Best Selling Books by Chip Kidd

“An excellent introduction to graphic design through [the author’s] own excellent work. Anyone interested in the subject, including most practitioners, will find it delightful.”—Milton Glaser Kids love to express themselves, and are designers by nature—whether making posters for school, deciding what to hang in their rooms, or creating personalized notebook covers. Go, by the award-winning graphic designer Chip Kidd, is a stunning introduction to the ways in which a designer communicates his or her ideas to the world. It’s written and designed just for those curious kids, not to mention their savvy parents, who want to learn the secret of how to make things dynamic and interesting. Chip Kidd is “the closest thing to a rock star” in the design world (USA Today), and in Go he explains not just the elements of design, including form, line, color, scale, typography, and more, but most important, how to use those elements in creative ways. Like putting the word “go” on a stop sign, Go is all about shaking things up—and kids will love its playful spirit and belief that the world looks better when you look at it differently. He writes about scale: When a picture looks good small, don’t stop there—see how it looks when it’s really small. Or really big. He explains the difference between vertical lines and horizontal lines. The effect of cropping a picture to make it beautiful—or, cropping it even more to make it mysterious and compelling. How different colors signify different moods. The art of typography, including serifs and sans serifs, kerning and leading. The book ends with ten projects, including an invitation to share your designs at GoTheBook.com.

Fresh out of college in the summer of 1961, Happy lands his first job as a graphic designer (okay, art assistant) at a small Connecticut advertising agency populated by a cast of endearing eccentrics. Life for Happy seems to be -- well, happy. But when he''s assigned to design a newspaper ad recruiting participants for an experiment in the Yale Psychology Department, Happy can''t resist responding to the ad himself. Little does he know that the experience will devastate him, forcing a reexamination of his past, his soul, and the nature of human cruelty -- chiefly, his own. Written in sharp, witty prose and peppered with absorbing ruminations on graphic design, The Learners again shows that Chip Kidd''s writing is every bit as original, stunning, and memorable as his celebrated book jackets.

A hilarious debut novel that could only be described as a portrait of the designer as a young man. "Um...so what exactly is a Cheese Monkey?" Good question. But strictly off-limits. We can tell you that The Cheese Monkeys is a witty and effervescent coming-of-age novel about headless waterfowl, fake plastic babies, and the basic tenets of graphic design. It''s 1957, long before computers have replaced the trained eye and skillful hand. Our narrator at State U is determined to major in Art, and after several risible false starts, he ends up by accident in a new class called "Introduction to Graphic Design." Art 127 is taught by the enigmatic Winter Sorbeck, professor and guru (think Gary Cooper crossed with Darth Vader) -- equal parts genius, seducer, and sadist. Sorbeck is a bitter yet fascinating man whose assignments hurl his charges through a gauntlet of humiliation and heartache, shame and triumph, ego-bashing and enlightenment. Along the way, friendships are made and undone, jealousies simmer, the sexual tango weaves and dips. As readers, we too are under Sorbeck''s bizarre spell, spurred on by his demand: "Show me something I''ve never seen before and will never be able to forget-if you can do that, you can do anything." By the end of The Cheese Monkeys, the members of Art 127 will never see the world the same way again. And, thanks to Chip Kidd''s insights into the secrets of graphic design, neither will you. "Not only has Chip Kidd altered the face of publishing with his revolutionary book jackets, he has also written a really good debut novel (the bastard), and the big surprise is that the edgy, postmodern graphic designer who radicalized the way we look at the front of books is a pleasing, elegant traditionalist between covers. The Cheese Monkeys is a touching throwback: The story of an innocent young man''s education, it has suspense, likable and vivid characters, a romantic, pitch-perfect re-creation of late ''50s behavior and slang, and an effortlessly sustained comic charm throughout (and without curdling into cuteness -- not a simple achievement). I also can''t remember the last time I read what is ostensibly a ''college'' novel that actually taught me something." -- Bret Easton Ellis

A fun, playful look at the importance of first impressions—in design and in life—from acclaimed book designer Chip Kidd. First impressions are everything. They dictate whether something stands out, how we engage with it, whether we buy it, and how we feel. In Judge This, renowned designer Chip Kidd takes us through his day as he takes in first impressions of all kinds. We follow this visual journey as Kidd encounters and engages with everyday design, breaking down the good, the bad, the absurd, and the brilliant as only someone with a critical, trained eye can. From the design of your morning paper to the subway ticket machine to the books you browse to the smartphone you use to the packaging for the chocolate bar you buy as an afternoon treat, Kidd reveals the hidden secrets behind each of the design choices, with a healthy dose of humor, expertise, and of course, judgment as he goes. Judge This is a design love story, exposing the often invisible beauty and betrayal in simple design choices—ones most of us never even think to notice. And with each object, Kidd proves that first impressions, whether we realize it or not, have a huge impact on the way we perceive the world.

What happens when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes learn who—and what—they truly are? Writer Chip Kidd and artist Michael Cho have created a mind-bending, visually sumptuous saga that takes the Avengers—and you, the reader—to places that challenge everything we thought we knew about super heroes and the very nature of heroism . . . villainy . . . and existence. It starts with an epic battle in Asgard, as Loki, the god of mischief, comes into possession of a weapon of unimaginable power and assembles an army of otherworldly monsters in an effort to carry out his evil plans. Cue the Avengers—Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Giant-Man, and the Wasp—who meet this horrifying throng of beasts head-on as a thrilling, knock-down drag-out fight ensues. But when the smoke clears, what appears to be a typically raucous comic book take-down is revealed to be something very, very different—and very, very terrifying. And this discovery threatens to destroy the Avengers in a way that Loki or any other foe never has before. Because this time the enemy is . . . the Truth. Oh, and did we mention that it’s absolutely hilarious? Welcome to The Veracity Trap, a truly profound, thought-provoking conundrum of a comic, where no one—not even the Avengers—can escape! Includes a reversible, two-sided dust jacket featuring Giant-Man, Thor, Iron Man, and the Wasp with exclusive art by Michael Cho on the underside and Hulk and Captain America on the case—beautifully designed by Chip Kidd.

The Eisner Award–nominated tribute to Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz u200bReproducing the best of the Peanuts newspaper strip, all shot from the original art by award-winning photographer Geoff Spear, Only What’s Necessary also features exclusive, rare, and unpublished original art and developmental work—much of which has never been seen before. Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) believed that the key to cartooning was to take out the extraneous details and leave in only what’s necessary. For 50 years, from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, Schulz wrote and illustrated Peanuts, the single most popular and influential comic strip in the world. In all, 17,897 strips were published, making it “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being,” according to Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. For Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, renowned designer Chip Kidd was granted unprecedented access to the extraordinary archives of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.

From Lisa Birnbach, the author of The Official Preppy Handbook, comes True Prep, which looks at how the old guard of natural-fiber-loving, dog-worshipping, G&T-soaked preppies adapts to the new order of the Internet, cell phones, rehab, political correctness, reality TV, and . . . polar fleece.

Enjoy the ultimate companion to a comics masterpiece, as award-winning artist Gibbons gives his own account of the genesis of "Watchmen" and opens his vast personal archives to reveal never-published pages, original character designs, page thumbnails, sketches, and more.

As Gotham City undergoes a massive architectural boom, a series of unexplained construction accidents begin to cause casualties across the city and it is up to Batman to discover who is behind the string of catastrophes.

In time for the 70th anniversary of Charles M. Schulz’s beloved comic strip Peanuts comes this deluxe poster book, with 20 posters Celebrate the 70th anniversary of Peanuts with this appealing, first-ever poster collection. From Charlie Brown to Woodstock, the gang’s all here in 20 art prints of the beloved comic strip—all photographed from the archives of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.

"For years Jack Cole labored dutifully as a cartoonist, comic book illustrator, and Playboy''s premier artist. He was, on the outside, a mild-mannered and easygoing guy. One look at his most famous creation--the manic, surreal Plastic Man--and there is no question that much more lurked in the mind of this tragic artist than anyone suspected. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and cartoonist Art Spiegelman and renowned graphic designer Chip Kidd pay homage to Plastic Man and his creator, Jack Cole."--Jacket.

Following on from the huge success of Tim Burton''s darkly different and densely moody Batman movies, Batman: The Animated Series broke new ground of its own when it premiered in 1992. The series continues to amaze adult viewers and professionals alike with its epic scope and style. pre-production sketches, storyboards, character designs and finished paintings -- all in glorious full colour and on high quality, art stock paper. The accompanying text charts the evolution of the series and includes details on every main character and the celebrity voice-artists who bring them to life. Plus, a full episode guide to the series.