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Design Category
Book design, 2003
Design firm
Knickerbocker Design (New York, New York)
Collection
(2004) 50 Books/50 Covers of 2003
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At a time of global crisis, Empire rallies a coalition of artists, designers, writers and photographers to protest the mysterious, all-powerful phenomenon that dominates our civilization.
A letter was sent to potential contributors, both in the United States and in Europe, urging them to comment on the current political situation. Empire was used as a theme to unify and organize the different submissions in a coherent critique of the Bush administration. Submissions were printed exactly as they were received, unaltered and unedited.
Empire is a visual manifesto inspired by zines, radical tracts, and comics. Printed on gritty newsprint stock in military green and black, Empire is a hybrid project, sitting on the Current Affairs and Graphic Design shelves of bookstores.
Empire has garnered a lot of attention, not only within the design community but also among a broader segment of the population, disillusioned with the lack of political outcry in mainstream media. Empire has been reviewed and excerpted in many forums, including the Boston Globe, Time Out, Vanity Fair, Wired, New York Post, Eye, Publisher’s Weekly, LA Weekly and National Public Radio.
“A traditional matching of graphics and politics in a journal format.” Jack Woody