Maeda @ Media

About this book

John Maeda is one of the worlds leading experimental graphic designers and is quickly becoming a digital culture icon. His early preoccupation with the intersection of computer programming and digital art has resulted in a fascinating interactive and stunningly beautiful collection of work. Maeda has pioneered many of the key expressive elements that are prevalent on the Web today. Among his most well-known works are The Reactive Square which features a simple black square on a computer screen that changes shape if one yells at it and Time Paint in which paint flies across the screen. He has created innovative interactive calendars digital services and advertisements for companies such as Sony Shiseido and Absolut Vodka. This is the first publication to present a complete overview of Maedas work and philosophy. A glorious visual exploration of ideas and graphic form Maeda @ Media takes you through Maedas beginnings in early computerized printouts to his reactive graphics on CD-ROM to his dynamic experiments on the Web to his pedagogical approach to digital visual art and finally to his overarching quest to understand the very nature of the relationship between technology and creativity. Six thematic chapters provide an overview of his entire career and research. But this is not just a catalog of other work: interspersed between each chapter is a new visual essay that has been created exclusively for this publication to underline each of the major themes. Coming together in a massive 480 pages printed in a dazzling array of color combinations on three different kinds of paper the result is a manifesto a finely crafted manual and inspiration sourcebook all in one.