Missed our conversation with Rick Poynor? Register here to watch this episode of PRINT Book Club.
Curiosity is fuel for writer, design critic, and thinker Rick Poynor. He feels a tug toward an issue, a question, or a dilemma, and he explores and tests his ideas systematically through the process of writing. Poynor’s background is in art history and he’s been writing about the broader visual culture for decades at publications such as Blueprint, Eye Magazine (a publication he co-founded), and PRINT. He’s written and contributed to more books than will fit on your nightstand.
The 46 essays in his latest book, Why Graphic Culture Matters, are essential reading.
Debbie Millman’s and Steven Heller’s conversation with Poynor lobbed some meaty philosophical considerations into the air. The first is the vital and disappearing culture of critical writing about design. Poynor believes we should seek out more than a surface-level showcase of our output—that the conversation around graphic design (as part of visual culture, which includes art and film) should be the roots, sources, and cultural reflections behind the work (work, here, meaning not just our commercial deliverables).
This led nicely into the second big topic of the day: that design shouldn’t only be a net to catch consumers. Our favorite part of the discussion came when Poynor talked candidly about the marketization and bland-ification of design—of our trying to find appeal across the maximum audience.
Why must [graphic design] be the boring craft? Our culture isn’t!
If you missed the live stream, register here to watch the discussion unfold.
Don’t own a copy of Why Graphic Culture Matters? You can order one here.
The title is Maax Raw Stencil; The subtitle in Muoto; The author’s name is in Mule.