A5/10: Collecting Graphic Design

The Archiving of the Visual

Modern graphic design has existed for more than a hundred years. In an exciting history of evolution, the discipline has evolved and established itself worldwide. The fact that we can trace this development in detail today is largely thanks to archives and collections that preserve posters, logos, book covers, design manuals, and small printed matter. The natural short-lived nature of many of these media, the ever-changing visual zeitgeist, and the fact that graphic design is always a reflection of contemporary history make its history incredibly appealing.

This book presents ten specialized graphic design archives and collections from all over the world—from traditional institutions to private initiatives. Curators and collectors show favorite exhibits and highlights from their collections, tell the stories behind the arti- facts, and report on their work in in-depth interviews. The book presents collections and archives from Berlin, Buenos Aires, Milan, Paris, San Francisco, and Tokyo. An appendix features more than 60 other international collections in brief.

Featured Collections:
Graphic Design Documentation Center of Aiap · Milan, Italy / Canada Modern · Mono, Ontario, Canada / DNP Graphic Design Archives · Tokyo, Japan / IDA Foundation · Buenos Aires, Argentina / Sammlung Grafikdesign Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin · Berlin, Germany / Letterform Archive · San Francisco, USA / Rochester Institute of Technology · Rochester, New York, USA / Serge Ricco · Paris, France / Swiss Graphic Design Foundation · Winterthur, Switzerland / A5 Sammlung · Düsseldorf, Germany

»The value of archives is not just about a single letter or sketch or poster, but it is the value of all the documentation as a whole. Archives not only document the final results of a design, but they tell the whole story. They are the raw materials of history.«
(Jennifer Whitlock, Vignelli Center for Design Studies)