Design History Reader

Design History Reader grapples with the paradox that while historians intentionally craft historical discourse based on collective knowledge, it often remains bound to a singular perspective. This book encourages a pluralistic approach to the teaching and narrating of the history of graphic design, presenting a history that actually reflects the diversity in the classroom and in the profession at large.

Throughout this book, the Western design history canon is challenged through written research, highlighting under-known designers and design movements who deserve representation. In collaboration with Kristen Coogan, the students of History of Graphic Design from Boston University embraced a plural design history pedagogy, multiplying perspectives and bringing their own authentic experiences and lived histories into conversation — resulting in a range of stories representing both dominant and minority cultures.