Design diaries

Are you the sort of person that reads other people’s diaries? Irresistible, isn’t it, if you see one lingering on a table top or under a pillow? Although Design Diaries, a new book by Lucienne Roberts and Rebecca Wright, doesn’t quite offer the thrill of sneaking a look at the private scribblings of some of design’s top names, it’s a helpful tome allowing a view into the workings behind a number of graphics projects.

Aimed at students and the curious, the book shows 11 different design projects from pitch notes, through to the brief, inspiration, design process and finished work, with commentary from the consultancies involved.

Dalton Maag talks through creating a typeface to be used on Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority’s public transport system, Wallpaper magazine art director Meirion Pritchard shares his schedule for an issue of the magazine and Airside discusses the build of furniture brand Vitsœ’s new website.

Although the diaries have no doubt been neatened and santised for prying eyes, the book will be a helpful tool for students wanting to discover how companies respond to a brief.

Design Diaries: Creative Process in Graphic Design by Lucienne Roberts and Rebecca Wright is available from Laurence King, priced at £24.95.