Maeda @ Media

Rating:
Summary: Rich and beautiful.
Review: Easily my favorite book I've read this year, Maeda @ Media is a sumptuously-produced chronicle of Maeda's work, printed on three kinds of stock and using a metallic ink in addition to CMYK. Believe it or not, Maeda even designed the software used to publish his book! A real, DIY kind of guy.

My favorite section so far is his pictorial documentation of the tofu-making process from his childhood--I found it to be a very telling and poignant introduction to his work.

I also love the care and thought he put into designing the edges of the pages in the final brown paper section. It was more than just a visual essay on squares, as each page helped to spell out the words along the cut edges of the paper. It made me appreciate the composition of the individual pages even more because their existence as a design had been assigned a purpose and meaning. No longer were they just images, but they were part of a greater visual system. Logic and beauty coexist harmoniously here. It's wonderfully inspiring: a real treat for both the eyes and the mind.

Rating:
Summary: Rich and beautiful.
Review: Easily my favorite book this year, Maeda @ Media is a sumptuously-produced chronicle of Maeda's work, printed on three kinds of stock and using a metallic ink in addition to CMYK. Believe it or not, Maeda even designed the software used to publish his book! A real, DIY kind of guy.

My favorite section so far is his pictorial documentation of the tofu-making process from his childhood--I found it to be a very telling and poignant introduction to his work.

I also love the care and thought he put into designing the edges of the pages in the final brown paper section. It was more than just a visual essay on squares, as each page helped to spell out the words along the cut edges of the paper. It made me appreciate the composition of the individual pages even more because their existence as a design had been assigned a purpose and meaning. No longer were they just images, but they were part of a greater visual system. Logic and beauty coexist harmoniously here. It's wonderfully inspiring: a real treat for both the eyes and the mind.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh.
Review: I hate to be the one to go against the other reviews, but I had to with this one. I just didnt see why people liked the book. I found the designs to be very techy and old school...mostly examples of what computer design used to encompass. I wasnt inspired by any of the work in the this HUGE book. If you want cutting edge inspiration, look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: A Monument to Information Society
Review: I have always been impressed with John Maeda's work: "Tap, Type, Write" is beautifully interactive, "Design By Numbers" is extremely innovative. Professor Maeda's newest endeavor, Maeda@Media is no different. It is a monument to Information Aesthetics and an icon for Information Society at large. The book itself, is painstakenly crafted with different types of papers. The images inside evoke a million poignant words. Professor Maeda's insights are invaluable. John Maeda uncovers a rare beauty in computing.

Rating:
Summary: A Monument to Information Society
Review: I have always been impressed with John Maeda's work: "Tap, Type, Write" is beautifully interactive, "Design By Numbers" is extremely innovative. Professor Maeda's newest endeavor, Maeda@Media is no different. It is a monument to Information Aesthetics and an icon for Information Society at large. The book itself, is painstakenly crafted with different types of papers. The images inside evoke a million poignant words. Professor Maeda's insights are invaluable. John Maeda uncovers a rare beauty in computing.

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite, and if it's a bit bloated we'll let that pass
Review: I have nothing but respect for John Maeda.

He's one of those rare people who stands at the cusp of three or four disciplines - say graphic design, programming, information architecture, and fine art - and exerts a gentle gravitational attraction on the long-sundered fields. He's a true practitioner of what E.O. Wilson calls "consilience," and I find his work unfailingly beautiful.

"Maeda@Media" is a far more comprehensive introduction to and summary of his work than his earlier ""Design by Numbers." It is also an exquisitely produced volume, and if it is occasionally self-indulgent (spending 60-odd pages on a graphic that spells out "IT IS CUSTOMARY THAT THE SIDES OF A PAGE BE NEGLECTED IN FAVOR OF ITS FRONT AND BACK" on their edges) - well, I'll forgive that. It's a gorgeous tome.

Maeda is doing vital and inspiring work; this book should be a kick in the pants to all those of us who work in any of the disparate fields his work touches upon: only connect.

Rating:
Summary: Very Inspirational ...
Review: I have some programming skills and a budding web designer. I was really impressed with this body of work, especially considering the time frame it covers. The value for me was that the reader gets an understanding of what the "artist" has rendered. You you have read any of Paul Rand's essays, you can identify the significance of this work. This book is not a quick read, but a meal of ideas to be savored. I am still savoring this book, and it is really one of the best books I have enjoyed.

Thanks!

Rating:
Summary: An unispiring showcase of computer generated graphics
Review: John maeda is not a designer. He wishes he was, and he makes every effort and spares nothing to achieve the recognition that he is more than just a mere computer technitian having a craze for graphic play.
But it is apparent from this oversized and bloated book that his real talent lies in programming, and the vast majority of the works desplayed (hundreds and hundreds of them, most of them repetative versions of several original ideas)are computer genertaed graphics with (mostly) no regard for composition , and lacking the most basic elements that any serious graphic designer pays attention to. Most of what we see are endless ,intricate textures produced by the click of a button. Where is the designer in this process? The potential of this kind of intricate imagery is clear, and there is no doubt that if Maeda would collaborate with a true designer, the results will be stunning. But they are not. seen one - seen them all.

Rating:
Summary: An unispiring showcase of computer generated graphics
Review: John maeda is not a designer. He wishes he was, and he makes every effort and spares nothing to achieve the recognition that he is more than just a mere computer technitian having a craze for graphic play.
But it is apparent from this oversized and bloated book that his real talent lies in programming, and the vast majority of the works desplayed (hundreds and hundreds of them, most of them repetative versions of several original ideas)are computer genertaed graphics with (mostly) no regard for composition , and lacking the most basic elements that any serious graphic designer pays attention to. Most of what we see are endless ,intricate textures produced by the click of a button. Where is the designer in this process? The potential of this kind of intricate imagery is clear, and there is no doubt that if Maeda would collaborate with a true designer, the results will be stunning. But they are not. seen one - seen them all.