Packed full of examples of work from 75 of the world’s greatest graphic designers and a couple of former OFFSET speakers, Caroline Roberts’ ‘Graphic Design Visionaries’ lays out beautifully and in chronological order the visionaries who have shaped the field of graphic design over the last 100 years.

The book is easy to navigate with each designer owning two double page spreads with 5 projects each to showcase their work, a process Caroline found hard to narrow down but also a great excuse to look at so much amazing work. This book is a great introduction to key players in the design world for students and established designers alike.

The book boasts a wide selection of creatives from all around the world including France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine, Japan and Brazil. Speaking about the process in selecting the designers Caroline says;
“..everyone featured has pushed the boundaries and has influenced the path of graphic design in some way. These tend to be the designers who form part of what we call ‘the canon’, which is what the audience would expect to see in a book which comes from a historical perspective and covers nearly 100 years of graphic design.”

Having such a list in a printed book rather than just living online is important for documenting the history of graphic design;
“…while there are individual archives containing graphic design, it isn’t collected or exhibited by cultural institutions in the same way that product or fashion design is. There’s no one place where you can go and look at a broad history of graphic design. Another reason that a physical book works better is the way you consume it – you’re more likely to come across a designer who you haven’t heard of, whereas online resources usually require the reader to search for a name they’re already familiar with. This book concentrates on individual designers (as opposed to looking at themes and movements), and while it is packed full of factual information, it doesn’t feel like a textbook.”

A must have for all graphic design fans , ‘Graphic Design Visionaires’ is published by Laurence King and can be purchased through their website here.