Feature
The producer as author
For Bruce Mau, graphic design is a way of investigating ethical, cultural and philisophical issues
Marked by time
Two catalogues reveal much about stencil-making in Germany and the US in the mid-twentieth century, while offering clues to the industry's future in the decades following their publication.
Vaughan Oliver’s Minotaur
This Pixies box set was a chance to make brand new artwork with a student team from UCA
Re-tooling the culture for an empire of signs
‘Creative destruction’ and synthesis in the rapidly changing subcontinent
The tenth pioneer
Cipe Pineles was a design innovator. Why, when the history came to be written, was she left out?
Penguin science fiction covers
David Pelham’s covers for Penguin’s science fiction titles gave a frowned-upon genre a strong literary presence
Writing on the wall: The posters of James Victore
With a visual polemic of angry scrawls that stop pedestrians in their tracks, this committed New Yorker tackles Shakespeare, safe sex and racism in personal (frequently self-financed) projects that hammer home graphic design’s potential to make a difference
The myth of genius
The myth of genius – which promotes the artist as a lone, (even mad) pioneer – emerged when craftsmen first strove to become respected members of an elite. But before designers get too excited about winning the status of the artist, perhaps some caution is required.
Envisaging soundscapes: classical album covers
When designers and marketing teams attempt to visualise serious music, they reach for fine art, photography or artist portraits. How do these selections affect the listening experience – and the buying impulse – when there are more classical recordings in the racks than ever before?