Design and Composition

Rating:
Summary: Black and White Copy of Original
Review: The book is an excellent, well written overview of design and composition. I bought my copy from [local store], an affiliate of Amazon.com. Unfortunately, according to [local store], the book is now available from the publisher only as a black and white photocopy. Definitely not a good idea.

The 45 "colorplates" often make little sense when the author discusses the color relationships of black and white reproductions. The author obviously, never intended to use black and white reproductions. For example, when discussing Colorplate 23 the author states, "Color is so much at the heart of these shifting special conditions that a black and white reproduction of this work would make little sense." Later, on page 176, the author states that Colorplate 34 shows "color to be a predominant issue, and one that would be lost in a black and white reproduction. It would make even less sense to reproduce Hoffmann's The Gate (Colorplate 35) in black and white [as it is]."

Personally, I'm not happy that any book is sold without mentioning that it is a photocopy, but that little oversight is much more grievous when the very content of the book relies on color visual references. "Design and Composition" still has merit, but it is a serious flaw that color relationships are discussed using black and white photocopies.