Bookshelf

26 ways to improve your prose

by David Hughes on June 8, 2009

Last month saw the publication of John Simmons book

One of the things I like most about the book is John Simmons’ belief that we are all capable of writing in a more compelling and persuasive manner. In this latest addition to the bookshelf he gives us practical tools to help unleash that potential.

Twenty-six ways of looking at a blackberry: How to let writing release the creativity of your brand

I had high hopes for the book from the outset having enjoyed many of John’s other books. A particular favourite has been ‘We, Me, Them & It’. And in ‘Twenty-six ways’ he returns to the theme of writing powerfully for business.

Taking a single base text, he returns to it twenty six times through the distorting lenses of, amongst others, Dickens, Greek myth, the graphic novel, Shakespearean sonnets, detective fiction and haiku. What he leaves the reader with is not so much a prescription for better writing, a list of do’s and don’ts, but rather a whole series of methods to subvert the commonplace, avoid the formulaic and seek out a more interesting route.

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Alas Smith & Milton

by admin on July 3, 2007

Last summer saw the release of Alas! Smith & Milton: How not to run a design company – the story of one design company’s 25-year struggle to make sense of a notoriously fickle industry. Co-written by Nick Asbury and Howard Milton (one of the company’s founders), the story draws on interviews with friends, associates and employees of the company from over the years – including such design luminaries as Michael Johnson, Mary Lewis, Michael Peters and Richard Seymour.

It has an extra special place on the list because Carolyn Watts, my partner for many years, was the driving force behind it’s production and publication. She died shortly before it was published after a long struggle with cancer.

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Paperwork

Bookshelf

Paperwork: The Potential of Paper in Graphic DesignNancy Williams (GBP 13.96 at Amazon) Sleeve notes Paper and other design materials are one of the most discussed topics in design today. Despite growing importance in issues such as environment, designers and printers remain uncertain of paper’s potential. Paperwork examines the role and potential of paper in [...]

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Martin Parr

Bookshelf

Martin ParrVal Williams, Martin Parr – Photographer (GBP 17.46 at Amazon) Sleeve notes One of the leading British photographers of his, or any, generation, Martin Parr presents a retrospective of his 30-year career, a dynamic entirely appropriate to his wry, equivocal look at nostalgia and tradition. Suburban warrior from Surrey, he was one of the [...]

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Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works

Bookshelf

Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type WorksErik Spiekermann (GBP11.49 at Amazon) Sleeve notes American type designer, Frederic Goudy, once said, “Anyone who would letterspace lower case would steal sheep.” Well, in that case I have to admit to a bit of sheep rustling over the years. Spiekerman and Ginger have distilled decades of [...]

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Type and Typography

Bookshelf

Type and TypographyPhil Baines and Andrew Haslam (GBP16.73 from Amazon) Sleeve notes ‘An interesting and educational book’ – ‘Not as comprehensive or detailed as I had hoped’ – ‘The Typographers Bible’. Three reviews and all coming out with a different take on the subject. What’s certain is that Phil Baines and Andrew Haslam know their [...]

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REWIND – 40 Years of Design and Advertising

Bookshelf

Jeremy Myerson, Graham Vickers, Michael Johnson, Jeremy Bullmore, Alan Fletcher, Richard Seymour, John Webster, Peter York (Amazon, Paperback, 31.50 GBP) REWIND features on our own bookshelves partly because it chronicles a period that includes the whole of our working lives in the industry and features all our heroes. It’s also included because it features a [...]

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