POP: How Graphic Design Shapes Popular Culture

By Steven Heller

The acclaimed graphic designer examines over 150 years of mass media in this illuminating analysis of pop culture’s enduring significance.

"Pop culture is often maligned as fleeting, but history shows that sometimes what is pop in one culture has time-honored resonance in later ones. This book is an attempt to show that pop culture, especially as seen through the lenses of design, illustration, satiric and political art (and other things), is integral to a broader understanding of who we are and where we are going." —Steven Heller, from the Introduction.

In POP, Steven Heller sheds light on graphic design’s relationship to popular culture and society as a whole. He delves into the various purposes of design—whether it is to sell, package, entertain, or satirize—and explores its influence on other art and entertainment forms, from album covers to baseball stadiums.

Illustrated by more than fifty images, POP addresses such subjects as:

- pop icons

- viral and guerilla advertising

- political satire

- the history of Interview, Monocle, Mad, and other magazines

- illusionism and three-dimensional design

- art for art’s sake

- design vs. decoration

- the return of hand lettering

- art for the masses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jul 13, 2010
• ISBN: 9781581157680

Steven Heller

Steven Heller is the co-chair of the School of Visual Arts MFA Design / Designer as Author + Entrepreneur Program. He is the author, coauthor, and editor of over 170 books on design, social satire, and visual culture. He is the recipient of the 2011 Smithsonian National Design Award for "Design Mind." He lives in New York City.