Big ideas: 4 key publications reflecting the complex reality of graphic design in the world today

Design has a complicated and symbiotic relationship with societal frameworks. Whilst it is a tool of capitalism, it also serves as a tool for provoking and informing, whereby designers and thinkers unite to express their thoughts in a visually captivating way. We’ve highlighted four publications which tackle an array of topics in this realm, including city infrastructures, post-COVID commodification, and marginalisation within the creative industries. The Natural Enemies of Books is a response to the groundbreaking 1937 publication ‘Bookmaking on the Distaff Side,’ which brought together contributions by female printers, illustrators, authors, typographers and typesetters. It highlights the print industry’s inequalities and proposes a takeover of the history of the book. Edited by MMS (Maryam Fanni, Matilda Flodmark and Sara Kaaman), the Natural Enemies of Books includes essays and poems by Kathleen Walkup, Ida Börjel, Jess Baines and Ulla Wikander. It also contains conversations with former typesetters Inger Humlesjö, Ingegärd Waaranperä, Gail Cartmail and Megan Dobney as well as reprints of the original book. Natural Enemies of Books