Volume is an artifact of graphic design, a quantity, and a characteristic of music. This book explores the dynamics of volume in graphic design, from vernacular expressions to professional practice,…

Volume is an artifact of graphic design, a quantity, and a characteristic of music. This book explores the dynamics of volume in graphic design, from vernacular expressions to professional practice, featured in critical essays, reviews, speculations, polemics, incitements and fictions. This “remixed” edition of the original 2010 book discusses progressive political speech as “mother” of graphic design, design as entertainment, typography as spur and evasion of criticism, the branding of the Beatles’ Apple Records, the roles of class in design, design education, pornography, album cover art, independent record labels, anonymity and imaginary creative identities, design as cultural chaos-maker, and more.

Volumes features over 30 texts spanning over 25 years. In addition to four new works, original articles have been revised, with most featuring afterwords providing updates and reevaluations. Writings are grouped in four sections: “Field Recordings” offers critiques of education, practice and theory; “Amplifications” addresses the relationship of music and graphic design; “Teleidoscopin’” offers short fictions and narratives on art, design, and creativity; “Inference/Resonance” has longer-form speculations on art and design culture.

Volumes not only surveys graphic culture in context with the related fields of contemporary art and popular music, but equally serves as a record of one of design’s most controversial and influential times, and a primer on how to consider and write about its future.