Graphic Classics maps the full arc of graphic design history across more than 400 designers, 33 countries, and five continents — tracing visual communication from the 14th century to the practitioners reshaping graphic culture today.
About This Book
This is the reference that serious design practitioners reach for when they need the long view. Spanning centuries and continents, Graphic Classics assembles a chronologically organised survey of graphic design history that refuses the usual Eurocentric canon. From El Lissitzky and Jan Tschichold to Paula Scher, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, and Eric Hu, the selection is genuinely global — and this revised edition adds 50 new examples that bring the conversation into the present tense. Whether you are tracing the roots of modernist typography, mapping the spread of visual communication across cultures, or simply building a foundational design library, this volume earns its place on the shelf.
Key Features
- 528 pages of chronologically organised design history spanning the 14th century to the present
- Edited by Phaidon Editors
- Work from over 400 designers including Reza Abedini, Otl Aicher, Herbert Bayer, Max Bill, A. M. Cassandre, Alan Fletcher, Tibor Kalman, El Lissitzky, Karel Martens, Bruno Munari, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Scher, Jan Tschichold, Andy Warhol, and many more
- 50 new examples added in the revised edition highlighting contemporary practitioners
- Published by Thames & Hudson Australia, ISBN 9781838668426
What You'll Discover
- How graphic design history unfolds across 33 countries and five continents, dismantling the assumption that the discipline's significant moments belong to a handful of Western centres
- The continuity and rupture between historical movements — from Constructivism and the Bauhaus through to postmodern typography and contemporary digital practice
- Emerging designers such as Federica Fragapane, Shira Inbar, Hassan Rahim, and Nontsikelelo Mutiti, whose inclusion signals which directions the field is moving
- A chronological structure that allows designers to situate any single practitioner or movement within the broader sweep of visual communication history
About the Author
[Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 528
- Dimensions: 31.8 x 23.9 x 4.1 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781838668426
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson Australia
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Graphic designers, typographers, visual communication students, design historians, and anyone building a serious reference library in visual culture.