Neogeo: A New Edge To Abstraction [Book Review]

Neogeo documents the new flirtation with geometrical forms and solid colours in today’s design industry. The book’s examples make it clear that this current trend towards abstract work is not a nostalgic phenomenon. Rather, it borrows from the fields of illustration, collage, typography and computer art to create a whole new visual language.

In 2007 I witnessed first-hand the saturation of geometrical forms in online and offline advertising, TV spots, t-shirt graphics — it was everywhere I turned. The release of Neogeo during this year was a timely one and I bought the book with the goal of trying to understand what the fuss was about. I was pleasantly surprised to see there was more to this trend than simply the “triangles and neon colours” that were so prevalent in the mainstream market.

The collage on the front cover of Neogeo is by New York artist Bjorn Copeland and includes a mixture of his trademark magazine cut-outs and tiling squares. The book feels well-crafted and is held together with a tight, stitch-bound spine. The paper stock is thick and the colour re-production is very good.

Readers are confronted with big and beautiful artwork right from the first page, as the book opens directly into the gallery section. Titles and publishing credits are delegated to the back of the book, which is unusual to see but not a bad thing.

Gestalten have planned the order of the artwork so carefully that I didn’t notice the book was missing a contents page or category titles until I was sitting down to write this review. It appears the art is grouped together in similar themes, with the flow of each piece in the showcase remaining uninterrupted throughout.

Inside the book you will find many excellent examples of poster art, environmental signage and typographical experiments by designers from around the world. Colour-lovers will especially relish the variety of work presented here. And if you enjoy working shapes into your own illustrations, or utilising patterns and repetition, you will find Neogeo an invaluable reference too.

The book width is a little wider by usual standards and allows for that extra bit of breathing room for presentation. Each piece of showcased material feels large on the page and the authors have made effective use of padding. The most interesting pieces receive full-page hero shots, while work on other pages are presented 4-, 5- or 6-up on a grid.

Neogeo has almost two hundred pages of art to enjoy. Standout pieces come from Melvin Galapon, Siggi Eggertsson and Steven Harrington.

There is great value to be found in the high quality of artwork presented in Neogeo. This type of design book would be particularly useful for designers who regularly research style options or illustrative techniques, or for those who are feeling a bit “stale” and need some visual stimulation to get them over the line.

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About The Reviewer

James Santilli is a Digital Designer from Sydney, Australia. Designer's Bookshelf was born from his passion for design books. By curating books on the Bookshelf, he hopes to help fellow designers fill their collections with the best quality titles.