Vitamin D2

Phaidon's in-depth look at the unassuming pencil, for artists and enthusiasts alike

Covered in henna-colored scribbles, Vitamin D2 is the unassuming sequel to Phaidon’s extensive 2005 tome Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing. Like its predecessor, Vitamin D2 explores the contemporary world of art’s most fundamental, but sometimes overlooked tool, the pencil. Approaching its subject like a textbook, the book demonstrates the breadth and richness of modern drawing by carefully analyzing a diverse range of styles seen …

The Magic of M. C. Escher

Exploring geometry and astonishment in a catalog of the artist's prints

“Perhaps all I pursue is astonishment and so I try to awaken only astonishment in my viewers. Sometimes ‘beauty’ is a nasty business.” — M. C. Escher Too often relegated to dorm room walls and Tumblr archives, the work of M. C. Escher deserves a level of attention rarely afforded to visual artists. The publication of “The Magic of M. C. Escher” by Thames & …

Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity

Alan Siegel's latest book shows what business can learn from simplicity and good design

Designers are more than floor lamps and logos—first and foremost, they are problem solvers. When Alan Siegel began his career in corporate design, he saw a problem with complexity. He saw insurance forms that were incomprehensible to policy holders and financial contracts that befuddled retirees. His first act as a pioneer of simplicity came in the form of an installment loan that was rewritten in …