Designing Pornotopia

In this collection of essays about visual culture, Rick Poynor directs a critical eye at brands, billboards, magazine, architecture, tattoos and trends in cosmetic surgery. A key target is the pervasiveness of sexual imagery in the market place and the media's symbiotic relationship with porn.

Published for the first time in 1953, Playboy was not only the first pornographic popular magazine in America; it also came to embody an entirely new lifestyle through the construction of a series of utopian multimedia spaces — from the Playboy Mansion and fictional Playboy’s Penthouse of 1959 to the Playboy Clubs and hotels appearing around the world in the 1960s. Simultaneously, the invention of the contraceptive pill provided access to a biochemical technique that separated (hetero) sexuality and reproduction. Addressing these concurrent cultural shifts, Paul Preciado investigates the strategic relationships between space, gender, and sexuality in popular sites related to the production and consumption of pornography that have tended to reside at the margins of traditional histories of architecture: bachelor pads, multimedia rotating beds, and design objects, among others. Combining historical perspectives with contemporary critical theory, gender and queer theory, porn studies, the history of technology, and a range of primary transdisciplinary sources — treatises on sexuality, medical and pharmaceutical handbooks, architecture journals, erotic magazines, building manuals, and novels — Pornotopia explores the use of architecture as a biopolitical technique for governing sexual relations and the production of gender in the postwar United States.

The rise of social networking and open-source technology, the return of community-focussed activities (e.g. gardens, knitting groups, food cooperatives) and creative collectives across the fields of design and the visual arts have reawakened the discourse around human capital, flat structures and collectives as a means for ‘making’ the things of everyday life. As the essays presented in this collection illustrate, there is an emerging field of discourse about the potential of the collective as an organising and generative community structure that links creativity, social change and politics. Furthermore it is clear that in this developing context there are a number of issues central to design practice, such as authorship, agency and aesthetics that are in the process of re-evaluation and critique. Bringing together views of practitioners, historians and theorists, this volume examines the etymology, boundaries and practices that the idea of the collective affords. It is broadly organised into sections on architecture, digital technologies and counter-cultural practices and includes historical and contemporary accounts of design collectives from a range of disciplinary viewpoints.

Begin your graphic design career now, with the guidance of industry experts Becoming a Graphic and Digital Designer is a single source guide to the myriad of options available to those pursuing a graphic design career. With an emphasis on portfolio requirements and job opportunities, this guide helps both students and individuals interested in entering the design field prepare for successful careers. Coverage includes design inspiration, design genres, and design education, with discussion of the specific career options available in print, interactive, and motion design. Interviews with leading designers like Michael Bierut, Stefan Sagmeister, and Mirko Ilic give readers an insider's perspective on career trajectory and a glimpse into everyday operations and inspirations at a variety of companies and firms. Design has become a multi-platform activity that involves aesthetic, creative, and technical expertise. Becoming a Graphic and Digital Designer shows readers that the field once known as "graphic design" is now richer and more inviting than ever before. Learn how to think like a designer and approach projects systematically Discover the varied career options available within graphic design Gain insight from some of the leading designers in their fields Compile a portfolio optimized to your speciality of choice Graphic designers' work appears in magazines, advertisements, video games, movies, exhibits, computer programs, packaging, corporate materials, and more. Aspiring designers are sure to find their place in the industry, regardless of specific interests. Becoming a Graphic and Digital Designer provides a roadmap and compass for the journey, which begins today.

For designers, writing and research skills are more necessary than ever before, from the basic business compositions to critical writing. In this competitive climate, designers are routinely called upon to make words about the images and designs they create for clients. Writing about design is not just "trade" writing, but should be accessible to everyone with an interest in design. This book is a complete, introductory guide to various forms of research and writing in design—and how they explain visuals and can be visualized. These pages address communication on various levels and to all audiences: - Designers to Designers - Designers to Clients - Designers to the Design-literate - Designers to the Design-agnostic Being able to express the issues and concerns of the design practice demands facts, data, and research. With Writing and Research for Graphic Designers, you’ll learn how to turn information into a valuable asset— one of the key talents of the design researcher.

This book offers the first in-depth analysis of the relationship between art and design, which led to the creation of 'pop'. Challenging accepted boundaries and definitions, the authors seek out various commonalities and points of connection between these two exciting areas. Confronting the all-pervasive 'high art / low culture' divide, Pop Art and Design brings a fresh understanding of visual culture during the vibrant 1950s and 60s. This was an era when commercial art became graphic design, illustration was superseded by photography and high fashion became street fashion, all against the backdrop of a rapidly-evolving economic and political landscape, a glamorous youth scene and an effervescent popular culture. The book's central argument is that pop art relied on and drew inspiration from pop design, and vice versa. Massey and Seago assert that this relationship was articulated through the artwork, design, publications and exhibitions of a network of key practitioners. Pop Art and Design provides a case study in the broader inter-relationship between art and design, and constitutes the first interdisciplinary publication on the subject.

A revision to the bestselling visual guide to becoming a graphic designer Becoming a Graphic Designer, Fourth Edition provides a comprehensive survey of the graphic design market, including complete coverage of print and electronic media and the evolving digital design disciplines that offer today's most sought-after jobs. Featuring 65 interviews with today's leading designers, this visual guide has more than 600 illustrations and covers everything from education and training, design specialties, and work settings to preparing an effective portfolio and finding a job. The book offers profiles of major industries, coverage of careers in exhibition design and illustration, and new focus on designing across disciplines. Fully updated to include information on the latest trends in evolving design disciplines New coverage of digital editorial design, information design, packaging design, design management, and entrepreneurship From an author of over 100 books on design Complete with compact, easy-to-use sections, useful sidebars, and sample design pieces, this outstanding guide is invaluable for anyone interested in launching or developing a career in graphic design.