W. A. Dwiggins : A Life in Design - W. a. Dwiggins

W. A. Dwiggins

A Life in Design

By: W. a. Dwiggins (Artist), Bruce Kennett (Text by)

Hardcover | 20 February 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover


$132.90

or 4 interest-free payments of $33.23 with

 or 

Available: 20th February 2025

Preorder. Will ship when available.

"A book to spend a year with ... Dwiggins did more to promote, diversify, and integrate the graphic, typographic, and printing-arts disciplines than anyone of his generation." --Steven Heller, design historian

Often credited with inventing the term "graphic design," W.A. Dwiggins was a quintessential maker--fabricating his own tools and experimenting with design in areas as wide-ranging as stamps, currency, books, kites, marionettes, theatrical sets and lighting. While he began his career in advertising, Dwiggins became a book designer. He also created several typefaces including Electra and Caledonia, which are still used in publishing today. More than any of his contemporaries, Dwiggins united the full range of applied arts into a single profession: designer. Despite this feat, a thorough study of this revolutionary figure has never been published widely in the trade--until now.
At nearly 500 pages and with over 1,000 color illustrations, W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design offers an engaging overview of the designer's wide-ranging creative output and lasting impact on the graphic arts. Filled with colorful book covers and intricate stencil designs, W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design is a worthy testament to Dwiggins' consistent innovation. Designer and author Bruce Kennett's careful research, warm prose and inclusion of personal accounts from Dwiggins' friends portray not only a brilliant designer but a truly likable character.
W.A. Dwiggins (1880-1956) studied printing and typography under Frederic Goudy in Chicago. He designed four widely used Linotype faces: Caledonia, Eldorado, Electra and Metro. As a book designer for Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., he designed 329 books, of which 17 were honored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

More in Individual Designers or Design Groups

Live Beautiful - Athena Calderone

RRP $65.00

$44.25

32%
OFF
Vivienne Westwood Catwalk : The Complete Collections - Alexander Fury
Prada Catwalk : The Complete Collections - Susannah  Frankel

RRP $120.00

$75.50

37%
OFF
Eames : Basic Arts Series - Gloria Koenig

RRP $39.99

$30.25

24%
OFF
A Pocket Guide to Nike : Pocket Guides to Fashion - Josh Sims
A Pocket Guide to Adidas : Pocket Guides to Fashion - Josh Sims
Louis Vuitton : The Birth of Modern Luxury - Paul-Gerard Pasols

RRP $160.00

$98.95

38%
OFF
Chanel : Collections and Creations : Collections and Creations - Danièle Bott
New English Interiors : At Home with Today's Creatives - Elizabeth Metcalfe
Ralph Lauren : In His Own Fashion - Alan Flusser

RRP $90.00

$56.25

37%
OFF
The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks : The Inside Story of a Design Icon - Daniel Konstanski
Iris van Herpen : Sculpting the Senses - IRIS VAN HERPEN

RRP $160.00

$119.25

25%
OFF
For the Love of White : White & Neutral Home - Chrissie Rucker

RRP $55.00

$39.90

27%
OFF
Fashion in Colour : A Journey through Every Hue - Megan Hess

RRP $65.00

$44.25

32%
OFF
Coco Chanel : The Legend and the Life [New Edition] - Justine Picardie
Alexander McQueen : Savage Beauty : Fashion Studies - Andrew Bolton
Humanise : A Maker's Guide to Building Our World - Thomas Heatherwick
The House of Beckham : Money, Sex and Power - Tom Bower
Louis Vuitton Catwalk : The Complete Fashion Collections