Conversations in Design 01 – Futures
Identity | Print | Type Design | Interviews
Conversations in Design is a series of papers created to discuss obscure, irrelevant, paramount, anecdotal, and untold stories in the world of graphic design and visual culture.
The first paper, "Futures – The Next Decade of Design," focuses on the multiple possibilities for the future of the graphic design industry. This is explored through a series of nine interviews with some of the leading designers in our field. There is no single set destination or outcome for the industry, therefore the plural form "futures" become appropriate.
The designers interviewed within include Tony Brook, Jessica Hische, Martin Flores, Jacob Heftmann, Debbie Millman, Juan Villanueva, Joe Zeff, Michael Johnson, and Armin Vit.
The first printing of Futures comes with a "bubblegum" pink short-cut dust jacket to match the Pantone pink used throughout the paper. Each of these jackets was cut and folded by hand.
The dimensional type used throughout the paper references the multifaceted future and many possibilities the next ten years of the design industry can bring. The characters themselves are not solid however; the structure and dimension of the letters are transparent, a reference to how our industry is in constant flux – its future is not solid or set in stone. The skewed angles and motion of the type are also a nod to this constantly moving future.
The "X" motif used in the table of contents and interview intro spreads is the Roman numeral "ten," which subtly references the ongoing theme of looking forward to the next decade of graphic design and beyond. When laid out flat, the "slashes" on the front and back cover line up to form a large X.
Brushed handwriting is used sparsely in various pages of the paper, including the center spread and the back of the dust jacket. It offers a small break from the interview questions and photography, and allows some of the interviewees' quotes to have a bit of added personality.
