The Elements of Graphic Design

524 Pages·2011·110.68 MB·English

by  Alex W. White

Endpapers: The functional difference between a shovel and a pitchfork is the
metal that is missing.
T H E E L E M E N T S O F
G R A P H I C D E S I G N ,
S E C O N D E D I T I O N
A L E X W. W H I T E
"Elegance is not the abundance of simplicity. It is the absence of
complexity."
Anonymous
This book is concerned with what things look like, but supposes that
what is being said is worth the effort of clarity.
© 2011 by Alexander W. White All rights reserved. Copyright under Berne
Copyright Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, and Pan-American
Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of
the publisher.
15 14 13 12 11 5 4 3 2 1
Published by Allworth Press
An imprint of Allworth Communications
10 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010
Book design, composition, and typography by
Alexander W. White, New York, NY
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data White, Alex W.
The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type/
Alex W. White – 2nd Edition p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
9781581157802
1. Graphic design (Typography) 2. Layout (Printing)
3. Type and type-founding.
I. Title.
Z246.W56 2011
686.2’2--dc22
2010043571
Printed in Thailand
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Title Page
Epigraph
Copyright Page
Preface
Dedication
Acknowledgements
I - Introduction
Section One - Space
1 - Space is emptiness
2 - Symmetry and asymmetry
3 - The historical development of space: six timelines
Section Two - Unity
4 - Unity and space
5 - The seven design components
6 - How to use the seven design components
Section Three - Page Architecture
7 - The page as visual structure
8 - Connecting elements and pages
9 - Three-dimensional space
Section Four - Type
10 - Listening to type
11 - Typographic technicalities
12 - Display type
13 - Text type
Glossary
Bibliography
Designer’s checklist
Index
Colophon
Credits
A Books from Allworth Press
About the Author
P R E FA C E
Most design education is concerned with combining and sometimes inventing
bits of content. It concerns relationships of forms and almost always overlooks
the critically important part of the design that goes unnoticed: the background
spaces and shapes. It is a reflection of believing what is is more important than
what isn’t.