Wanna do graphics? Pease’s book more about the job than the work

I continue to hunt for introductory books on graphic design to give academics who have avoided anything even closely resembling “art” classes a way into the craft of design. As I wrote before, kids’ books are often great introductions, as they are often more concise and readable than their adult counterparts.

Design Dossier: Graphic Design for Kids covers some of the basic tools like grids, typefaces, and colour. But big chunks of the book are more inspirational than instructional.

A fair amount of the space in the book is devoted to career counseling. It tells the reader, “If you wanted to be a graphic designer as a profession when you grow up, you should...”. Another big chunk of the book is devoted to “Graphic design milestones,” which is a short history. Mostly, it shows decade-by-decade trends, from the art nouveau of the early twentieth century to the current “digital age.”

The book has some playful elements, like interviews with designers printed on big read pull-out cards. There’s also a nice step-by-step case study, and suggested projects.

Because this book is more about graphic design as a job than the work that goes into graphic design, it probably wouldn’t be satisfying for an adult with a job (like an academic) who just needs an introduction to the lingo and major dos and don’ts.

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