Reviews (5)

An incredible collection and celebration of timeless interior design concepts
In The Pink: Dorothy Draper, America's Most Fabulous Decorator by Carleton Varney is an incredible collection and celebration of timeless interior design concepts by the renowned interior designer and decorator Dorothy Draper, a woman far ahead of her age. Deftly compiling an profusely illustrated compendium of Draper's remarkable work, In The Pink holds the reader's total attention from first page to last with an informative text enhanced with photography showcasing memorable designs created by the sharp eye and even sharper imagination of Draper throughout her world acclaimed career. A "must" addition to professional and academic library Interior Design reference collections, In The Pink is to be given high praise and recommendation for non-specialist general readers with an interest in interior design.
This Book Is A "Must Have"
For all design professionals, modernism addicts, and even the layperson.The book is filled with wonderful images culled from a lifetime of decorating.Dorothy Draper's style was always fancyful, playful and above all else comfortable~she was not a devotee of the Eames pared down sterile and functional school of design.If you are done with Danish, numb over Knoll, and way past Panton~~~check out "In the Pink:Dorothy Draper:America's Most Fabulous Decorator"she will have you going for Baroque!

Breathtaking Book
What a beautiful book. A look at the history of a spectacular designer. Art Deco Beauty. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Artists, Architects, Photographers    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Design - Textile & Costume    6. Interior design    7. USA   

Reviews (7)

Outstanding
Outstanding 3-volume set that will soon become a cornerstone of any creative library. A great source to find inspiration and the handsome set adds a touch of class to your bookshelf. You can't beat Amazon's price, either. Highly recommended.

Great Book + Case is Not a Problem
Agreed, the book is extremely comprehensive.The case, though not particularly attractive, should pop open by pulling on the corner.Unless I was lucky...

incredible review
This is a must have for anyone interested in design.The reader is treated to the very best in design, design that works, looks great and is innovative.Starting in the 1600's, the work takes the reader on a journey of design. It limits itself to 999 objects and not one is a miss. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    4. Design    5. Design - Decorative    6. Design - Furniture    7. Design - General    8. 20th century    9. 21st century    10. Art / Design / General    11. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    12. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (31)

Some Instructions Inadequate
I purchased this book as my figure has changed and I needed to re-do my basic slopers.The pattern design books I currently have did not cover trousers so I was delighted to finda new book that was apparently so comprehensive.
Finally !Best value for my dollar
I received this book yesterday and read the first 100 pages.I've sewn all my life and consider myself an advanced seamstress.I've sewn and made my own patterns for childrens' heirloom, business suits, and now enjoy making (jazz) dance costumes.I'm the one in line at the fabric store buying ten patterns, just to combine different details and features in different sizes, especially if sewing for a group.I probably own hundreds of patterns and almost that many books.For me, this book will pay for itself many times over.It isn't a sewing "how to" book and it wouldn't be the first book for a beginner.The reader should be familiar or use other reference books for actual garment construction techniques.I've bought other, less expensive sewing books to learn pattern manipulation and fitting techniques.I put off the purchase of this book, being put off by its price.But, finally!This book is so inspiring and liberating. In just the first 100 pages, I've gotten through the basic patternmaking and dart manipulation.I think I may never have to buy another pattern again !This is definitely a must have for the serious sewing enthusiast.

Designs by Sharon
This book was used during a 12 week class I attended for Patternmaking.It is very thorough and is an excellent reference for just about any type of pattern one could desire to make.I learned a great deal using the book as a reference guide while I studied the various fundamental components to patternmaking.However, it can be a little intimidating if used as a self-study text.This issue could have been solved if there had been an answer section for the various exercises that accompanied each chapter.Many of the students in our class felt it was a text designed for those enrolled in a formal college level class, i.e., it oftened assumed reader knowledge beyond that expected of a lay person. (Everyone in our class was required to be at the advanced level of sewing experience.)Some of the exercises were made more difficult because the technique to design a sample pattern was in a later chapter, not having been covered in the one just studied.Overall,though,it is a good reference and certainly belongs in the personal library of any serious home sewer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Decorating - General    3. Design - General    4. Dressmaking    5. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    6. Fashion    7. General    8. Pattern design    9. Art / Design / General    10. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    11. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design   

Reviews (9)

Hyper-glorified and shallow
If you're tempted to buy this hugely expensive book (for an over-sized, unwieldy paperback printed on medium-quality paper), think again.
excellent primer on design
We used this as a textbook in an "interdisciplinary approach" course at a photography school.The organization of the book and the illustrations are excellent.Much of the information seemed familiar to us all, but we found the book to be an excellent reminder and good focus for discussion.It helped us with our critiquing of each others' work in a variety of media (sculpture, drawing, painting, collage, photography and writing).

An absolute classic for anyone working in the visual arts.
Back in college, two decades ago, one of my art professors required this book for every single one of his classes. He even offered to personally repay students who could not afford to keep their copy, if they promised not to sell it back to the bookstore. He told us that the best thing we could do for our careers in art was to keep this book. He was right. I've had my 2nd edition copy for twenty years, and no other book I've seen discusses visual theory so simply, logically and completely. The text is clear and straightforward and the examples are perfect, but it is Lauer's ability to organize a very complex subject into very specific, clearly-understood categories that makes this book remarkable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Design    4. Design - General    5. Architectural structure & design    6. Art / General   

Reviews (1)

The best coffee table book ever !!!
Recently I have found myself drawn to graphics of all kinds. Being a huge fan of Tashen books and seeing this book on their website I decided to order it. Now at $200.00 this was quite a big purchase but this book is incredible. The color plates are beautiful and the information about the designs is very complete as well as interesting. This is a huge book! I think it must weigh in the neighborhood of 10 lbs. It is not a book to take to the beach for alittle read. However, it is a book to get inspired by and it will inspire you no matter what your art medium is. This is a book that I will tresure for years to come and I am sure if you decide to invest in this book you will not be disapointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Decoration & Ornament    4. Design - Decorative    5. General    6. Reference    7. Art styles not limited by date   

Reviews (27)

Great Reference Resource
Since the design of every day things impacts the quality of our lives, most people have a strong interest in things that are designed well, but just how do you arrive at a well designed thing?This book offers an extensive typology of design principles gathered from a wide variety of fields (ergonomics, human factors, psychology etc.) that have relevance for any design discipline, from web usability to product design for manufactured goods.If you do not have a design background, but work with designers, you may find some of these insights very useful for collaboration on design decision making scenarios.Some of the principles, such as the 80/20 rule or the pareto principle were pretty obvious but others were less so, making the book an interesting exploration of some old and new concepts from a cross-disciplinary perspective.After reading through these 100 design principles, you will arrive at a fairly good understanding of the factors that influence our preference towards one design over another.Of course, the all important "context" is missing from these generalizations, however, you can easily read through them and draw your own conclusions on how they relate to your particular design problem.
Applies to more than graphic design
This book is a tremendous book. While I think the target audince of this book are graphic artists it is useful for any industry or occupation. As an IT professional, the techniques offered in this book helped me design better interfaces for software systems.
Efficient, Concise, Well written
Every designer should own this book. It codifies an abundance of principles about usable design into a very useful reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Design    4. Design - General    5. Dictionaries    6. Graphic Arts - General    7. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    8. Reference works   

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Design - General    4. Fashion    5. Hobbies/Crafts    6. Art / Design / General   

Reviews (176)

Required Reading for all text workers
As the subject says, I'd consider this book required reading for everyone trying to express ideas in text. For example: I'm a professional software developer and have yet to get into a situation where I'd have to design a poster or similar thing,and yet, the principles Robin Williams explains in this book also apply in the context of software development as far as the layout of our source code is concerned. Design is everywhere, so you might as well learn the basics of it.

NonDesigners and Designers get fueled
This is an extremely helpful book for anyone of any history in design.Back-to-the-basics design by an author that keeps it simple.Has a huge typography section, as well as some humor (a rare find in these type of books), and a lot of learning without the struggle.Buy it, read it, and add it to your library.
book review
This book was very helpful in my computer graphic class. I learned alot about alignment and proximity. I recommend this book to all beginner graphic students ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Desktop Publishing    4. Design - Book    5. Desktop Publishing    6. Desktop Publishing - General    7. Electronic Publishing    8. Graphic arts    9. Graphic design (Typography)    10. Handbooks, manuals, etc    11. Layout (Printing)    12. Typography    13. Computer Programming    14. Computers / Desktop Publishing / General   

Reviews (33)

Dress Sence 101
The book is good, and takes a couple of evenings to go through. It has what many "men's" magazines lack in the "how to fit" the right clothes with the right person, and insight into patterns, texture and color. If you haven't read a couple of issues of "men's" magazines and have never dressed formally and intend to do so you better read this or you will stick out of the crowd like a sore thumb. The book is comprehensive but could have included more, such as "adventurous" without looking old-fashioned (the old scarf to hide a sagging throat), for me it lacked clarity in the shoe department especially in the color section (unless black, dark tan and suede are the only choices...). The smart/casual section was good, but a clear miss in the sporty casual department where many of the <40 tend to dress much of their time and forced the need to live in a cold weather climate - lots of layers. Although I did not like the cartoon like drawings, the pictures where interesting to see how different nationalities have used clothes with different "shape's" in the past, although many are old Hollywood stars their shirts did seem to be somewhat oversized.

Don't Leave Home Without It!
This is simply the best book on this subject to date. Mr. Flusser has given men (and the women who are tired of being ashamed of them) an exhaustive and reliable reference to lean on.From the purchase of quality clothing, to its proper wear and maintenance, he gives a thorough yet light-hearted overview of how to present oneself in civilized society.
eh
a good book on men's fashion and explains choosing a suit in great detail as it relates to height, complexion, hair and eye color as well as build. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Beauty & Grooming - General    3. Fashion    4. Fashion & Grooming    5. Men's clothing    6. Personal & Practical Guides    7. Art / Fashion    8. Fashion design    9. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    10. Personal appearance & beauty care   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Business/Economics    3. Clothing factories    4. Clothing trade    5. Decorating - General    6. Design - General    7. Quality control    8. Quality of products    9. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Art / Design / General    12. Clothing & footware manufacture   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Commercial - General    4. Design - General    5. Individual Architectural Firms    6. Architecture / General    7. Product design    8. Technical design   

Reviews (10)

You can learn a lot if you don't fall asleep first.
I am currently enrolled in a floral design program using this book as text.Yes, it is a very imformative book, but Ms. Hunter goes into far to much detail and uses far to many words to get her point across.Maybe it's just me and I am a far more visually oriented person, but trying to learn floral design through the use of a text book so far is not my cup of tea...I think it's a good reference book but that's about it.

Excellent Textbook
I have referred to this textbook throughout the five years since I took my first floral design class.I am now a seasoned designer and sometimes refresh my memory by re-reading chapters.Well-written and illustrated.

Definitely worth buying.
This is a great textbook.Not for casual reading.It has so much information about floral design and care and handling of fresh flowers and foliage.It gives good design illustrations that you can copy and make for your home or for friends and family.I'll be referring to this book for information long after my classes are over. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Counseling - Vocational Guidance    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Design - Decorative    5. Floral Arts    6. Flower Arranging    7. Flower arrangement    8. Hobbies/Crafts    9. Technology / Agriculture & Animal Husbandry   

Editorial Review

This lovely, well-written book is concerned foremost with creating beautiful typography and is essential for professionals who regularly work with typographic designs. Author Robert Bringhurst writes about designing with the correct typeface; striving for rhythm, proportion, and harmony; choosing and combining type; designing pages; using section heads, subheads, footnotes, and tables; applying kerning and other type adjustments to improve legibility; and adding special characters, including punctuation and diacritical marks. Read more

Reviews (65)

This is a must read
You won't see many bad reviews on this book and the reason is simple. It is an extremely good book. I do alot of web design and this book brings you back to all that was great in book typography. Very inspiring read. If you love graphic design you will probably love this book as well.

Bringhurst brings his game
As a beginning typographer in art school, this book is invaluable to me. Everytime I have a question about something typographic I can refer to the book for an answer and reasoning. Anyone from a beginner to an expert typographer should own a copy of this book. Bringhurst creates a lucid world of typography that makes it easy to read while having layers of information. A great buy.

Generating Passion for Typography
My friends give me a hard time becuase they have found me on more than one occasion reading this book at weird times. I read it in the bathroom. I read it instead of working on papers for my elective classes. This book stimulates me to design and create. It ignited and continues to kindle the passion for design and typography that burns inside me. If you've read Strunk and White's Elements of Style (for grammar) and enjoyed it, and are a designer then this book is for you. One of the best references I have. The author's passion for typography is clear, and it has inspired my passion as well.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Book design    4. Design - Book    5. Graphic Design    6. Graphic design (Typography)    7. Type and type-founding    8. Typography    9. Art / Design / Book   

Reviews (2)

Excellent insight for Seamstress
I had been searching through all of the sewing books I could find to learn more about the nature of fabric and fibers...and everything I could possibly want to know was here, and more. Absolutely fascinating. It is a textbook, but was written clearly enough that anyone with an interest in the area can easily understand it. I've been teaching classes to costumers and members of the local American Sewing Guild, who are equally impressed with the knowledge we got from this book.

Connecting Textiles and Science
I use this book as the text for teaching a basic textiles course for sophmores.This text provides a sound foundation for students understanding the textiles and the science foundations that are the base for predicting textile performance.Every line is packed with information; there is no fluff in this book.If you want to understand WHY textiles and textile products perform in specific ways, this is the book to buy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating - General    2. Manufacturing    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Textile Industries    8. Textile fabrics    9. Textile fibers    10. Textile industry    11. Textiles & Polymers    12. Art / Design / General    13. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Architecture    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Asia    5. Decoration & Ornament    6. Description and travel    7. Design - Decorative    8. Interior Design    9. Interior Design - General    10. Interior decoration    11. Subjects & Themes - General    12. Themes, motives    13. Architecture / Decoration & Ornament   

Reviews (6)

The Art Quilt
Beautiful color plates.If you are an artist or quilter who prefers to emphasize color and design, then this book is invaluable for ideas and inspiration.Highly recommend for your library.

Tremendously inspiring - gorgeous photography
I'm a weekend quilter - and love working with rich color.This is not only a coffee-table beautiful book but it inspires creative ideas far beyond normal quilting.You don't have to be a quilter to enjoy - the art is wonderful.And if you do quilt, this will inspire you to all sorts of radically new ideas.

Recommended for needlecraft students, quilters & collectors.
Robert Shaw draws upon his impressive expertise to celebrate the traditional bed quilt as a needlecraft art form that is a creative, emotional, example of "form following function". His insightful text traces the transformation of the quilt from bed cover to displaypiece, the quilter from homemaker to academically trained artist, theworkshop from kitchen to studio, and the materials from simple to complex.The Art Quilt is superb survey of an art form grounded in tradition and, atthe same time, committed to originality and innovation. The works of suchsuperb contemporary quilters as Michael James, Yvonne Porcella, JuliaPfaff, Nancy Crow, and more than two hundred others, serve to illustratethe quilt as art -- and the art of the quilt. The Art Quilt is enhancedwith 300 full-color reproductions and numerous insightful sidebars ofimportant technical processes and leaders int he art quilt field. The ArtQuilt is highly recommended reading for needlecraft students, quilters,collectors, and popular culture enthusiasts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Design - Textile & Costume    4. Quilts & Quilting    5. Textile fabrics in art    6. Art   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture (General)    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Beauty & Grooming - Fashion    5. Decoration and ornament, Architectural    6. Design    7. Design - General    8. General    9. Interior Design - General    10. Repetitive patterns (Decorative arts)    11. Symmetry (Art)    12. Architecture / Design & Drafting    13. Art    14. Fashion    15. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    16. Interior Design    17. Patterns    18. Theory of art   

Reviews (3)

very informartive!
This book contains allot of basic information on draping. The instructions are thorough and are acompanied by visuals, for extra comprehension. It also has a section dedicated to draping knits, a real plus! My understanding of the draping method, and therefore my skill, has improved on account of this book.

Exactly what you need to know
I studied at FIT in NY, and this was required reading for my first draping course.It seems that a careful read of this book alone could have taught me what I needed to know.It takes practice, but boy, if you want perfect results, follow this book to the letter and it will get you there!

It was excellent
beautifu ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Decorating - General    4. Design - General    5. Dressmaking    6. Fashion    7. Fashion design    8. General    9. Pattern design    10. Textile Fabrics    11. Art / Design / General   

Reviews (27)

Great For Technical Specifications/Flats
I can say that Chapters Four and Five alone is worth their weight in gold. This book is used on a daily basis by our CAD department as a reference when making flat sketches for specs.To take a designer's drawing or a sample of the garment and turn it into detailed, flat sketches takes skills.That particular section is great when it comes to drawing details for sewing such as types of stitching, where pleats/folds/darts should go, placements of notions/trimmings, etc.Flat sketching for specs is very important when a garment is produced in huge quantities by numerous operators. There's also a section in the front on proportion drawing using the croquis which is also very helpful. Since the company I work for produces a wide range of theatrical costumes that has tons and tons of details (think odd shapes and sizes), this book has come to the rescue many times.
Don't buy this book
I've had this book for awhile and I've noticed that some of the drawings, especially the fashion illustrations look rather unprofessional.There are drawings, renderings, that you would never see in fashion world. Some of the drawings look like they are fine art life drawings; others look very much like student work, some look just badly drawn and should not be shown as explemary work for those who wish to learn.I think that they are better books out there and this is not one of them.

Are U Kidding Me!!!
Anyone who says this book is a waist of your dollar is obviously not looking at this book closely.The art work is incredible and the attention to deatil is unrivaled.9 HEADS is one of the most incredible books in regards to fashion sketching I have ever seen.If you are looking to improve your know how and skill of fashion sketching I highly recommend this book.It's worth every penny.By the way, the drawings are not cartoonish nor are they amateurish.I doubt anyone at Parsons would look down on this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Design - General    4. Drawing    5. Fashion    6. Techniques - Drawing    7. Art / Design / General    8. Drawing & drawings    9. Fashion design   

Reviews (8)

A WINNER
I bought three books on Polymer Clay, and this is the only one with all the techniques there that I want to learn.
Polymer Clay Bible
Everyone starting out in polymer clay should have this book in their library. Many newer techniques have been developed since this book came out but this book contains everything you need in order to develop your own original work. If you're looking for a "projects" book skip this, but if you want the basicsthis is the book for you. I only wish Nan Roche would write another! I still find myself refering to it and I've been working in polymer clay for over 15 years.

The Book that started it all for Polymer Clay
It was the first book about PC. It was the only book available for quite some time. Many of the most renowned PC artists started with this book and you can see the influence in their work.
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Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. General    4. Hobbies/Crafts    5. Jewelry    6. Jewelry making    7. Polymer clay craft    8. Art techniques & materials    9. Ceramic arts, pottery, glass