This book traces the history of Italian editorial graphic design by presenting commercial catalogs created for Italian design companies (predominantly producers of furniture and household goods) between 1906 and 2002. An illustrated bibliography by curator and artists' books aficionado Bruno Tonini, this work documents brochures, booklets, catalogs, and leaflets. Produced in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name at the Bibliothèque des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the volume also serves as a valuable resource for the study of typography, graphic design, material culture, and product and furniture design. The ephemeral pamphlets and printed materials that form the core of this book are fossils of the industrial age; having outlived their original purpose—to sell or present a product—they maintain a documentary significance, revealing specific design aesthetics as well as prevailing visual communication strategies.

Includes printed works from Artemide, Ferretti, Grapeggia, Linoleum, Memphis, Minotti, Olivetti, Oluce, Poltronova, and much more.

Designed by corrainiStudio

Published by Corraini Edizioni

In Italian and English

128 pages, color and b&w images, 6.5 × 9.25 inches

ISBN: 978-8-87-570527-5