Art of Play - Wonder by Design

Graphic Classics

Graphic Classics - Main image
$45 $90 In stock

Category: Architecture

This deep dive into graphic design history presents the work of more than 400 designers across 33 countries and 5 continents, with work dating back to the 14th century.

Reimagined from the Phaidon best-seller Graphic: 500 Designs that Matter, the book’s dizzying array of designs range from the Gutenberg Bible to Joy Division album art, with work by both anonymous creators and industry icons such as Aleksandr Rodchenko, Paul Rand, Paula Scher, Ahn Sang-soo, and Julia Born.

The generous format and two-part design structure allows designs to be shown in detail, with large images up front and a 300+ word text for each entry in the back – making this equal parts picture and reading book. A design category key adds functionality while indicating the sheer variety of disciplines at work within one medium, from advertising and information design to posters, books, magazines, and logos.

This book is the perfect reference guide for design and art lovers, enthusiasts, and professionals at any stage of their careers, as well as all those interested in and impacted by visual communication.

Carefully revised to bring every detail up to date, organized chronologically, and with the addition of 50 new examples that highlight designers reshaping the graphic culture of today, this collection is more comprehensive, compelling – and relevant – than ever before.

Customer Reviews (4.8 / 5 · 5 reviews)

John U. ★★★★★

I was flipping through the 14th-century section and lost an entire afternoon to the engravings alone. That span of work from over 400 designers across 33 countries makes this feel less like a book and more like a museum you can hold.

Ella R. ★★★★★

The sheer breadth here is staggering—over 400 designers from 33 countries means I keep flipping to a new page and discovering someone entirely new. The 14th-century work in the early chapters really puts modern design in perspective.

Julian ★★★★★

I was a bit worried it’d be a dry textbook, but the way it mixes centuries of design across continents makes it genuinely hard to put down. The 400+ designers covered means every flip reveals something new, even for someone who thought they knew the field.

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