Illustration

Steven Heller|Essays

Anti-War Comics Were No Laughing Matter

The genre of “pro-war” or at least war-themed comics has long dominated the comic book field, but a new book from Craig Yoe reveals that there was an element of dissent in the comics world.

Debbie Millman|Audio

Kate Moross

Debbie talks to designer, illustrator, and art director Kate Moross about her early success, her projects, and the importance of over-delivering.

Steven Heller|Essays

Seymour Chwast: Few Words, Many Letters

Seymour Chwast, a man of few words, wishes there were more than 26 letters in the alphabet.

Debbie Millman|Audio

Seth

On this episode Debbie talks with Seth, the artist behind the book Palookaville, about why his generation of cartoonists broke away from fantasy.

Alexandra Lange|Essays

Playing With Design: Fredun Shapur

Add Fredun Shapur to the pantheon of modern designers making winning and sculptural objects for children.

Steven Heller|Essays

Snatching Satire From The Jaws Of Popular Culture

Caricature is Steve Brodner’s weapon of choice.

Alexandra Lange|Essays

Bad Taste True Confessions: Erté

True confessions about my own bad taste. I loved Erté. Did you?

Rick Poynor|Essays

A Dictionary of Surrealism and the Graphic Image

An alphabetical guide to graphic designers influenced by Surrealism and to some key Surrealist concepts.

Michael Bierut|Essays

The Figure / Ground Relationship

Designing is the most important thing, but it’s not the only thing. All of the other things a designer designer does all day are important too, and you have to do them with intelligence, enthusiasm, dedication, and love. Together, those …

Steven Heller|Slideshows

Covering the Good Books

When reading was more fundamental than tweeting, Time Life Books played a significant role in getting the general public to acquire books on almost every subject.

Steven Heller|Essays

Father of Shrek, Grandfather of Tweet

The cover of William Steig's book CDBWilliam Steig (1907-2003), was often way ahead of the curve. His book of drawings, The Lonely Ones (1942), prefigured the now common practice of satirizing personal neurosis; his children’s book, …

Rob Walker|Essays

A Successful Failure

Yiying Lu is an artist and designer in Sydney, Australia. One image in her portfolio is of a peaceful whale held aloft by a small flock of birds, aka as the “Fail Whale” of Twitter.