Do designers have a role in the creation of symbols for a country, a culture, an ideology or a mentality? Are they, in short, co-authors of the ‘visual text’ with which a country or a culture expresses itself? And if they are, does that make designers co-responsible, as co-authors, for what is conveyed in that ‘text’? In ‘The public role of the graphic designer’, Anthon Beeke, Max Bruinsma, Daniël van der Velden and Annelys de Vet, among others, comment on these questions. By means of their graphic designs, students of the Design Academy Eindhoven added their cultural commentary. In a disarming series of designs for new symbols and flags for the Netherlands, they convey their vision on what Dutch society currently means to them.
Originally published in September 2006
Edition of 1000 | 21 x 28 cm | 80 pages