A *New* Program for Graphic Design

A *New* Program for Graphic Design is the first Communication Design text book expressly of and for the 21st century. Synthesizing the pragmatic with the experimental, A *New* Program for Graphic Design builds upon mid- to late-20th-century pedagogical models to convey advanced principles in an understandable form for students of all levels.

David Reinfurt, a graphic designer, writer, and educator, has developed a design curriculum at Princeton University in which three courses provide a broad and comprehensive introduction to the field for students coming from a range of other disciplines. These courses—Typography, Gestalt, and Interface—are the foundation of this book.

Through a series of in-depth historical case studies and assignments that progressively build in complexity, the book serves as a practical guide to visually understanding and shaping the increasingly networked world of information and design.

“At a moment of tremendous technological and cultural change, David Reinfurt makes the case that graphic design is not merely a craft, but a fundamental way to understand and engage with the world. Discursive, expansive, and inspiring, this book redefines its subject and provides an indispensable guide to how it might be practiced.”
—Michael Bierut (Partner, Pentagram New York)

“David Reinfurt's new book provides … in depth access to a historical analysis, exquisite close-focus portraits of multi-talented creative makers past and present, alongside his own research and examples of his class assignments. This intelligent book contains new insights regarding graphic design history, thought, and practice. This book is a reminder of Walt Whitman’s call for "a force infusion of intellect" to confront the future.”
—Sheila Levrant de Bretteville (Director, Yale University Graduate Program in Graphic Design)

David Reinfurt (born 1971), a graphic designer, writer and educator, reestablished the Typography Studio at Princeton University and introduced the study of graphic design. Previously, he held positions at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Rhode Island School of Design and Yale University School of Art. As a cofounder of O-R-G inc. (2000), Dexter Sinister (2006) and the Serving Library (2012), Reinfurt has been involved in several studios that have reimagined graphic design, publishing and archiving in the 21st century. He was the lead designer for the New York City MTA Metrocard vending machine interface, still in use today. His work is included in the collections of the Walker Art Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. He is the co-author of Muriel Cooper (MIT Press, 2017), a book about the pioneering designer.

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