Logos, packages, signs, publications, websites: in the modern world we are surrounded by graphic design. Where does it come from? Why does it look that way? What is it supposed to do?

How to use graphic design to sell things, explain things, make things look better, make people laugh, make people cry, and (every once in a while) change the world is the career monograph from graphic designer Michael Bierut. Using examples from a portfolio spanning five decades, Bierut provides the answers, describing three dozen projects from start to finish, with insights into the creative process, his working life, his relationship with clients, and the challenges that any creative person faces in bringing innovative work into the world today.