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Unit Editions is an independent[1] British book publishing company founded in 2009[2] by writer Adrian Shaughnessy and graphic designers Tony Brook and Patricia Finegan.[3] Headquartered in London,[4] Unit Editions is known for elaborately-produced publications that focus on niche topics in graphic design and visual culture.[5][6][7][8] Their stated mission is to publish books on “subjects that are either neglected or ignored by mainstream publishers.”[9]

As of 2025, Unit Editions’ imprint includes more than 50 published titles, including monographs on celebrated graphic designers like FHK Henrion,[10] Lance Wyman,[11][12] Pentagram,[13][14] Ken Garland,[15] Herb Lubalin,[16][17] and Paula Scher.[18][19] Unit Editions distributes books directly to customers, selling about 85% of them through its website,[20][21] and occasionally employing crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Volume.[22] Most of its books are produced in relatively small print runs of 1000–3000 copies,[20] and some titles sell out quickly.[23][24] The majority of books are designed by Spin Studio, run by the imprint’s co-founder Tony Brook.[25][26]

Eating with the eyes, a collection of photographs by designer and Pentagram partner Harry Pearce, designed by Pentagram and published by Unit Editions in 2016, won the 2016 D&AD Award.[27] Unit Editions was nominated in the graphic design section of the 'Beazley Designs of the Year' exhibition at London's Design Museum in 2017[28][29] and included in Creative Review’s Creative Leaders list in 2018.[30]

In 2023, British publishing house Thames & Hudson acquired rights to Unit Editions’ past publications and future titles.[31]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Heller, Steven (2014-04-17). "The Lost, Surprisingly Soulful Art of Corporate Identity". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  2. ^ "They said books were dead, they were wrong: Adrian Shaughnessy on a decade of Unit Editions". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  3. ^ "Unit Editions". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  4. ^ "Unit Editions Makes Books for Designers – Glyphic". 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  5. ^ Petit, Zachary (2020-11-16). "Studio Culture Now: A Guide to Surviving—and Maybe Even Thriving—in an Era of Striving". PRINT Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  6. ^ "Unit Editions". Designers & Books. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  7. ^ Leslie, Jeremy (2016-07-29). "Tony Brook, Spin & Unit Editions". magCulture. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  8. ^ Muraben, Billie (2016-11-01). "Unit Editions Pushes + Preserves Graphic Design by Publishing Books That Go Against the Mainstream". AIGA Eye On Design. Retrieved 2025-05-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "About". Unit Editions. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  10. ^ "FHK Henrion - The Complete Designer". Design Week. 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  11. ^ "Kickstarter Campaign Hopes to Publish Lance Wyman's Fantastic Diaries". Metropolis. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  12. ^ "Tony Brook on publishing the visual diaries of Lance Wyman". Design Week. 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  13. ^ TypeRoom. "Pentagram at 50: Living by design is a two volume compendium to inspire - TypeRoom". www.typeroom.eu. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  14. ^ "New Pentagram book features 1,000 logos its partners designed". Design Week. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  15. ^ "Ken Garland: Structure and Substance". Design Week. 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  16. ^ "Unit Editions' superb volume of Herb Lubalin's typography". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  17. ^ "Unit Editions' Herb Lubalin monograph". Design Week. 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  18. ^ "The exact moment to end a client meeting, whether your client is Bob Dylan or Citibank". Quartz. 2017-06-27. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  19. ^ "Paula Scher: Works – Unit Editions' new book on the designer's phenomenal career so far". Creative Boom. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  20. ^ a b Bøg, Sanne (2023-01-14). "Unit Editions". boeg.studio. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  21. ^ Q42, Fabrique &. "Unit Editions". Design Museum. Retrieved 2025-05-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Unit Editions crowd-funds new book, System Process Form, from MuirMcNeil studio". Creative Boom. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  23. ^ "Vaughan Oliver: Archive – a limited reprint by Unit Editions in memory of the legendary designer". Creative Boom. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  24. ^ "How Adrian Shaughnessy and Unit Editions Wrote and Published Pentagram: Living By Design | Scratching the Surface". scratchingthesurface.fm. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  25. ^ "TONY BROOK". Curator. 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  26. ^ "New Unit Editions offering explores combined power of text and imagery". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  27. ^ "Eating with the eyes | Pentagram Design Ltd | Unit Editions | D&AD Awards 2016 Pencil Winner | Specialist & Limited Edition Books | D&AD". www.dandad.org. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  28. ^ Q42, Fabrique &. "Unit Editions". Design Museum. Retrieved 2023-04-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Dawood, Sarah (2017-10-17). "Review: Beazley Designs of the Year 2017 at the Design Museum". Design Week. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  30. ^ "Unit Editions". Creative Review. 2017-06-19. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  31. ^ "Unit Editions and Read-Only Memory join Thames & Hudson". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
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