Graphic Design: the New Basics
Regarding access to Internet Archive Library and Graphic Design: The New Basics:
IA recently lost a lawsuit affecting the digital library and its ability to loan books. Among those affected are access to Graphic Design: The New Basics. Links to this resource below still work, but the book is currently (Feb 2024) available in limited preview only. This attack on libraries’ ability to loan e-books is a loss for those who cannot afford a book and don’t have access to a physical library. In 2024, the act of a library loaning the 2008 edition of an e-book should be considered reasonable; the court, alas, does not agree.
We can’t condone sites that have uploaded unauthorized content but we can clarify what happens if you decide to do a search for the book online and find such a site:
- Pirating copyrighted material is illegal. Consuming pirated content online is not illegal per se in most jurisdictions (in our case, this is true, but we aren’t lawyers and we aren’t handing out legal advice, so you need to confirm this on your own).
- If you download, possess, and/or distribute pirated content, you become a pirate in most jurisdictions. Don’t download such material!
- Are you enabling or encouraging piracy when you interact with such materials? This is an ethical, not a legal, question. Ask yourself if you think the pirate is benefiting OR the copyright owners are suffering financially in such a situation. In our view, library loaning fits that ethical frame. Uploading a pirated video to YouTube for likes and possible profit does not. Placing the current edition of an e-publication online also does not. We suggest accessing an older edition if you feel this is a moral (not legal) gray area.
Why are we recommending a book?
When Graphic Design: The New Basics was first published by Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips back in 2008, I was floored. It was the book I wish I had with me when I was a student!
Although newMediaWiki is a free culture open source Open Education Resource, we don’t think it’s entirely outside of the spirit of that ethos to recommend a book when it is this fundamentally fabulous. It is the book on the topic of graphic design you want to purchase if you can afford it. The second edition is available directly from Princeton Architectural Press, the publisher. Several vendors offer it for less, or used: we urge you to consider a real bookstore or an e-commerce site that supports independents.
But I can’t afford to buy the book
We can’t condone the unauthorized distribution of the book that you can easily find in an online search. I’ve seen PDF versions loaded up at several school websites and ebook versions available at flip-book sites like Yumpu or Issuu — all of the above violate copyright. However, we get it when people just cannot afford to purchase something, even if it’s worth it. So we don’t feel ethically compromised by recommending the use of a local library, or the digital library at Internet Archive. First, create a free Internet Archive account, and then you may check the book out for one hour as often as you need to to get through the readings below. Even though the Internet Archive version is the old edition, and we are referencing the new edition below, either will work for our purposes.
How we use it
Instead of reinventing the wheel — never mind that I simply don’t think I can improve upon the perfection of this text! — we are providing the following references correlated to each project in 2D digital art. GDNB will equip you with a visual overview of the basic principles of visual design that govern our praxis. Selections focus on the concept being explored in each chapter. If you do all six projects, you’ve nearly read the entire book.
Readings for 1 | readymade
Time and Motion | The work you will do for this project involves the following phenomena. Time and motion are closely related principles. Any word or image that moves functions both spatially and temporally. Rhythm and balance can be understood as both visual and time-based principles.
Get a physical copy of Graphic Design: the New Basics, second edition, and read the following chapters:
- Rhythm and Balance, pp. 48-59
- Time and Motion, pp. 232-247
See the notice in red above⬆︎
OR log in at the Internet Archive digital library and read from Graphic Design: the New Basics, first edition:
- Rhythm and Balance, pp. 28-39
- Time and Motion, pp. 214-231
Each chapter is about a 10-minute read, sumptuously illustrated!
Readings for 2 | 13 ways
2dBasics | Various fundamentals of two-dimensional visual design are briefly explained in these chapters:
Get a physical copy of Graphic Design: the New Basics, second edition, and read the following chapters:
- Point, Line, and Plane, pp. 32-47
- Gestalt Principles, pp. 98-115
- Grid, pp. 186-199
See the notice in red above⬆︎
OR log in at the Internet Archive digital library and read from Graphic Design: the New Basics, first edition:
- Point, Line, and Plane, pp. 12-27
- Figure/Ground, pp. 84-99
- Grid, pp. 174-183
Each chapter is about a 7- to 10-minute view with many illustrations of the principles discussed.
Readings for 3 | mandala
Color basics | Fundamentals of color and texture—visual elements—are succinctly explained along with the element pattern in these titles.
Get a physical copy of Graphic Design: the New Basics, second edition, and read the following chapters:
- Texture, pp. 68-79
- Color, pp. 80-97
- Pattern, pp. 200-213
See the notice in red above⬆︎
OR log in at the Internet Archive digital library and read from Graphic Design: the New Basics, first edition:
Each chapter is about a 10-minute read, with eye-popping color everywhere!
Readings for 4 | corpse
Layers and transparency | Visual components that drive our project include these phenomena.
Get a physical copy of Graphic Design: the New Basics, second edition, and read the following chapters:
- Layers, pp. 140-153
- Transparency, pp. 154-165
See the notice in red above⬆︎
OR log in at the Internet Archive digital library and read from Graphic Design: the New Basics, first edition:
- Layers, pp. 126-145
- Transparency, pp. 146-157
Each chapter is about a 10-minute read accompanied by many visual examples!
Readings for 5 | variations
Framing, scale, modularity | These three phenomena help guide our project.
Get a physical copy of Graphic Design: the New Basics, second edition, and read the following chapters:
- Scale, pp. 60-67
- Framing, pp. 116-127
- Modularity, pp. 166-185
See the notice in red above⬆︎
OR log in at the Internet Archive digital library and read from Graphic Design: the New Basics, first edition:
- Scale, pp. 40-51
- Framing, pp. 100-113
- Modularity, pp. 158-173
Each chapter is about a 10-minute read, cleverly illustrated!
Readings for 6 | neverending
Hierarchy, rules, and randomness | Our final visual principles include the following readings.
Get a physical copy of Graphic Design: the New Basics, second edition, and read the following chapters:
- Hierarchy, pp. 128-139
- Rules and Randomness, pp. 248-259
See the notice in red above⬆︎
OR log in at the Internet Archive digital library and read from Graphic Design: the New Basics, first edition:
- Hierarchy, pp. 114-139
- Rules and Randomness, pp. 232-243
Each chapter is about a 10-minute read, illustrated as usual!
in case of fire, break glass here