Category: Essays

Steven Heller|Essays

COME IN WE’RE OPEN and Other Signs of the Times

What the old school printers practiced was no-nonsense yet skillful communicative typography, lettering, and illustration, sometimes with a dollop of wit to hold the viewer’s interest.

Steven Heller|Essays

When America Leaned Fascist

Steven Heller explores graphic design’s role in early 20th century social-political interventions in America.

Steven Heller|Essays

Shouts and Tremors

Steven Heller share his thoughts on writing a memoir, and a few excerpts from his twenty year work-in-progress.

Ken Gordon|Essays

Four Reasons You, Young Designer, Should Read This Academic History of Empathy

Empathy, you must know by now, is a major keyword in the design business.

Steven Heller|Essays

Commercial Art: What a Way to Earn a Living

“Commercial art is a business. It is bought mostly for business purposes, and its cost is entered as a business expense on any company’s books.”

Jude Stewart|Essays

Enchanted Lion

Why aren’t graphic designers more broadly gaga for children’s literature? Why is kid-lit and children’s illustration considered a niche interest? After all, visual literacy begins for just about everyone with reading …

Brian LaRossa|Essays

Design’s Capacity for the Unknown

Five questions every designer needs to be able to answer and more, from the first-ever The Design of Business | The Business of Design Conference.

Sam Holleran|Essays

Designing the “Real Deal”

Is there room for capital-D design in a political landscape that equates its absence with authenticity? We examine the political design landscape two years after the red MAGA cap.

Steven Heller|Essays

Closing New York’s Penal Colony

How design is playing an integral role in the campaign to close Rikers Island.

Alicia Cheng|Essays

This is What Democracy Looked Like: A Brief History of the Printed Ballot

Steven Heller|Essays

Swastika v. Hammer and Sickle: An Odd Logo Competition

Why is one the symbol of hate while the other is virtually benign?

Bruce Kennett|Essays

W.A. Dwiggins — The Greatest Designer You’ve Never Heard Of

Although Dwiggins’s name is less prominent in the world of design than it once was, he remains a potent and inspiring figure.