Graphic Design, Referenced

Graphic Design, Referenced is a 400-page book we authored — wrote, edited, researched, procured, curated… — and designed between 2007 and 2009 with Rockport. It is a visual and informational guide to the most commonly referenced terms, historical moments, landmark projects, and influential practitioners in the field of graphic design. With more than 2,000 iamges illustrating more than 400 entries, it provides an intense overview of the varied elements that make up the graphic design profession.

This is one of the most difficult projects we have developed to date — due, mostly, to the 2,000 images we gathered and the 115,000-plus words we wrote. Putting them together, across 400 pages, was perhaps the most relaxing aspect of it all. We established a (seemingly) simple layout through a comprehensive grid with three strong horizontal blocks where we could accommodate all the content cohesively but still maintain a sense of surprise in a few of the spreads.

Graphic Design, Referenced is typeset in Hoefler & Frere-Jones Mercury type family that, in its infinite readability, allowed us to fit more information per page. As the display typeface we worked with Christian Schwartz’s voluminous Stag Sans. We first sliced Stag Sans ourselves as a stencil title treatment for the cover and Christian then developed an all-uppercase alphabet to use throughout the book in special instances.

A one-page, promotional web site is available for more information about this book. Photographic details below and flat spreads underneath.

For your amusement here are some behind-the-scenes images, showing the glamour of book authoring.