“Graphic Pioneers” book

“Pioneers. Spanish Graphic Design 1939-1975” is a Spanish design book dedicated to the generation that laid the foundation for the development of a profession which is generating increasing interest.

The historical period covered by the book (1939-1975) includes objectively difficult years for Spain, in which it was not easy for these pioneers to work. They were not times of favourable circumstances, nor did a minimum social recognition towards the designers’ proposals exist. Adding to the international isolation a lack of reference materials, to mention just some of those limitations, we sense that graphic design pioneers in Spain worked for decades in difficult conditions, aiming to display all their potential and talent, which against all odds materialised in their magnificent work.

The book, displaying brilliant and evidently attractive graphic material, also sought to do justice to a generation of professionals who created a series of works of outstanding quality, capable of creating images of great visual power that transcend fashions or trends with the tools to hand. It contains an introduction by Anna Calvera –professor of design history at the University of Barcelona– and close to a thousand images of Spain’s most important graphic pioneers, plus a timeline of highlights of the Spanish and International design panorama from 1939 to
1975.

The book –published by Index Book, a publisher of reference in Spain for design and visual communication– has been well received by the public interested in cultural issues, by the professional sector and by historians and design students. Its rapid translation into English and publication by the prestigious New York firm MBP is also proof of the interest it has generated.

Client: Index Book, Mark Batty Publisher