June 27, 2008
Books
Decoding Design by Maggie Macnab is a look at the roots of the flower
A logo, more often than not, is the culmination of a complex process of discovery, interpretation, experimentation, and refinement. The problem, from the design student’s perspective, is we often see the result but are rarely privy to the course of action that produced it.
Macnab has set out to reveal that process. She theorizes that the most successful designs are rooted in natural patterns such as spirals and branching. The book presents those patterns and seeks to define the underlying meaning behind them.
What most interested me were the many logo design case studies. In addition to the author’s own studied insights are discussions by design heavyweights such as Woody Pirtle and Tim Girvin in which they explain some of the underlying meaning of their work.
In the end, the quality of a logo is dependant on how clearly it’s verbal and visual elements define the purpose and style of the entity it represents. But those who want to grow flowers know that the key to learning is in understanding the mysteries of working the soil. For that, Decoding Design is well worth a look.
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