We kicked off the year with a bang delving into the long pondered question: “Is graphic design too trendy?”. Then, as a new decade unfolded, we traced the zeitgeist’s consciousness which saw a myriad of rebrands dictate a new era for their respective companies. Burger King’s shake up looked to its past to inform the future whereas the CIA got a contemporary twist and car brand Kia dramatically altered its logo to resemble a handwritten signature. Elsewhere, we met the archive preserving Syrian design history, celebrated the creative legacy of Kamekura Yusaku who designed the Tokyo 1964 Olympics identity, and honoured the unsung hero of mid-century graphic design, Rudolph de Harak.
Welcome to this year’s top graphic design stories. It’s been another stellar year for the umbrella medium encompassing rebrands, logos, typography, book design, packaging, infographics (just to name a few) and below, you’ll find the stories that have captured the hearts of our readers in 2021.