Antagonist
Dubbed “the poetry and politics of graphic design”, Antagonist features the work of a handful of designers/thinkers who use graphic design and collage to make political statements. That might sound like just another Adbusters ripoff, but, in fact, this well put together zine doesn’t rely on corporate iconography to make its point. The graphics are original and startling and manage to articulate complex points in simple ways. A line of shopping carts float across a page into the phrase “killing spree”. A boy points a gun and smiles above the headline “Let God Be The Judge”. Other efforts are less obvious, such as “echoes of rebellion” a timeline “interpretation” of “the conflict between the Spanish conquerors and the indigenous peoples of southern chile.” This is a pretty fascinating book, well worth exploring for its potent exploration of the implications of a designed world. (HN)