By Silas Munro. Introduction by Colette Gaiter. Text by Stephen Coles..
A powerful new exploration of the uses of lettering, type and design to amplify resistance and inspire change—from 19th-century antislavery broadsides to the “Silence = Death” graphics of the AIDS epidemic and the handmade signs of the Black Lives Matter movement
Organized into chapters that explore the many ways to express dissent (RESIST!, VOTE!, STRIKE!, TEACH! and LOVE!), Strikethrough presents more than 120 signs, posters, publications and ephemera in vivid imagery and incisive prose. From the colorful affiches of the Paris ’68 uprising to Memphis strike workers’ placards to the Black Panthers’ newspaper, this generously illustrated volume showcases the role of graphic design in a wide range of protest movements in the United States and abroad. Including selections from artists and art collectives such as Jenny Holzer, the Guerrilla Girls and Fierce Pussy, this book provides a broad and critical survey of the typographics of activism. Strikethrough also features 10 profiles on the designers behind the graphics—including Corita Kent, Emory Douglas and Ben Shahn—and a custom display typeface based on historical protest graphics by Tré Seals, plus an introduction by activist and design scholar Colette Gaiter and an essay on type by Stephen Coles. Charting a typographic chant of resistance that spans more than 150 years, Strikethrough curators Silas Munro and Stephen Coles reveal how the message makes its way to the masses via marker, screen print, spray paint, collage and both physical and digital type, and how it calls on us all to craft our own demands for social change. Artists and designers include: Atelier Populaire, See Red Women’s Workshop, Carlos Cortez, Emory Douglas, fierce pussy, Ganzeer, Milton Glaser, Guerrilla Girls, Jenny Holzer, Corita Kent, Aaron Douglas, Art Workers’ Coalition, OSPAAAL, Tibor Kalman, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., Herb Lubalin, Phase 2, Favianna Rodriguez, Ward Schumaker, Ben Shahn and Wes Wilson.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
PRINT
Steven Heller
A breakthrough on three levels: Its theme. Its context. Its author....Impressive (and necessary).
Brooklyn Rail
Faride Mereb
This book is a worthy effort that offers specific takes on the subjects it covers, builds up the bibliography of a field that’s often neglected, and will make the kind of work it covers more discoverable.
AIGA
The simplicity of the cover's iconic gesture of resistance belies an entangled and complex history of protest graphics inside.
Artblog
Andrea Kirsh
The chaotic state of the post-Covid world continues to provoke international protests, making this book especially pertinent. It is full of stories which make for compelling reading.
Artblog
Andrea Kirsh
The chaotic state of the post-Covid world continues to provoke international protests, making this book especially pertinent. It is full of stories which make for compelling reading.
Eye
Greg Bunbury
The powerfully brilliant achievement of Strikethrough... represents a call for present and future designers, typographers, activists, and students (for whom this book should be required reading).
Eye
Greg Bunbury
The powerfully brilliant achievement of Strikethrough... represents a call for present and future designers, typographers, activists, and students (for whom this book should be required reading).
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This untitled work from Hunter Saxony III (a.k.a. the Last Black Calligrapher in SF)'s 2020 Nia Wilson/Say Her Name/No Silence series is one of 500 color reproductions in Letterform Archive's galvanizing new release, Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest—published to accompany the exhibition on view now in San Francisco. Silas Munro writes, "Protestors have long used typography to strike through myriad forms of oppression. Their urgent, often handmade signs, placards and posters put bigots on notice that their hate has been marked for correction. Curated in the wake of the 2020 police murders of Black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and on the upswell of ensuing Black Lives Matter protests, this exhibition and book showcase examples of typographic anger and agency from across moments, places and movements—as it is seen in the streets, on the printed page and even on the bodies of demonstrators. … Our hope is that Strikethrough will call out for typographic responses that echo for years to come. What might future conversations around human life look like typeset in a refrain for dignity, safety and equality for all?" continue to blog
Published by Letterform Archive Books. By Silas Munro. Introduction by Colette Gaiter. Text by Stephen Coles..
A powerful new exploration of the uses of lettering, type and design to amplify resistance and inspire change—from 19th-century antislavery broadsides to the “Silence = Death” graphics of the AIDS epidemic and the handmade signs of the Black Lives Matter movement
Organized into chapters that explore the many ways to express dissent (RESIST!, VOTE!, STRIKE!, TEACH! and LOVE!), Strikethrough presents more than 120 signs, posters, publications and ephemera in vivid imagery and incisive prose. From the colorful affiches of the Paris ’68 uprising to Memphis strike workers’ placards to the Black Panthers’ newspaper, this generously illustrated volume showcases the role of graphic design in a wide range of protest movements in the United States and abroad. Including selections from artists and art collectives such as Jenny Holzer, the Guerrilla Girls and Fierce Pussy, this book provides a broad and critical survey of the typographics of activism. Strikethrough also features 10 profiles on the designers behind the graphics—including Corita Kent, Emory Douglas and Ben Shahn—and a custom display typeface based on historical protest graphics by Tré Seals, plus an introduction by activist and design scholar Colette Gaiter and an essay on type by Stephen Coles.
Charting a typographic chant of resistance that spans more than 150 years, Strikethrough curators Silas Munro and Stephen Coles reveal how the message makes its way to the masses via marker, screen print, spray paint, collage and both physical and digital type, and how it calls on us all to craft our own demands for social change.
Artists and designers include: Atelier Populaire, See Red Women’s Workshop, Carlos Cortez, Emory Douglas, fierce pussy, Ganzeer, Milton Glaser, Guerrilla Girls, Jenny Holzer, Corita Kent, Aaron Douglas, Art Workers’ Coalition, OSPAAAL, Tibor Kalman, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., Herb Lubalin, Phase 2, Favianna Rodriguez, Ward Schumaker, Ben Shahn and Wes Wilson.
