Our culture is dominated by the visual. Yet most writing on design reflects a narrow preoccupation with products, biographies, and design influences. Maud Lavin approaches design from the broader field of visual culture criticism, asking challenging questions about about who really has a voice in the culture and what unseen influences affect the look of things designers produce. Lavin shows how design fits into larger questions of power, democracy, and communication. Many corporate clients instruct designers to convey order and clarity in order to give their companies the look of a clean new world. But since designers cannot clean up messy reality, Lavin shows, they often end up simply veiling it.

Lacking the power to influence the content of their commercial work, many designers work simultaneously on other, more fulfilling projects. Lavin is especially interested in the graphic designer's role in shaping cultural norms. She examines the anti-Nazi propaganda of John Heartfield, the modernist utopian design of Kurt Schwitters and the neue ring werbegestalter, the alternative images of women by studio ringl + pit, the activist work of such contemporary designers as Marlene McCarty and Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, and the Internet innovations of David Steuer and others. Throughout the book, Lavin asks how designers can expand the pleasure, democracy, and vitality of communication.

About the Author

Maud Lavin teaches art history and visual culture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Joe Orlik Books specialises in postwar 20th century history, poetry, art, graphic design, advertising, propaganda, art history and cultural theory with a sprinkling of science fiction, fiction mostly of an historical nature as well as more general titles. All books are from a personal library accumulated over the last 50 years.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Joe Orlik Books
United Kingdom

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

We guarantee the condition of every book as described on the Abebooks websites.
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, it will be notified on the site or we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.

Items are eligible for refund within 30 days of the order's estimated delivery date if you are dissatisfied with your purchase due to error on our part or if an item does not arrive within the estimated delivery time fra...

More Information