Graphic Design - Posters & Advertising, Graphic Design - History & Criticism, Graphic Design - General & Miscellaneous, Graphic Design - Commercial Art

Symbol

Name: Symbol
Author: Angus Hyland
ISBN: 9781856697279

by Angus Hyland, Steven Bateman

Write a review

Overview

The book features over 1300 symbols, organized into groups and sub-groups according to their visual characteristics. Each category includes a short introduction, with expanded captions providing information on who the symbol was designed for, who designed it, when, and where appropriate, what the symbol stands for. These sections are interspersed with short case studies on both classic examples of symbols still in use, and exceptional examples of recently designed symbols.

About the Author, Angus Hyland

Angus Hyland is a graduate of the RCA and a partner at Pentagram Design London. In 2001 Hyland was the co-curator with Roanne Bell of "Picture This", a British Council exhibition featuring the work of London illustrators.

Steven Bateman is a freelance writer who has worked with some of the UK's leading design agencies. A regular contributor to Grafik magazine, he also writes for ISTD Condensed, Nico, and Varoom.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Library Journal

This work by Hyland, a partner at international design firm Pentagram, and Bateman, a freelance writer who contributes to design magazines, is a distinctive arrangement of symbols used by companies around the world, focusing purely on visual design. As Hyland writes in the preface, "The idea behind this book is to explore the visual language of symbols according to its most basic element: form…divested of all the agendas, [and] meanings." To achieve this classification by form, the book is arranged according to two major groups: abstract shapes (e.g., circles, squares) and representational forms (e.g., flowers, animals). About 1300 small, black-and-white symbols are included, each accompanied by captions indicating the name of the client, the designer of the symbol, the relevant business sector (e.g., finance, transport), the year of the design, and a brief description. These different points are all indexed. VERDICT This compilation is successful as a catalog of symbol forms and is thus a good reference tool for logo designers. For graphic designers and design students, this is a must-have.—Eric Linderman, Euclid P.L., OH