The guy describing this book as a tutorial is dead on...
Perhaps this merging of art and technology stuff was revolutionary several years ago, but in 2002 I feel that this book has been quickly out dated. It is way too basic and lengthy, more like a book you glance through than one that you read. For a straight 'artist' with no mathematical abilities, maybe it will be helpful but for a design professional with a brain, it seems almost insulting.
Check it out of the library if you are curious, but save your money...

This is both a book and an interactive tutorial in computer programming for artists and designers. While it is now common for printed books to include CD-ROMs, this one has instead its own website where free software, called DBN (Design By Numbers), can be accessed, downloaded, and used by anyone with a JAVA-enabled browser. Using the book and website in combination, it is the intention of the author (who heads the Aesthetics and Computation group at MIT) that designers, even those who are "mathematically challenged," might quickly acquire "the skills necessary to write computer programs that are themselves visual expressions," and, as a consequence, "come to appreciate the computer's unique role in the future of the arts and design." Unfortunately, the layout of the book is so unexceptional (particularly the dust jacket, which might have been used in a powerful way) that it is unlikely to convert any graphic designers, who create far more complex forms intuitively, with little or no knowledge of programming. As a result, it may only reach those who need it least, meaning those who are already straddling the line between art and mathematics, between graphic design and computer programming. (Copyright by Roy R. Behrens from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol. 14, No. 4, Summer 1999.)

I like this book a lot, but the thing I like best has nothing to do with programming --- It's the attention to typographic detail.

Beautiful grey/black combinations, meticulous rags, tiny illustrations and a very interesting grid make this the best looking book with sample code I've ever seen.

It's a book about method, so if it's Maeda's work you want to see, I assume his next book is the one you want.

It is a beautifully made basic primer which articulates the virtues of a new technology for design-- it has a proud place on my shelf next to 'Grid Systems' by Josef Mueller-Brockmann and 'Typography' by Emil Ruder.

John maeda is not a designer. He wishes he was, and he makes every effort and spares nothing to achieve the recognition that he is more than just a mere computer technitian having a craze for graphic play.
But it is apparent from this oversized and bloated book that his real talent lies in programming, and the vast majority of the works desplayed (hundreds and hundreds of them, most of them repetative versions of several original ideas)are computer genertaed graphics with (mostly) no regard for composition , and lacking the most basic elements that any serious graphic designer pays attention to. Most of what we see are endless ,intricate textures produced by the click of a button. Where is the designer in this process? The potential of this kind of intricate imagery is clear, and there is no doubt that if Maeda would collaborate with a true designer, the results will be stunning. But they are not. seen one - seen them all.

I hate to be the one to go against the other reviews, but I had to with this one. I just didnt see why people liked the book. I found the designs to be very techy and old school...mostly examples of what computer design used to encompass. I wasnt inspired by any of the work in the this HUGE book. If you want cutting edge inspiration, look elsewhere.

Easily my favorite book I've read this year, Maeda @ Media is a sumptuously-produced chronicle of Maeda's work, printed on three kinds of stock and using a metallic ink in addition to CMYK. Believe it or not, Maeda even designed the software used to publish his book! A real, DIY kind of guy.

My favorite section so far is his pictorial documentation of the tofu-making process from his childhood--I found it to be a very telling and poignant introduction to his work.

I also love the care and thought he put into designing the edges of the pages in the final brown paper section. It was more than just a visual essay on squares, as each page helped to spell out the words along the cut edges of the paper. It made me appreciate the composition of the individual pages even more because their existence as a design had been assigned a purpose and meaning. No longer were they just images, but they were part of a greater visual system. Logic and beauty coexist harmoniously here. It's wonderfully inspiring: a real treat for both the eyes and the mind.

Along with the self-aggrandizement in new media design, one has also to endure the academic collective of critical review for that very topic. After finishing Jessica Helfand's Screen Essays, my thoughts focused on abandoning the semiotic silliness, and just getting on with work. There will always be the ridiculous to rip apart, and the 1990's proved to be filled with perfect targets. However, it was also a wild time for experimentation. Do we really need to hear an opinion while the game is still being played out?

I just about threw the book into the ocean while reading "On Sound, Authenticity and Cultural Amnesia". A few comments from the book on the use of sound with visuals: "It interrupts interpretation. It brainwashes the audience.". I don't know, perhaps those of us with more emotional aspiration, or those that simply can't see visuals would take issue with this critique.

When it comes down to it, the market decides what is good use of form, and what is more or less useless. Try not to let an academician tell you what your customer needs or wants.

On a positive note, the writing is very good. I wonder if editors were in short supply during the late 1990's...

Chances are you will find yourself saying (or just thinking) "Exactly! I've been saying that for years!" fairly often. Helfand expresses views on the design world that many designers have felt for some time, particularly in regards to new media and digital culture. These essays cover everything from the overflow of badly designed websites to eloquently phrased explanation of why designers are not information architects (unlike architecture, design won't kill you if it falls on your head). This is a must-read for designers of any medium, especially those in the video, web, and new media fields.

Design on the screen takes the shape of websites, animation, motion graphics, and oh yeah... television. Long before the Mac and Windows boxes on your desk moved points of light, the television was doing it. In Screen, Helfand continues her critical review of all that is visually projected at us through flat screen monitors and television sets. In this collection of essays and critiques, the overall feeling is cynical and embittered. Helfand directly challenges the designers of screen spaces and interfaces to take a stand and make decisions using technology as a secondary objective. Use the pixels, don't let them use you. It's a boastful book, one that'll make you wonder what more can be done.

Book is informative with content of articles about the web but not really impressed with the collection of example websites or lack there of. The cover is nicely designed but if you are looking for a book with lots of examples and inspiration to draw from this book is not it. I don't recommend buying this book. Just hope that it is on someone's coffee table so you can browse it.

I'd agree with most of the comments above, I think the book is spread quite thinly across a number of areas, so perhaps doesn't give the depth some might need.

At the same time at least some of the content is quite technical and will go straight over the head of a real novice.

I think if you're a design student, a recent graduate, or someone attempting to get to grips with new media you'll probably benefit from this book.

For the chapter I wrote... I think it's really geared towards people with a pretty good understanding of typography already, and definitely slanted towards those building large scale sites on tight/continuing deadlines for a wide variety of systems and browsers.

And, for sure it'll be out of date pretty quick... but you can learn from our mistakes :-)

ad creation to typography to the latest lingo. With articles focused from beginner to advanced, print background to web design protégé, designer to project manager, "Websights" works well for that handful of jack-of-all-trades in the industry.

For the greater part of today's design world whom are specialized, they will find a number of articles that offer tremendous insight and fresh ideas that they can incorporate. Leaving a number of chapters that can be appreciated, but are of no real relevance to today's digital designer