Narrative Design: A Fifty Year Perspective

Narrative Design: A Fifty Year Perspective is a collection of work by obsessive graphic designer Kit Hinrichs from over fifty years in the profession including nearly a quarter century as a Pentagram partner. For Hinrichs, design is the business of storytelling. It is not just about communicating the value of a product, service or a corporate ethos, it is also about contributing to a greater, cultural narrative.

The book presents work in categories of storytelling methods, rather than in individual case studies, in order to communicate Hinrichs’ creative thinking, which has consistently led to unique and effective solutions that have wowed clients and dazzled viewers over the last half-century. Each chapter is highly illustrated with a range of examples from posters to exhibitions to publications, annual reports, catalogs and more.

“The designer’s conundrum is to effectively use our skills for our clients’ needs without neglecting our equally important ethical responsibility to create a landscape that always improves and never denigrates our world visual culture,” Hinrichs writes.

There is a hardcover edition as well as a limited edition, which is signed, numbered and features a die-cut slipcase and letterpress bookplate.

© 2023 Studio Hinrichs