Why Graphic Culture Matters

“What a fantastic, compulsive book. There’s so much in it! Every page opens up new rabbit holes for me to go down.”
—Brian Eno

Why Graphic Culture Matters gathers 45 thought-provoking essays by design critic Rick Poynor about graphic design and visual communication, written in the past two decades. Poynor writes as a non-designer deeply immersed in the practice of graphic communication. Many of the essays were first published in the American magazine Print, where he was a columnist for 17 years. These incisive pieces focus on key tendencies and trends, prevailing ideas and new departures. The collection is divided into three thematic sections, offering alternative critical perspectives on the field. Topics of inquiry include design’s relationship to business, design criticism, graphic design history, the canon, graphic authorship, critical graphic design, design celebrity, the urgent need to decolonise the discipline, and whether graphic design is still an apt term for what graphic communicators do. [publishers’ note]