October 2009 : Reviews of Web Sites, Magazines & Books : Library : FIDM

Monthly Website Review - October 2009

http://printing.org

Printing.org, is the website for the Printing Industries of America. Their company tagline reads: Advancing Graphic Communications.

Printing Industries of America describes itself as “The world's largest graphic arts trade association representing an industry with approximately one million employees. It serves the interests of more than 10,000 member companies.” Their Mission Statement notes: “Printing Industries of America, along with its affiliates, delivers products and services that enhance the growth and profitability of its members and the industry through advocacy, education, research, and technical information.”

The website offerings include: a variety of news, professional resources, a calendar of upcoming events and trainings, awards notices, information related to technologies and research, sustainable and green practices, government advocacy section, an index of nationwide printers, industry profiles and economics, as well as a section of interest for students.

Printing Industries of America is headquartered in Sewickley, PA (about 7 miles northwest of downtown Pittsburgh) and Washington, DC.

Reviewed by Library Staff Member - Evan Carlson

Monthly Magazine Review - October 2009

Title: House Beautiful
Publisher: Hearst Communications, Inc.
300 West 57^th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 903-5000
Website: http://www.housebeautiful.com
ISSN: 0018-6422
Published: Monthly
Subscription Rate: $19.97 per year U.S./$35.97 Canada and all other countries

House Beautiful is a monthly publication that covers many aspects of design in and around our homes. It's a decorating magazine that offers information about practical renovations and remodeling by focusing mostly on colors, paint, and fabrics. It will inspire you to discover your own sense of style and elegance. It also makes suggestions how to prepare a good meal for friends and loved ones.

House Beautiful is printed on rich, glossy paper that makes the photography jump off the pages. It is a visual magazine featuring homes that are both approachable and eclectic. It has a clean-cut feel that celebrates an indoor/outdoor lifestyle.

The magazine showcases furniture, home accessories, the use of color in your rooms, and how to make the most of small spaces. It doesn't endorse a particular style, region or coast. Homeowners looking for design ideas will appreciate the wide selection of styles and treatments. From the latest in simplistic style to the patterns of 18th century French room treatments, House Beautiful favors no particular school of design. Ultimately, in the end the reader must make their own decision on how best to decorate their house based on their individual preferences.

It also contains expert advice on setting a luxurious table in your own home or it puts the latest cookbooks to the test, making recipes and offering real world advice on what works and what doesn't. What makes House Beautiful interesting is the monthly series which follows the progress of an ongoing renovation project.

The publisher is Hearst Magazines. The editor-in-chief, Stephen Drucker, was a contributing editor at Architectural Digest and Martha Stewart Living. Every month he shares his inside view on the hottest products. House Beautiful is all about the reader and is an ‘all-inclusive’ experience.

Reviewed by Library Staff Member - Kristine Upesleja

Monthly Book Review - October 2009

Title: Global Fashion Local Tradition: On The Globalisation of Fashion
Author: Jose Teunissen
Publisher: Terra Publishing
P.O. Box 315
Harpenden, Herts,
AL5 2QB United Kingdom
44 0 1582 762413 phone
44 0 870 055 8105 fax
Website: http://www.terrapublishing.net
ISBN: 978-9058973726
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 200
Price: $55.00

Global Fashion/Local Tradition is the finalized chapter of what began as a research project at the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in the Netherlands. Through the use of workshops, a symposium, and an exhibition, the importance of cultural diversity and its effects on fashion were recognized and documented.

Paris, Milan, New York, and sometimes London have served as the main fashion capitals of the world for decades on end. These cities have been captured through all forms of media during their seasonal fashion weeks. They have served not only as a means of creative expression but also as an industry all its own providing a vast amounts of jobs. But what is truly the essence behind the shows, the looks, styles, and images? Where do they come from?

Global Fashion/Local Tradition tracks down the beauty of our cultural differences and its influences on fashion design. Fashion, as this book dictates, reflects the socio-economic state of our times; a diary of sorts. Not all cultural influences stem from the same countries that seem to dictate the next trend; quite the opposite in fact. Many exotic countries rich in their own historical decadence seem to show up on runways in both slight and largely obvious ways.

What Global Fashion/Local Tradition does is extend applause and provide wide awareness to our own origins and uniqueness. Thanks to the use of modern day media such as the internet, each country and culture is no longer a distant source, but is now just a click away.

Reviewed by Library Staff Member - Francisco Murillo