Netdiver (ISSN 1911-866X)

Incubator or the art of regal design by IGLOO

Review:

Incubator, brand building. Digital branded environments. Design. Dream. What do 10 years of agency projects lead to?

What does 10 years of hard work afford you? What do make with 10 years of creative processes?

This is not your usual agency book compilation! Ooooh you will be delightfully surprised by the sheer quality of the work they have done and while going through their decades worth of archival material, backups and hard drives.. it seems that the book evolved into becoming more than a parade but a studio tell-all.

How about creating a book to give back. They begun to pour information onto the pages and exhibits how the work came to be, revealing ideas on ideas.

Splurge on the complete design process from sketch to completion providing tools to unleash our creativity.

The layouts are gorgeous page after pages, it is concise and well written and companion website is offering additional downloads making this book, the best in this genre!

Remains about 353 copies, get yours today!

Designing Design by Kenya Hara

Review:

In this 474-page, fully illustrated hardcover work, Kenya Hara, one of the Japanese design community's most comprehensive thinkers and prolific designers, explains his work in the context of changing global power structures, the prank of postmodernism, and historical changes in design and production. Easily approachable as a designer and writer, Hara is at once inspirational and lucid.

The table of contents will give you an idea of the topics covered, all of which are adding up to an encyclopedic review of this master design genius mind:

Re Design - Daily Products in the 21st Century
Haptic - Awakening the Sense
Senseware - Medium that Intrigues Man
White
Muji - Nothing, Yet Everything
Viewing the World From the Tip of Asia
Exformation - A New Information Format
What is Design?

Pages after pages you will not cease being amazed and drawn in the simple yet compellingly profound assertions made. Travel inside the peculiar and unique point of views that lead to staggering conclusions and results. My gosh, I am humbled by the starlight quality of his opinions and directions.

This is THE book of the year, that you absolutely need to curl up with it's thick and one that you don't shuffle through. By reading it, you are affording yourself an agrandized view of what design is about.

The Octonauts & The Sea of Shade by Vicky Wong aka Meomi

Review:

I've been a fan of Meomi for a number of years and it's not surprising that her acquired craft as an illustrator, her attention to details and the passion shown to illustrating sweetness would take the form of children books.

The characters have each a compelling personality and the story is a voyage in the realm of a very fertile imagination and the plot unfolds with page after page of visual goodness.

THE OCTONAUTS are a crew of cute critters who love to explore the big blue ocean. From their undersea "Octopod" base, the eight talented animals are always ready for fun and excitement. In their second adventure, all the shadows in the world have gone missing!

Mind you, if you're a serious illustrator, her books are a must have for study and reference. Published by Immedium.

Mag-Art by Charlotte Rivers

Review:

Sub titled: Innovation in Magazine Design and Packaging. A complete guide to all aspects of magazine design.

What a treasure! If you are considering a career in editorial design... or even cherish the dream of publishing one day, you're very own magazine, this book is loaded with examples and a must have.

I gulped it down and found so many relevant insights about the creative processes involved around publishing. Mostly covering the indie scene, which makes it infinitely more attractive to me, I was overjoyed that it contained so much disclosed information about the behind the scenes and the vision of their founders.

Learning about the editorial guidelines, limited edition or large scale circulation, the why(s) of their particular art direction, the search for collaborators, budgets, funkying up the production to deliver and keep a high level of uniqueness are invaluable knowledge.

One of the best book I've read so far this year!

99 Silhouettes edited by Marie & Steve Campbell

Review:

Silhouettes are becoming an increasingly popular technique used across the spectrum from high profile TV campaigns, product identities, magazine and book illustration to web graphics.

99 Silhouettes is an accessible visual resource for designers and creatives, whether simply looking for inspiration or interested in commissioning artwork and illustration in this genre.

This little book is truly great, loads of examples and some, were of striking beauty and quality. Always important to have what I call a particular design style referenced both for future ideas or for knowing a starting group of designers who have done so.

As I was introduced to the (many) different techniques, it was quite an eye opener, realizing how little I knew about it. Ain't that what makes a book worthy?

Début Publications is offering Netdiver audience a nifty 50% off regular price!!

'vE-"jA by Xarene Eskandar and Prisna Nuengsigkapian

Review:

'vE-"jA is a compilation of what is going on the VJ scene and if you're interested in getting a bird's eye wolrd view, this book is just what you will get.

Complete with stunning pictures and videos. In interviews with each of the artists featured in the book, the importance of live performance is echoed repeatedly. The live setting is where the art evolves.

Well documented as to how VJ makes on-the-fly interpretations of all the external elements in front of a live audience.

BB/Saunders Journal – 365

Review:

The BB/Saunders Journal – 365 is a daily record of occurrences, experiences, observations or thoughts.

A daybook. 365 (almost) virgin pages before you to do with what you will – that never ending ‘to do’ list, those phone numbers with no name written against them, the ingredients you mustn’t forget for tonight’s dinner or that idea that just might save mankind.

Alternatively, it works equally well propping up tables.

You and I always need a notebook to jot down ideas, forget me not, doodle inspiration and lock in memos to self and other important information.

Using your own design as a promotions tool all the while being useful to your target audience.

This is such a great idea!

What is Graphic Design For? by Alice Twemlow

Review:

One would expect that all designers would instantly know how to answer this question and surely I could, you could, offer smart and correct ones. So why make a book about it?

The title made me curious as to what could be added to what I already know and I was humbled by my ignorance and how, in fact, I was in dire need of expanding my knowledge base.

Written in a concise almost bullet like style, it is not one of those verbose thesis whereas the topic is off somewhere in the far horizon and too many small steps are ardeously made, to finally get to it.

Oh my! This is a treasure found and a must read. Contains loads of great examples, a section of portfolios with designers' creative processes.

Here are a few of the many highlighted key sentences:

“Global-ness and the globally nomadic designer have been embraced and endorsed by contemporary design culture.”

“Smaller organizations are much more hands-on and unique in their thinking.”

“Collaboration is different from design-by-committee.. Successful design collaborations yield singular, coherent , and rigorous design solutions. Everyone has to be on board with a single concept.”

“Design in the graphic form can create order out of chaos, decide an election and (most notably) inspire us to stand up for things that are near and dear to us. Graphic design provides a context for understanding.”

And lastly, the section “Designer as author, publisher, producer, curator, entrepreneur” simply blew me away. If only for the sake of indie projects would be entrepreneurs buying the book, won't be a waste.

There are so many inspiring, comforting and intelligent tuggings that when I started reading - could not let it down.

Get it!