Go Faster: The Graphic Design of Racing Cars – High-Speed Visuals for Motorsport Fans & Collectors | Perfect for Home Decor, Office Display & Racing Enthusiast Gifts

As a graphic designer and a race fan I got very excited when I heard of this book, so much so that I ordered it immediately. At first pass it is a very clean and artful presentation that seems to cover the topic well. Unfortunately after spending an evening with the book I am left wanting so much more. While the author does offer more insight to the topic than any other published piece that I am aware of, he stops shy of giving us a good and thoughtful overview. Only 14 written pages occupy this 144 page book. Even then many of these pages are only a quarter to half page full. With such a rich topic I wish that the author had explored the subject with much greater depth. There are two pages that are left unexplainably blank which only added to my growing frustration. I would not be so critical if the book were under $20.Presenting the topic in a chronological format would have also helped me to understand the evolution and role of graphic communication in the sport. The book is somewhat random in it's presentation. Maybe even a comparison on the good versus bad design in relationship to art as a form of communication. The author as a graphic designer and would have been able to express his opinion on that. Yes, the author does explain how design was used to create a sense of speed but he stops short of the multi-faceted role color, shape, and text play on the undulating canvas of the automotive form. With exception of a couple of pictures of GT3 Porsche the last decade of racecars are not covered. NASCAR offers some graphically rich images and why no mention or pictures of the great Benetton F1 cars?I was also disappointed that so many "toy" cars were used as illustrations. Many of the toys used are not very faithful to the real car thus water down the exercise. Some higher quality Minichamps models were used. I understand the creativity the author was trying to exercise but unfortunately the presentation suffered. The toys also dilute the representation of any serious attempt. I do like the "blank canvas" effect of the white car form to compare against. More photography or illustrations might have served him better. Even employing Photoshop to correct the flaws would have improved the presentation. Kevin Cameron's, The Grand Prix Motorcycle: The Official Technical History is a masterful example of how to artfully present such a topic.All that said I would encourage a second edition of this book to improve upon, in my opinion the shortcomings that keep this book for being exceptional look at a worthy topic.