A book for fans of instant graphic gratification, Graphic Classics brings together 500 key touchstones in the history of contemporary information design, typography, logos, identities, fonts, posters and more. Assembled by Phaidon’s crack editorial team, Graphic Classics is nothing if not plural, featuring work from the 14th century onwards.
Pages from Graphic Classics, Phaidon, 2024
With a high quality of reproduction and top-notch picture research, this 500-plus-page hardback functions as a ready reference work and source of inspiration for anyone with a passing interest in the art of graphic design. Arranged chronologically, the first section is given over to detailed reproductions of key works with more in-depth texts in the second half.
Pages from Graphic Classics, Phaidon, 2024
At times, this book feels like a well-curated Instagram account brought to life, with the sheer diversity of work on display illustrating the magpie mind of modern visual culture. There’s a wealth of trivia and insight here alongside the story of acknowledged classics, with everything from the crossword puzzle to the copyright symbol sitting alongside Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, the Penguin paperback, the eye chart and many more.
Pages from Graphic Classics, Phaidon, 2024
Featured designers include Aleksandr Rodchenko, Paul Rand, Paula Scher, Otl Aicher, Alan Fletcher, GTF, Stefan Sagmeister, Jan Tschichold and many more. As an introduction to the pleasures of print and the importance of the physical over the digital, Graphic Classics is an excellent place to start.
Pages from Graphic Classics, Phaidon, 2024
Graphic Classics, Phaidon Editors, £69.95, ships 29 August 2024, available to pre-order at Phaidon.com and Amazon
The Man of Letters, or Pierrot’s Alphabet, 1794, Bowles & Carver, UK
Woolmark, 1964, Franco Grignani, International Wool Secretariat and Australian Wool Board, Australia
BUTT, 2022, Jop van Bennekom, Top Publishers, the Netherlands. Photograph: Clifford Prince King, Sonny and David, 2019, No. 30, Spring 2022
Oz, issue 7, 1967, Martin Sharp, Oz Publications Ink Ltd., UK
Spare Rib, 1973, Kate Hepburn, Sally Doust, Spare Rib Limited, UK
World Graphic Design Exhibition, 1959, Ikko Tanaka, World Design Conference Committee, Japan
-
Christmas gift ideas for design loversWallpaper* global design director Hugo Macdonald compiles his festive wish list – from Poltrona Frau's luxurious dog leads to Carl Aubock's wicker magazine wall rack
-
‘I want to push it forward’: Dries Van Noten’s new creative director is Julian KlausnerA member of the Dries Van Noten design team since 2018, Belgian designer Julian Klausner has been promoted to creative director after the namesake founder’s exit from his eponymous label earlier this year
-
Inside Dior’s ‘Gold House’ in Bangkok, a spectacular celebration of Thai art and craftDaven Wu takes a trip to Bangkok to discover ‘Gold House’, a gilded new concept store from Dior which is rooted in both Parisian savoir-faire and artisanal Thai craft, featuring a café, gardens and showstopping gilded facade
-
A new book from the Modernist Society focuses on a golden age of British graphic design‘Modernist Graphic Design in Britain 1945-1980’ looks at all the ways in which post-war graphic design shaped the nation, from new typography to poster art, book design and more
-
‘Type Archived’: a must-have manual for hot metal enthusiasts and linotype loversA new book provides a stunning visual tour of traditional typefounding and offers a definitive account of London's legendary Type Archive
-
The Acme Novelty Datebook is Chris Ware’s last volume of intriguing sketchbooks and thoughtsChris Ware presents his ‘artisanal rewritings of personal conflict’, a third and final volume charting the American artist and author’s process
-
The life and work of designer Margaret Calvert celebrated in a new monograph from Unit Editions‘Woman at Work: Margaret Calvert’ is an upcoming monograph on the designer’s celebrated graphic, typography and signage work
-
A hundred years of Triennale posters documented in a new bookTriennale posters from a century of exhibitions at the Milanese institution are the subject of a new book celebrating its history
-
The Shining: new book sheds alternative light on Kubrick’s infamous filmWe speak to designer Craig Oldham, editor of the new book The Shining: a Visual and Cultural Haunting about this cross-cultural reframing of Stanley Kubrick’s epic film
