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It's out of the Wiley stable of design titles, but in contrast to other
titles
such as Type Rules! by Ilene Strizver, it's less
technical and has relatively broad application.
John Bower's book has an incredible amount of visual content, but its
emphasis
is on functional visual communication to demonstrate creative processes, rather
than emphasising striking graphic outputs.
Graphic Design Methodologies and Processes is aptly described as
"concise",
being very short on words.
Instead of written checklists, there are visual checkpoints, on every single
page.
Each page within the chapter is self-contained. For example, the chapter on
Targeting has individual pages on planning, strategy, goals, response
decision-making, ethnography, projections, observations, visual audits,
positioning, assessment and evaluation. This is breadth!
These chapters could very happily be used in a marketing unit on consumer
behaviour. The simplicity of the book's layout and the strong use of visual
communication to convey concepts from problem-seeking to problem-solving, belies
the sophistication and depth of the book.
It provides mind-maps to let the reader explore the context, the history, the
timelines of creative movements, culminating in the current emphasis on
user-centred design for everything from linear to interactive
communications.
While the book's principal chapters are concise and precise, there is still
scope for expansiveness, albeit by the reader. Towards the rear of the book,
there is a section of questions where the reader can independently
expand on
chapter concepts, all the while applying the book's suggested approaches to
research and learning. A following section then provides exercises which the
reader can practise individually or collaboratively, while again enabling the
application and expansion of the book's theories.
So for the reader who chooses to refer mainly to the five core chapters, it
is reference book, introducing discipline to their creative process. The book also
doubles as a textbook.
The core chapters of the book deal with Interpreting, Targeting and Creating,
with its bookend chapters focussing respectively on the breadth, and depth, of
the world of graphic design. Its content is made very accessible to any
reader.
Even the interviews presented in the bookend chapter entitled Looking
Closer
are presented in a accessible way. They are not laborious.
While the book targets graphic designers, it has some universally relevant
themes for target marketers, digital producers, and creative types in all
modalities. What I like about this book for graphic designers, is that it's not
just a book for graphic designers. It provides a development framework for any
professional seeking creative outcomes linked to targeted audiences.
(ISBN 978-0-470-50435-2
John Wiley and Sons Limited, New Jersey. 2011)
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