Neshan Amongst 100 Classic Graphic Design Journals

100 Classic Graphic Design Journals –A compendium-style book, Steven Heller and Jason Godfrey–surveys a unique collection of the most influential magazines devoted to graphic design, advertising and typography. Steven Heller represents Neshan as Iran’s first and only graphic design magazine and the best outlet to showcase Iran’s stunning contemporary graphic design to the West by combining tradition and modernity. He points out its background and how the magazine was originally established by a group of like-minded practitioners in 2003. The initial aims of the authors were to find ways to meet the needs of society in spite of all the restrictions, and to introduce the whole spectrum of Iranian graphic design — including both traditional and unconventional subjects — to domestic and international audiences. Heller and Godfrey portray the founding members of Neshan as the leading players on Iran’s design scene. They mention Morteza Momayez (1936–2005) as the first editor-in-chief who formatted the magazine “to be at once distinctly Iranian in nuanced ways and decidedly modern in its simplicity.” Heller describes the development of graphic design styles in Iran in the past 50 years based on how Majid Abbasi, Neshan’s current editor-in-chief, articulates it as “post-Islamic originality of Iranian arts through today’s techniques and definitions of graphic design.” Abbasi further admits the limitations Neshan is facing ranging from financial challenges of funding the magazine to social, religious and cultural barriers. However, as Heller interprets them, these limitations have spawned a creative design language quite of its own. The two pages dedicated to Neshan beautifully showcase four covers of the current and previous styles, and four spreads of different issues. Despite the fact that Neshan has been internationally featured in web and print publications in the past, it is substantial to be showcased along with renowned graphic design magazines such as Print, Eye and Graphis. One of only three publications mentioned from Asia, this feature is a reviving breeze of hope for Neshan, as the past decade has seen and overcome so many challenges.
100 Classic Graphic Design Journals offers an invaluable resource for historians and students of graphic design, and a rich stream of visual research and inspiration for graphic designers. Not only does it demonstrate the milestones in the history of graphic design, but each title is meticulously researched and loaded with both fact and context; many feature insight from current editors about their ethos and evolution. The book is a successful publication and quite unique in its method of contextualizing the history of graphic design that might not have been explored otherwise.