Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Children’s information books communicate their content with an energetic visual language
The task of tracing visual language in book design is a challenge, but one that is useful to take up in order to help us understand how readers make meaning of what they read. Studying the lineage of some forms of layout also sheds light on how design fits into and contributes to culture in a wider sense. Children’s science books – the highly graphic and colourful ones published over the last 30 years or so in the UK – provide some excellent examples of complex visual language, partly because they tend to be more highly illustrated than books meant for adults. But how do diagrams, illustrations and different forms of text interact to produce ‘content’ in these books? Meaning does not reside in the book alone, but is dependent on context: the particular conditions of reading, and the wider social and cultural environment. This is an exploration of book design as a medium of communication.
http://goo.gl/CnBtG
via Eye Magazine | Feature | Genetics of the ‘open’ text.
“Call it a business card, a resume, a billboard, or whatever you choose, but the short of it is that books are no longer just books. They are branding devices and credibility signals.To lovers of books, I’m sure this will all sound like bad news. But to non-fiction authors, it’s a reality. In some ways, it’s also a bit of a relief and an opportunity. No one is asking you to write the Great American Novel. Nor do you need to sell a million copies. You just need to own and present an interesting idea to the right people.”
AN : so what is a book for ? Leveraging an author’s reputation for monetary purposes ? To attract speaking engagements ? To bolster your personal brand ? There will be many motivations to write ( non-fiction category ) a book but should there not be a core value attached to the book , ie have something of value to say to your reading audience and a permanent mode to record and convey the communication piece?
via Why Books Are The Ultimate New Business Card | Fast Company.
arnoneumann 