Iron Fists: Branding the 20th-Century Totalitarian State

The power of graphic design was well understood by 20th-century dictators. Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the USSR and China all employed distinct graphics, typography and color schemes in their propaganda art. Steven Heller, in his new book IRON FIST, provides the first comprehensive overview of how graphic design was conceived and promoted in totalitarian states. Heller is co-chair of the MFADesigner as Author program at the New York School of Design and was art director of the New York Times for 33 years. His book is out from Phaidon.