(Archive) CAPS LOCK

CAPS LOCK

Using clear language and many visual examples, CAPS LOCK shows how capitalism and graphic design are inextricably linked. Author and designer Ruben Pater uses practical examples and various design roles that unravel the link between market forces and design. CAPS LOCK argues that capitalism would not exist without, for example, the bank notes, documents, interfaces, branding and advertising that we use on a daily basis; all (partly) brought to life by graphic designers. The result, according to Pater, is that design is enclosed within a system of exploitation and profit, a cycle that further fuels inequality and the depletion of human and natural resources. The book presents contrasts to this, with six radical design initiatives.