VCA 200 Creative Publishing
In an increasingly digital age, publishing is exploring new visual formats while physical books have experienced a renaissance as a privileged channel of creative expression. This course takes this dual development as a starting point to investigate the historical forms and contemporary opportunities offered by the book medium to editors, writers and artists. Students will be introduced to the history of the printing revolution in the early modern age, the development of typography and the emergence of the modern press. An attention to different publishing models co-existing in the 21st century introduces a diversity of publishing practices and economic formats, from that of established printing houses to independent editors and self-published artists. The course will consider both material and virtual channels, taking into account the surge of digital technologies and a new appreciation for the book as a material object. Additionally, discussion will consider current debates in critical design as they come to challenge inherited practices in the field of publishing, and offer emancipatory and exploratory paths for present and future development.
Recommended prerequisite: AHT 102 or AHT 103 or CLCS 100 or COM 201.