http://www.greatbuildings.com/

How any times have you found yourself in this predicament? You have just found some excellent library reference materials only to find out that you are unable to check them out. Greatbuildings.com is an excellent architectural reference site on the web, which will help solve this dilemma. This website contains a wealth of information for everybody, no matter your interest level: student, architect, interior designer, art lover or architectural historian.

Great Buildings.com, edited by Kevin Matthews and based in Oregon, offers unfettered access to architecture from around the world, spanning every style from Romanesque to Post Modern and every timeline from B.C. to the present day. This website provides an array of useful historical information as well as up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest buildings, designers, trends, and ideas.

This website is incredibly user friendly, allowing you to search for a specific architect, building or place. For example: if you type Los Angeles under “places”, your search results will be a list of buildings designed by well-known architects.

There is even a listing of recommended books on architecture as well as a link to ArchitectureWeek for added convenience. This kind of detailed information can be obtained on such renowned buildings as the Parthenon in Greece, the Experience Music Project by Frank Gehry in Seattle and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Greatbuildings.com is your comprehensive architectural resource that’s only a mouse click away.


Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member - Varinia Rangel

Hospitality Design is a magazine geared towards contract interior design. Virtually every month this magazine provides in-depth coverage of the latest in hotel design, signage solutions, restaurant themes as well as industry trends and innovations. Regular departments provided include: “product tips”, “on site” and “to market.”

Subjects detailed in the most recent issue include:

• Dining rooms in Supermarkets (Why restaurants are the next big thing in grocery stores)
• Le Meridien – Minneapolis (A technology concept hotel)
• Smarter Software – (The latest programs that help you manage projects from concept to construction)
• Atlantic City – (Not since Las Vegas’ revitalization have the stakes been so high)
• Citified Style In Strip Malls – (Designers export chic eateries to the ‘burbs)

Also included every month are a calendar and interviews with today’s most knowledgeable professionals. Hospitality Design is really at the forefront of what is happening in contract design today. They offer suggestions and tips for those looking to enhance their careers or improve their marketability. Their website even offers a buyer’s guide and business resources for your convenience. If you are interested in interior design, you will find this publication highly informative.


Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member - Monika Earle

Logos Are Everywhere

Have you been looking for a resource that gives you ideas and examples for logo design? How about a book with hundreds of examples of logos covering just about every market in the world? If the answer is yes, then How To design Logos, Symbols And Icons is the book for you. This book offers tons of ideas for logo design whether it’s for clothing, food, or entertainment. It does not matter if you are a graphic designer or someone looking to start your on business, this book will surly help to inspire you.

With over 100 full-color pages of logos, trademarks, and listings of the design houses that produced them, anyone can get ideas for what they want or find a company to design their logo for them. This wonderful book by Greg Thomas also explains some of the theories and the history behind logo design. How To design Logos, Symbols And Icons also gives very detailed information on the creative process behind some of the world’s most recognized trademarks and logos, outlining different problems and solutions encountered on some of these projects.

This book even illustrates how logos and trademarks were used on letterhead, business cards, and envelopes. So if you are looking for a book to help you design a logo, trademark, symbol, or icon, then How To Design Logos, Symbols And Icons is the book for you.

Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member - Peter Davis