Courtesy of Modernism 101.
Why vintage design books are now so radicalâand radically expensive
In February 1972, the design director at MIT Press thought she had a fabulous idea. The publisherâs forthcoming book was about Las Vegas, and she would make the cover an âhomage to Vegas Glitz.â Bubble wrap would echo the shape of the Stripâs bulb lights, fluorescent dots printed beneath would shine through the plastic. âI thought: boy, this is wonderful material. Iâm not gonna let them screw it,â she later told an interviewer. âWell, they hated it! I loved it.â
The authors of the book responded by letter: âThe cover as designed is absolutely unacceptable: leaving out questions of good or bad design, it is inappropriate. It is against the philosophy of the book; it is a duckââheroic and originalââalmost fruity in its appearance.â
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