Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest

by Silas Munro, Colette Gaiter (Introduction), Stephen Coles (Contributor)

In chapters exploring the many ways to voice dissent (RESIST!, VOTE!, STRIKE!, TEACH!, and LOVE!), Strikethrough charts a typographic chant of resistance across more than a century of protest graphics—from nineteenth-century antislavery broadsides to the colorful affiches of the Paris 1968 uprising, and from the revolutionary Black Panther newspaper to the public awareness posters of the AIDS crisis.

Author Silas Munro, cocreator of the first BIPOC-centered design history course, presents a vibrant collection of broadsides, signs, banners, posters, ephemera, and archival photographs, highlighting the vital roles of letterforms in messages of social change. Informed by Black musical traditions of call and response, Strikethrough amplifies design dialogues that echo across works by feminist, queer, and antiracist activists, anticolonial resisters, labor organizers, environmental defenders, and others. An introduction by Colette Gaiter, plus an essay on protest type and lettering by Stephen Coles and ten profiles of activist-designers including Corita Kent, Ben Shahn, Carlos Cortez, Favianna Rodriguez, and fierce pussy, dig deep into the storied legacies of graphic opposition.

Published in connection with Letterform Archive’s latest gallery exhibition, cocurated by Munro and Coles, this hardcover catalog features state-of-the-art color reproductions and stochastic printing, a custom typeface by Trés Seals based on historical protest lettering, and a bright five-color design by Munro’s design studio Polymode. Revealing how messages make their way to the masses via marker, screen print, spray paint, collage, and both physical and digital type, Strikethrough calls on us all to make our own demands for 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, Tibor Kalman, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., Herb Lubalin, Phase 2, Favianna Rodriguez, Ward Schumaker, Ben Shahn and Wes Wilson.

Genres: Design, Art

280 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2022

About the author

Silas Munro is an educator and designer who applies design to inspire people to elevate themselves and improve society. His Los Angeles-based studio, Poly-Mode, helps organizations embrace cultural diversity and increase community involvement. His studio has collaborated with MoMA, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Mark Bradford, and Miami's Wynwood Arts District, among others. Munro's design work and writings have been published in many forms at home and abroad. As an educator, he focuses on expanded design studies. He has been a critic, lecturer, and professor at many internationally ranked art and design programs. Miunro is an assistant professor at Otis College of Art and Design and an advisor at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Reviews

[Kyla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the color and title of the book so that’s why I put it on hold at my local library to read. I am very thankful I did not purchase the book. I thought it would be a history of bold protest designs. And it was, but it was also a one sided commentary of selected work. I finished it because I wanted to give it a chance to speak for itself, and the appendix does indeed speak for itself. The most referenced work is “Emory Douglas, the Black Panther, Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter movement”

And honestly I would be fine learning about the art behind the movements. But I didn’t want a whole book on it when I was expecting a more systematic and equal history of all protest art.

Which now that I think about it, it’s ironic. A book talking about fairness and equality, yet clearly has a prejudice and bias of its own.

So if you are looking for art history book at black history protest this is the book for you. If you are looking for a wider range of protest topics, look elsewhere.

[Reese Derksen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-curated book that provides important context and information alongside the pieces showcased. So many of the figures and events in this book I had never heard of or wasn’t aware of the full story—that had been downplayed by history books. Their stories and battles are all still relevant today (sadly) which is what makes this book so valuable.

[Tracy]

Nice design, inside and out. A good blend of examples (at a readable size), profiles of designers, quotes and explanatory text. The examples span from present time back through the 1800s and include designs beyond the US. The book is hefty but not overwhelming -- the sections and different types of material make it feel tightly curated.