A toolkit for visual literacy in the 21st century

The first communication-design textbook expressly of and for the 21st century. Three courses—Typography, Gestalt and Interface—provide the foundation of this book.

Through a series of in-depth historical case studies (from Benjamin Franklin to the Macintosh computer) and assignments that progressively build in complexity, A New Program for Graphic Design serves as a practical guide both for designers and for undergraduate students coming from a range of other disciplines.

Synthesizing the pragmatic with the experimental, and drawing on the work of Max Bill, Beatrice Warde, Muriel Cooper and Stewart Brand (among many others), it builds upon mid- to late-20th-century pedagogical models to convey contemporary design principles in an understandable form for students of all levels—treating graphic design as a liberal art that informs the dissemination of knowledge across all disciplines.

For those seeking to understand and shape our increasingly networked world of information, this guide to visual literacy is an indispensable tool.

"David Reinfurt‘s new book provides … in-depth access to historical analysis, exquisite close-focus portraits of multi-talented creative makers past and present, alongside his own research and examples of his class assignments. This intelligent book contains new insights regarding graphic design history, thought, and practice. This book is a reminder of Walt Whitman’s call for "a force infusion of intellect" to confront the future." —Sheila Levrant De Bretteville

By David Reinfurt
With a preface by Adam Michaels and a foreword by Ellen Lupton

Designed by IN-FO.COM (Adam Michaels, Shannon Harvey, Siiri Tännler)

Published by Inventory Press and D.A.P., 2019

Softcover, 256 pages, 40 color and 180 b&w, 6 × 9 inches

ISBN: 978-1-94-175321-7