*Design Resources: Graphic Design/Illustration

AIGA: American Institute of Graphic Arts. Founded in 1914, AIGA now represents more than 16,000 designers through national activities and local programs developed by 55 chapters and more than 150 student groups. AIGA sets the national agenda for the role of design in its economic, social, political, cultural and creative contexts.

ATypI (Association Typographique Internationale). An international organization whose members are type designers, type publishers, graphic and typographic designers. Founded in 1957, ATypI provides the structure for communication, information and action amongst the international type community.

Society of Illustrators. Founded in 1901, the Society promotes the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history and evolving nature, and encourages high ideals through exhibitions, lectures, education, and by fostering a sense of community and open discussion. 

Livingston, Alan and Isabella Livingston. The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers. London: Thames & Hudson, 2012. A guide to international developments in graphic design from pre-industrial printing presses and medieval typography to computer graphics and avant-garde stylistic advances.

Arts:Search Includes Arts +Architecture ProFILES, a biographical dictionary of designers, architects, craftspeople, photographers, studios and other institutions. The largest and most comprehensive dictionary of design and designers available.

AIGA Design Archives Included in this resource are more than 20,000 selections from AIGA’s annual juried design competitions dating from 1924-present and special collections of major American design firms and practitioners.

Graphic Design Archive at the Rochester Institute of Technology Documents and preserves the work of significant American graphic designers active from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Behind the Design: Designers on Designing. 3 discs. 50 min.  Interviews with designers from three design firms, Nita B. Creative, Planet Propaganda, and Werner Design Werks, with samples of design work completed for particular projects and discussion of their various stages from conception through production.

Helvetica. 80 min. A documentary film about a typeface.

Saul Bass Documentary. 2 discs. 90 min. Prof. Archie Boston interviewed and videotaped Saul Bass for this documentary in 1986.

To Inform & Delight: the Work of Milton Glaser. 73 min. Best known for co-founding New York Magazine and creating the enduring I [love] NY campaign, the full breadth of Glaser’ remarkable artistic output is revealed in this documentary portrait. 

100 Classic Graphic Design Journals by Steven Heller and Jason Godfrey (London: Laurence King Publishing, 2014) A book that surveys the most influential magazines devoted to graphic design, advertising and typography.

DesignEnvy, a Curated Blog of Design Excellence, sponsored by the AIGA, this blog features articles by and for designers. Each issue is curated by a professional designer, as selected by AIGA editors, who showcases specific aspects from within the broad realm of design. High quality design and easy to navigate.

Communication Arts, 1969-. A trade journal for visual communications that showcases the top work in graphic design, advertising, illustration, photography and interactive design.

How, 1985-. Provides a practical mix of business information, technological tips, the creative whys and hows behind noteworthy projects, and profiles of professionals who are influencing design.

Novum (Novum Gebrauchsgraphik), 1924-. Covers the European scene through the work of designers, illustrators, photographers, studios and schools.

Print, 1940-. Bimonthly. Dedicated to showcasing the extraordinary in commercial, social, and environmental design.

abc typography: a virtual museum of typography. Presents some of the most famous typefaces ever created along with its history and links to current applications.

International Typeface Corporation.  A library of more than 1,500 classic typefaces and innovative new designs.

TypeIndex.org:Home of the International Type Index. A non-profit organization based in France whose objective is to help both font authors and font users. Includes an Index of possibly all existing fonts in the world with freeware, shareware and commercial fonts as well as a search engine that allows you to browse through all these fonts using 13 user-oriented criteria.

Furniss, Maureen. The Animation Bible: a Practical Guide to the Art of Animating, from Flipbooks to Flash. Call Number: NC1765 .F68 2008b. New York: Abrams, 2008. Covers every aspect of production, from finding a concept, choosing a medium, and creating characters to getting the end result screened and distributed.

Williams, Richard. The Animator’s Survival Kit. Call Number; NC1765 .W55 2009. London: Faber and Faber, 2009. Book & DVD. A manual of methods, principles and formulas for classical, computer, games, stop motion and internet animators.

Heller, Steven, and Seymour Chwast. Illustration: a Visual History. Call Number: NC998 .H66 2008. New York: Abrams, 2008. A rich chronicle, celebration, and survey of over a century of illustration.

The Picture Book: Contemporary Illustration. Ed. by Angus Hyland. Call Number: NC997. P53 2006. London: Laurence King, 2006. A survey of work from across the globe with each artist's work accompanied by a self-portrait and a short profile.

Design Annuals represent yearly juried competitions for award-winning design. The volumes are usually primarily images with little text beyond captions.