Maximalism: The Graphic Design of Decadence and Excess

A sumptuously extravagant book which examines design that appeals to the senses through luxury, profusion and excess

After a decade in which minimalism has held sway over the design industry, many designers are now rejecting the limitations of pared-down modernism in favor of a more rich and vibrant ômaximalö aesthetic.


This book celebrates the qualities of maximalism, or ôenriched modernismö -- its role in creating fantasy, a sense of luxury, the multi-sensory appeal -- and teaches designers how to apply it by bringing together a selection of projects from around the world that typify maximalism in graphic design -- whether through use of materials, print processes, layout and composition or sheer extravagance of purpose.

The book is not just about expensive projects for luxury brands (although of course these feature): it is about examples of print that appeal to any one of the senses in a powerful and unusual way. These include packaging, magazines, brochures, books, identity jobs and other forms