Contemporary Graphic Design

Points of View

Aylin Önel [Turkey]





Craig Holden Feinberg [United States]






Harmen Liemburg [The Netherlands]




Cristiano Bottino, Studio FM Milano [Italy]






Matt Owens [United States]

Francesca Granato [United Kingdom]

Counter-Space [United States]
Büro Weiss [Germany]
M-A-D [United States]

Delaware [Japan]
François Chalet [France]
Nicholas Blechman [United States]

Jonathan Barnbrook [United Kingdom]


Martin Venezky [United States]

CYAN [Germany]

Peter Anderson [United Kingdom]

J. Abbott Miller, Pentagram [United States]


Nille, Sweden Graphics [Sweden]



Daniel Eatock [United Kingdom]





Omar Vulpinari [Italy]
Christian Küsters, CHK Design [United Kingdom]
Designby Frank Scheikl [Austria]
Christian, KesselsKramer [The Netherlands]
Philippe Apeloig [France]
Chris Williams [United States]

Ewoudt, KesselsKramer [The Netherlands]
Wolfgang Seidl [Germany]
Farrow [United Kingdom]
Hideki Nakajima [Japan]
Büro Fur Form [Germany]
Gavillet & Rust [Switzerland]
Paula, Form [United Kingdom]
Ewoudt, KesselsKramer [The Netherlands]
CYAN [Germany]

“I like to think of graphic design as an expandable territory where different disciplines, ideas, forms and sensations can collide, merge and grow. An interactive space (open to everyone and everything) for conversation, for experimentation, for exploration... for play! A fluid fluctuating space... I find questions more interesting than answers, the process more exciting than the solution and understanding seems to 'happen' in the exploration rather than in the conclusion. Graphic design is my point of departure for experiments in expression and for mapping the journey of experiences.” [1]
“We celebrate a win with a cheer. We clap at the end of an opera. We cry during a funeral. We work late hours on several deadlines. We sleep to dream of the next big idea. We travel to gather culture. We work on a MAC. We drink large amounts of coffee, tea, and red wine. We develop budgets that fit our clients. We sell ideas. Designers are all human, just like the rest of the world. Full of blood, water, and hope. Meet me in the park so we can share stories about the past, present, and future. Lets exchange contacts so we can have endless dinner parties and talk about design and where design is going. Graphic design is not a job, but a lifestyle. We learn by doing.” [2]
“At the Rietveld Academy my teachers told me my working methods were too result oriented as I failed to dive into creative flows. Now, ten years after graduating at the Rietveld and collaborating with Richard Niessen for a period of time I trust that the working process steers me in a logical way to find new solutions. When all the ingredients and details are present I know everything will work out fine.” [3]
“We believe that any graphic design project, and graphic design in general, should be the result of a specific need, which is elicited through a series of defining investigations and studies aiming to identify the requirements of the client. A graphic designer is in a way both a detective and psychologist. Finally, any good graphic design project is based on research and understanding of a theme: graphic design is hence a response not simply some kind of decoration. The more a project is structured and built on solid conceptual roots, the more it stands out for its accuracy, rigour and outstanding specificity.” [4]
“Graphic design is an ongoing examination/conversation between the dynamics and interrelationships of personal exploration and professional practice.” [5]
“Graphic design can be approached in much the same way as fine art, I have inspirations and themes that are recurrent in my portfolio in the same way that an artist does.” [6]
“Graphic design is creating context-specific form, driven by context-specific concepts.” [7]
“Graphic design is more than a façade.” [8]
“Graphic design is what matters most during the creative process and what matters least at the finish.” [9]
“Good Graphic design, when humour, twice as good.” [10]
“For me graphic design is about telling stories in a playful and optimistic way.” [11]
“Graphic designers are also citizens, and they have a responsibility to use our images in ways that benefit society.” [12]
“Graphic design is using methods of mass-communication to tell people something worthwhile, that we believe in. everything else: cool factor, money, stupid advertising messages... are a distraction.” [13]
“Graphic design doesn’t just straighten and clarify the world, it also reflects the world as it ventures beyond problem solving into process, experiment and discovery.” [14]
“Graphic design is melting text, images, paper into a unified entity. It is not intended to be easily consumed, either aesthetically or with regard to its content.” [15]
“Graphic design has a unique position of interaction and therefore influence with the everyday world. I believe it is our responsibility to act on this.” [16]
“Graphic design is a meta-language that can be used to magnify, obscure, dramatize, or re-direct words and images. It can be powerful, elegant, banal of irrelevant. It’s not inherently anything at all, but pure potential.” [17]
“Graphic design is the discipline of ordering and manipulation of self-created and/or given visual elements in a two-dimensional space in order to obtain an aestethic and/or communicative effect. This definition creates a semantic area that overlaps with and/or borders to the disciplines of Art, Literature, Advertising and Illustration.” [18]
“Graphic design is form, color, language, paper, humor, red, underlines, outlines, drop shadows, bold, default, vector, italic, uncoated, foil block, single color, proof, pitch, deadline, artwork, bleed, folded, overprinted, Pantone, font, filters, kern, CMYK, serifs, pictures, ink, diagrams, illustrations, montages, organization, logos, billboards, posters, packaging, websites, books, magazines, take away menus, olympic signage, CD covers, layout pads, Apple Macs, Indesign, Photoshop, scanners, laptops, digital, juggling.” [19]
“Graphic design is order, Identity and cultural expression.” [20]
“In short, graphic design (mostly) equates to visual communication.” [21]
“Graphic design is Communication.” [22]
“Graphic design is TELLING IT WELL” [23]
“Graphic design is the intersection point between art and communication.” [24]
“Graphic design is the art and/or profession of embracing cognitive and aesthetic skills to communicate an idea.” [25]
“Design ist kunst die sich nützlich macht.” [Mendell & Oberer] [26]
“Graphic design is creating content via visual authorship.” [27]
“Graphic design is making things look better.” [28]
“Graphic design is to find a brand new form that does not currently exist.” [29]
“Good graphic design is the result of the endless search for beauty in things.” [30]
“Graphic design is colour, power & type.” [31]
“Graphic design is: to amplify a message.” [32]
“Graphic design is design in which a little more effort has been put into.” [26]
“Graphic design is work.” [33]