Fresh Styles, Generative Design

Yesterday, went to the bookshop with Pearl while we were in the city. We spent close to 2 hours in there and I found 2 books, which were really interesting, and I so so so must share it.

Fresh Styles for Web Designers: Eye Candy from the Underground

Author: Curt Cloninger

ISBN: 0735710740

In a light and friendly voice, the author introduces the reader to new ways of styling websites. With specific examples for each of ten categories, he provides a wealth of techniques for the designer who wishes to apply these approaches in their own work. The styles are broken down into ten categories, which are:

1. Gothic Organic
2. Wireframe Icon
3. Lo-fi Grunge
4. Paper Bag
5. Mondrian Poster
6. Pixelated Punk Rock
7. 1950s Hello Kitty
8. HTMinimaLism
9. DraftingTable/Instruction Manual
10. Super Tiny SimCity

Further explorations in the book help designers determine which style choices would be most appropriate when changing the look of their own sites.

4×4 Generative Design

Authors: Golan Levin, Adrian Ward, lia, meta
ISBN: 1-903450-47-0

Tools can control as well as serve. Across the web, pioneering artists and designers are recognising the exhilarating freedom and unparalleled control offered by programming. The 4×4 Project invited four influential and respected artists renowned for their stunning experiments with code and art, to work together on the theme of Life and Oblivion.

• Golan Levin – creator of www.flong.com
• Adrian Ward – creator of www.auto-illustrator.com and www.slub.org
• lia – creator of www.turux.org and www.re-move.org
• meta – creator of www.meta.am

4×4 Generative Design requires no prior knowledge of programming, only an appetite to control your own creativity. The four authors provide the inspiration and information to allow you to create and to generate using different programming languages including: Java, DBN, Auto-Illustrator, Lingo, MAX and Nato. The point is not to follow or to replicate but to mutate, transform, hack and move on.