SUTNAR, Ladislav and LONBERG-HOLM, K. CATALOG DESIGN PROGRESS:ADVANCING STANDARDS IN VISUAL COMMUNICATION

(New York): Sweet’s Catalog Service, [F. W. Dodge Corporation] 1950. First edition. Oblong quarto. Five-color screen-printed glazed paper boards. Die-cut screen-printed dust jacket. Screen-printed plastic coil-binding. Unpaginated [106 pp.] Yellow acetate frontis. Four title pages printed in color on heavier stock. A fantastic volume that set out to solve sales and advertising problems by focusing on product information and “living standards” of all forms of information design. It was based on the idea that logical compositions would enable quick access to common information. Composed of four parts, it begins with patterns influenced by industrialization, such as street patterns and transportation. Part two features visual features of design, typography, pictures, charts, and covers. Color, shape, and size are used as tools to direct eye movement. Part three directs structural or layout features, i.e., page, catalog, and file organization. The last part is devoted to fundamental design principles: form and flow. A high point of American graphic design the volume remains the archetype for functional design. It is a textbook for how designers can organize and prioritize information in a digital environment. The book, printed on a variety of papers (coated, uncoated, textured, etc.) with a stiff plastic front free endpaper and a screen-printed label on the plastic binding, is in near fine condition. Together with an exceptional example of the very scarce dust jacket. it would be near impossible to find a nicer copy of this truly amazing work.