A comprehensive introduction to graphic design theory. This textbook combines an analysis of historical thinking about design with contemporary critical theory. Throughout, explanations are linked to visual concepts, so the book is useful for studio instruction as well as freestanding lecture courses on history or theory. Promoting rigorous thinking as well as practical and technical proficiency, it encourages students to critique the professional design work they encounter, as well as their own studio practice. New thinking about graphic design, uniting a historical perspective with an essential critical background, is made accessible to students―this thinking would otherwise be available only in diverse and unsuitable readings. 260 illustrations, 188 in color

Graphic Design Theory (Graphic Design in Context)

Arts & Photography

Davis, Meredith

Graphic Design

Thames&Hudson

This is one of two books in "Design in Context", a vital new series that focuses on the needs of contemporary students of graphic design. Meredith Davis draws on her many years experience teaching graphic design students to explain complex theories with total clarity, encouraging readers to evaluate existing design work critically, and to use theoretical frameworks to enhance their own studio practice. Topics include: communication models; visual representation as a system of signs; cognitive approaches to design; modernism and postmodernism; and the social, cultural, and material contexts of contemporary design. Above all, the book demonstrates to students how to apply theory in a modern graphic design practice to improve their work and to embark on a successful career.

Reference

The Minor Miracle: The Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor

Children's Books

Action & Adventure

WaterBrook

Through her eyes, the moving story of a young Rwandan girl born with clubfeet and the risk she takes for the chance to walk on the bottoms of her feet for the first time.Rebeka Uwitonze was born in Rwanda with curled and twisted feet, which meant she had to crawl or be carried to get around. At nine years old, she gets an offer that could change her life. A doctor in the US might be able to turn her feet. But it means leaving her own family behind and going to America on her own. Her Own Two Feet tells Rebeka's inspiring story through her eyes, with the help of one of her hosts. She travels from Rwanda to Austin, Texas, to join the Davis family, despite knowing almost no English. In the face of dozens of hospital visits and painful surgeries, Rebeka's incredible bravery and joyful spirit carry her to the opportunity of a lifetime. A stunning debut about hope, perseverance, and what becomes possible when you take a risk.

Her Own Two Feet: A Rwandan Girl's Brave Fight to Walk (Scholastic Focus)

Uwitonze, Rebeka

Biographies

Scholastic Focus

Where do design principles come from? Are they abstract "rules" established by professionals or do they have roots in human experience? And if we encounter these visual phenomena in our everyday lives, how do designers use them to attract our attention, orient our behavior, and create compelling and memorable communication that stands out among the thousands of messages we confront each day? Today's work in visual communication design shifts emphasis from simply designing objects to designing experiences; to crafting form that acknowledges cognitive and cultural influences on interpretation. 
In response, Meredith Davis and Jamer Hunt provide a new slant on design basics from the perspective of audiences and users. Chapters break down our interactions with communication as a sequence of meaningful episodes, each with related visual concepts that shape the interpretive experience. Explanatory illustrations and professional design examples support definitions of visual concepts and discussions of context. Work spans print, screen, and environmental applications from around the world. 
This introduction to visual communication design demystifies the foundational concepts that underpin professional design decisions and shape our experiences in a complex visual world.

Visual Communication Design: An Introduction to Design Concepts in Everyday Experience (Required Reading Range)

Hunt, Jamer

Bloomsbury Visual Arts

Describes the varied activities involved in operating a busy airport and what happens on a passenger flight

Up and Away: Taking a Flight

Science, Nature & How It Works

Mondo Pub.

An Expertly Written Guidebook to Teaching Design at All Levels Teaching Design provides a practical foundation for teaching about and through design. The exploding interest in design and design thinking calls for qualified faculty members who are well prepared for a variety of institutional settings and content areas. While designers know their disciplines, they frequently lack experience in constructing responsive curricula and pedagogies for rapidly evolving professions. And while K-12 educators are trained for the classroom, their ability to transform teaching and learning through design is limited by a shortfall in professional literature. Davis's extensive experience in education offers a detailed path for the development of curricula. The book addresses writing objectives and learning outcomes that succeed in the counting-and-measuring culture of institutions but also meet the demands of a twenty-first-century education. An inventory of pedagogical strategies suggests approaches to learning that serve both college professors and K-12 teachers who want to actively engage students in critical and creative thinking. Sections on assessment make the case for performance-based activities that provide credible evidence of student learning. Davis also discusses the nature of contemporary problems and teaching strategies that are well matched to growing complexity, rapid technological change, and increased demand for interdisciplinary engagement. Examples in Teaching Design span the design disciplines and draw on Davis's experience in teaching seminars for college faculty, graduate courses for design students seeking academic careers, and workshops for K-12 teachers converting their classrooms into centers for innovation.

Teaching Design: A Guide to Curriculum and Pedagogy for College Design Faculty and Teachers Who Use Design in Their Classrooms

Allworth

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Books by Davis, Meredith