Steven Heller (1) (1950–)

Author of Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design

For other authors named Steven Heller, see the disambiguation page.

180+ Works 5,566 Members 39 Reviews

About the Author

Steven Heller is senior Art Director for the New York Times & author of over seventy books on art, culture, & design. He lives in New York City. (Bowker Author Biography)

Series

Art Deco Design

idea book

Works by Steven Heller

100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design (2012) 193 copies, 4 reviews

Becoming a Graphic Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design (1999) 154 copies, 4 reviews

Paul Rand (2020) 137 copies, 2 reviews

Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age (1999) 123 copies

Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits (2006) 110 copies

Typography Sketchbooks (2011) 107 copies

Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design's Golden Age (2011) 105 copies, 1 review

The Education of a Graphic Designer (1998) 97 copies

Teenage Confidential: An Illustrated History of the American Teen (1997) — Author — 93 copies

Texts on Type: Critical Writings on Typography (2001) 90 copies

Looking closer 3 : classic writings on graphic design (1999) — Editor — 83 copies

Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age (2004) 83 copies, 1 review

Halloween: Vintage Holiday Graphics (2005) 82 copies, 2 reviews

Italian Art Deco: Graphic Design between the Wars (1993) 82 copies

Edward Gorey: His Book Cover Art and Design (2015) 81 copies, 1 review

New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age (2007) 80 copies

Menu Design in America, 1850-1985 (2011) 75 copies

Iron Fists: Branding the 20th-Century Totalitarian State (2008) 75 copies, 1 review

Euro Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars (2004) 73 copies

Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility (2003) 71 copies, 1 review

Graphic: Inside the Sketchbooks of the World's Great Graphic Designers (2010) 71 copies

German Modern: Graphic Design from Wilhelm to Weimar (Art Deco Design) (1998) 71 copies

Jackets Required (1995) 71 copies, 3 reviews

Merz to Emigre and Beyond: Avant-Garde Magazine Design of the Twentieth Century (2003) 68 copies

Graphic Style: From Victorian to Post-Modern (1988) 64 copies

British Modern: Graphic Design between the Wars (Art Deco Design) (1998) 63 copies

Shop America: Mid-Century Storefront Design, 1938-1950 (2007) 62 copies, 1 review

Streamline: American Art Deco Graphic Design (1995) 61 copies, 1 review

Dutch Moderne: Graphic Design from deStijl to Deco (1994) 60 copies

The Education of a Typographer (2004) 59 copies

Deco Type: Stylish Alphabets from the '20s and '30s (1997) 55 copies

Teaching Graphic Design: Course Offerings and Class Projects from the Leading Graduate and Undergraduate Programs (2003) 52 copies

100 Illustrators (2013) 51 copies

The Swastika: Symbol Beyond Redemption? (2000) 50 copies, 2 reviews

The Graphic Design Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters (2016) 50 copies

Japanese Modern: Graphic Design Between the Wars (1996) 50 copies

Vintage Type and Graphics: An Eclectic Collection of Typography, Ornament, Letterheads, and Trademarks from 1896 to… (2011) 49 copies

Graphic Style: From Victorian to Digital (2001) 49 copies

The Anatomy of Design: Uncovering the Influences and Inspirations in Modern Graphic Design (2007) 47 copies, 1 review

Deco Espana: Graphic Design of the Twenties and Thirties (1997) 47 copies

Cover Story: The Art of American Magazine Covers 1900-1950 (1996) 47 copies

Graphic Design Time Line: A Century of Design Milestones (2000) 46 copies

Born Modern: The Life and Design of Alvin Lustig (2010) 45 copies

Becoming a Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Web, Video, Broadcast, Game and Animation Design (2007) 45 copies

Man Bites Man (Two Decades of Satiric Art) (1981) — Editor — 44 copies

The Graphic Design Reader (2002) 42 copies

Design Culture: An Anthology of Writing from the AIGA Journal of Graphic Design (1997) 42 copies

Design Literacy (continued): Understanding Graphic Design (1999) 41 copies

The Moderns: Midcentury American Graphic Design (2017) 40 copies

Illustration: A Visual History (2008) 40 copies

French modern : art deco graphic design (1997) 39 copies

Graphic Design History (2001) 38 copies

Genius Moves: 100 Icons of Graphic Design (2001) 38 copies

Cuba Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Design (2002) 38 copies

The Education of an Illustrator (2000) 37 copies

The Typography Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters (Type, Fonts, Graphic Design) (2016) 37 copies

Comics Sketchbooks: The Private Worlds of Today's Most Creative Talents (2012) 37 copies

Inside the Business of Illustration (2004) 36 copies

POP: How Graphic Design Shapes Popular Culture (2010) 35 copies

Less Is More: The New Simplicity in Graphic Design (1999) 34 copies

Icons of Graphic Design (Second Edition) (2001) 33 copies

Artists' Christmas Cards (1979) 33 copies, 1 review

The Design Entrepreneur: Turning Graphic Design Into Goods That Sell (Design Field Guide) (2008) 33 copies

Shadow Type: Classic Three-Dimensional Lettering (2013) 32 copies, 1 review

Toys. 100 Years of All-American Toy Ads (2021) 30 copies

Design School Confidential: Extraordinary Class Projects From the International Design Schools, Colleges, and… (2009) 30 copies

"Low-Budget, High-Quality Design" (1990) 29 copies

Design Connoisseur: An Eclectic Collection of Imagery and Type (2000) 28 copies

Design Humor: The Art of Graphic Wit (2002) 26 copies

Art Direction Explained, At Last! (2009) 25 copies

The Education of a Design Entrepreneur (2002) 25 copies

Design Dialogues (1998) 25 copies

Design for Obama - Posters for Change: A Grassroots Anthology (2009) 25 copies

Design Disasters: Great Designers, Fabulous Failure, and Lessons Learned (2008) 24 copies

The Education of an E-Designer (2001) 24 copies, 1 review

American Typeplay (1994) 23 copies

Letterforms: Bawdy, Bad and Beautiful: The Evolution of Hand-Drawn, Humorous, Vernacular, and Experimental Type (2000) 22 copies

Sex Appeal: The Art of Allure in Graphic and Advertising Design (2000) 22 copies

Graphic Wit: The Art of Humor in Design (1991) 22 copies

Times Square Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Broadway (2004) 22 copies

Writing and Research for Graphic Designers: A Designer's Manual to Strategic Communication and Presentation (2013) 21 copies

I Heart Design: Remarkable Graphic Design Selected by Designers, Illustrators, and Critics (2011) 21 copies

100 Classic Graphic Design Journals (2014) 21 copies

Stop, Think, Go, Do: How Typography and Graphic Design Influence Behavior (2012) 20 copies, 1 review

Slab Serif Type: A Century of Bold Letterforms (2016) 20 copies

Covers & Jackets!: What the Best Dressed Books & Magazines Are Wearing (1993) 20 copies

New Ornamental Type: Decorative Lettering in the Digital Age (2010) 20 copies

Infographics Designers Sketchbooks (2014) 20 copies

Graphic Design USA: 20 (2000) 20 copies

The Education of an Art Director (2005) 20 copies

Angry Graphics: Protest Posters of the Reagan/Bush Era (1992) 19 copies, 1 review

Graphic Design USA: 7 (Aiga Graphic Design U. S. A.) (1986) 19 copies

Counter Culture: The Allure of Mini-Mannequins (2001) 19 copies

Menu Design in Europe (2022) 18 copies

Type Tells Tales (2017) 18 copies, 2 reviews

Jim Heimann. 20th Century Alcohol & Tobacco Ads (Multilingual Edition) (2018) 17 copies, 1 review

Innovators of American Illustration (1986) 16 copies

Menu Design in America (Bibliotheca Universalis) (2018) 16 copies

The Illustration Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters (2018) 16 copies

BORROWED DESIGN: Use and Abuse of Historical Form (1992) 16 copies

The Swastika and Symbols of Hate: Extremist Iconography Today (2019) 16 copies, 2 reviews

AIGA Graphic Design USA: 6 (1985) 16 copies

Graphic Style Lab: Develop Your Own Style with 50 Hands-On Exercises (Playing) (2015) 15 copies

That's Entertainment: The Graphics of Showbiz (1995) 15 copies

The Illustrator. 100 Best from around the World (2019) 15 copies

The Designer's Guide to Astounding Photoshop Effects (2004) 15 copies

Stencil Type (2015) 14 copies

Savage Mirror: The Art of Contemporary Caricature (1992) 14 copies, 1 review

Free Hand: New Typography Sketchbooks (2018) 14 copies

Milton Glaser: POP (2023) 13 copies

Magazines: Inside & Out (1996) 13 copies

Growing Up Underground: A Memoir of Counterculture New York (2022) 12 copies, 2 reviews

Raw Data Infographic Designers' Sketchbooks (2014) 12 copies

Lettering Large: The Art and Design of Monumental Typography (2013) 12 copies, 1 review

"Graphic Design U. S. A., No. 108" (1987) 12 copies

Business of Illustration (1995) 12 copies

Designing for Children: The Art of Graphic Design in Children's Books, Toys, Games, Television, Records, Magazines,… (1994) 11 copies

Food Wrap: Packages That Sell (1996) 11 copies

Graphic Style: From Victorian to New Century (2011) 11 copies

New Modernist Type (2012) 11 copies

School Days (1992) 11 copies

War Heads: Cartoonists Draw the Line (1983) 11 copies

Teaching Graphic Design History (2019) 10 copies

Vintage Graphic Design: Type, Typography, Monograms & Decorative Design from the Late 19th & Early 20th Centuries (2020) 10 copies

20th Century Alcohol & Tobacco Ads. 40th Ed. (2022) 10 copies

Freehand: New Typography Sketchbooks (2018) 10 copies

Designing With Illustration (1990) 9 copies

Newsletters Now: From Classic to New Wave (1996) 9 copies

Sourcebook of Visual Ideas (1989) 9 copies

The Digital Designer: The Graphic Artist's Guide to the New Media (1997) 9 copies

Faces on the Edge: Type in the Digital Age (1997) 9 copies

Ibm - Graphic Design Guide From 1969 To 1987 (2018) 8 copies

Leo Lionni: Storyteller, Artist, Designer (2024) 8 copies

Graphic Design Rants and Raves: Bon Mots on Persuasion, Entertainment, Education, Culture, and Practice (2017) 8 copies

Design School: Extraordinary Class Projects From International Design Schools (2011) 8 copies

Typeplay (1994) 7 copies

Typographic Universe (2014) 6 copies

The Logo Design Idea Book: (Logo Beginners Guide, Logo Design Basics, Visual Branding Book) (2019) 6 copies

Type Speaks: A Lexicon of Expressive, Emotional, and Symbolic Typefaces (2021) 6 copies

Postcards from Print: 75 Timeless Covers from the Archives of Print Magazine (2008) 5 copies

De Stijl: Design & Style 5 (1989) 5 copies

La Photographie du 20e siècle (2012) 4 copies

Nigel Holmes : on information design (2006) 4 copies

Type Deck: Index Cards (2017) 4 copies

Design Em Dialogo (Em Portuguese do Brasil) 3 copies

Bandit Love (Boxed Notecards): Romance Book jackets from the 1920's and 30's (2004) 3 copies

Covering Print: 75 Covers, 75 Years (2015) 3 copies

Design Firms Open for Business (2013) 3 copies

Design Cult (2013) 3 copies

El libro de ideas para el diseño gráfico: Inspiración de la mano de 50 maestros (Spanish Edition) (2019) 2 copies

Linguagens do Design: Compreendendo o Design Grafico (2010) 2 copies

ENSE¥AR & APRENDER DISE¥O GRAFICO (2006) 2 copies

East Side West Side, A Postcard Book: New York City Book Jackets from the 1920's and 30's (2004) 2 copies

Design School Reader: A Course Companion for Students of Graphic Design (2020) 2 copies

Norman Ives : constructions & reconstructions (2020) 2 copies

Art of Newsletters, The (1995) 2 copies

Type Journal: A Typeface and Lettering Sketchbook (Thames & Hudson Gift) (2018) 2 copies

The Illustrator (2023) 2 copies

The 100 best posters from Europe and the United States, 1945-1990 2 copies

Design Career: Practical Knowledge for Beginning Illustrators and Graphic Designers (1987) 2 copies

Seymour Chwast: Inspiration and Process in Design (2020) 2 copies

Nigel Holmes: Perfiles de la Comunicación Gráfica (2006) 1 copy

AIGA Journal of Graphic Design, Vol 18, No. 2 1 copy

For the Love of Design (2022) 1 copy

L'Age d'or du lettrage d'inspiration manuscrite Scriptes (2011) 1 copy

Italian Futurism & Art Deco (Design & Style, No. 4) (1988) 1 copy

Jugendstil: Design & Style 1 1 copy

Rafał Olbiński Plakaty (1996) 1 copy

Belles Lettres An Art Deco Writing Tablet (Belles Letters) (1998) 1 copy

Up Against The Wall:Posters of Social Protest (2010) 1 copy

nouvelle typographie ornementale (2010) 1 copy

FEIFFER~JULES FEIFFER'S AMERICA~FROM EISENHOWER TO REAGAN (1982) 1 copy

Steven Heller Facebook: 54 Portraits of Appreciation from His Friends 1 copy

Poster art of the Soviet Union = Plakatnai︠a︡ zhivopis SSSR 1 copy

Great Illustrators of Our Time (1983) 1 copy

Streamline: American graphic design of the thirties: Design & style 2 1 copy

Das Plakat: The voice of German poster design, 1910 - 1921 1 copy

Bandes dessinées : Carnets de croquis (2012) 1 copy

R.O. Blechman 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey (2001) — Contributor — 729 copies, 13 reviews

Mid-Century Ads: Advertising from the Mad Men Era (2011) — Introduction — 91 copies, 1 review

Fritz Kahn (2013) — Preface — 67 copies

New York Observed: Artists and Writers Look at the City, 1650 to the Present (1987) — Editor, some editions — 26 copies

Art Young's Inferno (2020) — Introduction — 21 copies

Guess Who:The Illustrations Of (2007) — Introduction — 8 copies

Images 34 : best of British illustration 2010 (2010) — Foreword — 5 copies

Varoom 04 (2007) — Contributor — 2 copies

Varoom 07 (2008) — Contributor — 2 copies

Varoom 01 (2006) — Contributor — 2 copies

Varoom 03 (2007) — Interviewer — 2 copies

Varoom! 10 (2009) — Contributor — 2 copies

Norman Ives : Constructions & Reconstructions (2020) — Foreword — 1 copy

Eye 7, 1992 (1992) — Contributor — 1 copy

Eye 22, Autumn 1996 (1996) — Contributor — 1 copy

Eye 24, Spring 1997 (1997) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

20th century (46) advertising (80) advertising art (16) art (283) art and design (42) art deco (87) art history (25) book design (20) business (18) commercial art (48) crafts (20) deco (19) design (460) design history (54) drawing (16) education (25) essays (36) fashion (25) GD (25) Germany (16) graphic art (97) graphic design (506) graphic design history (39) graphics (36) history (62) humor (26) illustration (100) lettering (28) modernism (23) non-fiction (149) pop culture (27) posters (59) reference (46) stacks (25) Steven Heller (57) to-read (138) type (48) typography (229) USA (18) visual communication (16)

Common Knowledge

Birthdate: 1950-07-07
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Occupations: graphic designer
art director
journalist
critic
editor
Relationships: Fili, Louise (wife)
Organizations: New York's School of Visual Art

Members

Reviews

Shadow type : classic three-dimensional lettering by Steven Heller

If you like the Taschen advertising books, or some of their Jim Heiman titles, I think you would enjoy this one. Some of the examples are striking, and I keep going back to them.

Flagged

gtross | May 2, 2024 |

100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design by Steven Heller

This was a really fascinating read. I'd regrettably never done much digging into the history of graphic design, and this book introduces that topic in a really engaging format. I pretty much devoured it in a couple days. It's also a beautifully designed book in and of itself, very inspirational and I'm sure I'll be going back to it again and again.

Flagged

rknickme | 3 other reviews | Mar 31, 2024 |

Lettering Large: The Art and Design of Monumental… by Steven Heller

https://archidose.blogspot.com/2014/01/book-review-lettering-large.html

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archidose | Dec 17, 2023 |

Jackets Required - An Illustrated History of… by Steven Heller; Seymour Chwast

This fascinating and full-color volume presents a superb collection of 270 jackets promoting a wide range of books--from high-brow novels and biographies to mass-market romances and mysteries--while showcasing the talent of some of the era's most exciting illustrators and designers.

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petervanbeveren | 2 other reviews | Nov 19, 2023 |

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