940"; straight to "National Tendencies until the 1940s"; to "The United States in the 1930s"; and then back to "War and Propaganda 1920s - 1945". I understand that graphic design is multi-layered, and not everything can be lumped together; but layout like this can only ever make it difficult to mentally map out where everything is in relation to all else while you're reading. This is *truly* a book that is for reference and note-taking, not for understanding the subject via reading alone.

Amongst all this, the tone is documentative, very dry and humourless. I also couldn't help but to feel bias from the author in favour of Modernist design; since traditional German & British design is somewhat skimmed over in favour of Bauhaus & Swiss Modernism, despite the book itself making it clear that the latter was not the norm for the times in question. It's not as though I don't understand the importance of Modernism in design, but a large enough portion of the book is so dedicated to covering it, that it feels like a drag at times due to the lack of variety.

Overall, it's not as though the information in this book is false or unreliable, and it certainly is a must-need read for anyone interested in the origins of design. The context and information itself is well-researched and documented, and I respect the author for having gone through the pain of collecting it. Sadly, however, the aforementioned was enough to put me off of ever reading this book a third time.

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If you're interested in the history of Graphic Design, reading this might help. But not if you're looking into improving your skills as a designer. The book is all about stating facts and doesn't really teach anything practical. Reading it didn't make much of a difference to me. If you're interested in the history of Graphic Design, reading this might help. But not if you're looking into improving your skills as a designer. The book is all about stating facts and doesn't really teach anything practical. Reading it didn't make much of a difference to me. ...more

Jan 11, 2021 Connor rated it really liked it

Great jump into the history of Graphic Design.

May 06, 2018 Kat rated it really liked it

There is a lot of information packed in this book! I feel it's a great book for graphic designers to read and use as a reference. There is a lot of information packed in this book! I feel it's a great book for graphic designers to read and use as a reference. ...more

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Dec 21, 2018 Ania Gaska rated it did not like it

It was mostly a list of names and dates that was dull to read and gave me a foggy picture on the subject.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Farhan

May 25, 2016 Nedislav rated it it was amazing

Richard Hollis puts into practice his remarkable English and leads the reader through an entrancing passage through the History of Design.

Almost stripped from personal remarks, his simple stories and theoretical explanations make you reconsider what's been and what's coming.

I am really grateful for being given the book and would recommend it to every designer.

Richard Hollis puts into practice his remarkable English and leads the reader through an entrancing passage through the History of Design.

Almost stripped from personal remarks, his simple stories and theoretical explanations make you reconsider what's been and what's coming.

I am really grateful for being given the book and would recommend it to every designer.

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Mar 02, 2019 Jon rated it really liked it

This book is dense — it packs over a hundred years of design history into just 225 pages. But that's a good thing, as the writing is rather dry; any longer and it would have been too much of a chore to read. Nevertheless Hollis' book is a really useful and enlightening read, and will equip you with the knowledge you need to better appreciate the roots of the design profession.

Hollis' Concise History of Graphic Design is a mini-encyclopedia, jammed with international movements, examples, and profiles of the important players. Even the print in miniature, which is irritating; however, for the money this guide is rich and detailed. Hollis' Concise History of Graphic Design is a mini-encyclopedia, jammed with international movements, examples, and profiles of the important players. Even the print in miniature, which is irritating; however, for the money this guide is rich and detailed. ...more

Um livro obrigatório para quem quer ser relevante com o design gráfico. Entender os caminhos trilhados e abertos pelos pais do design é crucial para que não apenas não cometamos os mesmos erros que eles cometeram, mas para que sigamos seu exemplo naquilo que acertaram. Excelente livro.

Lots of good information but quite dry.

Mar 13, 2011 Xavier rated it liked it

Importante fundamento para el estudio del diseño gráfico.

Works as a general graphic and book designer. He has a small studio with never more than one assistant, working closely with clients – writers, editors, artists, curators and architects.

There is no particular style: each job acquires its own. For this reason no distinction is made between recent work and that which dates back several decades. His design aim is to engage the reader or viewer, and h

Works as a general graphic and book designer. He has a small studio with never more than one assistant, working closely with clients – writers, editors, artists, curators and architects.

There is no particular style: each job acquires its own. For this reason no distinction is made between recent work and that which dates back several decades. His design aim is to engage the reader or viewer, and his experience as a printer allows him to exploit technical means in the interests of economy.The site shows a selection of work, list of clients, and bibliography.

Richard Hollis is also a writer and lecturer mainly on design history.

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Hollis Graphic Design a Concise History Pdf

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