Design Genius

Gavin Ambrose is an author, educator and practicing graphic designer whose client base includes the art sector, galleries, publishers and advertising agencies. He has written and designed numerous books on graphic design, branding and packaging.He currently teaches the Graphic Design BA at the University of Brighton.

Design Genius celebrates the creative thought processes of 69 leading artists, designers, creative agencies, animators, illustrators and typographers. While highlighting key design techniques and theories, the rich visuals presented in this book aim to engage, provoke and inspire.Whether you are new to design, or a seasoned expert, the many layers of information provided by this book mean it has something for everyone. Readers will delight in the visual and tactile effects of a number of subtle design features, as well as the vast array of illustrations on display. In-depth discussions with the creatives themselves as well as more practical design tips will also help you to discover the power of your own creative problem-solving skills.

Through a series of discussions with leading designers, Design Genius explores the tools and inspiration behind some of the world's finest design ideas.Explores the tools that visual communicators can use to facilitate imaginative thinking. This title exposes readers to ways of approaching the design process to help them to develop their powers of creative problem solving. It explains rules, theory, practice, techniques and visual curiosities that are designed to engage, provoke and inspire.

Features a range of curious design and production effects to provoke and inspire

Foreword by Steven HellerIntroductionWhere do we go from hereChapter 1: Allowing Creative Thinking The creative environment Wanderings, mistakes & being curious The creative mind Why do we stop thinking? Learning to look Unconscious mindChapter 2: The Business of Creativity The business of creativity Ds, Ws & KISS of design Simple, simplicity, complex and complicated The role of design in building brands The problem with hierarchy The problem with research & focus groups Tight briefs boost creative thinkingChapter 3: Thinking in Images Recording Reportage Sketchbooks The power of the image The ordinary Low & high culture Documenting & collecting Vernacular & amateurism Cognitive processesChapter 4: Words and Narrative Where words come from .& where they are going The power of words Linguistic tricks Letterforms Telling stories Tone of voice NarrativeChapter 5: Form and shape Craft The craft of typography Shapes in nature Invention & reinventionChapter 6: Current Themes Reality vs hyperreality Materiality The experiential Sustainability Ephemera & permanence Politics & design Guerrilla etiquette Style, taste & beauty The cult of the ugly Location & globalization Data & statistics Lifeloggers MappingChapter 7: Technology Technology The future? Culture of availability The politics of technology & how it can be used for social good Digital globalization Shifts in realityPostscript by Sean BrennanIndexCredits & acknowledgements