The Pentagram Papers Book

Since 1975 Pentagram has issued the Pentagram Papers, our limited edition series of booklets that examine “curious, entertaining, stimulating, provocative, and occasionally controversial points of view” related to design. Published once or twice a year, the Papers have been distributed exclusively to our friends and clients. Now, just in time for Pentagram’s 35th anniversary, the Papers have been collected and make their public debut in a new book, The Pentagram Papers, out now from Chronicle Books in the US and coming in February from Thames and Hudson in the UK.

Each Pentagram Paper explores a unique topic of interest—from the lights of London’s famed Savoy hotel to the pop architecture of Wildwood, New Jersey; from the mailboxes of rural Australia to the classroom aids of Mexico. The Pentagram Papers includes a detailed discussion of the series’ origins, reproductions of the 35 entries so far, and tucked in the back, a complete new paper, Marks of Africa, number 36 in the series.

The Pentagram Papers was conceived and designed by Pentagram partner Kit Hinrichs. “Pentagram Papers attract anyone with a curious mind,” says Kit. “These visual essays offer a unique perspective, occasionally controversial, on ordinary and extra-ordinary things or occurrences in daily life. And they are a unique window into the way in which our company thinks.”

Edited by Delphine Hirasuna, the book includes interviews with several of Pentagram’s current and former partners regarding their contributions to the series. The background and design of each paper is explored, with titles in the series organized according to theme: Cultural Phenomena, Personal Passions, Collections and Retrospection. Marks of Africa, the new paper included in the book, was created by John McConnell, partner emeritus and the series’ founding editor, and examines the rich tradition of pictographic communication in Africa.

To order: Amazon US, UK.