House Industries

Rating:
Summary: Worship in the temple of House Industries
Review: A densely packed volume of House Industries' portfolio and history. Visually stunning, over designed and complete eye candy. This is one of the few graphic design books that is as interesting to read as it is to look at. And a reminder to those in the design business that even when you're "at the top," you still have to deal with difficult clients and worry about paying the bills.

A bit pricey, but worth every penny.

Rating:
Summary: If You Haven't Heard
Review: Many have use fonts from House Industries and their latest fonts are both appealing to consumers and useful to designers. House fonts are cliches within months of being released due to their popularity. The members of House Industries use a combination of craftsmenship, nostalgia and virtuosity in their design, seen here in this book, that is intoxicating. This book is really just a fetish piece, but I bought it non-the-less. I am sure that anyone involved in the production lost ten years off their natural life because the printing is so fiendishly complex. House Industries is more than a style because they have a set of skills their style depends on that is impossible to match. They are a model of how to corner a market.

Rating:
Summary: Mandatory Reading For Every Designer!
Review: True to its word, the House Industries book is fantastically over-designed, each page a testament to the Buddhist-like patience of the collective printers who have worked with them over the years.

The story telling is relaxed, entertaining and hilariously self-deprecating. Although, the folks at House don't take themselves too seriously, they are a Cultural tour-de-force in the design world and have set design trends that major retailers (Target, Old Navy) have been ripping-off for years and have made millions from.

Their unique vision, talent and respect for their craft is inspiring. Their appreciation for the unrecognized commercial artists of the past is practically a public service. After reading this book though, I felt like I should probably quit design and get a cashiers job at Key Food. Okay, more accurately, I was just shamed into raising the standards of my own work.

This is a truly inspiring book and should be required reading for practicing and wanna-be designers. Spring for a few extra bucks and buy it on their web site and get a numbered and signed addition. www.houseindustries.com