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A Smile in the Mind: Witty Thinking in Graphic Design
 
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A Smile in the Mind: Witty Thinking in Graphic Design [Paperback]

Beryl McAlhone , David Stuart
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
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A Smile in the Mind: Witty Thinking in Graphic Design + The Art of Looking Sideways + How to be a Graphic Designer, Without Losing Your Soul
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Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Phaidon Press Ltd; New Ed edition (1 Sep 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0714838128
  • ISBN-13: 978-0714838120
  • Product Dimensions: 29 x 25.1 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 82,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

More About the Author

Beryl McAlhone
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Product Description

Product Description

The best graphic design does more than capture attention and make the audience linger. It prolongs the encounter, compelling the reader not only to notice, but to remember. This book is about making graphics memorable by using witty thinking. It argues that ideas which happen in the mind, stay in the mind. Beryl McAlhone and David Stuart begin by explaining what wit is and how it works. They make the case for wit in graphic design, seeing humour as the shortest distance between two people. The different routes designers can take are explainedincluding ambiguity, missing links, substitution and double-takes - to clarify the options available at the start of an assignment. A Smile in the Mind documents the power of intellectual playfulness as it invades even the corporate heartland of annual reports and the dry territory of technical literature. Designers can refer to examples for every category of graphics, from direct mail to information graphics, and for a variety of sectors from leisure and the arts to manufacturing and the law. For the finale, witty designers answer the big question: how did they get the idea? They offer a peep into their private working methods, as they check out word lists, look at things sideways, or put several jobs on the table at once. Gathering together the best examples of graphic wit over the past three decades, A Smile in the Mind shows work from over 300 designers in the USA, Britain, Europe and Japan.

From the Author

Best examples of graphic wit over the past 30 years.
A Smile in the Mind: Witty thinking in graphic design by Beryl McAlhone, a writer with a special interest in design, and David Stuart, a founder member of The Partners. A Smile in the Mind focuses on the graphics which give the most pleasure - the ideas that prompt a smile. These are the jobs that people remember, the projects that make designers famous. The book selects the cream of witty work from designers across the world. It comprises the most comprehensive collection of graphic wit ever published. Humour is fragile under analysis, and this is not a heavy read that wipes the smile off your face. It has a light touch, even when explaining in business terms why wit works. The authors break new ground in analyzing the kinds of thinking behind the images, in showing the 21 different ways of being witty and making the case for witty solutions. The book includes hundreds of examples for all kinds of graphics, covering the main business sectors including work from over 300 designers in the USA, Britain, Europe and Japan. Its most intriguing feature is the collection of interviews with the world's top designers which reveal the secret of secrets, how to get ideas. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
a smile in my mind 3 Oct 2003
Format:Paperback
This book helped me out a great deal when completeing my Graphic Design degree. It displays a variety of different types of wit, and so many things that are so simple and obviously so effective. It opened my mind to a new world of ideas in design and is a great source of inspiration. It is great to have a flick through when you feel as though you have hit a brick wall! Definitely a must for any design student.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By antom
Format:Paperback
Packed with witty graphic designs from the past three decades. Spares the reader from lengthy analyses; the illustrations speak for themselves. Good source book and a trigger for ideas.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
creatively deep... 4 Nov 1998
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
In an era when "graphic design" is reduced to savvy computer skills, it's nice to see a celebration of our most powerful creative tool - the MIND. A must for any designer who wants to think outside the box and inspire others to do the same.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A designer's bible
I cannot think of a single area of the design industry that would not benefit from this book.

From cover to cover, it presents ideas, methods and inspiration, along with... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Joshimodo
Anachronistic
This is probably one of the worse books on graphic design ever written.
It is built on a simplistic and very limited understanding of what constitutes an 'idea'. Read more
Published 14 months ago by HungryGhost
If you only buy one book on graphic design...
No gimmicks, no bevels, no horrible 'Web 2.0' effects. Just brilliant, simple ideas, delivered with brilliance and simplicity. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Spark UK
Recommended
This book was bought as a gift for my great-niece who is now in her final year studying graphic design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, Scotland. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2010 by THOMAS-PETER WALKER
Smiles all round
ASITM was the book that really introduced me to the possibilities for wit and brilliance in graphic design. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2009 by S. Price
Brilliant.
This book is an absolute belter. It just had to be written someday and congratulations to Beryl McAlhone and David Stuart for having the balls to take on this daunting task. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by G. Thompson
Brings a smile to the Face
My brother asked me to order this book as it was recommended by his course Lecturer. (He's doing a graphics course)
It arrived really quickly and well packaged as always. Read more
Published on 26 April 2009 by Abbieson
One of the Best Books on Graphic Design
There are hundreds of books at the moment claiming to be the experts on Graphic Design.
Too many either take themselves much too seriously or fall back on the picture book... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2007 by A customer
Rubbish
Quite one of the worst books I have ever bought. (I have a lot of books.)
The quality of the paper is very poor, matching the quality of the content. Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2007 by Ed Fitzpatrick
Must have!
This is a must have for any graphic design student about to start university, buy it before you go as it will be added to your reading list when you start. Read more
Published on 7 April 2006
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