Helpful Book, 13 Apr 2008
This is a good book for those who can't draw with a good selection of positions and ideas.
The best use of this book is to trace the outline of the models in light pencil or scan into your computer and clear away the unsuitable shading and clothing lines in an art program. Then get creative!
With a little bravery you can change the proportions of the figures to fit your or someone elses body form.
The drawings are not the greatest but the book benefits from its simplicity.
Get it used for a bargain!

Helpful Book, 13 Apr 2008
This is a good book for those who can't draw with a good selection of positions and ideas.
The best use of this book is to trace the outline of the models in light pencil or scan into your computer and clear away the unsuitable shading and clothing lines in an art program. Then get creative!
With a little bravery you can change the proportions of the figures to fit your or someone elses body form.
The drawings are not the greatest but the book benefits from its simplicity.
Get it used for a bargain!



Best ever logo book, 14 Nov 2008
First of all, thx amazon for the speed delivery.
Although it mention that will be reaching around 17-22 Nov but i received today! Very unexpectedly and very happy about that. Good bargain plus free delivery.

As for the book. it contains lots of great famous logo you always seen in ur daily life but this is not just showing you that. It explain why the logo is created like that. And also the great idea behind it.
Really a good book to buy!!!

Should be on every designers shelf, 29 Jun 2008
Bought this a few weeks ago and is defenitely worth buying. Some great examples with details of the design agencies involved so you can research further. Buy it now!!

Helpful Book, 13 Apr 2008
This is a good book for those who can't draw with a good selection of positions and ideas.
The best use of this book is to trace the outline of the models in light pencil or scan into your computer and clear away the unsuitable shading and clothing lines in an art program. Then get creative!
With a little bravery you can change the proportions of the figures to fit your or someone elses body form.
The drawings are not the greatest but the book benefits from its simplicity.
Get it used for a bargain!



Best ever logo book, 14 Nov 2008
First of all, thx amazon for the speed delivery.
Although it mention that will be reaching around 17-22 Nov but i received today! Very unexpectedly and very happy about that. Good bargain plus free delivery.

As for the book. it contains lots of great famous logo you always seen in ur daily life but this is not just showing you that. It explain why the logo is created like that. And also the great idea behind it.
Really a good book to buy!!!

Should be on every designers shelf, 29 Jun 2008
Bought this a few weeks ago and is defenitely worth buying. Some great examples with details of the design agencies involved so you can research further. Buy it now!!

Richly apposite!, 24 Oct 2007
A thundering blast of fresh air billowing through the shingles. Only a blistering array of theoretical ballast could sink this worthy pedantry, done at tip toe and in peek-over-shoulder mold, lest they disturb the shades of angrier academics, those with a distraught pillow to wield or a betrayed riposte to shoot off. As one searches for a gastronomic equivalent to this text - as one might, as one should, as one must - one is reminded, (or does one simply summon up?) the specter of an imbecilic rum baba, somewhat over egged, somewhat fruity, exceeding rich, ( and just like you dear reader, just at this very moment, sniffing the powder kegs - see how your nose twitches and your armpits itch at the very mention of them) and also a mite indigestible, giving rise in the querulous and those of finer stomach and less than sterner stuff, to a queasiness - nay, even that very nausea of which the master Jean Paul Sartre dedicated rather more than an epistle! Whistle this text all the way to the classroom and you will decidedly get (and thoroughly deserve!) an upper second thingy, handed out by the bewigged bewildered and berobed dean as gently s/he lifts the cadences of this place up and up and up, and utters passages from this very book which dribble from the corner of her mouth in the corner of the stage where s/he has collapsed with utter, such utter, estrangement!

An absolute must for advertising students., 08 Feb 2007
For any design student with an interest in advertising as a career this book should be top of their shopping list. Well written and superbly illustrated it covers every aspect of advertising with a range of chapters that detail the creative process behind successful advertising; the media available to get your message across and the stages involved in the evolution of advertisements from concept to production.

The book is written from a position of experience and knowledge and is full of tasks for aspiring designers to undertake, ideas about the creation of powerful advertisements and many excellent examples of superb advertising campaigns.

Highly recommended!

Helpful Book, 13 Apr 2008
This is a good book for those who can't draw with a good selection of positions and ideas.
The best use of this book is to trace the outline of the models in light pencil or scan into your computer and clear away the unsuitable shading and clothing lines in an art program. Then get creative!
With a little bravery you can change the proportions of the figures to fit your or someone elses body form.
The drawings are not the greatest but the book benefits from its simplicity.
Get it used for a bargain!



Best ever logo book, 14 Nov 2008
First of all, thx amazon for the speed delivery.
Although it mention that will be reaching around 17-22 Nov but i received today! Very unexpectedly and very happy about that. Good bargain plus free delivery.

As for the book. it contains lots of great famous logo you always seen in ur daily life but this is not just showing you that. It explain why the logo is created like that. And also the great idea behind it.
Really a good book to buy!!!

Should be on every designers shelf, 29 Jun 2008
Bought this a few weeks ago and is defenitely worth buying. Some great examples with details of the design agencies involved so you can research further. Buy it now!!

Richly apposite!, 24 Oct 2007
A thundering blast of fresh air billowing through the shingles. Only a blistering array of theoretical ballast could sink this worthy pedantry, done at tip toe and in peek-over-shoulder mold, lest they disturb the shades of angrier academics, those with a distraught pillow to wield or a betrayed riposte to shoot off. As one searches for a gastronomic equivalent to this text - as one might, as one should, as one must - one is reminded, (or does one simply summon up?) the specter of an imbecilic rum baba, somewhat over egged, somewhat fruity, exceeding rich, ( and just like you dear reader, just at this very moment, sniffing the powder kegs - see how your nose twitches and your armpits itch at the very mention of them) and also a mite indigestible, giving rise in the querulous and those of finer stomach and less than sterner stuff, to a queasiness - nay, even that very nausea of which the master Jean Paul Sartre dedicated rather more than an epistle! Whistle this text all the way to the classroom and you will decidedly get (and thoroughly deserve!) an upper second thingy, handed out by the bewigged bewildered and berobed dean as gently s/he lifts the cadences of this place up and up and up, and utters passages from this very book which dribble from the corner of her mouth in the corner of the stage where s/he has collapsed with utter, such utter, estrangement!

An absolute must for advertising students., 08 Feb 2007
For any design student with an interest in advertising as a career this book should be top of their shopping list. Well written and superbly illustrated it covers every aspect of advertising with a range of chapters that detail the creative process behind successful advertising; the media available to get your message across and the stages involved in the evolution of advertisements from concept to production.

The book is written from a position of experience and knowledge and is full of tasks for aspiring designers to undertake, ideas about the creation of powerful advertisements and many excellent examples of superb advertising campaigns.

Highly recommended!

Fantastic, 18 Mar 2008
This book is quite the find and one of my now favourite books when i'm stuck in a rut of inspiration.

This book contains so many contemporary logos in different fields. Quite simply an astonishing book. Buy it! Buy it now! :D

Amazing, better than the rest, 15 Nov 2007
I'm reviewing this book because I'm astounded it has no reviews here so far. This book is amazing! I've paid a lot more for similar "lots of logos" books, such as Tres Logos, but the format, design, quantity and quality provided by this book blows them all away.

"Logo Design Now" is a nice solid book, clocking in at almost 400 pages, on heavy paper. The cover is made of card and gives the book a very authoritative feel. The spine is also well designed and makes it easy to flick through the book, despite its thickness, and without feeling like you're destroying the binding. An elasticated band is also provided that acts to either help keep the book shut or to mark out pages you're interested in. In any case, it makes the book look more expensive than it is, and certainly cooler than, say, Tres Logos.

Unlike most of the other logo books, Logo Design Now devotes the first 140 - 150 pages to highlighting specific logos and rebranding projects, featuring interviews with the companies and designers, and showing the logos in various uses. After this, you move onto the standard arrangement of ten or so logos per page, organized into categories like "Creative Industry", "Fashion & Apparel" and "Music". The logos chosen are consistently strong with a definite focus on smaller companies (including Web sites), modern designs, and lots of color.

All in all, I'm over the moon with this find.

Helpful Book, 13 Apr 2008
This is a good book for those who can't draw with a good selection of positions and ideas.
The best use of this book is to trace the outline of the models in light pencil or scan into your computer and clear away the unsuitable shading and clothing lines in an art program. Then get creative!
With a little bravery you can change the proportions of the figures to fit your or someone elses body form.
The drawings are not the greatest but the book benefits from its simplicity.
Get it used for a bargain!



Best ever logo book, 14 Nov 2008
First of all, thx amazon for the speed delivery.
Although it mention that will be reaching around 17-22 Nov but i received today! Very unexpectedly and very happy about that. Good bargain plus free delivery.

As for the book. it contains lots of great famous logo you always seen in ur daily life but this is not just showing you that. It explain why the logo is created like that. And also the great idea behind it.
Really a good book to buy!!!

Should be on every designers shelf, 29 Jun 2008
Bought this a few weeks ago and is defenitely worth buying. Some great examples with details of the design agencies involved so you can research further. Buy it now!!

Richly apposite!, 24 Oct 2007
A thundering blast of fresh air billowing through the shingles. Only a blistering array of theoretical ballast could sink this worthy pedantry, done at tip toe and in peek-over-shoulder mold, lest they disturb the shades of angrier academics, those with a distraught pillow to wield or a betrayed riposte to shoot off. As one searches for a gastronomic equivalent to this text - as one might, as one should, as one must - one is reminded, (or does one simply summon up?) the specter of an imbecilic rum baba, somewhat over egged, somewhat fruity, exceeding rich, ( and just like you dear reader, just at this very moment, sniffing the powder kegs - see how your nose twitches and your armpits itch at the very mention of them) and also a mite indigestible, giving rise in the querulous and those of finer stomach and less than sterner stuff, to a queasiness - nay, even that very nausea of which the master Jean Paul Sartre dedicated rather more than an epistle! Whistle this text all the way to the classroom and you will decidedly get (and thoroughly deserve!) an upper second thingy, handed out by the bewigged bewildered and berobed dean as gently s/he lifts the cadences of this place up and up and up, and utters passages from this very book which dribble from the corner of her mouth in the corner of the stage where s/he has collapsed with utter, such utter, estrangement!

An absolute must for advertising students., 08 Feb 2007
For any design student with an interest in advertising as a career this book should be top of their shopping list. Well written and superbly illustrated it covers every aspect of advertising with a range of chapters that detail the creative process behind successful advertising; the media available to get your message across and the stages involved in the evolution of advertisements from concept to production.

The book is written from a position of experience and knowledge and is full of tasks for aspiring designers to undertake, ideas about the creation of powerful advertisements and many excellent examples of superb advertising campaigns.

Highly recommended!

Fantastic, 18 Mar 2008
This book is quite the find and one of my now favourite books when i'm stuck in a rut of inspiration.

This book contains so many contemporary logos in different fields. Quite simply an astonishing book. Buy it! Buy it now! :D

Amazing, better than the rest, 15 Nov 2007
I'm reviewing this book because I'm astounded it has no reviews here so far. This book is amazing! I've paid a lot more for similar "lots of logos" books, such as Tres Logos, but the format, design, quantity and quality provided by this book blows them all away.

"Logo Design Now" is a nice solid book, clocking in at almost 400 pages, on heavy paper. The cover is made of card and gives the book a very authoritative feel. The spine is also well designed and makes it easy to flick through the book, despite its thickness, and without feeling like you're destroying the binding. An elasticated band is also provided that acts to either help keep the book shut or to mark out pages you're interested in. In any case, it makes the book look more expensive than it is, and certainly cooler than, say, Tres Logos.

Unlike most of the other logo books, Logo Design Now devotes the first 140 - 150 pages to highlighting specific logos and rebranding projects, featuring interviews with the companies and designers, and showing the logos in various uses. After this, you move onto the standard arrangement of ten or so logos per page, organized into categories like "Creative Industry", "Fashion & Apparel" and "Music". The logos chosen are consistently strong with a definite focus on smaller companies (including Web sites), modern designs, and lots of color.

All in all, I'm over the moon with this find.

Missing Links, 27 Sep 2008
Admittedly this is called "A" history of advertising and I appreciate that you cannot cover everything but there are some things that cannot be left out. I am talking about the giants of advertising. Rand, Bass, Games, Gilroy. and the brands that have done so much to develop the quality of advertising, Guinness and Bovril for example.
As always with Taschen you certainly get quality images and to be honest this is mostly why I buy them but a little bit of academic rigour is required in any publications that purports to show a history of a subject. One glaring example is not only the omission of Paul Rand but when discussing IBM and showing the logo he designed he is not even mentioned? Only Saatchi are mentioned in the article.

Helpful Book, 13 Apr 2008
This is a good book for those who can't draw with a good selection of positions and ideas.
The best use of this book is to trace the outline of the models in light pencil or scan into your computer and clear away the unsuitable shading and clothing lines in an art program. Then get creative!
With a little bravery you can change the proportions of the figures to fit your or someone elses body form.
The drawings are not the greatest but the book benefits from its simplicity.
Get it used for a bargain!



Best ever logo book, 14 Nov 2008
First of all, thx amazon for the speed delivery.
Although it mention that will be reaching around 17-22 Nov but i received today! Very unexpectedly and very happy about that. Good bargain plus free delivery.

As for the book. it contains lots of great famous logo you always seen in ur daily life but this is not just showing you that. It explain why the logo is created like that. And also the great idea behind it.
Really a good book to buy!!!

Should be on every designers shelf, 29 Jun 2008
Bought this a few weeks ago and is defenitely worth buying. Some great examples with details of the design agencies involved so you can research further. Buy it now!!

Richly apposite!, 24 Oct 2007
A thundering blast of fresh air billowing through the shingles. Only a blistering array of theoretical ballast could sink this worthy pedantry, done at tip toe and in peek-over-shoulder mold, lest they disturb the shades of angrier academics, those with a distraught pillow to wield or a betrayed riposte to shoot off. As one searches for a gastronomic equivalent to this text - as one might, as one should, as one must - one is reminded, (or does one simply summon up?) the specter of an imbecilic rum baba, somewhat over egged, somewhat fruity, exceeding rich, ( and just like you dear reader, just at this very moment, sniffing the powder kegs - see how your nose twitches and your armpits itch at the very mention of them) and also a mite indigestible, giving rise in the querulous and those of finer stomach and less than sterner stuff, to a queasiness - nay, even that very nausea of which the master Jean Paul Sartre dedicated rather more than an epistle! Whistle this text all the way to the classroom and you will decidedly get (and thoroughly deserve!) an upper second thingy, handed out by the bewigged bewildered and berobed dean as gently s/he lifts the cadences of this place up and up and up, and utters passages from this very book which dribble from the corner of her mouth in the corner of the stage where s/he has collapsed with utter, such utter, estrangement!

An absolute must for advertising students., 08 Feb 2007
For any design student with an interest in advertising as a career this book should be top of their shopping list. Well written and superbly illustrated it covers every aspect of advertising with a range of chapters that detail the creative process behind successful advertising; the media available to get your message across and the stages involved in the evolution of advertisements from concept to production.

The book is written from a position of experience and knowledge and is full of tasks for aspiring designers to undertake, ideas about the creation of powerful advertisements and many excellent examples of superb advertising campaigns.

Highly recommended!

Fantastic, 18 Mar 2008
This book is quite the find and one of my now favourite books when i'm stuck in a rut of inspiration.

This book contains so many contemporary logos in different fields. Quite simply an astonishing book. Buy it! Buy it now! :D

Amazing, better than the rest, 15 Nov 2007
I'm reviewing this book because I'm astounded it has no reviews here so far. This book is amazing! I've paid a lot more for similar "lots of logos" books, such as Tres Logos, but the format, design, quantity and quality provided by this book blows them all away.

"Logo Design Now" is a nice solid book, clocking in at almost 400 pages, on heavy paper. The cover is made of card and gives the book a very authoritative feel. The spine is also well designed and makes it easy to flick through the book, despite its thickness, and without feeling like you're destroying the binding. An elasticated band is also provided that acts to either help keep the book shut or to mark out pages you're interested in. In any case, it makes the book look more expensive than it is, and certainly cooler than, say, Tres Logos.

Unlike most of the other logo books, Logo Design Now devotes the first 140 - 150 pages to highlighting specific logos and rebranding projects, featuring interviews with the companies and designers, and showing the logos in various uses. After this, you move onto the standard arrangement of ten or so logos per page, organized into categories like "Creative Industry", "Fashion & Apparel" and "Music". The logos chosen are consistently strong with a definite focus on smaller companies (including Web sites), modern designs, and lots of color.

All in all, I'm over the moon with this find.

Missing Links, 27 Sep 2008
Admittedly this is called "A" history of advertising and I appreciate that you cannot cover everything but there are some things that cannot be left out. I am talking about the giants of advertising. Rand, Bass, Games, Gilroy. and the brands that have done so much to develop the quality of advertising, Guinness and Bovril for example.
As always with Taschen you certainly get quality images and to be honest this is mostly why I buy them but a little bit of academic rigour is required in any publications that purports to show a history of a subject. One glaring example is not only the omission of Paul Rand but when discussing IBM and showing the logo he designed he is not even mentioned? Only Saatchi are mentioned in the article.

Startling!, 05 Jul 2004
Gives a good review of the processes that governemnts in Europe and the US made towards increasing manufacturing output of mass goods. Considering the prevalence of design tv programmes and newspaper articles at the moment, it makes a refreshing change to see that some design historians acknowledge the problems of mass production and waste.

Helpful Book, 13 Apr 2008
This is a good book for those who can't draw with a good selection of positions and ideas.
The best use of this book is to trace the outline of the models in light pencil or scan into your computer and clear away the unsuitable shading and clothing lines in an art program. Then get creative!
With a little bravery you can change the proportions of the figures to fit your or someone elses body form.
The drawings are not the greatest but the book benefits from its simplicity.
Get it used for a bargain!



Best ever logo book, 14 Nov 2008
First of all, thx amazon for the speed delivery.
Although it mention that will be reaching around 17-22 Nov but i received today! Very unexpectedly and very happy about that. Good bargain plus free delivery.

As for the book. it contains lots of great famous logo you always seen in ur daily life but this is not just showing you that. It explain why the logo is created like that. And also the great idea behind it.
Really a good book to buy!!!

Should be on every designers shelf, 29 Jun 2008
Bought this a few weeks ago and is defenitely worth buying. Some great examples with details of the design agencies involved so you can research further. Buy it now!!

Richly apposite!, 24 Oct 2007
A thundering blast of fresh air billowing through the shingles. Only a blistering array of theoretical ballast could sink this worthy pedantry, done at tip toe and in peek-over-shoulder mold, lest they disturb the shades of angrier academics, those with a distraught pillow to wield or a betrayed riposte to shoot off. As one searches for a gastronomic equivalent to this text - as one might, as one should, as one must - one is reminded, (or does one simply summon up?) the specter of an imbecilic rum baba, somewhat over egged, somewhat fruity, exceeding rich, ( and just like you dear reader, just at this very moment, sniffing the powder kegs - see how your nose twitches and your armpits itch at the very mention of them) and also a mite indigestible, giving rise in the querulous and those of finer stomach and less than sterner stuff, to a queasiness - nay, even that very nausea of which the master Jean Paul Sartre dedicated rather more than an epistle! Whistle this text all the way to the classroom and you will decidedly get (and thoroughly deserve!) an upper second thingy, handed out by the bewigged bewildered and berobed dean as gently s/he lifts the cadences of this place up and up and up, and utters passages from this very book which dribble from the corner of her mouth in the corner of the stage where s/he has collapsed with utter, such utter, estrangement!

An absolute must for advertising students., 08 Feb 2007
For any design student with an interest in advertising as a career this book should be top of their shopping list. Well written and superbly illustrated it covers every aspect of advertising with a range of chapters that detail the creative process behind successful advertising; the media available to get your message across and the stages involved in the evolution of advertisements from concept to production.

The book is written from a position of experience and knowledge and is full of tasks for aspiring designers to undertake, ideas about the creation of powerful advertisements and many excellent examples of superb advertising campaigns.

Highly recommended!

Fantastic, 18 Mar 2008
This book is quite the find and one of my now favourite books when i'm stuck in a rut of inspiration.

This book contains so many contemporary logos in different fields. Quite simply an astonishing book. Buy it! Buy it now! :D

Amazing, better than the rest, 15 Nov 2007
I'm reviewing this book because I'm astounded it has no reviews here so far. This book is amazing! I've paid a lot more for similar "lots of logos" books, such as Tres Logos, but the format, design, quantity and quality provided by this book blows them all away.

"Logo Design Now" is a nice solid book, clocking in at almost 400 pages, on heavy paper. The cover is made of card and gives the book a very authoritative feel. The spine is also well designed and makes it easy to flick through the book, despite its thickness, and without feeling like you're destroying the binding. An elasticated band is also provided that acts to either help keep the book shut or to mark out pages you're interested in. In any case, it makes the book look more expensive than it is, and certainly cooler than, say, Tres Logos.

Unlike most of the other logo books, Logo Design Now devotes the first 140 - 150 pages to highlighting specific logos and rebranding projects, featuring interviews with the companies and designers, and showing the logos in various uses. After this, you move onto the standard arrangement of ten or so logos per page, organized into categories like "Creative Industry", "Fashion & Apparel" and "Music". The logos chosen are consistently strong with a definite focus on smaller companies (including Web sites), modern designs, and lots of color.

All in all, I'm over the moon with this find.

Missing Links, 27 Sep 2008
Admittedly this is called "A" history of advertising and I appreciate that you cannot cover everything but there are some things that cannot be left out. I am talking about the giants of advertising. Rand, Bass, Games, Gilroy. and the brands that have done so much to develop the quality of advertising, Guinness and Bovril for example.
As always with Taschen you certainly get quality images and to be honest this is mostly why I buy them but a little bit of academic rigour is required in any publications that purports to show a history of a subject. One glaring example is not only the omission of Paul Rand but when discussing IBM and showing the logo he designed he is not even mentioned? Only Saatchi are mentioned in the article.

Startling!, 05 Jul 2004
Gives a good review of the processes that governemnts in Europe and the US made towards increasing manufacturing output of mass goods. Considering the prevalence of design tv programmes and newspaper articles at the moment, it makes a refreshing change to see that some design historians acknowledge the problems of mass production and waste.

A pragmatic solution, 12 Jun 2003
I enjoyed 'Problem Solved' for several reasons. It is incredibly well written and is very engaging. The editorial offers a marked change from most books in this category that, I find, tend to be written in a style that is so impenetrable and up itself, it subsequently elevates the role of the designer/art director to that of a Messiah - a panacea for all problems.

Secondly, I applaud Johnson's decision to show design with advertising to illustrate the book's main themes. And the design work chosen isn't the de rigour award-winning stuff that turns up in most graphics books, but good
creative work that also had success from a marketing point of view.

The previous reviewer mentioned that the book failed to be robust in it's analysis of the creative work featured in the book. I personally didn't feel this, as surely the aim of the text is to examine a particular genre of problem solving and showcase the work that fits this type in order for the
reader to recognise how one particular problem i.e. 'the astonish me' problem' was solved by a clutch of creative practices that specialise in different disciplines and ways of working.

I have found that is is rare that designer/art director can articulate a deep insight into the strategy of the work, I usually go to the planner or marketing director for that point of view.

I can see how the design elite would be offended by this book as it does have a strong marketing bias and, although many designers/art director may say that they are 'problem solvers', at heart many prefer to experiment with their creative skills. Hence the number of designers who prefer to design books but complain about the low fees and the number of agency art directors who call their commercials films.

Ultimately the book is a good read and is a pragmatic solution to presenting the point where design, advertising and marketing meet. A point which still makes many creative people uncomfortable. It looks good too.

All my Problems Solved, 09 Jun 2003
I've been looking for a simple introduction to design and advertising and this has proved invaluable. There are so many books available, but none of them seem to take a general view of the subject (and I'm on a limited budget).
I really enjoyed Johnson's witty writing style, and the examples of work he used were always fantastic.
For once I actually read a design book from front to back, rather than just skipping through and putting it straight on the bookshelf. Splitting solutions into general 'problem' areas was really useful and also really entertaining.
For anyone looking for a general introduction to the subject, this has to be the best book you can buy. I would imagine that people already working would also really enjoy some of Johnson's entertaining (and sometimes outrageous) observations too.
Very highly reccomended, in fact the best book I've bought since the Art of Looking Sideways. Five stars from me.

A watery solution, 05 Jun 2003
This book is not particularly robust, and the title is somewhat misleading. It suggests that complicated ideas will be talked through, rationalised and then developed into a creative solution; but that doesn't happen. Instead, rafts of creative work are shown without the "thinking" really being developed. I would agree with the first reviewer that this book makes advertising appear simple - that's because the intricacies of each situation are not properly expounded before the executions displayed.

The notion seems to be one all too often found in communications literature, that if the work itself is good enough to do the job (which it must be in order to be deemed successful) the thinking behind the work does not need to be articulated.

For anybody trying to get an insight into how creative solutions come to be, more exposition of the problems which require these solutions is paramount.

Simplify!, 07 Apr 2003
Do you wish to find out how and where advertisers begin the ads you know?
Well, your problem solved!
This book shows you the answer(s).
Nice ads on a nice graphics. Simple questions with simple answers (yes, they knew the answer before posing the question!).
The idea of introducing THE question followed by THE answer is so straight forward that makes us think "what a simple job advertising must be".
QUESTION #1: Where does the book go wrong?
ANSWER: It makes us believe "ad things" are simple.
QUESTION #2: Where does the book go right?
ANSWER: Shows you how good can you be and how far can you go if you keep it simple.

Helpful Book, 13 Apr 2008
This is a good book for those who can't draw with a good selection of positions and ideas.
The best use of this book is to trace the outline of the models in light pencil or scan into your computer and clear away the unsuitable shading and clothing lines in an art program. Then get creative!
With a little bravery you can change the proportions of the figures to fit your or someone elses body form.
The drawings are not the greatest but the book benefits from its simplicity.
Get it used for a bargain!



Best ever logo book, 14 Nov 2008
First of all, thx amazon for the speed delivery.
Although it mention that will be reaching around 17-22 Nov but i received today! Very unexpectedly and very happy about that. Good bargain plus free delivery.

As for the book. it contains lots of great famous logo you always seen in ur daily life but this is not just showing you that. It explain why the logo is created like that. And also the great idea behind it.
Really a good book to buy!!!

Should be on every designers shelf, 29 Jun 2008
Bought this a few weeks ago and is defenitely worth buying. Some great examples with details of the design agencies involved so you can research further. Buy it now!!

Richly apposite!, 24 Oct 2007
A thundering blast of fresh air billowing through the shingles. Only a blistering array of theoretical ballast could sink this worthy pedantry, done at tip toe and in peek-over-shoulder mold, lest they disturb the shades of angrier academics, those with a distraught pillow to wield or a betrayed riposte to shoot off. As one searches for a gastronomic equivalent to this text - as one might, as one should, as one must - one is reminded, (or does one simply summon up?) the specter of an imbecilic rum baba, somewhat over egged, somewhat fruity, exceeding rich, ( and just like you dear reader, just at this very moment, sniffing the powder kegs - see how your nose twitches and your armpits itch at the very mention of them) and also a mite indigestible, giving rise in the querulous and those of finer stomach and less than sterner stuff, to a queasiness - nay, even that very nausea of which the master Jean Paul Sartre dedicated rather more than an epistle! Whistle this text all the way to the classroom and you will decidedly get (and thoroughly deserve!) an upper second thingy, handed out by the bewigged bewildered and berobed dean as gently s/he lifts the cadences of this place up and up and up, and utters passages from this very book which dribble from the corner of her mouth in the corner of the stage where s/he has collapsed with utter, such utter, estrangement!

An absolute must for advertising students., 08 Feb 2007
For any design student with an interest in advertising as a career this book should be top of their shopping list. Well written and superbly illustrated it covers every aspect of advertising with a range of chapters that detail the creative process behind successful advertising; the media available to get your message across and the stages involved in the evolution of advertisements from concept to production.

The book is written from a position of experience and knowledge and is full of tasks for aspiring designers to undertake, ideas about the creation of powerful advertisements and many excellent examples of superb advertising campaigns.

Highly recommended!

Fantastic, 18 Mar 2008
This book is quite the find and one of my now favourite books when i'm stuck in a rut of inspiration.

This book contains so many contemporary logos in different fields. Quite simply an astonishing book. Buy it! Buy it now! :D

Amazing, better than the rest, 15 Nov 2007
I'm reviewing this book because I'm astounded it has no reviews here so far. This book is amazing! I've paid a lot more for similar "lots of logos" books, such as Tres Logos, but the format, design, quantity and quality provided by this book blows them all away.

"Logo Design Now" is a nice solid book, clocking in at almost 400 pages, on heavy paper. The cover is made of card and gives the book a very authoritative feel. The spine is also well designed and makes it easy to flick through the book, despite its thickness, and without feeling like you're destroying the binding. An elasticated band is also provided that acts to either help keep the book shut or to mark out pages you're interested in. In any case, it makes the book look more expensive than it is, and certainly cooler than, say, Tres Logos.

Unlike most of the other logo books, Logo Design Now devotes the first 140 - 150 pages to highlighting specific logos and rebranding projects, featuring interviews with the companies and designers, and showing the logos in various uses. After this, you move onto the standard arrangement of ten or so logos per page, organized into categories like "Creative Industry", "Fashion & Apparel" and "Music". The logos chosen are consistently strong with a definite focus on smaller companies (including Web sites), modern designs, and lots of color.

All in all, I'm over the moon with this find.

Missing Links, 27 Sep 2008
Admittedly this is called "A" history of advertising and I appreciate that you cannot cover everything but there are some things that cannot be left out. I am talking about the giants of advertising. Rand, Bass, Games, Gilroy. and the brands that have done so much to develop the quality of advertising, Guinness and Bovril for example.
As always with Taschen you certainly get quality images and to be honest this is mostly why I buy them but a little bit of academic rigour is required in any publications that purports to show a history of a subject. One glaring example is not only the omission of Paul Rand but when discussing IBM and showing the logo he designed he is not even mentioned? Only Saatchi are mentioned in the article.

Startling!, 05 Jul 2004
Gives a good review of the processes that governemnts in Europe and the US made towards increasing manufacturing output of mass goods. Considering the prevalence of design tv programmes and newspaper articles at the moment, it makes a refreshing change to see that some design historians acknowledge the problems of mass production and waste.

A pragmatic solution, 12 Jun 2003
I enjoyed 'Problem Solved' for several reasons. It is incredibly well written and is very engaging. The editorial offers a marked change from most books in this category that, I find, tend to be written in a style that is so impenetrable and up itself, it subsequently elevates the role of the designer/art director to that of a Messiah - a panacea for all problems.

Secondly, I applaud Johnson's decision to show design with advertising to illustrate the book's main themes. And the design work chosen isn't the de rigour award-winning stuff that turns up in most graphics books, but good
creative work that also had success from a marketing point of view.

The previous reviewer mentioned that the book failed to be robust in it's analysis of the creative work featured in the book. I personally didn't feel this, as surely the aim of the text is to examine a particular genre of problem solving and showcase the work that fits this type in order for the
reader to recognise how one particular problem i.e. 'the astonish me' problem' was solved by a clutch of creative practices that specialise in different disciplines and ways of working.

I have found that is is rare that designer/art director can articulate a deep insight into the strategy of the work, I usually go to the planner or marketing director for that point of view.

I can see how the design elite would be offended by this book as it does have a strong marketing bias and, although many designers/art director may say that they are 'problem solvers', at heart many prefer to experiment with their creative skills. Hence the number of designers who prefer to design books but complain about the low fees and the number of agency art directors who call their commercials films.

Ultimately the book is a good read and is a pragmatic solution to presenting the point where design, advertising and marketing meet. A point which still makes many creative people uncomfortable. It looks good too.

All my Problems Solved, 09 Jun 2003
I've been looking for a simple introduction to design and advertising and this has proved invaluable. There are so many books available, but none of them seem to take a general view of the subject (and I'm on a limited budget).
I really enjoyed Johnson's witty writing style, and the examples of work he used were always fantastic.
For once I actually read a design book from front to back, rather than just skipping through and putting it straight on the bookshelf. Splitting solutions into general 'problem' areas was really useful and also really entertaining.
For anyone looking for a general introduction to the subject, this has to be the best book you can buy. I would imagine that people already working would also really enjoy some of Johnson's entertaining (and sometimes outrageous) observations too.
Very highly reccomended, in fact the best book I've bought since the Art of Looking Sideways. Five stars from me.

A watery solution, 05 Jun 2003
This book is not particularly robust, and the title is somewhat misleading. It suggests that complicated ideas will be talked through, rationalised and then developed into a creative solution; but that doesn't happen. Instead, rafts of creative work are shown without the "thinking" really being developed. I would agree with the first reviewer that this book makes advertising appear simple - that's because the intricacies of each situation are not properly expounded before the executions displayed.

The notion seems to be one all too often found in communications literature, that if the work itself is good enough to do the job (which it must be in order to be deemed successful) the thinking behind the work does not need to be articulated.

For anybody trying to get an insight into how creative solutions come to be, more exposition of the problems which require these solutions is paramount.

Simplify!, 07 Apr 2003
Do you wish to find out how and where advertisers begin the ads you know?
Well, your problem solved!
This book shows you the answer(s).
Nice ads on a nice graphics. Simple questions with simple answers (yes, they knew the answer before posing the question!).
The idea of introducing THE question followed by THE answer is so straight forward that makes us think "what a simple job advertising must be".
QUESTION #1: Where does the book go wrong?
ANSWER: It makes us believe "ad things" are simple.
QUESTION #2: Where does the book go right?
ANSWER: Shows you how good can you be and how far can you go if you keep it simple.

Interesting Art Book, 11 Mar 2001
I basicly see this book as an art book. Enjoy the design of old and contemporary trademarks and their functions. The text though, is very technical - as in other areas of marketing, the science of trademarks and branding is overacademized for nothing.

Informative, concise, dynamic, essential!, 07 Nov 2000
Showcases the world's better-known trademarks, how they came into existence and what they have come to signify in a global marketplace crammed full of logos and symbols of every possible denomination. The historical introduction of the trademark provides a sound basis for the examples which flow freely on later pages. A tad too many Scandinavian examples for my liking, but assuming Per Mollerup (the author) hails from this part of the world I guess we can forgive him his over-indulgence.

This book will provide a source of interest and inspiration to many a scholar, marketeer, designer or member of the public. Loved the black matt-lam cover but it still remains the worst colour in the world for highlighting clammy pawprints! Marks of Excellence - a work of excellence and a gift of excellence to anyone tempted by this review.