Range in design ebook publishing
Last month, Brazil-born London designer Leonardo de Vasconcelos launched a self-initiated data visualization project called Judging by the Cover, which draws attention to the gap between white and BIPOC authors, editors and contributors to design books published by a selection of leading international publishers .
The study reports the number of design books published by these companies that classify authors, editors, and contributors (usually additional authors who have written articles) as black, white, or “other ethnicities”, with the exception of books where these details were not possible found.
Ten publishers have been examined so far: GGili, Lars Muller Publishers, Laurence King Publishing, MIT Press, Niggli Verlag, Phaidon, Princeton Architectural Press, Sternberg Press, Taschen and Thames & Hudson. The result is dismal as some of the companies have not published any books with black authors, contributors, or editors, according to the study.
Vasconcelos did not look into the publishers involved in the study. However, since the start of the study, many publishers have followed the project on Instagram. He believes it's a wake-up call and hopes the publishers will learn from the project and ultimately use their power to change the landscape: “There are so many incredible BIPOC designers out here waiting for an opportunity for publication. "
The lack of diversity in the entire creative industry was scrutinized last year. However, Vasconcelos believes that book publishing is particularly lagging behind in this regard. "Book publishers have had a hard time coping with the rise in digital books, pirate copies, and the risk that physical books will eventually die," he says. “I think that's one reason the book publishing market seems so conservative about change. Because it's easier to invest in ready-made recipes than it is to explore new horizons as economic factors are at stake. However, this does not justify not taking a more proactive approach to tackling inequality as their clients come from different backgrounds. "
Co-founder of Designer and Unit Editions, Adrian Shaughnessy, agrees that publishers often rely on economic reasons, which may explain why the same names and movements keep appearing in design books. He believes publishers can learn from how fictional footprints have expanded their production: “I think it was really interesting how fictional publishers have received non-Western voices and voices from fringe communities. All publishing is risky, so I admire anyone who publishes non-standard material, ”he tells us. “The world of design publishers has been slow to follow the example of fictional prints. It's easy to hide behind the economy. Even with books dealing with established and popular figures from the Western canon, it is criminally difficult to make money. So it is not easy to immerse yourself in unestablished figures and movements. But I think we need to make sure that marginalized and neglected voices are heard. "