Ian Lynam writes essays, zines and books about the cross sections of design, art, history, theory, political economy and philosophy. (Or something.)

Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975
Set Margins, 2024

Idea
2009–present. Essays and features in issues 407, 405, 404, 401, 400, 399, 398, 397, 391, 389, 385, 382, 376, 371, 366, 363, 360, 356, 349, 345, 342, 341, 340, 339, 335, and 332.

War with Myself: Essays on Design, Culture & Violence
Set Margins, 2024

Design Against Design
Set Margins, 2024
(Foreword)

The Failed Painter
or Unchained by Material Anxiety

Set Margins, 2023

The Impossibility of Silence: Writing for Designers, Artists & Photographers
Onomatopee, 2020 (First edition)
Set Margins, 2022 (Second edition)
Set Margins, 2023 (Third edition)

Collision
Slanted, 2023
(Foreword)

Doko Demo Design Deluxe どこでもデザインデラックス
Wordshape, 2022

The Nest
Slanted, 2022
(Two essays)

After the Bauhaus, Before the Internet
A History of Graphic Design Pedagogy

No Place Press/MIT Press, 2022
(Chapter)

30 or So Minor Objects: Japanese Graphic Design History
Wordshape, 2021

I Got Something to Say — Poster Inventory, 2013–2021
Draw Down, 2021
(Essay)

Trip to Japan Graphics: Tokyo
Seibundo Shinkosha, 2021
(Chapter)

Corinthians Press 002: Zombie Somnambulence
Corinthians, 2021

Writing Writing
West, 2021

The Letter I: On Authenticity
West, 2021

The Letter I: On Authenticity
Wordshape, 2021

Baseline Shift: Untold Stories of Women in Graphic Design History
Chronicle Books, 2021
(Chapter)

Logo Archive Akogare
Logo Archive, 2020
(Essay)

Future Fonts
Graphic Design Review, 2020

Decolonizing Design
Graphic Design Review, 2020

Spine vol. 6: Funeral
Graphic Design Review, 2020

Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design
Slanted, 2019

Inside Out & Upside Down:
Posters from CalArts 1980–2019

MW Books, 2019
(Essay)

Slanted Los Angeles
Slanted, 2019
(Co-editor)

Critique: The War of Design
Wordshape, 2019

Visual Strategies for the Apocalypse
Wordshape, 2019

The Thing: The Opposite of Solving Design Problems
Wordshape, 2019

NJP 1
Néojaponisme, 2019

Anything with a Shape Cannot Be Broken
Modes of Criticism 5, 2019

Slanted Tokyo
Slanted, 2018
(Co-editor)

The Syntax of Seeming Destruction
Medium, 2018

A Death in the Family (or The End of Print)
Medium, 2018

Cannibals: A Handbook of Dubious Exercises, Tips and RantsAbout Becoming A Designer Who Teaches.
Wordshape, 2017

Coloring Inside the Lines. Coloring Outside the Lines.
Basics for the impending graphic design graduate.

Wordshape, 2017

Species Regret
Wordshape, 2017

Slouching Towards Delphi
2017

27th Brno Biennial
Moravian Gallery, 2016
(essay)

That’s Entertainment
Wordshape, 2016

Start Somewhere: A Handbook of Dubious Exercises, Tips and Rants About Becoming A Designer Who Writes
Wordshape, 2016

The Album Design of Yokoo Tadanori
Red Bull Music Academy, 2015

Why We Should Really Be Concerned About the Visual Identity for the Tokyo Olympics
Medium, 2015

なぜ東京オリンピックのビジュアルアイデンティティーを真剣に考える必要があるのか

Medium, 2015

Parting It Out: Writings of Graphic Design
Wordshape, 2015

Weddings
Modes of Criticism, 2015

The Genius of Graphic Designer Barney Bubbles
Red Bull Music Academy, 2015

20th Century Editorial Odyssey 20世紀エディトリアル・オデッセイ
Seibundo Shinkosha, 2014
(Chapter)

The World Atlas of Street Art and Graffiti
Yale University Press, 2013
(Chapter)

The Design of Manga, Anime & Light Novels
Seibundo Shinkosha, 2011
(Preface)

Mini Graphics 2
Gingko Press/Sandu, 2012
(Preface)

Mini Graphics
Gingko Press/Sandu, 2011
(Preface)

Art Space Tokyo
Chin Music Press, 2008
(Chapter)

Parallel Strokes
Wordshape, 2008

Ian is a regular contributor to Idea, Slanted, Modes of Criticism, The Graphic Design Review, The Asia Pacific Journal, and The Review of Japanese Culture and Society. He has been a contributor to 360 Design, AIGA Eye on Design, Art Asia Pacific, Art in America, Azure, Bijutsu Techo, Buzz, The City Paper, CMYK, Communication Arts, CNN, Design Issues, Details, Eye, Font, Frank 151, GQ, The Japan Times, Maximumrocknroll, Paper, PingMag, Plazm, Print, QDH, Surface, These Uncertain Times, and This American Life.