Every semester we set a book assignment on visual communication. It is a tradition that we are happy about. There are two things in the assignment: A text and a layout – a completely traditional graphic design assignment.

We often encounter resistance when we set the assignment. The students are biased in the way that they perceive the text work as something that is not part of their responsibility as designers. But it always ends up that we as teachers notice the students’ full commitment to a very difficult task, which is truly about making everything fit into a higher unity. It requires a lot of overview to oversee both content and form.

Specifically, these are small books of 16 pages printed on our risograph printer. The students fold and trim the books themselves. Here they are accompanied by posters that reinforce the themes of the books.