Data Flow

Data Flow explores the fascinating subject of the way designers can display information and data graphically. The collection of graphs, charts and diagrams range from highly technical to hand drawn but all give intrigue to what is essentially lists of boring numbers.

This book is really inspiring and will really come into it's own next time I need to graphically represent some data – I'm sure that will be soon.

Bob Gill - Unspecial Effects For Graphic Designers

I was lucky enough to hear a lecture by Bob Gill last year and it was one of the most inspiring talks that I've been to. Gill is the American grandaddy of idea driven graphic design. The title of his is most recent book, 'Unspecial Effects' pretty much sums up his philosophy on design. He believes that the lowly graphic designer cannot compete with the effects of the latest blockbuster but the weapon that we do have in our arsenal is the power of a good idea.

He then goes on to give some examples of his work that champion his school of thought.

This book is just as inspiring as hearing the man speak was. I'm sure it has helped designers get ideas already and will continue to in the future.

High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

High Fidelity is my favourite book. The novel follows thirty-something protagonist Rob, a London record shop owner who has just split up with his girlfriend.

Rob is something of an snob when it comes to music taste and he spends much of life compiling all-time top five lists. The story unfolds as Rob takes us through his all-time top five break ups, and begins to get in contact with the featuring women as he attempts to understand why he keeps being rejected.

Hornby manages to put down on paper the way in which male minds work, with his witty observations of Rob's neuroses.

The book is funny too with much of the comic relief being provided by two characters that work in Rob's shop who have diametrically opposed personalities. Barry is brash and over confident while Dick is nervous, timid and shy. All three characters are equally elitist about music and this sets things up for some laugh out loud moments. I also particularly enjoy the section when Rob tells the reader his tips for making a great compilation tape and the many rules involved.

I have read quite a few of Hornby's books, and they are uniformly good reads. High Fidelity discusses similar themes to a lot of his books: love, relationships, obsession and flawed characters. Hornby often writes about his own passions, such as football in Fever Pitch, and in this case, pop music.

I love the book so much because I relate to Rob, despite him being an unlikeable character, and as a quote on the cover says, "High Fidelity is like a great pop record... it makes you feel young and grown up all  at the same time".

LosLogos

"How does logo design react to the sociological, cultural, economic and technological changes that define our time?" LosLogos attempts to answer this question whilst at the same time providing a platform for "young global designers". 

LosLogos does exactly what is says on the tin - it is packed full of logos. What I like about the book is that it groups them by theme. There is a spread dedicated to logotypes designed using helvetica bold, a page of heart logos, a page of gun logos, robots, fire, animals, you get the picture.

My criticism of this book is that it seems to feature a limited number of agencies, each with their own style and this leads to similarities. Not quite the all encompassing ethic LosLogos claims in it's introduction.

However, this book is massively inspirational to me, and was especially useful during my year in industry when I was involved in quite a lot of branding exercises.

Welcome To Britain

'Welcome To Britain' is a book of photography by artists Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale who seem to have travelled the length and breadth of Britain, snapping anything that catches their eye. Their images take a look at what it means to be British with a big focus on eccentricity - the book could easily illustrate Kate Fox's 'Watching The English'! Many of the images capture the downright ugly rather than seeking the picturesque and the work's power often lies in the the couple's witty observations.

Williams and Teasdale don't display their work in conventional galleries but rather in their own mobile Caravan Gallery which seems fitting to me.

I love this ironic sign, it sums up not only the type of work that these artists do but also so much about the British - our cynicism, our eccentricity and our sense of humour.