Book Description
The processes of nature can make an infinite number of human faces, each one unique, each one beautiful. The same is true for daffodils, streams, and stars. But man-made creations-especially the towns and buildings of the 20th century-have only occasionally been really good, more often mediocre, and in the last 50 years have very often been deadly. What is the reason for the difference?
In Book 2, Alexander explains in detail the kinds of process that are capable of generating living structure. The unfolding of living structure in natural systems is compared to the unfolding of buildings and town plans in traditional society, and then contrasted with present-day building processes.
The comparison reveals deep and shocking problems which pervade the present day planning and construction of buildings. Pervasive changes are needed to create a world in which living process-and hence living structure-are possible; these are changes which are ultimately attainable only through a transformation of society.
It is the use of sequences which makes it possible for each building to become unique, exactly fitted to its context, and harmonious. And it is also this use of sequences which makes it possible for people to participate effectively in the layout of their own buildings and communities.
"This will change the world as effectively as the advent of printing changed the world . . ."-Doug Carlston, Silicon Valley luminary and former president of Broderbund
Christopher Alexander is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, architect, builder, and author of many books and technical papers. He is the winner of the first medal for research ever awarded by the American Institute of Architects.
Customer Reviews:
Inspirational ideas, but take it slowly.......2007-01-04
I first discovered Christopher Alexander's book "A Pattern Language" about eight years ago and it has been a treasured companion on my bedside table ever since. I would highly recommend it as an excellent introduction to the framework of design concepts proposed by Alexander in subsequent books.
I decided to start with Book 2 in the "Nature of Order" series as one Amazon reviewer described it as the most "practical" of the four. I can best describe my overall reactions as excitement regarding the implications of Alexander's ideas, and disappointment that the text is so dense and repetitive that I fear that only the most committed of readers will persevere. I don't mean to dissuade other readers at all, but merely to warn you that Alexander's motto seems to be "why use one word when you can use ten, and then repeat yourself ten times." I believe a rigorous editing of the book would render it far more digestible without losing any of its inspirational magic.
Alexander provides philosophical, logical and practical examples of concepts of wholeness and flow in design and how these lead to "living" end products, whether these products are buildings, interiors, works of art or simple household objects. I am currently using these ideas to renovate my home and I can now see why some rooms "work" and others don't and what I can do to improve them. There are many photos of "living design" scattered through the book, to reinforce the concepts. In addition, you don't need to be independently wealthy to apply the ideas - you just need to be willing to think about how you like to live, recognise what feels comfortable and "right" in your environment and experiment with small changes to see how they affect the "feel" of a room or space.
I can strongly recommend this book for any fans of "A Pattern Language", but read it slowly and you will see how it provides a strong conceptual framework for using the patterns described in his previous book. I have just ordered Book 1 in the series and will gradually work my way through the remaining books - I may resort to using a highlighter pen to make it easier to re-read and absorb the ideas. (I recently heard an interview with Alexander which was produced by a Canadian radio station - luckily he speaks succinctly and presents very well in conversation).
A major achievement in aesthetics and architecture.......2006-06-22
One can make a strong case for Alexander's Nature of Order as one of the greatest advances in the entire history of aesthetics. Book 1 treats the expression of Life in art in its static form. Book 2 examines the dynamic process of life creation, in real life and in architecture. I can't do better than second what Professor Salingaros says below. He is a major figure in architectural aesthetics himself -- google him on the web and you will see.
In this volume, as in the others, Alexander presents his principles and gives examples both positive and negative, richly illustrated with hundreds of pictures, many in color. His examples are both historical, such as the evolution of St. Mark's Square in Venice over a period of a thousand years, and drawn from his own building experience, showing how he has gone about designing and building a structure in a way that maximizes its life.
Yes, it costs $75, but considering its aesthetic gravity and its 636 pages and all the illustrations, this is a bargain. I bought all four and am still benefitting by rereading them.
fascinating approach to architecture.......2005-04-02
I originally only intended to read book one of this series because they are so expensive; however, after reading the first, and becoming interested in Alexander's ideas, I have committed to the entire series. There is a lot of food for thought in these books, from the idea that there is actually a universal consensus on what is beautiful when one looks at things on a fundamental level, to the concepts that we spend too much time in this society on ornamentation and rule making to the exclusion of building things that actually enhance life. Book 2 in this series goes in depth into the concept that things can only be built to enhance life and be truly beautiful and useful if they are built in a sequence of appropriate steps. Alexander is changing the way that I look at the world. This is not a book for someone who just wants to know how to decorate a pretty house.
A Landmark Book.......2003-10-31
Review by Nikos A. Salingaros.
PART A. REVIEW FOR ARCHITECTS.
Contemporary architecture is increasingly grounded in science and mathematics. Architectural discourse has shifted radically from the sometimes disorienting Derridean deconstruction, to engaging scientific terms such as fractals, chaos, complexity, nonlinearity, and evolving systems. That's where the architectural action is -- at least for cutting-edge architects and thinkers -- and every practicing architect and student needs to become conversant with these terms and know what they mean. Unfortunately, the vast majority of architecture faculty are unprepared to explain them to students, not having had a scientific education themselves.
Here is an architecture book by an architect/scientist, just in time to help architects in the new millennium. Alexander discusses many of the scientific terms arising in cutting-edge architecture, and explains them to those who don't have scientific training or advanced mathematical knowledge. We find discussions of the evolution of forms; the importance of process in design; iteration; genetic algorithms; sequences of transformations; different levels of scale (i.e. fractals); etc. They are explained here by an architect who is also a scientist, because he wants to change the way architects think and build. Alexander is not merely popularizing other scientists' results and making them accessible to architects: he is in fact presenting new and original scientific work that ties many of these concepts together in a way that will be useful to architects.
Alexander spends many of the 636 pages of this book talking about PROCESS. He describes the sequence of steps leading to a built form, and how each step depends on all previous steps. Alexander distinguishes between good and bad sequences of steps, where the latter are marked by some disruptive discontinuity, and which, as a result, cannot lead to coherent form. It follows that the method of design taught in architecture schools for decades -- "conceive an interesting image in your mind, then impose it onto the environment" -- is wrong. ALEXANDER ARGUES THAT COHERENCE CAN NEVER BE ACHIEVED EXCEPT BY THE SEQUENCE METHOD. Don't forget this is the Alexander who wrote "A Pattern Language", an equally revolutionary book. Therefore, every architect, especially those whose own design methodology clashes with Alexander's ideas, is well advised to become aware of what he says instead of simply dismissing him offhand.
The present volume is the second of four. I believe that, with some effort, it can be read independently from the first volume (not that I am suggesting this, but merely to encourage people to plunge into Volume 2 immediately). This is the one of the four volumes that is most likely to appeal to those who are already interested in and actively working in applying the New Sciences to architecture. I therefore urge innovative architects and architecture students to read this book. In my opinion, it should enlighten everyone's conception of the design process, and help to initiate a reexamination in one's mind of how new ideas for structures and buildings are generated. This book might well influence in a major way how buildings of the future are designed and built, hence how they will look. No-one who thinks deeply and conscientiously about design today should pass it by.
PART B. REVIEW FOR SCIENTISTS.
Alexander is famous in the architectural world, yet he trained in Physics and Mathematics in Cambridge, and was part of the group of scientists who developed systems theory along with Herbert Simon. He has been investigating the interaction between science and architecture all of his life, and the four-volume work "The Nature of Order" contains the results of his researches. Volume 2, in particular, contains the most science. It may surprise many professional scientists that Alexander has managed to conceive of new results by applying architecture to science, surely a development that is as unexpected as it is novel.
This book contains interesting scientific insights. For example, already by page 42, Alexander proposes a radical rethinking of the standard Neo-Darwinian synthesis. He suggests that, based on a broad range of examples, evolving form in any context is driven just as much by intrinsic long-range forces having to do with geometrical configurations, as by the usual random Darwinian selection process. He thus takes suggestions by Stuart Kauffman and Brian Goodwin and develops them into a proto-theory of morphogenesis. It is not complete, and Alexander knows that, but I believe that the evolutionary biology community will get very excited about this idea. He supports his arguments by using phenomenology, and providing a theoretical basis wherever he can. I believe we are going to see a lot of activity, as ideas from this book inspire other authors to try to prove or disprove them. All of that is healthy, and will eventually establish Alexander as a contributor to scientific thinking.
My own favorite part is the discussion of how generative sequences break symmetry: instead of producing identical components (i.e., windows, houses, office blocks, apartments), the same generative process gives rise to similar types of complex objects that are individualized and thus distinct. This helps us to understand natural complexity, where adaptation does indeed produce diversity within the same typology. The underlying problem is how to correlate the different scales in a complex system, hitherto unsolved in any discipline. Therefore, this discussion is of great interest to computer scientists, who are grappling with modularization in software so as to handle the increasing complexity of code.
I am a scientist, and I have profited from Alexander's efforts to understand very deep problems in complexity. The price to pay is having to read through all the architectural examples (which may or may not be of interest to many scientists). Alexander is like a moth circling around fascinating problems. Even when he does not give a solution, his circling in fact identifies the problem, and by approaching it, he gives nontrivial hints towards its eventual solution. And, don't forget that it's the architectural stuff that's going to inspire architects to build a more beautiful world for the rest of us.
Average customer rating:
|
The Collected Essays and Criticism, Volume 1: Perceptions and Judgments, 1939-1944
Clement Greenberg
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Criticism
| General
| Regional
| Themes
| Women in Art
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Criticism & Theory
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Literature & Fiction
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Collected Essays and Criticism, Volume 2: Arrogant Purpose, 1945-1949
-
The Collected Essays and Criticism, Volume 3: Affirmations and Refusals, 1950-1956 (The Collected Essays and Criticism , Vol 3)
-
The Collected Essays and Criticism, Volume 4: Modernism with a Vengeance, 1957-1969 (The Collected Essays and Criticism , Vol 4)
-
Art and Culture: Critical Essays
-
Art and Objecthood: Essays and Reviews
ASIN: 0226306216 |
Book Description
"With the publication of the first two volumes of Clement Greenberg's Collected Essays and Criticism, we are at last on our way to having a comprehensive edition of the most important body of art criticism produced by an American writer in this century. The two volumes now available—Perceptions and Judgments, 1939-1944 and Arrogant Purpose, 1945-1949—bring together for the first time Mr. Greenberg's critical writings from the decade in which he emerged as the most informed and articulate champion of the New York School as well as one of our most trenchant analysts of the modern cultural scene."—Hilton Kramer, The New Criterion
Customer Reviews:
Informative and comprehensive.......2007-07-23
Ah, I wish I'd found this book two years ago. Back then, when I just started working as an EE, the benefit I could gain from the book would be huge. Today, knowing at least 90% of what is has to say, I'm still very much impressed.
Mark Balch takes a unifying approach I haven't seen in other books. Deciding to focus on the complete spectrum of digital/electronic design is a great decision, since most of the books out there either pay attention only to logic and assembly or only to leakage currents in diodes and bode plots of filters. Often, an EE has to work closely with both worlds, which is what the author of this book understood and filled 460 pages with valuable information.
On one hand this book teaches digital logic (with nice practical aspects, for example the 7400 family), computer architecture, memory, communications (with a great section explaining all the nuts-and-bolts of the omnipresent RS232/422/485 family of
standards), networking, state machines, FPGAs and CPLDs.
On the other hand, it doesn't neglect the low level stuff. A good overview of basic electronics is given, including information on diodes, transistors, op-amps and ADC/DACs. It doesn't stop there and discusses the practical aspects of design I haven't seen described in other (non-textbook) books - clock distribution, power regulation/distribution, signal integrity and various debugging techniques.
What I liked especially is that the author doesn't get into the topics too deep - there's textbooks and data-sheets for that. He gives theory when needed, focuses on the practicals and refers to other sources of information. In particular, the section that explains how to read data-sheets and what to pay attention to while reading is a gold-mine for young engineers.
I think this book can be very useful for fresh engineers - to get quickly informed of the wide spectrum of design practices or even for students of EE - to see the bigger picture. To seasoned professionals it won't provide much new knowledge.
Average customer rating:
|
The Complete Guide to Digital Type: Creative Use of Typography in the Digital Arts
Andy Ellison
Manufacturer: Collins Design
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Typography
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Design
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Typography
| Graphic Design
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Game Programming
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Design & Architecture
| Hardware
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Computer Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop
ASIN: 0060727926
Release Date: 2004-08-17 |
Book Description
This comprehensive guide to creating and using digital type, both in print and for the web, is an essential reference for students and practicing designers alike. An introduction offers a brief history and discusses font classification, software, and the ways in which the computer has revolutionized typography. A section on good typographic practice provides expert advice on issues such as legibility, contrast, size, line length, line spacing, and justification, as well as guidance on how to lay out type and construct grids.
Step-by-step explanations are provided for creating a wide range of type effects: drop shadows, wood block style, bevel and emboss, gradients, fading type, type on curves, perforated type, and more. Designing type for the screen presents a new set of challenges and topics covered include editable HTML, type as an image, and how to choose fonts, type size, and color. A chapter on creating your own fonts discusses how to get the most out of industry -- standard software -- Fontographer and FontLab -- and describes how to build up letterforms and refine them in Photoshop or Illustrator. Numerous creative approaches to font design discussed here include amending existing typefaces, combining typefaces, and creating fonts out of found objects.
With clear, authoritative text and over 400 diagrams and full-color illustrations, The Complete Guide to Digital Type will inform and inspire designers of all levels of experience.
Book Description
Here is the complete guide to the principles and practices of digital graphic design in the new century, particularly in designing for the World Wide Web! The Complete Guide to Digital Graphic Design takes a look at all the major areas in which design is applied-such as packaging, signage, advertising, exhibition and display systems, corporate identity, multimedia, etc.-and demonstrates, step by step, all the proven methods and tested techniques digital designers use to achieve a vast array of dramatic effects. Readers will discover the capabilities of a range of graphic design hardware and software (both for Mac and PC); will explore the unique design considerations as well as master the planning and production stages for a range of 2D and 3D graphic presentations; and much more. Dozens of real-life case histories are included, as well as a glossary of terms and detailed listings of helpful websites. This valuable guide is destined to be the ultimate reference for design students as well as experienced designers who want to further develop their traditional skills within the new technology.
Customer Reviews:
Definitive guide about digital design.......2005-10-19
This is a precious guide for all designers: it covers many fields, from multimedia to web to package design, with a lot of photos. Maybe a bit technical in some points, but very useful. In certain points you may find yourself asking "well, what's so new about that, I knewed it!", but then I ask you: "are you sure? or you just find that this book tells you how the story goes and suggests you all those basic principles you are supposed to know and you didn't notice?"
Moreover, this books covers mainly digital design, but it has sections and ideas useful for ANY designer.
If you're looking for a comprehensive guide, THIS IS IT!
For computer artists of all skill and experience levels.......2002-07-08
Bob and Maggie Gordon's The Complete Guide To Digital Graphic Design is a profusely illustrated "how to" guide filled cover to cover with full color photographs of computer art and detailed, practical instructions for creating similar wonders in the comfort of one's own study. Designing specifically for print, advertising, packaging, signage, exhibition, the Internet, or multimedia are all covered in this superbly presented instructional book for computer artists of all skill and experience levels.
Book Description
The Complete Guide to Digital Color is a highly accessible and beautifully designed book covering all aspects of using color for digital design.Clearly written and well illustrated, both text and examples lead the reader through a comprehensive course in cutting-edge digital color design. This guide gives students of digital design invaluable information about how color is managed and used by industry, covering vital aspects such as industry-standard color spaces, RGB CMYK, Lab, HSB and Indexed, Profile color management, file compression, measuring color gamuts and the use of color in digital photography. Digital Color demonstrates color differences through a series of exercises designed to illuminate this complex area and improve designers' work in real commercial environments, with a distinct focus on the relationship between the art and science of color.
Average customer rating:
|
The Complete Guide to Digital 3D Design (Complete Guides)
Simon Danaher
Manufacturer: Ilex
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Airbrush
| Animation
| Books
| Calligraphy
| Clip Art
| Commercial
| Graphic Arts
| Lithography
| Pop Culture
| Printmaking
| Silk Screen & Batik
| Typography
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1904705383 |
Customer Reviews:
A great guide!.......2004-08-06
The book reviews a wide range of digital illustration issues in a very graphical and clear way. Its illustrations are beautiful and its very well designed. Unfortunately its huge amount of themes makes it a little bit superficial. A great guide or reference book, not recommended for total beginners. Due to its techical information, the book will become practically useless very soon.
Average customer rating:
|
The Complete Guide to Digital Graphic Design.: An article from: Technical Communication
Tiffany Craft
Manufacturer: Society for Technical Communication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Automotive
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Crime & Criminals
| Current Events
| Economics
| Education
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Government
| Holidays
| Law
| Philosophy
| Politics
| Social Sciences
| Transportation
| True Accounts
| Urban Planning & Development
| Women's Studies
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| Nonfiction
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B0008G9944
Release Date: 2005-07-31 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Technical Communication, published by Society for Technical Communication on November 1, 2003. The length of the article is 954 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Complete Guide to Digital Graphic Design.
Author: Tiffany Craft
Publication:
Technical Communication (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 2003
Publisher: Society for Technical Communication
Volume: 50
Issue: 4
Page: 629(3)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining.......2003-06-10
This book contains hundreds of useless and fun trivia questions about the older (and some of they newer) Disney characters, films, shorts and attractions. From `Can you name Daisy Duck's three nieces' to `What was Mickey's Starland originally called when it opened in 1988', this book has enough easy trivia mixed within the very picky, unusual facts to keep any type of Disney fan entertained.
The book is also organised very well, with the index listing the character's name, the movie or the attraction. So, want to find questions on Peter Pan? Check out page 57. How about Walt Disney? Page 171 for you!
And of course trivia books are always interactive - one game I played with my little ones was to ask them the questions for a particular movie and then watch that movie so they could find the answers they missed.
Great fun for the family!
A Fun and Funny Book!.......2000-03-27
I love this book and the 3 other ones. It is full of funny infomation that you never knew you needed to know. If you like this book buy the 2nd and 3nd version. Note: When Your bored you won't put this book down!
Books:
- The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling
- The Way We Live Alfresco
- Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture
- Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture
- Time-Saver Standards for Urban Design
- Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors
- Wine Country Architecture and Interiors
- 100 More of the World's Best Houses (100 World's Best Houses, Vol. 3) (Architecture)
- 100 More of the World's Best Houses (100 World's Best Houses, Vol. 3) (Architecture)
- 117 House Designs of the Twenties (Dover Books on Architecture)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Preclinical Drug Development
- History: Fiction or Science
- Art Notebook to accompany Biology
- Cracking the GRE Chemistry Test, 3rd Edition
- ELEMENTS OF STYLE: A Practical Encyclopedia Of Interior Architectural Details From 1485 To The Pres
- Indigo Dreams: Garden of Wellness Stories And Techniques Designed to Decrease Bullying, Anger, Anxie
- Ghost Walker
- Facility Design and Management Handbook
- Building Type Basics for Senior Living
- Plant Identification: Creating User-Friendly Field Guides for Biodiversity Management
A Vision of a Living World: The Nature of Order, Book 3
The Phenomenon of Life: The Nature of Order, Book 1 An Essay of the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe (The Nature of Order, Book 1)
The Luminous Ground: The Nature of Order, Book 4
Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Harvard Paperbacks)
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series)
