Extra Bold: A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-racist, Nonbinary Field Guide for Graphic Designers by Ellen Lupton

Extra Bold: A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-racist, Nonbinary Field Guide for Graphic Designers Reviews

• 
  Nancy

  Extra Bold is a book for our times: not limited to the predisposition of design heritage or industry standard in a world that is no longer standard, nor limited to a singular graphic design history. Described as "a feminist inclusive anti-racist non binary field guide for graphic designers," it's a unique design manual filled with personal stories and ideas that don't show up in other design guidebooks or overviews. For emphasis, this is NOT a trash white male designers book at all (even though I admit nodding or grimacing at certain relatable points, which arguably men may never understand having never having to endure these experiences). It's also more than an older sister-designer-mentor-advice in a book. It's about including those beyond that category...and there are many.
  
  Divided up and presented in order of theory, history & work, it covers education, life experiences and observations from a variety of creative voices (spurred on by co-author & design champion, Ellen Lupton). Discussions, debates and considerations that aren't easy apply in traditional design settings are explored. It's about gender issues, it's about understanding who holds power, it points out inequality and imbalance in where or how we work, how to navigate getting work as a young person...and so much more. Not light reading per se, but reading that becomes more engrossing the further along one goes.
  
  How does graphic design play a role in all this? The voices are designers navigating through their world, their work and their personal worth to be more inclusive in their workplaces. Design is used to express some of their experiences, identity, ideas and ways to communicate with others, on a more level playing ground (especially hard when you're just starting out and trying to find your voice in a world of much louder, bigger ones).
  
  Like similar books to create awareness for those who haven't clued in, didn't realize what they were missing or want to truly understand and navigate the broader world we live in, this is equally vital for the demographics it speaks to, and for. While the narrative can feel a bit fractured at times with so many contributors and areas of focus, there's a necessity in hearing so many different experiences falling under the same umbrella of being held back. In other words, it's complicated—which is why the delivery IS not and CAN not be a straight line. It has to begin with much background context in order to bring true meaningful discourse and meaningful change in how to be a working designer in our current world. It's the smart, brave and timely book we truly needed more than ever, that encourages repeat readings or sharing (already in its 4th reading after the initial May 2021 release).
• 
  Sophia Corsetti

  So good and interesting even for people not in design!
• 
  Lou_GilSayan

  Sharing insights from history and testimonies, this book brings so much perspective on the inaccessibility in the world of design.
  It's not only about graphic design but about exclusions, euro-centered beauty criteria, hiring processes, power structures, mentoring, workplace discrimination and more...
  I would highly recommend to anyone to read this and especially if you feel you can't fit in this world. You do.
• 
  Kacie Sommers

  I love this book so fucking much. It sounds dramatic but this book changed my life & my outlook on so many things and I’m so grateful for that. The content is obviously geared towards designers but I think it could be useful for anybody and everybody to read.
• 
  Neslihan Ramzi

  Designer or not, this is a recommend! Great intros to many topics.
• 
  Emma

  This book was amazing. It was funny, direct, and graphically engaging. It made me proud, and, at times, uncomfortable, which is what a good instructional and educational guide book has to do sometimes. It also makes me want to make. I think a collage is in my future.
• 
  Alice

  A pretty solid collection of essays, interviews, and illustrations on how designers can be all the things mentioned in the title. A good starting point with lots of ideas from members of various marginalized communities.
• 
  Mai Nguyen

  good collection of essays that provides valuable insights and plenty of inspiration for designers!
• 
  Eliza

  This book was really interesting, eye-opening, and well-put-together.
  It covers a broad variety of subjects regarding inclusivity, whether from a theory perspective, a history-based one, or a more practical one, and all either directly or indirectly tying them back to how they relate to design or being a graphic designer.
  One piece that particularly stands out was that it was through this book that I began to learn even a little about the amazing life of Ruth Ellis.
  I also learned about the printing press background/etymology of the words stereotype and cliché.
  It’s also a beautiful book (of course - made by graphic designers!), wonderfully put together, with beautiful illustrations, and simply lovely to look at.
  I definitely recommend reading through at least a great deal of this book (some of it is pretty graphic design-specific, so if you’re not in, or interested in the field, maybe skim through some of it)!
• 
  My Tam

  Great reference.
• 
  Erin

  beautifully designed book- found myself most interested in the “theory” section and could use a whole book full of those conversations/design!
• 
  Leda

  Potenzialmente tutto quello che vorrei in un libro, utilissimo per chi si sta formando nel primo ciclo di studi (scolastici o da autodidatta), ma con alcune grandissime cadute di stile nel contenuto: zero critica all'elefante nella stanza - il sistema capitalista che rende qualsiasi sforzo in direzione di un mondo feminist, inclusive, anti-racist, nonbinary & Co una semplice toppa quando non viene messo in discussione. Il mondo del design è tutti e quattro i cavalieri dell'apocalisse del capitalismo, non si può raccontarsi storielle sul come renderlo più inclusivo e al contempo dire "l'importante è lavorare, dare tutto, fare i passion project all'uscita dal lavoro". No. In generale tutto il tono è molto USA. Lo lancerei comunque su qualsiasi studente/ssa di triennale <3
• 
  Laura Dimová

  Toto je prvá kniha, ktorú som kvôli bakalárke prešla celú. Je o inkluzívnom dizajne, teda takom, ktorý je pre každého.
  
  Problematike sa v bežnom živote veľmi nevenujem a preto ma neskutočne zaujala. Nikdy predtým som sa nezamyslela nad tým, ako dokážu farby, fonty či dokonca tvary!! použité (nie len) v grafickom dizajne ovplyvniť to, ako na nás dizajn vplýva - či je ženský/ mužský, drahý/lacný, pre mladých/pre starších či dokonca pre bielych alebo pre ľudí tmavej rasy.
  
  Inkluzívnosť dizajnu je veľmi malo rozšírený pojem a malo by sa to zmeniť. Pretože dizajnéri by mali dizajnovať tak, aby boli ich produkty skutočne pre všetkých.
• 
  Clara Mount

  This makes a great coffee table book because it is beautiful. It is aimed at beginning/entry level designers while I was hoping for more advanced tips about inclusive design based on the subtitle and other work I've read by Ellen Lupton. Worth a read for the perspectives presented here.
• 
  Araminta Matthews

  The Emotional Labor invoice was amazing! Good resource.