Too often designers see their own result(s) and design solutions without the knowledge of the 'client process' . . . a truly remarkable reality in this business. ALL design students should be made aware of this aspect of the profession, possibly even before seriously considering if one wants to be a designer. There is so much more to it than having an 'AHA' on one's own. Ms. Scher has presented this in a manner both pictorially and honestly with examples and explanations . . . and, of course, with much experience in the real world of design (which must also include some humor). I have been a designer for thirty years and would recommend this as part of required reading from the start for future "wannabes" and for all of us who need that reassurance that this is indeed how it works.

Many kudos to Paula Scher on her wonderful new book, Make It Bigger. Not being a designer myself, I am especially appreciative of Make It Bigger's informative descriptions of the negotiation process that goes on between the designer and the client. It helped put into perspective for me that invisible "something" that exists when a breakthrough piece of graphic art emerges. Besides the creative, visual flash of a challenging image, each graphic art object that survives the editorial process gives off an optimism that must be something akin to those first aviators who believed in flight, despite gravity and the conventions of rational wisdom.

Make it Bigger also represents (to the best of my knowledge) the first publishers' edition binding to be produced as a tight back, breaking a run of hollow-back edition bindings dating back to the inception of the genre, c.1820. While I'm sure most folks will be impressed with the edge printing (which is very slick), and the wonderful layout, the book's physical structure (which is something akin to a mechanized Bradel binding) breaks all kinds of ground. (I would have loved to have seen the discussions that must gone on between the author and the binder!).

In addition to its unique packaging and stunning visual presentation, Make It Bigger is the most entertaining work on graphic art I've ever read. Scher's writing style is honest, accessible, and absolutely absorbing, as are her candor, her humor, and most of all her precocious creativity. I cannot say enough to convey my sincere admiration for this wonderful book.

Randy Silverman
Preservation Librarian

Stemming from a 1999 lecture and slide show for the New York chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists, this crisply designed book with almost 150 images is sure to be of interest to designers everywhere. The works included here come from the personal and professional lives of three young designers: Nicholas Blechman, Christoph Neimann, Paul Sahre.

Blechman is the art director of the New York Times Op-Ed section, and met the other two through his self-published political 'zone, Nozone-samples from which constitute about a fifth of the book. Neimann is German a freelance illustrator for a number of well-known magazines, and a teacher at the School of Visual Arts. His samples have a slightly quirky and offbeat amusing air concealed in their simplicity. Sahre is a well known book cover designer and postermaker, and his samples tend to be more outrightly commercial and graphically appealing than the others.

The book is a quick read, you can probably absorb it in about two hours, and well worth it for those interested in how graphic designers work and arrive at solutions. My own favorite part was the brief "killed work" section, where the three designers discuss work of theirs that was rejected and why. I'll definitely try to track down Fresh Dialogue 2, which covers the next year's lecture.

Not only is this a collection of the best and brightest works in graphic design today, it's an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to know the direction in which the field is moving today. This book is illustrated with plenty of pictures of recipients of the AIGA's medals, and is also a good place to go for inspiration because it just contains SO MUCH STUFF!