The front cover is designed by the editor Micheal Beirut at Pentagram,
New York.
The headline type of the front cover looks badly photocopied so the type is
partially missing, possibly trying to relate to the historical timeline
of the book.The subtitles are aligned oddly as they are places all over the
pages. I don't think a grid has been used. The title is large and centre aligned
there is large leading between words because of the script typeface. By using
fragmented text it suggests it wants the reader to literally look closer.
The colours connote nature and wealth, this doesn't reflect the purpose of
book as the book is situated of a chronological essays on graphic design.
Although the design of the front cover links well to the book in context, I
personally do not like the design because it is too grungey to my taste
alongside the subtitles not being aligned left or in any form of coloumn
or grid system. Because no designers have commented of accessed this
specific design there is no counter arguments to support my opinion of the
design being visually displeasing.
The cover was designed in 1999, during the early 90's designers were
moving from hand rendered work to digital and pixel work. 90's - to the
mid 2000's design in the words of Steven Heller is the decade of dirty design.
Beirut's design is on the edge of the anti digital era, where handwritten type
was the trend.
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