With Christmas nearly upon us, I’ve put together a list of books for the designer in your life. Or just treat yourself.
Scripts
Steven Heller and Louise Fili
Thames & Hudson. £24.95
Don’t be expecting a big read – this book is all about the pictures. A fantastic collection of script fonts from Fenwick shop signs to Italian hotel bills. A veritable scrap book, the fonts are grouped by country, and all come from the early part of the 20th century when the use of script lettering was at its peak. Some you will recognise, others will be less familiar, but as a source of inspiration this book is tremendous value.
Reasons to be Cheerful – the life and work of Barney Bubbles
Paul Gorman
Adelita. £24.99
I grew up with Barney Bubbles artwork without realising it. Elvis Costello, The Damned, Ian Dury and the Blockheads – his artwork graced their albums. A proper down to earth commercial artist, Barney Bubbles (real name Colin Fulcher), was the unsung hero of graphic design in the UK, from his early Hawkwind album covers in the 70s to his work with Go-Discs and Billy Bragg. This long-awaited book (revised edition) about his life and work comes 28 years after his tragic death, and pulls together artwork, photos and reminiscences from ex-colleagues and musicians. A superb book whether you know Bubbles’ work or not.
The Art Director’s Handbook of Professional Magazine Design
Horst Moser
Thames & Hudson. £35
Hardly a handbook. It weighs in at a couple of kilos, but looks good on the coffee table. This is the third edition of the vast tome, written by Moser, and drawing on his vast collection, and it originally hit the shelves in 2002. Well, quite a bit has happened since then, and the book doesn’t appear to have caught up really. There is an update on new independent magazines like Meatpaper, Cut and Elephant. But the world of magazines is a fickle one, and there are so many new ones on the block. Still, a worthy addition to any enthusiast’s library.
100 Years of Magazine Covers
Steve Taylor
Black Dog Publishing. £29.95
I’m a sucker for a compendium of magazine covers, and although there are some classic magazines represented here, like Esquire and Nova, there are some rare or hardly seen magazines on show too, like Zig Zag and Lilliput.
You can never be completely comprehensive in a book with such a wide spectrum to take in. The earliest magazine appears to be from 1894, but those early examples are very much in the minority, with the real focus being on the 60s onwards. Perhaps those years generated the most visually arresting covers.
Exploring the “cultural shifts” over the last 100 years, the covers are split into five distinct chapters, such as “magazines and cultural change” and “magazines and celebrity” – there is no denying the research that has gone into the book. It is fascinating to see the rise of black topics emerging through Negro Digest in the late 60s through to Aspire magazine.
The design is bold – as you would expect from veteran publications designer Neville Brody – but it never takes away from the most important aspect of the book. Those all-important magazine covers.
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