Design Genius

Design Genius celebrates the creative thought processes of 69 leading artists, designers, creative agencies, animators, illustrators and typographers. While highlighting key design techniques and theories, the rich visuals presented in this book aim to engage, provoke and inspire.
Whether you are new to design, or a seasoned expert, the many layers of information provided by this book mean it has something for everyone. Readers will delight in the visual and tactile effects of a number of subtle design features, as well as the vast array of illustrations on display. In-depth discussions with the creatives themselves as well as more practical design tips will also help you to discover the power of your own creative problem-solving skills.

Gavin Ambrose is an author, educator and practicing graphic designer whose client base includes the art sector, galleries, publishers and advertising agencies. He has written and designed numerous books on graphic design, branding and packaging.
He currently teaches the Graphic Design BA at the University of Brighton.

Foreword by Steven Heller
Introduction
Where do we go from here
Chapter 1: Allowing Creative Thinking
The creative environment
Wanderings, mistakes & being curious
The creative mind
Why do we stop thinking?
Learning to look
Unconscious mind
Chapter 2: The Business of Creativity
The business of creativity
Ds, Ws & KISS of design
Simple, simplicity, complex and complicated
The role of design in building brands
The problem with hierarchy
The problem with research & focus groups
Tight briefs boost creative thinking
Chapter 3: Thinking in Images
Recording
Reportage
Sketchbooks
The power of the image
The ordinary
Low & high culture
Documenting & collecting
Vernacular & amateurism
Cognitive processes
Chapter 4: Words and Narrative
Where words come from ...& where they are going
The power of words
Linguistic tricks
Letterforms
Telling stories
Tone of voice
Narrative
Chapter 5: Form and shape
Craft
The craft of typography
Shapes in nature
Invention & reinvention
Chapter 6: Current Themes
Reality vs hyperreality
Materiality
The experiential
Sustainability
Ephemera & permanence
Politics & design
Guerrilla etiquette
Style, taste & beauty
The cult of the ugly
Location & globalization
Data & statistics
Lifeloggers
Mapping
Chapter 7: Technology
Technology
The future?
Culture of availability
The politics of technology & how it can be used for social good
Digital globalization
Shifts in reality
Postscript by Sean Brennan
Index
Credits & acknowledgements